Dave Matthews Band - I’ll Back You Up guitar tab
"I'll Back You Up"
>From the album "Remember Two Things" by The Dave Matthews Band
This is how I play it. The chords are basically the same as those in
Chris Ambrose's transcription at OLGA, but I've tabbed the solo and the
end-of-line riffs.
I think there are two guitars in the song, and either part alone doesn't
do the song justice. So, my transcription has some of each. Oh, and I
give no guarantee about correctness...
Chords used:
------------
A: 577655
C#m7: xx7757 (you can use B: 799877 -- sounds close enough and is
easier to play)
F#m: 244222 (try to just hit the bass strings (244xxx))
E: 022100
G: 355433
Each chord is two measures. Some, however, are not simply strummed.
Those are indicated with the chord, an asterisk, and a number, like E*1,
meaning play the two measures as described by Note #1 (shown below). I
didn't mark/tab all of the measures that have pickings in them because they
are all over the song and a little improvisation will work well enough on
those measures.
Note #1:
--------
E:-------------------/4---|-------------0--0--0--0-|
B:------------------------|-------------0--0--0--0-|
G:-1----------------------|-------------1--1--1--1-|
D:-2-----2-----2----------|-------------2--2--2--2-|
A:-2-----2----------------|-------------2--2--2--2-|
E:-0-----0----------------|-------------0--0--0--0-|
^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ .
strum strum
Note #2:
--------
E:-------------------0----|-------------0--0--0--0-|
B:-------------3----------|-------------0--0--0--0-|
G:-1-----1----------------|-------------1--1--1--1-|
D:-2----------------------|-------------2--2--2--2-|
A:-2----------------------|-------------2--2--2--2-|
E:-0----------------------|-------------0--0--0--0-|
^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ .
strum
Note #3:
--------
E:-------4-----7-----0----|------------------------|
B:------------------------|------------------------|
G:-1----------------------|------------------------|
D:-2----------------------|-------2-----h4---------|
A:-2----------------------|----------------2--h4---|
E:-0----------------------|------------------------|
^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ .
strum
Note #4:
--------
E:------------------------|-------------0--0--0--0-|
B:------------------------|-------------0--0--0--0-|
G:-1----------------------|-------------1--1--1--1-|
D:-2----------------------|-------------2--2--2--2-|
A:-2-----------2/////11---|-------------2--2--2--2-|
E:-0-----0----------------|-------------0--0--0--0-|
^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ .
strum
Note #5:
--------
E:-0-----------------0----|------------------------|
B:-0-------------(0)------|-0----------------------|
G:-1----------(1)---------|------------------------|
D:-2-------(2)------------|-------2-----h4---------|
A:-2----(2)---------------|----------------2--h4---|
E:-0----------------------|------------------------|
^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ .
strum
Note #6:
--------
E:-0----------------------|------------------------|
B:-0----------------------|------------------------|
G:-1----------------------|------------------------|
D:-2----------------------|-------/4----h5---------|
A:-2----------------------|----------------2--h4---|
E:-0----------------------|------------------------|
^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ .
strum
Note #7:
--------
E:-0-----------------12---|-------5-----0--0--0--0-|
B:-0-----------5----------|-------------0--0--0--0-|
G:-1-----5----------------|-------------1--1--1--1-|
D:-2----------------------|-------------2--2--2--2-|
A:-2----------------------|-------------2--2--2--2-|
E:-0----------------------|-------------0--0--0--0-|
^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ .
strum *****NATURAL HARMONICS*****
Note #8:
--------
E:-0----------(4--p0-h2---|p0)---------------------|
B:-0----------------------|------------------------|
G:-1----------------------|------------------------|
D:-2----------------------|-------2-----h4---------|
A:-2----------------------|----------------2--h4---|
E:-0----------------------|------------------------|
^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ .
strum
Note #9:
--------
E:-0----------------------|-------------0--0--0--0-|
B:-0----------------------|-------------0--0--0--0-|
G:-1-----------------2----|-p1----------1--1--1--1-|
D:-2----------------------|-------------2--2--2--2-|
A:-2----------(2)---------|-------------2--2--2--2-|
E:-0----(0)---------------|-------------0--0--0--0-|
^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ .
strum
Note #10:
--------
E:-0-----------------0----|------------------------|
B:-0--------------0-------|------------------------|
G:-1-----------1----------|------------------------|
D:-2--------2-------------|-------2-----h4---------|
A:-2-----2----------------|----------------2--h4---|
E:-0----------------------|------------------------|
^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ .
