Thick As A Brick (edit #1)

Words & Music:

Ian Anderson (Jethro Tull)

 

David Nason has done a mighty fine tab of this with the following guitar tuning:  G C F Bb D G  You will find it below.  Else, the "strum it" version above will do in a pinch.

 

[original key is capo 3]   D  DM7  G6  [2x]

 

D            Am          G6           D  DM7  G6  D  DM7  G6

Really don't mind if you sit this one out.

My words but a whisper, your deafness a shout.

I may make you feel, but I can't make you think.

Your sperm's in the gutter, your love's in the sink.

        G6              Asus2    D  Dsus2  D  Dsus2  D  Dsus4  D

So, you ride yourselves over the fields.

And you make all your animal deals.

And your wise men don't know how it feels

 

A  Asus2  A  Asus2  A  Asus4  A  Asus2  A

 

      A          D  DM7  G6  D  DM7  G6  D  DM7  G6

To be thick as a brick.

 

And the sandcastle virtues are all swept away

In the tidal destruction, the moral melee.

The elastic retreat rings the close of play

As the last wave uncovers the newfangled way.

But your new shoes are worn at the heels and your suntan does rapidly peel.

And your wise men don't know how it feels to be thick as a brick.

 

Dm7  Dm9  Dm11  Dm7  Dm9  Csus2  D

 

D                   Am  C          Em   G                        Bm         D  F#  G

And the love that I feel is so far away.  I'm a bad dream that I just had today----.

G                  A Asus2 A                D  DM7  G6  D  DM7  G

And you shake your head----- and say it's a shame.

 

Dm7    Dm9    Dm11    Dm7    Dm9    Dm11

 

Dm7 Dm9 Dm11         Dm7 Dm9 Dm11 [etc.]

Spin me back down the years----------    and the days of my youth.

Draw the lace and black curtains and shut out the whole truth.

Spin me down the long ages, let them sing the song.

 

Dm7  Dm9  Dm11  Dm7  Dm9  Dm11  Dm7  D  Dsus2  D

"Thick As A Brick (edit #1)" Tab by David Nason

 

Notes from David Nason:  "Here's how I learned Tull's Thick as a Brick Edit #1.  I notice the archive contains something I posted on netnews many moons ago with only about half of it - here's the whole thing.  There's a couple of parts where the guitar is pretty low in the mix and I'm not real sure I got it right, but it sounds pretty dang close to me.

 

Couple of notes - there's a capo at the 3rd fret, which is why the strings at the left of the tab are noted the way they are.  So, what I designated as an open string is actually fretted at the 3rd fret by the capo.  Secondly, one should use liberal interpretation of the tab - I wasn't too careful in some of the chordal sections about specifying exactly which notes of the chord are hit and which aren't.  Nor did I attempt to tab the exact strumming patterns.  As always, use tab as a guide, listen to it yourself, and make it sound right!

 

The lyrics are here for reference only.  I placed them close to where they occur but I certainly didn't try to get all the nuances and rhythm for the vocals in there, nor did I make a great attempt to make sure I got all the words right.

 

I should also note this is only the Ian Anderson acoustic part. There's a few small Martin Barre parts which I will leave as as exercise for the reader.

 

Now that I got all the disclaimers out of the way, go for it.  david nason"

 

==========

 

INTRO:

 g:|---------------------------|---------------------------|

 D:|---------------------------|---------------------------|

Bb:|-----2-----2-------0-0-0---|-----5-----5-------------0-|

 F:|---0-----0---------0-0-0---|---7-----7---------0---0---|

 C:|-0-----4-----0-(2)-2-2-2---|-0-----7-----0-(5)---3-----|

 G:|-------------------3-3-3---|---------------------------|

 

 g:|---------------------------|---------------------------|

 D:|---------------------------|---------------------------|

Bb:|-----2-----2-------0-0-0---|-----5-----5-----0-----0---|

 F:|---0-----0---------0-0-0---|---7-----7-----0-----0-----|

 C:|-0-----4-----0-(2)-2-2-2---|-0-----7-----5-----3-------|

 G:|-------------------3-3-3---|---------------------------|

 

VERSE:

