I think that there are three acoustic guitars a-hummin' along in this one. Guitars one & two are playing rhythm and the third is playing a tidy single-note ditty. I will show you how to play what sounds like all three guitar parts - playing rhythm & bass while using "hammers" to help emulate the single-note ditty. I'm also going to show you the beginning solo and the ending guitar lick. This song should be played on acoustic guitars. Be sure to visit my tab page in order to understand how I write tablature on the web.

Click here if you want only the lyrics.

THE CHORDS:

 
G 
(GUITARS INTRO)
 
(no chord)
I been 
 
G                    C                       G
standin' on a rock - waitin' for the wind to blow
 
       C                                            G 
I been standin' on a rock - waitin' for the wind to blow
 
       D                    C                       G
I been standin' on a rock - waitin' for my seeds to grow

 
                               C                       G
I been walkin' on the ground - waitin' for the guns to quit
 
       C                                               G
I been walkin' on the ground - waitin' for the guns to quit
 
       D                       C                         G
I been walkin' on the ground - waitin' for the pieces to fit
 
 
G      C       G
C      G 
D      C       G
HARP SOLO (1 harp)
 
G      C       G
C      G 
D      C       G
HARP SOLO (2 harps)
 
 
G      C       G
C      G 
D      C       G
HARP SOLO (3? harps + fiddle)
 
 
           (no chord)            C                          G
better get back to the country - look around and find you a home
 
           (no chord)            C                          G
better get back to the country - look around and find you a home
 
           D                     C                        G
better get back to the country - that's where we all come from
 
 
                            C                       G
I been standin' on a rock - waitin' for the wind to blow
 
                            C                       G
I been standin' on a rock - waitin' for the wind to blow
 
       D                    C                       G
I been standin' on a rock - waitin' for my seeds to grow (whew!)
 
       D                    C                       G
I been standin' on a rock - waitin' for my seeds to grow
 
       D                    C                       G
I been standin' on a rock - waitin' for my seeds to grow
 
(ending lick)  D  G
(little guitar ditty)
 

THE TAB:

G

1 -|| -----------------------4--------3
2 -|| --------0-----------------------0
3 -|| --------0-----------------------0
4 -|| --------0-----------------------0
5 -|| ---------------2----------------2
6 -|| -----------------------3--------3

C

1 -|| --------0-----------------------0
2 -|| --------1-----------------------1
3 -|| --------0-----------------------0
4 -|| ---------------2----------------2
5 -|| -----------------------4--------3
6 -|| -----------------------3--------3

D

1 -|| ---------------2----------------2
2 -|| -----------------------3--------3
3 -|| ---------------1----------------2
4 -|| --------0-----------------------0
5 -|| ----------------------------------
6 -|| ----------------------------------

TIPS

Intro Guitar Solo

Don't play anything for the first 8 beats of the songs, then play each of the following notes on the up & down beats for 8 beats (ie, play the 6/8 notes for eight beats, then the 4/6 notes for eight beats, then the 1/3 notes for eight beats):

(G chord all the way)

 
1 -|| ---6-----4-----1------
2 -|| ---8-----6-----3------
3 -|| ----------------------
4 -|| ----------------------
5 -|| ----------------------
6 -|| ----------------------
 

Then play this stuff (play the first pair of notes 13 times):

 
1 -|| ------------------------------------------------------------7-------------7-------
2 -|| ---3----------------------------------------------------7s8-----------7s8---------
3 -|| ---3-------3---0----------------------0---3 (pull)-------------------------------
4 -|| -------------------2--------------0h2---------------------------------------------
5 -|| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
6 -|| ----------------------3 (hold it) ------------------------------------------------

1 -|| -----7-----5--------7-------10----------7-----5--------7-------10-----
2 -|| -7s8-----6------7s8------12---------7s8-----6------7s8------12--------
3 -|| ----------------------------------------------------------------------
4 -|| ----------------------------------------------------------------------
5 -|| ----------------------------------------------------------------------
6 -|| ----------------------------------------------------------------------
 
 
1 -|| -----7-----5-------3-------1-------------------3----
2 -|| -7s8-----6-------5-------3---------------------0----
3 -|| -----------------------------------0------0----0----
4 -|| -------------------------------0h2--0-0h2------0----
5 -|| -----------------------------------------------2----
6 -|| -----------------------------------------------3----

The -7s8- means to pick that note on the 7th fret & then quickly slide to the 8th fret without picking - two notes for the price of one, so to speak.... The play the next two notes - you need to play all this stuff from the down of the first beat to the upbeat.

(pull) means to pull the note (like playing blues) and hold it out for the rest of the beats.

(hold it) means just hold the note - sustain it.

0h2 means to hammer on the 2nd fret - once again, two notes for one picking.

Let the notes ring out when possible.

The guitar lick at the end of the song

1 -|| ----------------------------------------------------3---3
2 -|| ----------------------------------------------------2---0
3 -|| -----------------0------------------------------0---3---0
4 -|| ---------0---2-------2---0--------------0---2-------0---0
5 -|| ---0h1h2--------------------2-----0h1h2-----------------2
6 -|| -3------------------------------3-----------------------3

PLAY BASS WITH YOUR CHORDS:

You can (and should) play bass along with your chords, at least on this song. - especially if you are playing without a bassist !

To play bass on the G chord - finger the chord first, the bass playing comes with the other hand. The bold numbers below represent the bass notes for a G chord.

