The Boys Of Summer
by Don Henley
Transcribed by Larry Whittaker (dugoutlar@hotmail.com)
***** TUNE TO E FLAT FOR THIS SONG *****
Otherwise the chorus chords will not work.
Key: H - Hammer-On P - Pull-Off
^F - Full Bend ^H - Half Bend
/ - Slide up \ - Slide down
~ - Vibrato
Use a clean standard tone with chorus effect for chord richness and
make good use of neck and bridge pickup switching. A few leads use the
bridge pickup with distortion. I have loved this song ever since it
was released and since none of the tabs I found were exactly accurate,
I decided to give it a go.
Please mail me if you find anything that needs changing. Thanks.
Intro***** USE NECK PICKUP *****e------|--|-----------|--|----------|--|--P-------|--|---P----P---------|B------|--|-----------|--|----------|--|-8-5------|--|-10-8--8-5--------|G-7/9~-|--|-----7-----|--|-----7----|--|-----7/9~-|--|-----------7--7/9-|D------|--|-7/9---9~--|--|-7/9---9~-|--|----------|--|------------------|A------|--|-----------|--|----------|--|----------|--|------------------|E------|--|-----------|--|----------|--|----------|--|------------------|
e---P---------|B-12-10~------|G-------------|D-------------|A---------7\--|E-------------|
Verse
The rhythm played underneath the verse is simply an easy A7 arpeggio
(Once each per line - 8x total)
|---------PM----------|e------------------------------|B-----0-0----------0--0--------| G---------2-2--------2---------|D-2-2----------2-2-------------|A------------------------------|E------------------------------|
(Conversely it can be played even easier if you wish - I play this) |---------PM-----------|e------------------------------|B------------------------------| G------------------------------|D-----9-9-7-7------9-7-9-------|A-7-7----------7-7-------------|E------------------------------|
Nobody on the road
Nobody on the beach
I feel it in the air
The summer's out of reach
Empty lake, empty streets
The sun goes down alone
I'm drivin' by your house
Though I know you're not at home
Chorus
(eh, close enough for government work - arpeggiate as you like)
Play 2x
***** Switch to BRIDGE PICKUP *****
Dsus4
G D | D D C(add9)
e-3-3-----2---3-2---2-0-----0-0------------------------|B-3--3----3---3-3---3--3----3--3-----------------------|G-0---0---2---2-2---2---2---0---0----------------------|D-0-------0---0-0---0-------2--------------------------|A-X-------------------------3--------------------------|E-3----------------------------------------------------|
G D Dsus4 D
But I can see you, your brown skin shining in the sun
D C(add9)
You got your hair combed back and your sunglasses on, baby
G D Dsus4 D
I can tell you my love for you will still be strong
D C(add9)
After the boys of summer have gone
***** Switch to NECK PICKUP ***** Pe------|---|---------------|---|----------|---|-10-7-----|---|-------|B------|---|---------------|---|----------|---|------10--|---|-------|G-7-9~-|---|--H--7---P-H---|---|---7-9-7~-|---|----------|---|-------|D------|---|-7-9----9-7-9--|---|-/9-------|---|----------|---|--7\---|A------|---|---------------|---|----------|---|----------|---|-------|E------|---|---------------|---|----------|---|----------|---|-------|
Repeat Verse
I never will forget those nights
I wonder if it was a dream
Remember how you made me crazy?
Remember how I made you scream
Now I don't understand what happened to our love
But babe, I'm gonna get you back
(Distorted fill near end of verse)
***** Switch to BRIDGE PICKUP *****
I'm gonna show you what I'm made ofe--------------------------------12----|B--------------------------------------|G-----------12-12^H------12-14^F-------|D-----------12-12^H--/14---------------|A--------------------------------------|E--------------------------------------|
Repeat Chorus
I can see you-
Your brown skin shinin' in the sun
I see you walkin' real slow and you're smilin' at everyone
I can tell you my love for you will still be strong
After the boys of summer have gone
Bridge:(Simple open string G chord arpeggio - This rings better)|----------PM--------------|e-0-0-----------0--0-------------------|B-----3-3--------3----3---3------------| G---------0-0-----0----0---0-----------| D--------------------------------------|A--------------------------------------|E--------------------------------------|
(Conversely it can be played even easier if you wish) |---------PM-------------------|e--------------------------------------|B--------------------------------------|G-9-9--7-7--0-0--9-7-0-9--7-0--7-0-----| D--------------------------------------|A--------------------------------------|E--------------------------------------|
Interlude(May be played as what's comfortable to you but these are the notes sounded) P P H P |------DISTORTION------|e-10-7------||---P-----||-5-3-5-3---3--P-----H---||------------------------|B------10~~-||-12-10~~-||---------5---5-3---3-5--||-----8---8-10-10^F------|G-----------||---------||-----------------4------||/9-9---9-----------9-9~-|D-----------||---------||------------------------||------------------------|A-----------||---------||------------------------||------------------------|E-----------||---------||------------------------||------------------------|
Repeat Verse:
(The seagull sounds may be a synth effect but can be created by scraping the pick against the higher strings with a delay effect. A metal pick works even better, i.e. a dime)
Out on the road today, I saw a Dead Head sticker on a Cadillac
A little voice Inside my head said, "Don't look back. You can never look back."
I thought I knew what love was
What did I know?
Those days are gone forever
I should just let them go but-
Repeat Chorus: (2X)
I can see you-
Your brown skin shinin' in the sun
You got that top pulled down and that radio on, baby
And I can tell you my love for you will still be strong
After the boys of summer have gone
I can see you-
Your brown skin shinin' in the sun
You got that hair slicked back and those Wayfarers on, baby
I can tell you my love for you will still be strong
After the boys of summer have gone
Outro: (Perhaps played by two guitars (2 tracks), but very easily done with one.)(The first time through play the first bar, and 2nd time play the 2nd bar) |--1st bar--| |---------2nd bar--------|e-7--7~-----7--7~----7--7~----||-7------------||------------------H--P-----|B--10--8-8~--10--8-8~-10--8-8~||--10-8~-8-7---||--H-8-H-8-H-8--H-8-10-8-P--|G-------7---------7--------7--||-----------7~-||-7-9-7-9-7-9--7-9------9-7-|D-----------------------------||--------------||---------------------------|A-----------------------------||--------------||---------------------------|E-----------------------------||--------------||---------------------------|