     Really don't mind if you sit this one

     My word's but a whisper, your deafness a

     I may make you feel, but I can't make you

     Your sperm's in the gutter, your love's in the

 g:|-2-----------0-------------|---------------------------|

 D:|-3-----------1-------------|---------------------------|

Bb:|-2-----------2-------------|-------0-0-0---------------|

 F:|-0-----------2-------------|-------0-0-0---------------|

 C:|-------------0-------------|-0-(2)-2-2-2---------------|

 G:|---------------------------|-------3-3-3---------------|

    ^            ^

    |            |

    ----------------- Just Dmaj and Amin chords - listen to the song for strum pattern

 

     out ...

     shout ...

     think ...

     sink ...                                     So you

 

 g:|---------------------------|---------------------------|

 D:|---------------------------|---------------------------|

Bb:|-----2-----2-------0-0-0---|-----2-----2-------0-0-0---|

 F:|---0-----0---------0-0-0---|---0-----0---------0-0-0---|

 C:|-0-----4-----0-(2)-2-2-2---|-0-----4-----0-(2)-2-2-2---|

 G:|-------------------3-3-3---|-------------------3-3-3---|

CHORUS:

     ride yourselves over the    field              as you

     make all your animal        deals              and your

     wisemen don't know how it   feels ...

 

 g:|-3-----------0------0------|-2-0-2-0-2-3-2------2-0----|

 D:|-3-----------2------0------|-3-3-3-3-3-3-3------3-3----|

Bb:|-0-----------2------2------|-2-0-2-0-2-0-2------2-0----|

 F:|-0-----------2------2------|-0-0-0-0-0-0-0------0-0----|

 C:|-2-----------0------0------|---------------------------|

 G:|-3-------------------------|---------------------------|

    ^            ^      ^        ^  ^

    |            |      |        |  |

    ---------------------------------- Just Gmaj, Amaj, and Dmaj chords

                                        with a little variation thrown

                                        in - listen to the song for the

                                        strumming pattern.

 

                                          to be thick as a

 g:|-0-0-0-0-0-0-0---0-0-0--0--|-0-0-0--0------------------|

 D:|-2-0-2-0-2-3-2---2-2-0-(2)-|-2-2-0-(2)-----------------|

Bb:|-2-2-2-2-2-2-2---2-2-2--2--|-2-2-2--2------------------|

 F:|-2-2-2-2-2-2-2---2-2-2--2--|-2-2-2--2------------------|

 C:|-0-0-0-0-0-0-0---0-0-0--0--|-0-0-0--0------------------|

 G:|---------------------------|---------------------------|

 

 

BRIDGE 1:

     brick

 g:|---------------------------|---------------------------|

 D:|---------------------------|---------------------------|

Bb:|-----2-----2-------0-0-0---|-----2-----2-------0-0-0---|   

 F:|---0-----0---------0-0-0---|---0-----0---------0-0-0---|

 C:|-0-----4-----0-(2)-2-2-2---|-0-----4-----0-(2)-2-2-2---|

 G:|-------------------3-3-3---|-------------------3-3-3---|

 

 g:|---------------------------|---------------------------|

 D:|---------------------------|---------------------------|

Bb:|-----2-----2-------0-0-0---|-----2-----2-------0-0-0---|    <1st time only)

 F:|---0-----0---------0-0-0---|---0-----0---------0-0-0---|

 C:|-0-----4-----0-(2)-2-2-2---|-0-----4-----0-(2)-2-2-2---|

 G:|-------------------3-3-3---|-------------------3-3-3---|

 

 g:|---------------------------|---------------------------|

 D:|---------------------------|---------------------------|

Bb:|-----5-----5-------0-----0-|-----5-----5-----0-----0---|    <2nd time only>

 F:|---7-----7-------------0---|---7-----7-----0-----0-----|

 C:|-0-----7-----0-(3)---5-----|-0-----7-----5-----3-------|

 G:|---------------------------|---------------------------|

 

BRIDGE 2:

        And the love that I      feel

 g:|-2-------------------------|-0-----------0-0-0---------|

 D:|-3-------------------------|-1-----------0-1-0---------|

Bb:|-2-------------------------|-2-----------2-2-2---------|

 F:|-0-------------------------|-2-----------2-2-2---------|

 C:|---------------------------|-0-----------0-0-0---------|

 G:|---------------------------|---------------------------|

    ^                            ^           ^ ^ ^

    |                            |           | | |

    ------------------ Just Dmaj and Amin chords with a little spice

                       thrown in - listen to the song for the strumming

                       pattern.

