'Tall Ships Go' by Big Country - Guitar Tutorial

Song lyrics:

Chords: show

Choose a fret
                             Big Country - Tall Ships Go

                      Album - Steeltown(1984)

From: [email protected]

A cracking riff starts and underpins this little belter. I've
tried to make the tab as easy to understand as possible(honest).
Anyway in a nutshell Guitar 1 plays the lead parts & Guitar 2 the
rhythm - chord symbols above bars denote the chord(s) being played.
Listen to the track itself for guidance on the strumming pattern.
The purests amongst you may like to note that Stuart Adamson used a
2p coin instead of a plectrum & lots of echo to get the rhythm guitar
sound(fascinating fact no.1022396 - snore). The song is in G.

h - hammer on
b - bend up
/ - slide up
 - slide down
~ - vibrato


CHORDS FOR RHYTHM GUITAR (Guitar 2)

   G5   G    E5   D5   C   G5(2) A5  G(2) Em   C(2) Am
E|----|----|----|----|----|----|----|----|----|----|----|
B|----|----|----|----|----|----|----|----|----|----|----|
G|-7--|-4--|-4--|-2--|-9--|-12-|-9--|-4--|-0--|-9--|-5--|
D|-5--|-5--|-2--|-0--|-10-|-12-|-7--|-5--|-2--|-10-|-7--|
A|----|----|----|----|----|----|----|-5--|-2--|-10-|-7--|
E|----|----|----|----|----|----|----|-3--|-0--|-8--|-5--|


INTRO - [Chords prior to main riff]*palm mute strings

Guitar 2
  G5     G5     G(1)   G(1)   E5     D5     G5     D5
E|------|------|------|------|------|------|------|---------|
B|------|------|------|------|------|------|------|---------|
G|-7----|-7----|-4----|-4----|-4----|-2----|-7----|-2-------|
D|-5----|-5----|-5----|-5----|-2----|-0----|-5----|-0-------|
A|------|------|------|------|------|------|------|---------|
E|------|------|------|------|------|------|------|---------|


INTRO/MAIN RIFF - [Riff 1]

Guitar 1
  
  G5            C             C               G5(2)
E|-------------|-------------|---------------|--------------|
B|-------------|-------------|---------------|--------------|
G|--7------7/9-|--9----------|--9-------9/12-|--12----------|
D|-----5-------|-----10------|-----10--------|------12------|
A|-------------|-------------|---------------|--------------|
E|-------------|-------------|---------------|--------------|


  G5               C                C                 G5(2)
E|----------------|----------------|--12-------12/15-|--15------------|
B|/1212-----12h15-|--15------------|------13---------|-------15-12----|
G|------12--------|-------14-12----|-----------------|----------------|
D|----------------|----------------|-----------------|----------------|
A|----------------|----------------|-----------------|----------------|
E|----------------|----------------|-----------------|----------------|


  E5             C              G5             G5
E|--14--15------|----------12--|--------------|--15-15/17-17/19-19--|
B|----------15--|--13--15------|--------------|---------------------|
G|--------------|--------------|--14--12-12--|---------------------|
D|--------------|--------------|--------------|---------------------|
A|--------------|--------------|--------------|---------------------|
E|--------------|--------------|--------------|---------------------|


  E5             C              G5             G5
E|--14--15------|----------12--|--21----------|--21-21b22~~~~-|
B|----------15--|--13--15------|--------------|---------------|
G|--------------|--------------|--------------|---------------|
D|--------------|--------------|--------------|---------------|
A|--------------|--------------|--------------|---------------|
E|--------------|--------------|--------------|---------------|


VERSE 1 - [Riff 2]

  
  E5             E5             G5             G5
E|--------------|--------------|--------------|---------------|
B|--------------|--------------|--------------|---------------|
G|--------------|--------------|--------------|---------------|
D|--------------|--------------|--------------|---------------|
A|--------------|--------------|--------------|---------------|
E|--------------|--------------|--------------|---------------|
1) I dreamed...
2) I dreamed...                                       ...For a

  A5             A5             G5             G5
E|--------------|--------------|--------------|---------------|
B|--------------|--------------|--------------|---------------|
G|-9------------|--------------|--------------|-77-7----------|
D|-7------------|--------------|--------------|-55-5----------|
A|--------------|--------------|--------------|---------------|
E|--------------|--------------|--------------|---------------|
  Sign of you...                                    ...And the

                                        
  D5                  D5      E5        G5
E|-------------------|-----------10----|-------10--------10--------|
B|-------------10----|-10-12--------12-|-10-12-----10-12-----10-12-|
G|-----9h11h12----12-|------12---------|---------------------------|
D|--12---------------|-----------------|---------------------------|
A|-------------------|---------------- |---------------------------|
E|-------------------|-------- --------|---------------------------|
  Sea called hard...

