Merry Go Round, like a lot from All Shook Down, is in glorious and strange Open E. Tune
your guitar
(low to high) E B E G# B E.
I'm just gonna show you Paul's part of the song, there's obviously two guitars. Slim's
is in standard tuning and
he's really responsible for laying down the chords...Paul's playing clusters of notes
ringing all around it,
making it sweet. Not to mention that awesome main intro riff, which is amazing!
If you pull the video for this song, you'll notice Paul is doing a weird claw thing with
his hand that looks
weird. It wasn't just video-playin' around either; in all the Mats/Westerberg video I've
seen (Paul in
San Diego, '91 is a good one for this) he's doing something REALLY WEIRD with the intro.
What is it? I have
deciphered!
-7-4-2--3-2--7-4-2--4-0 (ring chord)---------------------------|-0-0-0--0-0--0-0-0--0-3----------------------------------------|-8-5-3--5-3--9-5-3--5-4----------------------------------------|-0-0-0--0-0--0-0-0--0-0----------------------------------------|-x-x-x--x-x--x-x-x--x-0----------------------------------------|-9-7-5--7-5--9-7-5--7-0----------------------------------------|
>>>>>>>>>>>PLAY TWICE<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<
Okay, weird, isn't it? The trick that I learned from watching Paul play it is use your
pinkie to hit the notes on the low E string. It cramps your first chord, but the others
will be easier to play when you just have to stretch out your hand.
Now we'll go over the verse chords.... E A G#min C#min F#min-0- -0- -0- -0- -0-|-0- -0- -0- -0- -7-|-3- -3- -0- -8- -5-|-4- -4- -4- -9- -5-|-0- -5- -4- -9- -7-|-0- -5- -4- -9- -x-|
Okay, on that A, you can play it like that or interchangably
with a barre over the E A and D strings...I think Paul plays it all chimey (and maj7-y)
like this to get the ringing b's.,,OUCH MY HANDS. C#min, you should use
your SECOND finger to barre the EAD strings and catch the G string note with your FIRST
finger. The F#min, use your 3rd and pinky for the '7' notes and your first barring the
D and G strings.
COMMENCE!
E A
Hush was the first word you were taught
E
and they watched you wear A
the clothes they claimed that they bought
G#min C#min
they brought you down
F#min G#min-A (see note!)
to watch the merry-go around
Note! That G#-A thing is just a wee lil' riff
----------------------------------|----------------------------------|----------------------------------|-4s5-5--4s5-5---4s5--5------------|-4s5-5--4s5-5---4s5--5------------|-4s5-5--4s5-5---4s5--5------------|
E A
In fall, you knew how much it cost
E
a trouble doll
(see magic riff) A
around your neck when you lost
INTERJECTION - that 'around your neck' part, Paul does a suave little riff:
0-0-------0-------0-----0--------0--------------------|0-0-------0-------0-----0--------0--------------------|3-5-------3-------1-----0--------5--------------------|4-5-------4-------2-----0--------5--------------------|0-0---------------0-----0--------5--------------------|0-0---------------------0--------5--------------------|a-round your neck when you lost
HE DOES THAT A FEW TIMES IN THE SONG WHEN THE SWITCHAROOS GOING 'ROUND...
G#min C#min
you wouldn't make a sound
F#min G#A riff
but I could hear your little heart pound
-------------------------------------0------|-------------------------------------0------|-------------------------------------3------|-----5---5--------4-4--------2-2--4--4------|-----5---5--------4-4--------2-2--4--0------|-----5---5--------4-4--------2-2--4--0------|
and I watched your feet slip off the ground
The lick that takes you from the chorus to the verse, I think Slim does? But you can
easily cop it in this tuning:
----------------0-0-------------------------|----------------0-0-------------------------|----------------0-3-------------------------|----------------0-4-------------------------|-------0--2-----0-0-------------------------|-0--4---------0-0-0-------------------------|
And that's basically the song! Save for the bridge, right? Paul REALLY just tinkles away on
that, but the chords are basically
Bminoradd2 A-0- -0-|-0- -0-|-6- -5-|-5- -5-|-7- -5-|-7- -5-|
Bminoradd2 A
and everybody thinks she's sick
Bminoradd2 A
she's got two worlds she can pick
(B-A riff)
and she's sad
That B-A riff..he stops making the B a weird minor thing and just plays it like a 3note barre
B
-0-
-0-
-0-
-7-
-7-
-7-
And you can hear in the song..how it goes 'twixt B and A until Slim's guitar solo.