strum
Note #11:
--------
E:-0----------------------|------------------------|
B:-0----------------------|------------------------|
G:-1----------------------|------------------------|
D:-2----------------------|-------2---h4-----------|
A:-2----------------------|----------------2--h4---|
E:-0----------------------|------------------------|
^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ .
strum
And, now, the song:
-------------------
A C#m7
I remember thinking
F#m E*1
I'll go on forever only knowing that I'll see you again, but I
A C#m7
know the touch of you is hard to remember
F#m E*2
But like that touch I've known no other, And for
A C#m7
sure we have danced in the risk of each other
F#m E*3
Would you like to dance around the world with me?
A C#m7
I'll beeeeeeeeee falling
F#m E*4
all about my own thing, And I
A C#m7
know you're the heaviest weight,
F#m E*5
when you're not here that's hung around my head
A G
And your lips burn wild thrown from the face of a child
F#m E
And in your eyes the seeing of the greatest few
A G
Do what you will always walk where you like your steps
F#m E*6
do as you please I'll back you up
A C#m7
I remember thinking
F#m E*7
sometimes we walk sometimes we run away, But I
A C#m7
know no matter how fast we are running
F#m E*8
somehow we keep somehow we keep up with each other
A C#m7
I'll beeeeeeeeee falling
F#m E*9
all about my own thing, And I
A C#m7
know you're the heaviest weight,
F#m E*10
when you're not here that's hung around my head
A G
And your lips burn wild thrown from the face of a child
F#m E
And in your eyes the seeing of the greatest few
A G
Do what you will always walk where you like your steps
F#m E*6
do as you please I'll back you up
A C#m7 F#m E A C#m7 F#m E
[solo (see below)]
A C#m7
I'll beeeeeeeee falling
F#m E
all about my own thing, And I
A C#m7
know you're the heaviest weight,
F#m E*11
when you're not here that's hung around my head
A G
And your lips burn wild thrown from the face of a child
F#m E
And in your eyes the seeing of the greatest few
A G
Do what you will always walk where you like your steps
F#m E (single strum)
do as you please I'll back you up
The Solo!
---------
The Legend:
() soft notes
^ bend
~ vibrato
h hammer on
p pull off
! optional note (played so fast it could be left out)
_ tie
The carets and periods along the bottom are timing markers.
This should all be correct (if it isn't, then it sounds pretty close!)
E:------------------------|------------------------|------------------------|
B:------------------------|------------------------|------------------------|
G:------------------------|------------------------|------------------------|
D:-2----(2--2--2-----2)---|----2--4-----6-----6^---|-4--h6~~~~~-------------|
A:------------------------|------------------------|------------------------|
E:------------------------|------------------------|------------------------|
^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ .
E:------------------------|------------------------|------------------------|
B:------------------------|------------------------|------------------------|
G:------------------------|------------------------|------------------------|
D:-------2--4--6__6^_6----|4!h6---4-----4----------|----4--6--7--9-----9----|
A:------------------------|------------------------|------------------------|
E:------------------------|------------------------|------------------------|
^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ .
E:------------------------|------------------------|-------------------12---|
B:------------------------|----------12-9-----9-h10|-10-------10------------|
G:----------------------11|-9-----9----------------|------------------------|
D:-------------------9----|------------------------|------------------------|
A:------------------------|------------------------|------------------------|
E:------------------------|------------------------|------------------------|
^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ .
E:----12-------12---------|----14----14/16!---12---|-------------14-16----17|
B:-------------------10---|-10---------------------|------------------------|
G:------------------------|------------------------|------------------------|
D:------------------------|------------------------|------------------------|
A:------------------------|------------------------|------------------------|
E:------------------------|------------------------|------------------------|
^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ .
E:-------------17\16-16---|-------14----14---------|-12----\7---------------|
B:------------------------|------------------------|-------------9-----p7---|
G:------------------------|------------------------|------------------------|
D:------------------------|------------------------|------------------------|
A:------------------------|------------------------|------------------------|
E:------------------------|------------------------|------------------------|
^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ .
E:------------------------|
B:------------------------|
G:-9-----p6---------------|
D:-------------9-----p7---|
A:------------------------|
E:------------------------|
^ . ^ . ^ . ^ .
Whew! There are a bunch more chords that I could have put a note on, but
I figured I'd leave the fun for you :)
Enjoy!
Direct questions and comments to rpatters@cco.caltech.edu
--Ryan Patterson
