Plainclothes Man by Elliott Smith, tabs and chords at PlayUkuleleNET

Plainclothes Man

Biography:

Steven Paul "Elliott" Smith (August 6, 1969 – October 21, 2003) was an American songwriter and musician. Smith was born in Omaha, Nebraska, raised primarily in Texas, and resided for a significant portion of his life in Portland, Oregon, where he first gained popularity. His primary instrument was the guitar, but he was also proficient at piano, clarinet, bass, drums and harmonica. Smith had a distinctive vocal style characterized by his "whispery, spiderweb-thin delivery" and use of multi-tracking to create vocal harmonies.

Read more on Last.fm

Other songs:

Share this tab

Four years of hard work!

This month of May we celebrated four years on the air. We continue working on the dissemination of this wonderful instrument, thank you for participating in our story!

A great Elliott Smith song from Heatmiser's Mic City Sons. I believe that
on the recording the song is played tuned a step down, but to me
it sound fine in standard tuning.

[Verse 1]

Am
You're everybody's second home
Am/B (Just Am works here, too)
Always trying to get me alone
C D F
An easy way to lose it all
Am
Always there when all else fails
Am strum D, then F
Over by the west side rails

(same as verse chords progression)

But I don't really need that now
I never really did anyhow
I only really needed alcohol
Something that'll treat me okay
And wouldn't say the things you'd say

[Chorus]
Fm E
Please turn out the light
D
I get a sick confusion headache trying
Am
to figure out who's right

[Verse 2]
(same as verse 1)

Dreaming on the silver strand
Waking up to plainclothes man
You little bastard, little boy in blue
Someone's gonna get to you
And fuck up everything you do

He's so unhappy inside
He's serious with everyone
And he thinks he'll win you with his angry kiss
Acting like he has no needs
Wanting you to watch him bleed

[Bridge]
C G F C
Made for each other bet you pay me any mind
G D F
Just goes to show my continual decline
C G F C
They say that I'll recover my love of her once in a while
Dm
But I don't know
Fm
I don't think so...

[Verse 3]
(same as verse 1)

There's something that I'll tell you now
Now that no one else is around
The sort of lesson that I learned from you
Not quite the way you planned
But I know you'll understand

Someone takes a photograph
A picture while their sweetheart laughs
A perfect moment in a flash of light
Counting back from 3 to 1
That's exactly what you've done

Fm E
And I'm so unsurprised
D C
I remember, I remember why I dream in black & white

G D F
Goes to show my continual decline
C G F C
They say that I'll recover my love of her once in a while
Dm
But I don't know
Fm
I don't think so

[Outro]
Am D Fm Am