Eric Clapton

Eric Clapton - River Of Tears guitar tab

Song : River of Tears

Album : Pilgrim

Artist : Eric Clapton (/Simon Climie)

Author : Al Watson

Bound to become a classic - I have seen a fairly accurate transcription of

this and have a fairly good interpretation myself. This is my first transcription

so I have just invented the Tab as I went along.

There is quite a lot of arpeggioed rhythm guitar which is repeated so

please excuse me for not writing it out each time.

There were I suspect at least 3 guitar tracks on the original:

1 - Main Rhythm (arpeggioed chords)

2 - Lead / Rhythm

3 - Slide

I have not transcribed the slide part yet but could try - this is because

of the difficulty of getting accurate intonation and the difference between

players have the slide on the neck to acheive a certain note.

As usual you will need to listen to the track for all the timings.

Guitar 1 - Intro / PART A

Played Twice

C F

E----------0--------I---------0-------I--------1--------I-------1---------I

B--------1-------1--I------1------1---I-----1-------1---I-----1-----1-3---I

G------0-------0----I----0------0-----I---2-------2-----I---2-------------I

D-------------------I-----------------I-----------------I-----------------I

A---3---------------I-3---------------I-----------------I-----------------I

E-------------------I-----------------I-1---------------I-1---------------I

Dm7 G7sus4

E----------1--------I--------1--------I--------1--------I-------1---------II

B--------1----1-3---I------1----1-3---I------3----1-3---I-----3----1-3----II

G------2------------I----2------------I----0------------I---0-------------II

D---0---------------I-0---------------I-----------------I-----------------II

A-------------------I-----------------I-3---------------I-3---------------II

E-------------------I-----------------I-----------------I-----------------II

Guitar 1 - PART B

Am D7

E----------0--------I--------0--------I--------5--------I--------5--------I

B--------1------1---I------1------1---I------3------3---I------3------3---I

G------2------2-----I----2------2-----I----5------5-----I----5------5-----I

D-------------------I-----------------I-0---------------I-0---------------I

A---0---------------I-0---------------I-----------------I-----------------I

E-------------------I-----------------I-----------------I-----------------I

Gsus4 G F

E----------3--------I--------3--------I--------1--------I--------1--------I

B--------3------3---I------3------3---I------1------1---I------1------1---I

G------5------5-----I----4------4-----I----2------2-----I----2------2-----I

D-------------------I-----------------I-----------------I-----------------I

A-------------------I-----------------I-----------------I-----------------I

E---3---------------I-3---------------I-1---------------I-1---------------I

E----------1--------I--------1--------I

B--------1------1---I------1------1---I

G------2------2-----I----2------2-----I

D-------------------I-----------------I

A-------------------I-----------------I

E---1---------------I-1---------------I

It is Played

Part A

Part A / Part C

Part B / Part D

Part A / Verse 1 (Start of Part E)

Part B / Part E

Part A / Chorus / Part E cont. (Start Part F)

Part A / Part F (Parts A & C together)

Part A / Verse 2

Part B / Part E

Part A / Chorus

Part A / Part F

Part B / Part E (Start of End on last F) / Two bars of chorus

End (Two bars of C)

