The Dismemberment Plan - "The Ice of Boston"
From "The Dismemberment Plan is Terrified" (1997)
Couldn't find any tabs anywhere for this great song, so thought I'd remedy that.
The tuning is a weird one: standard, but with the lower E string tuned up to an F#
(That is, F#/A/D/G/B/e. You can see in this video that Travis tunes the string up just
before playing the song:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bMz7a4XXx84)
I've tabbed this out for one guitar.
If you really, really need to know everything the second guitar is doing,
it shouldn't be too hard to figure out using this as a basis.
Please actually listen to the song before using this tab (if you haven't already) - it
will make everything much easier.
First time tabber, but think this is pretty close. Questions/comments welcome!
"Here's to another goddamn new-year!"
Intro (palm-muted):
e :-----------------------------------|B :-----------------------------------|G :-----------------------------------|D :-----------------------------------|A :-----------------------------------|F#:--5-5-5-5-5-5-5-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7--|
Verse (palm-muted, or just gently strummed):
e :--------------------------------------------------|B :--------------------------------------------------|G :--------------------------------------------------|D :-(9)(9)(9)(9)(9)(9)(9)(9)(9)(9)(9)(9)(9)(9)(9)(9)-|A :--6--6--6--6--6--6--6--7--7--7--7--7--7--7--7--7--|F#:--5--5--5--5--5--5--5--7--7--7--7--7--7--7--7--7--|
Occasionally, you can throw this little fill in at the end:
e :-----------|B :-----------|G :-----------|D :----9---9--|A :--7---7----|F#:-----------|
And then, just before the chorus, play this once:
e :-------------------------------------------------|B :-------------------------------------------------|G :-----------------------9-9--11-11--13-13--16-16--|D :-(9)(9)(9)(9)(9)(9)(9)---------------------------|A :--6--6--6--6--6--6--6--7-7--9--9---11-11--14-14--|F#:--5--5--5--5--5--5--5----------------------------|
Chorus (these are the chords, I'll let you figure out the strumming pattern):
When Travis plays it live, I think he also hits the top two open strings
(e and B) to get a sort of jangly sound to the chords.
Doesn't really matter if you leave them out tho.
e :--0----0----0----0----0--|B :--0----0----0----0----0--|G :-(11)-(9)---9---(7)--(6)-|D :--9----7----9----5----4--|A :--9----7----7----5----4--|F#:--9----7---------5----4--| B A E G F#
Each of these is played for one measure, except the last two which are a half-measure each
- listen to the song and you'll get it.
Solo:
Can't be bothered to tab this out note-for-note, but I'm fairly sure it uses the B
mixolydian scale
(same notes as E major, but in the key of B), primarily on the D string.
The first part sort of descends like this (tremolo-picking each note):
After that, I just like to mess around and improvise.
Remember to end on B, or somehow emphasise that note, to keep the scale in the right mode.
Lyrics:
Pop open a bottle of bubbly
Here's to another goddamn new year
And outside, 2 million drunk Bostonians are getting ready to sing Auld Lang Syne out of tune
I sit there in my easy chair, looking at the clouds orange with celebration
And I wonder if you're out there
Hey! The ice of Boston is muddy
And reflects no light, in day or night
And I slip on it every time
Pop open a third bottle of bubbly
Yeah, and I take that bottle of champagne
Go into the kitchen, stand in front of the kitchen window
And I take all my clothes off, take that bottle of champagne
And I pour it on my head, feel it cascade through my hair
And across my chest, and the phone rings.
And it's my mother.
And she says “HI HONEY HOW'S BOSTON?"
And I stand there, all alone on New Year's Eve
Buck naked, drenched in champagne, looking at a bunch of strangers
Uh, looking at them, looking at me, looking at them, and I say:
“Oh, I'm fine Mom — how's Washington?"
Hey! The ice of Boston is muddy
And reflects no light, in day or night
And I slip on it every time
So I guess the party line is I followed you up here
Well, I don't know about that
Mainly because knowing about that would involve knowing some pathetic, ridiculous, and
absolutely true things about myself that I'd rather not admit to right now.
Woke up at 3 A.M. with the radio on, that Gladys Knight and the Pips song on
About how she'd rather live in his world with him
Than live in her own world alone
And I lay there, head spinning, trying to fall asleep
And I thought to myself: “Oh, Gladys, girl, I love you but, oh—get a life!"
Hey! The ice of Boston is muddy
And reflects no light, in day or night
And I slip on it every time
And, uh, that's about it. Enjoy! Peace out.
