The Ballad of El Goodo
Years ago, my heart was set to live, oh
But I’ve been trying hard against unbelievable odds
It gets so hard at times like now to hold on
My guns they’re waiting to be stuck by
At my side is God
And there ain’t no one gonna turn me ’round
Ain’t no one gonna turn me ’round
There’s people around who tell you that they know
The places where they send you, and it’s easy to go
They’ll zip you up and dress you down
Stand you in a row
But you know you don’t have to
You can just say no
And there ain’t no one gonna turn me ’round
Ain’t no one gonna turn me ’round
Ain’t no one gonna turn me ’round
Ain’t no one gonna turn me ’round
I’ve been built up and trusted
Broke down and busted
But they’ll get theirs and we’ll get ours
Just if we can
Just, ah, hold on
Hold on
Hold on
Hold on
Years ago my heart was set to live, oh
But I’ve been trying hard against strong odds
It gets so hard at times like now to hold on
Well, I’ll fall if I don’t fight
And at my side is God
Ain’t no one gonna turn me ’round
Ain’t no one gonna turn me ’round
Ain’t no one gonna turn me ’round
Ain’t no one gonna turn me ’round
Hold on
Hold on
Hold on
Hold on
[alternate lines of last verse:]
Years ago I was all set to go
And I’ve been trying hard against long odds
It gets so hard at times like this to even hang around
I can either stand or fall
And I believe I’m gonna stand tall
February 8th, 2007
TAB: “Ballad Of El Goodo” (Big Star)
A great Pop gem from a great Pop group. No wonder every cool band (R.E.M., Replacements, Bangles, Nirvana, Tea Leaf Green, etc.) loved ‘em. Notes:
http://zenandjuice.com/music/b.....lgoodo.txt
1) Capo everything up six frets! And yet, even this won’t get you in the right key to play along with the recording. All the instruments in this one are a touch flat. But the sixth fret will get you the closest to the recorded key. Side note: I had stupidly, stupidly thought that this was capoed at the first fret, but then I discovered that a few things didn’t sound right and realized what was going on. Which means that I have to relearn this song that I thought I knew, since all of the chords have effectively changed. This *can* be faked with the capo at one, though it won’t sound perfect and, frankly, you should just learn it at the 6th. I don’t know why you’d bother confusing yourself. But I’m just so pissed that I know it two different ways that I thought I’d point it out.
2) Since we are capoed up 6 frets, I am treating the 6th fret as if it’s the nut. Therefore, all chord names are really just the shapes and don’t reflect the true concert pitch
3) As with all Big Star songs, there are some beauty vocal harmonies which I am abandoning for this feeble transcription. Sorry, folks.
4) I don’t know what effects are on the main guitar (probably Chilton, since it seems to be his song), but it sounds quite nifty. Some sort of flanger, perhaps.
5) The rhythm for most of this song is dead-simple. 2 strums per bar (which means, for those of us who know nothing about theory or other real-music stuff, hit each chord twice and then move on). The chord changes are faster in the chorus than in the verses, so here’s the deal: for the verses, hit each chord twice for each time I’ve written it. For the chorus, hit each chord once for every time I’ve written it.
6) A couple of places where I just list chords, there’s something a little more complex going on. I
“The Ballad of El Goodo” (Alex Chilton/Chris Bell)
Performed by Big Star
From the album _#1_Record_ (on one stupendous CD with _Radio_City_)
Transcribed without permission as always by Marc Hirsh
Notation:
s – sixteenth note
e – eighth note
q – quarter note
h – half note
w – whole note
. – play note for one and a half times the value before it (just like a dot in
standard notation)
^ – ties two note lengths together
NOTE LENGTHS IN CAPITAL LETTERS MEAN REST FOR THAT VALUE OF TIME!
/ – slide up
– slide down
h – hammer-on
p – pull-off
(capo all guitars up 6 frets)
Let all guitars ring!
(guitar 1 – electric, flanged?)