Guitar 2 - PART C

G7sus4 C F

E-------------------I-----------------I-----------------I-----------------I

B-------6~~~~~~~~5--I--5~~~~~~~-------I-----------------I-----------------I

G-------------------I-----------------I--------------7--I--p5-------------I

D---5---------------I-----------------I-----------------I-----------------I

A-------------------I-----------------I-------5/7-------I-----------------I

E-------------------I-----------------I-----------------I-----------------I

Dm7 G7sus4

E-------------------I-----------------I-----------------I-----------------I

B-------8--------6--I--6~~~~~~~-------I---5h6-5---------I-----------------I

G-------------------I-----------------I----------7--p5--I--7~~~~~~--------I

D---7---------------I-----------------I-----------------I-----------------I

A-------------------I-----------------I-----------------I-----------------I

E-------------------I-----------------I-----------------I-----------------I

C F

E-------------------I-----------------I-----------------I-----------------I

B-------8--p5~~-----I-----------------I-----------------I-----------------I

G----------------7--I-7(9)r7--p5~~~---I-------------7---I--p5~~~~---------I

D---5---------------I-----------------I-----------------I-----------------I

A-------------------I-----------------I-----5/7---------I-----------------I

E-------------------I-----------------I-----------------I-----------------I

Dm7 G7sus4

E-------------------I-----------------I-----------------I-----------------I

B-----5h6~~~~---5---I-5h6p5-----------I--5h6--5~~~------I-----------------I

G-------------------I-------7~~~~~~---I------------7p5--I--7~~~~~~--------I

D---7---------------I-----------------I-----------------I-----------------I

A-------------------I-----------------I-----------------I-----------------I

E-------------------I-----------------I-----------------I-----------------I

E-------------------I

B-------------------I

G-------------------I

D-------------------I

A--------5----5-----I

E-------------------I

PART D

Am D7

E-------------------I-----------------I-----------------I-----------------I

B-------------------I-----------------I-----------------I-------------8---I

G------5~~~~~-------I---4/5 7/9\7-----I-----------------I------7h9~~~-----I

D--5h7--------------I-----------------I--4------7-------I--7--------------I

A-------------------I-----------------I-----------------I-----------------I

E-------------------I-----------------I-----------------I-----------------I

Gsus4 G F

E-------------------I-----------------I-----------------I-----------------I

B-------------------I-----------------I-----------------I-----------------I

G-9\7~~~~-----------I-----------------I-----5~~~--7-----I--5--------------I

D-------------------I------------5--5-I-5h7---------7---I-------------5---I

A-------------------I-----------------I-----------------I-----------------I

E-------------------I-----------------I-----------------I-----------------I

E-------------------I-----------------I

B-------------------I-----------------I

G------5~~~~----7---I--5~~~~~~\-------I

D-5h7-------------7-I-----------------I

A-------------------I-----------------I

E-------------------I-----------------I

PART E

G7 Am D7

E-------------------I-----------------I-----------------I-----------------I

B------3/5--\3---1--I-----------------I-----------------I-----------------I

G-------------------I--2--------------I-------2/4---5---I-2---------------I

D------3/5--\3------I-----------------I-----------------I-----------------I

A-------------------I--3--------------I-----3-3/5---7---I-3---------------I

E-------------------I-----------------I-----------------I-----------------I

Gsus4 G F

E-------------------I-----------------I-----------------I-----------------I

B-------------------I-----------------I-----------------I-----------------I

G---2/4--5----------I---4-------------I-----------0-----I--2----------5\--I

D-------------------I-----------------I-----------------I-----------------I

A---3/5--7----------I---5-------------I-----------2-----I--3--------7-7\--I

E-------------------I-----------------I-----------------I-----------------I

{C *only played 1st chorus*

E-------------------I-----------------I-----------------{-----------------I

B-------------------I-----------------I-----------------{--3/5------6-----I

G--2-----------0----I---2--------5\---I-\2--------------{-----------------I

D-------------------I-----------------I-----------------{--3/5------7-----I

A--3---------2------I---3-----7--7\---I-\3--------------{-----------------I

E-------------------I-----------------I-----------------{-----------------I

F Dm7

E-------------------I-----------------I-----------------I-----------------I

B----5\3-p1---------I-------6---5-----I--\1-------------I-------5/6---8---I

G-------------------I-----------------I-----------------I-----------------I

D----5\3-p2---------I--5/7--7---5-----I--\2-------------I-------5/7-------I

A-------------------I-----------------I-----------------I-----------------I

E-------------------I-----------------I-----------------I-----------------I

G7sus4

E-------------------I-----------------}

B----6\5-p3---------I------6--5-------}

G-------------------I-----------------} Straight onto Part F

D----7\5-p3---------I--5/7----5-------}

A-------------------I-----------------}

E-------------------I-----------------}

PART F

G7 C F

E-------------------I-----------------I-----------------I-----------------I

B---3------6~~~-5---I-5-3/5------6----I-5\3-p1----------I----------6---5\-I

G-------------------I-----------------I--------------7--I-p5--------------I

D---3---5-----------I---3/5------7----I-5\3-p2----------I------5/7-----5\-I

A-------------------I-----------------I----------5/7----I-----------------I

E-------------------I-----------------I-----------------I-----------------I

Dm7 G7sus4

E-------------------I-----------------I-----------------I-----------------I

B-\1-------8----6---I-6~~~~------6--8-I-6p5-3-5h6-5-----I----------6---5--I

G-------------------I-----------------I-----------------I-----------------I

D-\3----7-----------I-------5/7-------I-7p5-3-------7p5-I-7---5/7------5--I

A-------------------I-----------------I-----------------I-----------------I

E-------------------I-----------------I-----------------I-----------------I

E-------------------I

B-3-----------------I

G-------------------I

D-------------------I

A-3-----------------I

E-------------------I

End

F C

E-------------------I-----------------I-----------------I

B--1----------------I--3/5------6-----I--5\3-p1---------I

G--2----------------I-----------------I-----------------I

D-------------------I-----------------I-----------------I

A--3----------------I--3/5------7-----I--5\3-p2---------I

E-------------------I-----------------I-----------------I

It's three miles to the river that would carry me away,

and two miles to the dusty street that I saw you on today,

It's four miles to my lonely room where I'm gonna hide my face,

and about half a mile to the downtown bar that I ran from in disgrace

Lord how long have I got to keep on running?

Seven hours, seven days or seven years?

All I know is since you've been gone, feel like I'm drowning

in a river

Drowning in a river of tears

Drowning in a river

Feel like I'm drowning, drowning in a river

In three more days, I leave this town, and disappear without a trace,

a year from now maybe settle down, where no one knows my face,

I wish that I could hold you one more time to ease the pain,

But my times run out and I got to go, got to run away again

Still I catch myself thinking one day I'll find my way back here

And you'll save me from drowning,

Drowning in a river, drowning in a river of tears

Drowning in a river, Feels like I'm drowning,

Drowning in a river

Lord how long must this go on?

Drowning in a river, drowning in a river of tears.

Tab

/ = Slide up

\ = Slide down

(7) = Target pitch

h = hammer onto following note

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