                                          
  D5                   D5       E5        G5
E|-------------------|-------------------|-------10--------10--------|
B|-----8------8------|-----8------8------|-10-12-----10-12-----10-12-|
G|-7-9----7-9----7-9-|-7-9----7-9----7-9-|---------------------------|
D|-------------------|-------------------|---------------------------|
A|-------------------|-------------------|---------------------------|
E|-------------------|-------------------|---------------------------|
  I watched the...


CHORUS - [Riff 3]

  G5           G5           E5           D5
E|------------|------------|------------|------------|
B|------------|------------|------------|------------|
G|--12--------|--14----16--|--9---------|--7---------|
D|------------|------------|--9---------|--7---------|
A|------------|------------|--7---------|--5---------|
E|------------|------------|------------|------------|
   I hear your voice and it keeps me from sleeping


  G5           G5           E5           D5
E|--15--------|--17----19--|--22--------|--20--------|
B|------------|------------|------------|------------|
G|------------|------------|------------|------------|
D|------------|------------|------------|------------|
A|------------|------------|------------|------------|
E|------------|------------|------------|------------|
  Why must it.. always.. be..dreams when...


MAIN RIFF - [Riff 1]*first 4 bars of riff are now played once


 *replace bar 16 of original riff 1 as follows
  G5
E|--17-17/19-1715-15/1715-15-|
B|-----------------------------|
G|-----------------------------|
D|-----------------------------|
A|-----------------------------|
E|-----------------------------|


 *replace bars 19 & 20 of original riff 1 as follows
  G5            G5
E|-------------|-222219-191715-15/17-|
B|-------------|------------------------|
G|--14--12-12-|------------------------|
D|-------------|------------------------|
A|-------------|------------------------|
E|-------------|------------------------|


VERSE 2 - [Riff 2]

 *first 3 bars of Riff 2 are played differently as follows:

E|---------------|---------------|---------------|
B|-17------------|---------1512-|-12~~~~--------|
G|---------------|---------------|---------------|
D|---------------|---------------|---------------|
A|---------------|---------------|---------------|
E|---------------|---------------|---------------|
  I dreamed...


CHORUS - [Riff 3]*replace bar 8 of Riff 3 as follows


E|-222220191715-|
B|------------------|
G|------------------|
D|------------------|
A|------------------|
E|------------------|


SOLO BREAK - [Riff 4 x 2]

  G(2)            Em              C(2)            Am
E|---------------|---------------|---------------|---------------|
B|---------------|---------------|-------15------|---------------|
G|-12-12--14-16--|-------11--12--|----12-----16--|-------16--12--|
D|---------------|----14---------|---------------|----14---------|
A|---------------|---------------|---------------|---------------|
E|---------------|---------------|---------------|---------------|


VERSE 3 - [Riff 2]*repeatedly strum the following for the last 4 bars of
                   the verse

E|--15---|
B|--15---|
G|-------|
D|-------|
A|-------|
E|-------|


CHORUS - [Riff 3]

OUTRO - [Riff 5]

  G(2)                         Em
E|----------------------------|------------------------|
B|----------------------------|------------------------|
G|-------12--12---------12-14-|-12h14-12---------12-14-|
D|-12h14----------12h14-------|------------12h14-------|
A|----------------------------|------------------------|
E|----------------------------|------------------------|


  C(2)                  Am                    G(2)
E|---------------------|---------------------|----------------------|
B|---------------------|-15------------------|----------------------|
G|-16-12---------12-14-|----16---------12-14-|-12--12---------12-14-|
D|---------12h14-------|---------12h14-------|----------12h14-------|
A|---------------------|---------------------|----------------------|
E|---------------------|---------------------|----------------------|


  Em                       C(2)                  Am
E|------------------------|---------------------|----15-15-15-15-15-|
B|------------------------|---------------------|-15-15-15-15-15-15-|
G|-12h14-12---------12-14-|-16-12---------12-14-|-------------------|
D|------------12h14-------|---------12h14-------|-------------------|
A|------------------------|---------------------|-------------------|
E|------------------------|---------------------|-------------------|


MAIN RIFF - [Riff 1]*end song at bar 14 of original riff as follows

   [let ring]
E|--------------|
B|--13----------|
G|--12----------|
D|--------------|
A|--------------|
E|--------------|
Chords: show

Select fingering
Tags: classic uk pop, new romantic, new wave, new wave pop, scottish new wave, scottish rock
How to play other songs of the artist "Big Country"?

julian.hankinso
07.11.2022, 14:51
Hey, just wanted to chime in on the coin part of the composition's tabs or song lyrics. Stuart played it using his guitar on his lap and tapping the strings against the fingerboard, kinda like Eddie Van Halen's style where he formed implied chords along one string by hammering and pulling off notes with a combination of coin tapping. Just wanted to give my two cents!
Read comments (1)