Life Is A Long Song

Words & Music:

Ian Anderson (Jethro Tull)

 

[capo to a comfortable singing key - original key is capo 7.  Going from D to C, 0 h.o. 2 on the D string; from C to CM7, 0 h.o.4 on G string]

 

D                   C  CM7     D                  C   Asus4  A

When you've fallen awake and you take stock of the new day.

D                       C  CM7     D                        C Asus4 A

And you hear your voice croak as you choke on what you need to say.

F                               C

Well, don't you fret, don't you fear.

       G             Asus4  A

I will give you good cheer!

 

D             D/F#  C/E  C

Life's a long song.

Life's a long song.

Life's a long song.

       G                            Asus4  A

If you wait, then your plate I will fill.

 

As the verses unfold and your soul suffers the long day,

And the twelve o'clock gloom spins the room, you struggle on your way.

Well don't you sigh, don't you cry,

Lick the dust from your eye.

 

Life's a long song.  Life's a long song.

Life's a long song.  We will meet in the sweet light of dawn.

 

As the Baker Street train spills your pain all over your new dress,

And the symphony sounds underground but you wanted to rest.

Well don't you squeal as the heel

Grinds you under the wheels.

 

Life's a long song.  Life's a long song.

Life's a long song.

But the tune ends too soon for us all.

But the tune ends too soon for us all.

 

Asus4   A   A(add2)  D

 


Life Is A Long Song Tab by Sigurd Andre Lund

 

           _____ upstroke here to get more sound out of 2.string than 3.

          |      or ignore the (2) and play downstroke

          |

          v

  ^ v ^ v v       ^ v ^ v ^ v   ^ v ^ v ^ v   ^ v ^ v ^ v

|-------2-------|-------0---0-|-----0-0-0-0-|-----0-0-0-0-|

|---------0h3p0-|-----1-1---1-|-----1-1-1-1-|-----1-1-1-1-|

|-----2--(2)----|---0---0--(0)|-----0-0-0-0-|-0-4-4-4-4-4-|

|---0-----------|-0-----------|-0-2---------|-------------|

|-0-------------|-------------|-------------|-------------|

|---------------|-------------|-------------|-------------|

  1 2 3 4 5   6   1 2 3 4 5 6   1 2 3 4 5 6   1 2 3 4 5 6

 

  ^ v ^ v ^       ^ v ^ v ^ v   ^ v ^ v ^ v   ^ v ^ v ^ v

|-------2-------|-----0-0---0-|-----0-0-0-0-|-----0-0-0-0-|

|-----3---0h3p0-|---1---1---1-|-----1-1-1-1-|-----1-1-1-1-|

|---2-----------|-0-----0-----|-----0-0-0-0-|-0-4-4-4-4-4-|

|-0-------------|-------------|-0-2---------|-------------|

|---------------|-------------|-------------|-------------|

|---------------|-------------|-------------|-------------|

  1 2 3 4 5   6   1 2 3 4 5 6   1 2 3 4 5 6   1 2 3 4 5 6

 

             _____ An alternative here is to play -4- on 3.string.

            |      I'm not sure which of them Ian is playing, but

            |      I prefer -0- on 2.string

            v 

  ^     v ^ v   ^   ^ v ^ v   ^     v ^ v   ^ v ^ v ^ v

|-2-----2-----|-2---2-0-----|-0-----0-0-0-|-0-----------|

|-3---------0-|-3---3---1---|-1-----1-1-1-|-1-0(0)0-----|

|-2-------2---|-2---2-----2-|-0-----0-0-0-|-0(0)0(0)0-2-|

|-0-----------|-------------|-------------|-0-----------|

|-0-----------|-------------|-------------|-------------|

|-------------|-------------|-------------|-------------|

  1 2 3 4 5 6   1 2 3 4 5 6   1 2 3 4 5 6   1 2 3 4 5 6

 

  ^   ^ v ^ v   ^ v ^ v   v         v ^ v   ^   v ^ v ^

|-2---2-2-2-2-|-------------|-------------|-----------0h2|

|-3---3-3-3-3-|------(3)--0-|h1-----1-1-0-|-3---2-2-0-3--|

|-2---2-2-2-2-|---0-2-0---0-|-------0-0-0-|-2---2-2-2-2--|

|-0-----------|-4-----------|-------------|-----------0--|

|-------------|-------------|-------------|--------------|

|-------------|-------------|-------------|--------------|

  1 2 3 4 5 6   1 2 3 4 5 6   1 2 3 4 5 6   1 2 3 4 5 6

 