G

1 -|| -----------------------4--------3
2 -|| --------0-----------------------0
3 -|| --------0-----------------------0
4 -|| --------0-----------------------0
5 -|| ---------------2----------------2
6 -|| -----------------------3--------3

On the 1st and 3rd beats of the chord, you can play bass on the 6th string, while on the 2nd and 4th beats you can play bass on the 5th string. On the first beat, play the 6th string and then all of the strings on the 'up' beat. On the second beat, play the 5th string and then all of the strings on the 'up' beat. On the third beat, play the 6th string and then all of the strings on the 'up' beat. On the fourth beat, play the 5th string and then all of the strings on the 'up' beat. (You can play the 4th string instead of the 5th string - try it).

___________

To play bass on the C chord - finger the chord first. The bold numbers below represent the bass notes for a C chord.

C

1 -|| --------0-----------------------0
2 -|| --------1-----------------------1
3 -|| --------0-----------------------0
4 -|| ---------------2----------------2
5 -|| -----------------------4--------3
6 -|| -----------------------3--------3

On the 1st and 3rd beats of the chord, you can play bass on the 5th string, while on the 2nd and 4th beats you can play bass on the 6th string. On the first beat, play the 5th string and then all of the strings on the 'up' beat. On the second beat, play the 6th string and then all of the strings on the 'up' beat. On the third beat, play the 5th string and then all of the strings on the 'up' beat. On the fourth beat, play the 6th string and then all of the strings on the 'up' beat.

___________

To play bass on the D chord - finger the chord first. The bold numbers below represent the bass notes for a D chord.

D

1 -|| ---------------2----------------2
2 -|| -----------------------3--------3
3 -|| ---------------1----------------2
4 -|| --------0-----------------------0
5 -|| --------0-----------------------0
6 -|| --------------------------------

On the 1st and 3rd beats of the chord, you can play bass on the 4th string, while on the 2nd and 4th beats you can play bass on the 5th string. On the first beat, play the 4th string and then all of the strings on the 'up' beat. On the second beat, play the 5th string and then all of the strings on the 'up' beat. On the third beat, play the 4th string and then all of the strings on the 'up' beat. On the fourth beat, play the 5th string and then all of the strings on the 'up' beat.

HAMMER:

You can hammer on both the G and the C chords in this song. In fact, you should do a lot of it during the harp solos.

To hammer on the G chord - let your 2nd finger get some exercise. In the diagram below, the bold numbers are where you can hammer, one string at a time.

1 -|| -----------------------4--------3
2 -|| --------0-----------------------0
3 -|| --------0-----------------------0
4 -|| --------0--2--0---------------0/2/0
5 -|| --------0--2--0---------------0/2/0
6 -|| -----------------------3--------3

On the 2nd and 4th beats of the chord, you can hammer on the 5th and 4th strings, respectively, with your second finger on the 2nd fret. Right after you strum all the strings, quickly press and release - you shouldn't hold the string down for more than a millionth of a second. Remember to keep all the other fingers in-place. A good hammer will have a triplet-like sound: open-press-open. In this case when you hammer on the 5th string you are really playing the notes A-B-A, if you hammer and then pluck the next string a little harder, you can hear the notes A-B-D - all from one hammer! When you hammer on the 4th string, you are playing the notes D-E-D. Similarly, you can pluck the next string a little louder to hear D-E-G. You can also try your luck at hammerin' on the 3rd string, if you can squeeze it in somewhere - 2nd fret, 2nd finger - same as before. Try not to hammer repetitively - sprinkle your hammers around, generously.

To hammer on the C chord - again, let your 2nd finger get some exercise. In the diagram below, the bold numbers are where you can hammer, one string at a time.

1 -|| --------0-----------------------0
2 -|| --------1-----------------------1
3 -|| --------0--2--0---------------0/2/0
4 -|| --------0--2--0---------------0/2/0
5 -|| -----------------------4--------3
6 -|| -----------------------3--------0

On the 2nd and 4th beats of the chord, you can hammer on the 4th and 3rd strings, respectively, with your second finger on the 2nd fret. In this case when you hammer on the 4th string you are really playing the notes D-E-D, if you hammer and then pluck the next string a little harder, you can hear the notes D-E-G. When you hammer on the 3rd string, you are playing the notes G-A-G. Similarly, you can pluck the next string a little louder to hear G-A-B.

To hammer on the D chord - Hammer on the 2nd fret of the open 5th string when you are playing the D chord.

When you see the following:

           (no chord)            C                          G
better get back to the country - look around and find you a home

The three notes that you hear before playing the C chord are (string/fret) 6/3, 5/0, 5/2.

Miscellany:

During the song and especially during the harp solos, you frequently hear a four note run (okay, it's not much of a run). Here is the four note run:

1 -|| --------------------------------
2 -|| --------------------------------
3 -|| ---------3--2--0--------------
4 -|| --------------------2-----------
5 -|| --------------------------------
6 -|| --------------------------------
note.........1..2..3...4...

In this example, the bold numbers represent the finger and the fret.
(the four notes are b-flat, a, g, e)
Once you hear yourself play this, I think you can figure out where they go in the song.

If you play the bass part on the down beats and play the chords on the 'up' beats while hammerin' on the 2nd and the 4th beats - you'll sound like two guitarists in one! Especially if you are crankin' on a Martin HD 28-12. :-)