G D Em Bm Am7 Dsus4
E-3—2—|-3—2—|-3—3—
B—3—3-|—3—3-|—1—3-
G———|———|———
D—–0—|———|—–0—
A———|—–2—|-0——-
E-3——-|-0——-|———
q q q q q q q q q q q q
G
E-3———|—————|—————|————-
B-3——-3-|——-3—–3-|—–3——-3-|——-3—–
G-0———|—–0—–0—|—0———–|—–0——-
D-0—–0—|-0h2—–0—–|———–0—|-0h2—–0—
A-2-0h2—–|—————|——-0h2—–|————-
E-3———|—————|-3————-|————-
h e e e e e e e e q e e q e e e e e e e e e e q Q
G C Am7 D
Years ago, my heart was set to live, oh
Bm G C Eb Eb
I been trying hard against unbelievable odds
(guitar 1 now doubled by guitar 2 [12-string acoustic], bass enters)
G C Am7 D
It gets so hard in times like now to hold on
(drums enter)
Bm G C Fadd9 Fadd9
But guns they wait to be stuck by, at my side is God
CHORUS
G D Em Bm C Dsus4 G (G)
And there ain’t no one goin’ to turn me round
G D Em Bm C Dsus4
Ain’t no one goin’ to turn me
(guitar 1 plays G once, guitar 2 plays:)
G
E—3——-3—|—–3—–3—|—3——-3—|—–3—–3—
B—–3——-3-|——-3—–3-|—–3——-3-|——-3—–3-
G—————|—————|—————|—————
D—————|-0h2—–0—–|—————|-0h2—–0—–
A——-0h2—–|—————|——-0h2—–|—————
E-3————-|—————|-3————-|—————
q e e e e e e e e e e q e e q e e e e e e e e e e q e e
round
(both guitars)
G C Am7 D
These people now, they tell you that they know
Bm G C Eb Eb
And places where they send you, and it’s easy to go
G C Am7 D
They zip you up and dress you down and stand you in a room
Bm G C Fadd9 Fadd9
But you know you don’t have to, you could just say no
CHORUS
G (G)
(guitar 1)
E———
B———
G———
D-0—–0-
A—0h2—
E———
G D Em Bm C Dsus4 h e e q
And there ain’t no one goin’ to turn me round
G (G)
(guitar 1)
E———
B———
G———
D-0—–0-
A—0h2—
E———
G D Em Bm C Dsus4 h e e q
Ain’t no one goin’ to turn me round
G (G)
(guitar 1)
E———
B———
G———
D-0—–0-
A—0h2—
E———
G D Em Bm C Dsus4 h e e q
And there ain’t no one goin’ to turn me round
[guitar 1 arpeggiates these next chords, but I'm not sure how]
G D Em Bm C Dsus4
Ain’t no one goin’ to turn me
(guitar 1 plays G once, guitar 2 plays:)
G
E—3——-3—|—–3—–3—|—3——-3—|—–3—–
B—–3——-3-|——-3—–3-|—–3——-3-|——-3—
G—————|—————|—————|———–
D—————|-0h2—–0—–|—————|-0h2—–0-
A——-0h2—–|—————|——-0h2—–|———–
E-3————-|—————|-3————-|———–
q e e e e e e e e e e q e e q e e e e e e e e e e h
round
(guitar 1 plays chords, guitar 2 plays some arpeggiations)
Am (4 times) C (3 times) G/B
Been built up and trusted
Am (4 times) C (3 times) G/B
Broke down and busted
(guitar 2)
E———–
B-1-0——-
G—–2-0—
D———2-
A———–
E———–
e e e e h
Am G/B C (twice) Am (twice, then rest twice)
But they’ll get theirs and we’ll get ours, if you can just-a
(both guitars) (guitar 2 only)
Em Am D G
E-3-2-|-0-2-|-3-2-|-0-2-|-3-2-|-0-2-|—————|-3-
B-0-0-|-0-0-|-1-1-|-1-1-|-3-3-|-3-3-|—————|-3-
G-0-0-|-0-0-|-2-2-|-2-2-|-2-2-|-2-2-|—————|-0-
D-2-2-|-2-2-|-2-2-|-2-2-|-0-0-|-0-0-|———0h2p0-|-0-
A-2-2-|-2-2-|-0-0-|-0-0-|—–|—–|—1/2———|—
E-0-0-|-0-0-|—–|—–|—–|—–|-3—–3——-|—
h h h h h h h h h h h h q e e e e e e w
Hold on, hold on
(both guitars) (guitar 2 only)
Em Am D G
E-3-2-|-0-2-|-3-2-|-0-2-|-3-2-|-0-2-|—————|-3-
B-0-0-|-0-0-|-1-1-|-1-1-|-3-3-|-3-3-|—————|-3-
G-0-0-|-0-0-|-2-2-|-2-2-|-2-2-|-2-2-|—————|-0-
D-2-2-|-2-2-|-2-2-|-2-2-|-0-0-|-0-0-|———0h2p0-|-0-
A-2-2-|-2-2-|-0-0-|-0-0-|—–|—–|—1/2———|—
