Tab: "Dam Would Break," by Toad the Wet Sprocket
Transcribed by Michael A. Mazur (mmazur@wpi.edu)
Guitar 1 is an acoustic, capoed at the 6th fret
Guitar 2 is an electric, also capoed at the 6th fret
All chord names are relative to the capos, so the actual sounding
chord is a diminished fifth higher than written
Rhythm Figure 1 (Guitar 1)
Am
|----0--0--0--0----0--0--0--0--|----0--0--0--0----0--0--0--0--|
|----1--1--1--1----1--1--1--1--|----1--1--1--1----1--1--1--1--|
|----2--2--2--2----2--2--2--2--|----2--2--2--2----2--2--2--2--|
|--0h2--2--2--0--0h2--2--2--0--|--0h2--2--2--0--0h2--2--2--0--|
|----0--0--0--0----0--0--0--0--|----0--0--0--0----0--0--0--0--|
|------------------------------|------------------------------|
DG
|----1--1--1--1----1--1--1--1--|--1h3--3--3--3-3--3--3--|
|----3--3--3--3----3--3--3--3--|--3-3--3--3--3-3--3--3--|
|--0h2--2--2--0--0h2--2--2--0--|--0-0--0--0--0-0--0--0--|
|----0--0--0--0----0--0--0--0--|--0-0--0--0--0-0--0--0--|
|------------------------------|--2-2--2--2--0h2--2--2--|
|------------------------------|------------------------|
Rhythm Figure 1B
Am
|----0--0--0--0--0--0--0--|----0--0--0--0--0--0--0--|
|----1--1--1--1--1--1--1--|----1--1--1--1--1--1--1--|
|----2--2--2--0--0--0--0--|----2--2--2--0--0--0--0--|
|--0h2--2--2--2--2--2--2--|--0h2--2--2--2--2--2--2--|
|----0--0--0--0--0--0--0--|----0--0--0--0--0--0--0--|
|-------------------3--3--|-------------------3--3--|
DG
|----1--1--1--1--1--1--1--|--1h3--3--3--3--3--3--3--|
|----3--3--3--1--1--1--1--|--3-3--3--3--3--3--3--3--|
|--0h2--2--2--2--2--2--2--|--0-0--0--0--0--0--0--0--|
|----0--0--0--0--0--0--0--|--0-0--0--0--0--0--0--0--|
|-------------------3--3--|--2-2--2--2--2--2--2--2--|
|-------------------------|-------------------------|
Intro:
Guitar 1 plays rhythm figure 1 twice
Guitar 2 plays:
ADGAm
|--|--|--|----------------------|-----|-------------------------|
|--|--|--|-----0h1--0h1p0-------|-----|-----0h1--1--0h1p0-------|
|--|--|--|-----------------2p0--|-----|--------------------2p0--|
|--|--|--|----------------------|--2--|-------------------------|
|--|--|--|----------------------|--0--|-------------------------|
|--|--|--|----------------------|-----|-------------------------|
Dm G Am (to verse)
|-----------|-------------------------|-----|
|-----------|--------0h1--0h1p0-------|--1--|
|-----0--2--|--------------------2p0--|--2--|
|--2--------|--0----------------------|--2--|
|-----------|-------------------------|--0--|
|-----------|-------------------------|-----|
Verse: Guitar 2 tacet, Guitar 1 plays single chords at every change
(The bass plays the Am and Dm chords as Am7 and Dm7, so these can
be substituted)
AmDmGAm
is it this place that makes me fall from you
forget the words that once rang so true
(Guitar 1 plays rhythm figure 1B twice, Guitar 2 plays tab below)
did we expect that life was ever fair, my god...
i sowed a field of rose and reaped a whipping rod
ADG
|-----------------------|-----|--1--|--3--|
|-----------------------|-----|--3--|--3--|
|-----0h2p0-------------|-----|--2--|--0--|
|------------2p0-----0--|-----|--0--|--0--|
|-----------------3-----|--0--|-----|-----|
|-----------------------|-----|-----|--3--|
ADG
|-----------------------|---------------------|-----1-----|--3--|
|-----------------------|---------------------|--------3--|-(3)-|
|-----0h2p0-------------|--------2p0----------|-----------|--0--|
|------------2p0-----0--|-------------2p0-----|--0--------|--0--|
|-----------------3-----|--0---------------3--|-----------|-----|
|-----------------------|---------------------|-----------|-----|
Chorus: Guitar 1 plays chords, Guitar 2 plays tab
FG
and everything i've held too tight inside
Em (guitar 2 plays the first Em below)
could make a part of me die
FG
and if my lips could only speak the name
Em (guitar 2 plays the second Em)
the dam would break
FG
|--------------------|-----------------|--3-----------|
|-----------0--------|--------0--------|--3--3--------|
|--------0-----0-----|-----0-----0-----|--0-----0-----|
|-----0-----------0--|--------------0--|--0--------0--|
|--3-----------------|-(3)-------------|--------------|
|--------------------|-----------------|--------------|
Em(first time) Em(second time)
|--0--------------|--|--0--|
|--0--0-----------|--|--0--|
|--0-----0--------|--|--0--|
|--2--------0-----|--|--2--|
|--2-----------2--|--|--2--|
|--0--------------|--|-----|
Guitar 1 plays rhythm figure 1, Guitar 2 plays this:
Am
|------------------------|----------------------|
|--0h1--0-----0h1--0-----|--1h3--1-----0--1-----|
|----------0----------0--|----------0--------0--|
|------------------------|----------------------|
|------------------------|----------------------|
|------------------------|----------------------|
Dm G Am(verse)
|--------------------|---------------------------------|--0--|
|--0--1-----0--1-----|-------1-------1---------3--3\1--|--5--|
|--------0--------0--|--0h2-----0h2-----0h2/4----------|-----|
|--------------------|---------------------------------|-----|
|--------------------|---------------------------------|-----|
|--------------------|---------------------------------|-----|
Verse:
what is this ice that gathers 'round my heart
to stop the flood of warmth before it even starts
it would make me blind to what i thought would always be
the only constant in the world for me
Chorus:
and every hour of every day
i need to fight from pulling away
and if my mind could only loose the chain
the dam would break
Bridge: (Guitar 1 plays chords, guitar 2 plays tab below)
AmGEm
for all the things i hid away
AmG
and all the words i could not say
Em
the dam would break
Am
|-------0--------0----------0--------0-----|
|--0h1-----1--------1--0h1-----1--------1--|
|-------------2-------------------2--------|
|------------------------------------------|
|------------------------------------------|
|------------------------------------------|
GEm
|------3--------3----------0--------0-----|
|--/3-----3--------3----------0--------0--|
|------------4--------0h2--------0--------|
|-----------------------------------------|
|-----------------------------------------|
|-----------------------------------------|
Repeat the last part of the chorus until end