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.

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.

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

|-------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

|-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-|

|-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-|

|-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"]