E-0-0-|-0-0-|—–|—–|—–|—–|-3—–3——-|—
h h h h h h h h h h h h q e e e e e e w
Hold on, hold on
(guitar 1 does little one-note lines until “…strong odds”)
(guitar 2 plays chords as usual)
G C Am7 D
Years ago, my heart was set to live, oh
Bm G C Eb Eb
I been trying hard against strong odds
(guitar 1 plays chords)
G C Am7 D
It gets so hard in times like now to hold on
Bm G C Fadd9 Fadd9
But I’ll fall if I don’t fight, and at my side is God
CHORUS
G D Em Bm C Dsus4 G (G)
And there ain’t no one goin’ to turn me round [the rhythm for the end
chord of every line in
this final chorus is:
e q. h, if you care]
G D Em Bm C Dsus4 G (G)
Ain’t no one goin’ to turn me round
G D Em Bm C Dsus4 G (G)
And there ain’t no one goin’ to turn me round
G D Em Bm C Dsus4 G (G)
Ain’t no one goin’ to turn me round
(both guitars) (guitar 2 only)
Em Am D G
E-3-2-|-0-2-|-3-2-|-0-2-|-3-2-|-0-2-|—————|-3-
B-0-0-|-0-0-|-1-1-|-1-1-|-3-3-|-3-3-|—————|-3-
G-0-0-|-0-0-|-2-2-|-2-2-|-2-2-|-2-2-|—————|-0-
D-2-2-|-2-2-|-2-2-|-2-2-|-0-0-|-0-0-|———0h2p0-|-0-
A-2-2-|-2-2-|-0-0-|-0-0-|—–|—–|—1/2———|—
E-0-0-|-0-0-|—–|—–|—–|—–|-3—–3——-|—
h h h h h h h h h h h h q e e e e e e w
Hold on, hold on
(both guitars)
Em Am D
E-3-2-|-0-2-|-3-2-|-0-2-|-3-2-|-0-2-
B-0-0-|-0-0-|-1-1-|-1-1-|-3-3-|-3-3-
G-0-0-|-0-0-|-2-2-|-2-2-|-2-2-|-2-2-
D-2-2-|-2-2-|-2-2-|-2-2-|-0-0-|-0-0-
A-2-2-|-2-2-|-0-0-|-0-0-|—–|—–
E-0-0-|-0-0-|—–|—–|—–|—–
h h h h h h h h h h h h
Hold on, hold
(guitar 1 plays G chord once)
(guitar 2)
G
E—3——-3—|—3——-3—|—3——-3—|—3——-3—
B—–3——-3-|—–3——-3-|—–3——-3-|—–3——-3-
G—————|—————|—————|—————
D-0—–0h2—–|-0—–0h2—–|-0—–0h2—–|-0—–0h2—–
A—————|—————|—————|—————
E—————|—————|—————|—————
q e e e e e e q e e e e e e q e e e e e e q e e e e e e
on
(guitar 2)
G
E—3——-3—|—3——-3—|—————|——-
B—–3——-3-|—–3——-3-|—————|——-
G—————|—————|—————|-0—–
D-0—–0h2—–|-0—–0h2—–|——-0-0h2p0-|——-
A—————|—————|-2-1h2———|—2—
E—————|—————|—————|—–3-
q e e e e e e q e e e e e e q e e e e e e q q h
==================================
Chords used in this song (in order of appearance):
G C Am7 D Bm Eb Fadd9 Em Dsus4 Am G/B
E-3-|-3-|–3–|-2-|–2–|—–|—3—|–0–|—3—|–0–|—–
B-3-|-1-|–1–|-3-|–3–|–4–|—1—|–0–|—3—|–1–|–3–
G-0-|-0-|–2–|-2-|–4–|–0–|—2—|–0–|—2—|–2–|–0–
D-0-|-2-|–2–|-0-|–4–|–5–|—3—|–2–|—0—|–2–|–0–
A-2-|-3-|–0–|—|–2–|–6–|——-|–2–|——-|–0–|–2–
E-3-|—|—–|—|—–|—–|——-|–0–|——-|—–|—–
–
From: Marc Bennett Hirsh
Subject:
September 21st, 2007
The only time i’ve ever heard TLG cover this is from the taping of the 12-30-2005 show at the Independent . It sounds like josh substitutes room for row during the line that reads They’ll zip you up and dress you down
Stand you in a row
two different tapings of this show were available from archive.org when I wrote this. I haven’t listened to enough of either one to say which one I like best though. Here’s the link to a bunch of taped shows from 2005Tea Leaf Green on Archive.Org
This one has really grown on me after listening to it 3 times. Maybe i’ll be lucky enough to catch one live. To me, it seems to have the same flavor as Jackson Hole and Bastard Brother, (although its not their song, of course). I’d never heard the Big Star version.