Song: Burning down the house (Live)
Artists: David Byrne & St. Vincent
Composers: David Byrne, Chris Frantz,
Jerry Harrison & Tina Weymouth
Tabbed by DJ ('DiddyD' at ultimateGuitar.com)
17th Mar 2014
This is based on a live performance with St.Vincent, where David
sings it a whole tone lower than his original Talking Heads
versions.
Video of the live performance at this link:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-GOhipwlWRM
CAPO: 3rd fret (Sounds in the key of F)
Chord names and fret positions are relative to the capo:
D = xx0232 C = 332010 E7 = 022130 (F) = 133211
In this live performance David doesn't play the F to D chord
changes which are used on the original 'Talking Heads' versions.
I think it sounds better with it, but I've put it in brackets,
so it's your choice. As is whether you repeat Verse 3 again
as the last verse, or use the Verse 7 from the album version.
*******************************************************************
(Intro - Riff x4)
e|----------------------|----------------------|
B|----------------------|----------------------|
G|----------------------|----------------------|
D|----------------------|----------------------|
A|--0-0--3-3--5-5--0-0--|--0-0--3-3--5-5--0-0--|
E|----------------------|----------------------|
e|----------------------|----------------------|
B|----------------------|----------------------|
G|----------------------|----------------------|
D|----------------------|------------5-3-------|
A|--0-0--3-3--5-5--0-0--|--0-0--3-3-------5-3--|
E|----------------------|----------------------|
[Verse 1]
D D C
Ah------, watch out, you might get what you're after,
D D C
Cool babies, strange, but not a stranger,
D D C D E7 C
I'm an... ordinary guy, burning down the house!
[Verse 2]
D D C
Hold tight, wait 'til the party's over,
D D C
Hold tight, we're in for nasty weather,
D D C D E7 C
There has ...got to be a way, burning down the house!
[Verse 3]
D C
Here's your ticket, pack your bags, time for jumping overboard,
(F) D C
Transportation is here,
(F) D C
Close enough, but not too far, baby, you know where you are,
(F) D C (F)
Fighting fire with fire! Huh!
[Verse 4]
D D C
All wet, hey, you might need a raincoat,
D D C
Shake - down, dreams walking in broad daylight,
D D C D
Three hundred ...sixty five de - grees,
E7 C
Burning down the house!
[Verse 5]
D C
No visible means of support, and you have not seen nothing yet,
(F) D C
Everything's stuck to - gether,
(F) D C
I don't know what you expect star - ing into that TV set,
(F) D C
Fighting fire with fire! Well, go ahead!
[Break 1]
D D C D D C
| / / / / | / / / / | / / / / | / / / / |
D D C D E7 C
| / / / / | / / / / | Burning down the house!
[Verse 6]
D D C
My house, it's out of the ordinary,
D D C
That's right, don't want to hurt nobody,
D D C D
Some things sure can...sweep me off my feet,
E7 C
Burning down the house!
[* Verse 7]
D C
Here's your ticket, pack your bags, time for jumping overboard,
(F) D C
Transportation is here,
(F) D C
Close enough, but not too far, baby, you know where you are,
(F) D C (F)
Fighting fire with fire! Huh!
[Break 2]
D D C D D C
| / / / / | / / / / | / / / / | / / / / |
D D C D E7 C
| / / / / | / / / / | / / / / | / / / / |
[Coda]
D D C (F) D D C (F)
||: / / / / | / / / / | / / / / | / / / / |
D D C (F) D E7 C
| / / / / | / / / / | Burning down the house! :||[x3]
*****************************************************************
* This is the missing verse that David probably meant to sing,
instead of repeating Verse 2...
[Verse 7]
D C
It was once upon a place, some - times I listen to myself,
(F) D C
Gonna come in first place,
(F) D C
People on their way to work, baby, what did you expect?
(F) D C
Gonna burst into flame! Go ahead!