Hedwig and the Angry Inch - Tear Me Down guitar tab
Tear me down
As the show opener, this song should obviously be played loud, fast, rude and with energy-
that’s at least half the battle on this one, for it is also one of the simplest songs in
the show to play, as far as the guitar parts are concerned. I’m not transcribing “America
the Beautiful” here, but I might later if enough of you want it. Also, e-mail me with any
and all technical questions you might have about any terminology I use that you might be
unfamiliar with. Well…enough of my yapping, so set your amps to distortion, put on your
pack pickup, set all controls to “10” and think dirty….
Key of C (blues)
Chords:
C5: F5: Bb5: F5(II): Eb5: C5(II): Eb5/D:
E x x x x x x x
B x x x x x x x
G 5 x 3 10 8 x 8
D 5 5 3 10 8 8 8
A 3 5 1 8 6 8 5
E x 1 x x x 6 x
Spoken:
Yitzak: Ladies and Gentleman, whether you like it or not, HEDWIG!!!
Hedwig: Don’t you know me? I’m the new Berlin Wall baby! Try and tear ME down!!
As soon as Hedwig says “…tear ME down!!” the electric guitar enters with this brief lead fill
before going into the rhythm “power chord” accompaniment [for those of you actually counting
it out, the fill begins on the AND of beat two of measure four after the pickup]:
Lead Fill I:
E------------------------------------------------------------------------
B------------------------------------------------------------------------
G---------------------------5HAMMER7PULLOFF5-------5-----
D---------5HAMMER7-----------------------------------7----------
A------------------------------------------------------------------------
E------------------------------------------------------------------------
Then, it’s just power chords strummed in straight eighths for the main body of the song.
For the verses, use palm muting to deaden the strings.
Sung:
C5 F5
I was born on the other side
Bb5 F5 C5
Of a town ripped in two
C5 F5
I made it over the great divide
Bb5 F5 C5
Now I’m coming for you
Release palm mute for build:
C5 F5
Enemies and adversaries
Bb5 F5 C
Try to tear me down
C5 F5
You want me baby, I dare you
Bb5 F5 C
Try and tear me down
Now play Rhythm Fill I twice:
Rhythm Fill I (Chords are on top):
F5(II)Eb5 C5(II) F5(II)Eb5 C5(II) Eb5 Eb5/D Eb5 Eb5/D
E---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
B---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
G-------10--8---------------10---8---------------------8--------8-------8-------8--------------
D-------10--8---10---10---10---8--10--10--------8--------8-------8-------8-----------------
A-------8----6---10---10---8----6--10--10-----6--------5-------6-------5--------------------
E------------------8-----8-------------8----8-----------------------------------------8--6--3----
After the second time through the riff, the guitar sustains a C5 chord for three measures, and then builds
with the same chord into the next verse (resume palm muting).
C5 F5
I rose from off of the doctor’s slab
Bb5 F5 C5
Like Lazarus from the pit
C5 F5
Now everyone wants to take a stab
And decorate me
Bb5 F5 C5
With blood, graffiti and spit
Release palm muting:
C5 F5
Enemies and adversaries
Bb5 F5 C5
Try to tear me down
C5 F5
You want me baby, I dare you
Bb5 F5 C5
Try and tear me down
Then, play Rhythm Fill I twice again, right down to the sustained C chords at the end. For Yitzhak’s
speech, all that is needed is a vamp with the following three chords repeated over and over (1 measure
of each of the first two chords and two measures of the last chord in straight eighths, until the end,
when we will pedal Bb- I will write it out for you): F5, Bb5, and C5. A second electric guitar w/
distortion in the background creates feedback and effects for the second half of the song.
F5 Bb5 C5
On August 12, 1961,
C5
A wall was erected
C5 F5
Down the middle of the city of Berlin
Bb5
The world was divided by a cold war
C5
And that Berlin wall
C5
Was the most hated symbol of that divide
F5 Bb5 C5
Reviled, Grafittied, Spat upon.
C5
We thought the wall would stand forever,
F5
And now that it’s gone,
Bb5 C5
We don’t know who we are anymore.
C5
Ladies and Gentlemen,
F5
Hedwig is like that wall,
Bb5 C5
Standing before you in the divide
C5
Between East and West,
C5 F5
Slavery and Freedom,
Bb5
Man and Woman,
Bb5
Top and Bottom.
Bb5
And you can try and tear her down,
Bb5
But before you do,
Bb5
Remember one thing.
Then, play this lead fill, which takes us to the last verse:
E---------------------------------------
B---------------------------------------
G---------------------------------------
D-----3--1-----1-----------------------
A------------3-----3---1---3----------
E---------------------------------------
Now, there are no chords for the next chorus, just a lead fill that starts under “Between a bridge and a wall…” and here it is:
Ain’t much of a difference
Lead Fill III:
“Beween a bridge or a wall…Without me right in the middle, babe…
First, swell in w/volume control with feedback- Pitch: F, then
E---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
B------10----------------10-----10---------------------------------------------------------------------
G------10BEND(11) -(11)---(11)RELEASE10--9--10—10BEND(11)RELEASE10--9----
D---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
A---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
E---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
“You would be nothing at all.”
E---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
B---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
G---------10—9—10—9—10—9--9SUSTAIN W/VIBRATO----------------------------------
D---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
A---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
E---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
C5 F5
Enemies and adversaries
Bb5 F5 C5
Try to tear me down
C5 F5
You want me baby, I dare you
Bb5 F5 C5
Try and tear me down
C5 F5
Enemies and adversaries
Bb5 F5 C5
Try to tear me down
C5 F5
You want me baby, I dare you
Bb5 F5 C5
Try and tear me down
Then, we end on Rhythm Fill I, which is played twice, with some modifications the second time around.
First, the speed retards (slows down), and the end is played this way:
Rhythm Fill 1 (Last time)
BEGIN RETARD------------à
F5(II)Eb5 C5(II) F5(II)Eb5 C5(II) Eb5 Eb5/D Eb5 Eb5/D C5
E------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
B------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
G-------10--8-------------10---8--------------------8--------8-------8-------8-------------------
D-------10--8---10---10---10---8--10--10--------8--------8-------8-------8---------------------6-
A-------8---6---10---10---8----6--10--10-----6--------5-------6-------5------------------------6-
E----------------8----8------------8---8-----------------------------------------8--6--3---6---8-
And, finally, just hold that last C5 chord and strum as fast as you can until JCM and Ms, Shor have finished
their hysterics, then strum one last time and slide down the neck.