 

               is so far       away

 g:|-0------------0------------|-0-------------------------|

 D:|-1------------1------------|-0-------------------------|

Bb:|-0------------0------------|-0-------------------------|

 F:|-2------------0-(2)--------|-2-------0-(2)-------------|

 C:|-3------------3------------|-2-------------0-(2)-------|

 G:|---------------------------|-0-------------------0-(3)-|

    ^             ^              ^

    |             |              |

    ------------------ Just Cmaj and Emin chords with a little spice

                       thrown in - listen to the song for the strumming

                       pattern.

 

        I'm a bad dream that I   just ha-a-a-a-a-d to-

 g:|-3-------------------------|-2-0-2-0-2-0-2-0-----------|

 D:|-3-------------------------|-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-----------|

Bb:|-0-------------------------|-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-----------|

 F:|-0-------------------------|-4-------------------------|

 C:|-2-------------------------|-4-------------------------|

 G:|-3-------------------------|---------------------------|

    ^                            ^

    |                            |

    ------------------ Just Gmaj and F#maj chords with a little spice

                       thrown in - listen to the song for the strumming

                       pattern.

 

     da-a-a-a-a-a-y

 g:|-2-0-2-0-2-0-2-0-----------|-2-0-2-0-2-----------------|

 D:|-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-----------|-2-2-2-2-2-----------------|

Bb:|-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-----------|-3-3-3-3-3-----------------|

 F:|-0-------------------------|-4-------------------------|

 C:|---------------------------|-4-------------------------|

 G:|---------------------------|-2-------------------------|

    ^                            ^

    |                            |

    ------------------ Just Dmaj and F#maj chords with a little spice

                       thrown in - listen to the song for the strumming

                       pattern.

 

           and you shake your    head             you say it's a

 g:|-3-------------------------|-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-------------|

 D:|-3-------------------------|-2-2-2-0-0-0-0-(2)---------|

Bb:|-0-------------------------|-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-------------|

 F:|-0-------------------------|-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-------------|

 C:|-2-------------------------|-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-------------|

 G:|-3-------------------------|---------------------------|

    ^                            ^

    |                            |

    ------------------ Just Gmaj and Amaj chords with a little spice

                       thrown in - listen to the song for the strumming

                       pattern.

     shame

 g:|---------------------------|---------------------------|

 D:|---------------------------|---------------------------|

Bb:|-----2-----2-------0-0-0---|-----2-----2-------0-0-0---|

 F:|---0-----0---------0-0-0---|---0-----0---------0-0-0---|

 C:|-0-----4-----0-(2)-2-2-2---|-0-----4-----0-(2)-2-2-2---|

 G:|-------------------3-3-3---|-------------------3-3-3---|

 

   g:|---------------------------|---------------------------|

 D:|-------------------6-6-6---|-------------------6-6-6---|

Bb:|-----5-----5-------7-7-7---|-----5-----5-------7-7-7---|

 F:|---7-----7---------7-7-7---|---7-----7---------7-7-7---|

 C:|-0-----7-----0-(5)-5-5-5---|-0-----7-----0-(5)-5-5-5---|

 G:|---------------------------|---------------------------|

 

VERSE:

       Spin me back down the    years             and the

     days of my                 youth

       Draw the lace and black  curtain           and shut

     out the whole                  truth

     Spin me down the long ages let them sing the song

 

 g:|---------------------------|---------------------------|

 D:|-------------------6-6-6---|-------------------6-6-6---|

Bb:|-----5-----5-------7-7-7---|-----5-----5-------7-7-7---|

 F:|---7-----7---------7-7-7---|---7-----7---------7-7-7---|

 C:|-0-----7-----0-(5)-5-5-5---|-0-----7-----0-(5)-5-5-5---|

 G:|---------------------------|---------------------------|

                       ^

                       |

                       Note that there's a subtle, but important change

                       in the rhythm used for the Dmin at this point

                       (as opposed to the previous two measures).

 

 

 g:|-5-------------------------|-2-------0-(2)-------------|

 D:|-6-------------------------|-3-------3--3--------------|

Bb:|-5-------------------------|-2-------0-(2)-------------|

 F:|-0-------------------------|-0-------0--0--------------|

 C:|---------------------------|---------------------------|

 G:|---------------------------|---------------------------|

    ^                            ^

    |                            |

    ------------------ Just Fmaj and Dmaj chords with a little spice

                       thrown in - listen to the song for the strumming

                       pattern.

 

 




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