   v     v ^ v

||-2-----2-----|-2-----2-2-2-|-0-----0-0-0-|-0-0-0-0-----|

||-3---------0-|-3-----3-3-3-|-1-----1-1-1-|-1-0-0-0-----|

||-2-------2---|-2-----2-2-2-|-0-----0-0-0-|-0-0-0-0-0-2-|

||-------------|-0-----------|-2-----------|-------------|

||-------------|-------------|-------------|-------------|

||-------------|-------------|-------------|-------------|

          When you're fallen awake              And you    

          And you hear your voice               croak

 

|-2---2-2-2-2-|---------0---|-------------|-----------0h2-||

|-3---3-3-3-3-|---------0---|-----1-1---0-|-3---2-2-0-2---||

|-2---2-2-2-2-|---0-2-0---0-|-----0-0---0-|-2---2-2-2-3---||.

|-0-----------|-4-----------|---4---------|-----------0---||.

|-------------|-------------|-3-----------|---------------||

|-------------|-------------|-------------|---------------||

  take          Stock of the new day

  as you choke  On what you need to


2nd time, replace bar 24 with:

|-------------|

|-3---2-2---0-|

|-2---2-2---0-|

|-------------|

|-------------|

|-------------|

  say

 

|-1---1-1-1-1-|-----1-1-1-1-|-0---0-0-----|-----0-0-0-0-|

|-1---1-1-1-1-|-----1-1-1-1-|-1---1-1-----|-----1-1-1-1-|

|-2---2-2-2-2-|-0-2-2-2-2-2-|-0---0-0-----|-----0-0-0-0-|

|-3---3-3-3-3-|-----3-3-3-3-|-2---2-2-0h2-|---2---------|

|-------------|-------------|-3---3-3-----|-3-----------|

|-------------|-------------|-------------|-------------|

       Well, don't you fret, don't you fear       I will

 

|-3---3-3-----|-----3-3-3-3-|-0-0-0-0-0-0-|-0-0-0-0-0-0-|

|-3---3-3-----|-----3-3-3-3-|-3-3-3-3-3-3-|-2-2-2-0-0-0-|

|-0---0-0-----|-----0-0-0-0-|-2-2-2-2-2-2-|-2-2-2-2-2-2-|

|-0---0-0-----|-----0-0-0-0-|-2-2-2-2-2-2-|-2-2-2-2-2-2-|

|-2---2-2-0-2-|---2-2-2-2-2-|-0-0-0-0-0-0-|-------------|

|-------------|-3-----------|-------------|-------------|

  give you good               cheer

 

Repeat 3 times:

|-2---2-2-2-2-|-------2-2-2-|-------0-0-0-|-----0-0-0-0-|

|-3---3-3-3-3-|-------3-3-3-|-------1-1-1-|-----1-1-1-1-|

|-2---2-2-2-2-|-------2-2-2-|-------0-0-0-|-----0-0-0-0-|

|-0---0-0-0-0-|-0-4---------|-0-2---------|-----2-2-2-2-|

|-------------|-------------|-------------|-0-3---------|

|-------------|-------------|---------------------------|

1.Life's a long song

2.Life's a long song

3.Life's a long song                              If you

 

|-3---3-3-----|-----3-3-3-3-|-0-0-0-0-0-0-|-0-0-0-0-0-0-|

|-3---3-3-----|-----3-3-3-3-|-3-3-3-3-3-3-|-2-2-2-0-0-0-|

|-0---0-0-----|-----0-0-0-0-|-2-2-2-2-2-2-|-2-2-2-2-2-2-|

|-0---0-0-----|-----0-0-0-0-|-2-2-2-2-2-2-|-2-2-2-2-2-2-|

|-2---2-2-0-2-|---2-2-2-2-2-|-0-0-0-0-0-0-|-------------|

|-------------|-3-----------|-------------|-------------|

  wait then your plate I will fill

 

 

Ending:

|-0-0-0-0-0-0-|---2---------|

|-3-3-2-2-0-0-|-0-3---------|

|-2-2-2-2-2-2-|-0-2---------|

|-2-2-2-2-2-2-|-0-0---------|

|-0-0-0-0-0-0-|-------------|

|-------------|-------------|

 

************************************************************************

 

In the second verse there is another guitar playing:

 

|-5---3p2p0----------------|           |-5---3p2p0----------------|

|-----------3-----3p1p0----|           |-----------3-----3p1p0--1-|

|-----------------------2--|           |--------------------------|

|--------------------------|           |--------------------------|

|--------------------------|           |--------------------------|

|--------------------------|           |--------------------------|

[after "suffers the long day"]         [after: "struggle on your way"]

 





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