I'm Your Captain by Grand Funk Railroad
Lyrics and Music by Mike Farner
Album: Closer To Home / Capitol Records
TABBED BY: DAVID M. TAYLOR
E-MAIL Adress: dscott@uky.campus.mci.net
This is one of those songs that is impossible to sing while you are playing.
Although, if you know a decent bass player, then this song is great to play.
The bass part to this song is great. This song is easy, but it is tiring.
You play the same chords for about 5 minutes. There is a combination of
acoustic and electric guitars in this song. There is no solo, but there
is a small lead riff for the electric guitar at the very beginning, and it
is not tough at all. There is also a part where the electric uses a WAH-WAH
pedal along with the chords.
Standard Tuning
Intro Riff for ELECTRIC
e|-----------------------------------|------------------------------------|
B|----------------------------0-1-0--|----------------------------1-------|
G|-----7-----5-----4------0-2--------|-----7-----5-----4------0-2---2/----|
D|--0-----0-----0------0-------------|--0-----0-----0------0--------------|
A|-----------------------------------|------------------------------------|
E|-----------------------------------|------------------------------------|
e|-----------------------------------|------------------------------------|
B|----------------------------0-1-0--|----------------------------1-------|
G|-----7-----5-----4------0-2--------|-----7-----5-----4------0-2----0-2--|
D|--0-----0-----0------0-------------|--0-----0-----0------0--------------|
A|-----------------------------------|------------------------------------|
E|-----------------------------------|------------------------------------|
Now the acoustic immediately jumps in with this chord progression:
ACOUSTIC
D Cadd9
e|--2------------3-----|
B|--3------------3-----|
G|--2------------0-----| REPEAT the chords
D|--0------------2-----|
A|--0------------3-----|
E|---------------------|
Then Electric JOINS the Acoustic by playing the same chords, D and Cadd9.
But, the Electric uses Wah-Wah. They play D & Cadd9 twice, like above.
The Electric drops out and the Acoustic plays. During the second time this
is played, the lyrics come in, "Ev'rybody listen to me...".
ACOUSTIC
D Dsus2 D Cadd9
e|--2---2-0---2--3---3---3--3--3---| This is played about 11 times.
B|--3---3-3---3--3---3---3--3--3---| When the lyrics get to "I've been
G|--2---2------------0---0--0--0---| lost now days uncounted...." this
D|--0----------------2---2--2--2---| chord progression is played by both
A|--0----------------3---3--3--3---| guitars about 25 times. But, keep
E|---------------------------------| the Electric's volume down.
There are two verses with the chords above. One starts with "I've been
lost now..." and the other with "If you return me to my home port...".
I think that you play the chord progression above about 9 times for EACH
verse and then an additional 8 times with no singing.
Now there is the key change Dm Bb F A
and the bass plays 2 measures e|--1--|-(3)-|--1--|--0--|
of that cool part with no B|--3--|--3--|--1--|--2--|
other guitars. Then these G|--2--|--3--|--2--|--2--|
chords are played: D|--0--|--3--|--3--|--2--|
A|--0--|--1--|--3--|--0--|
E|-----|-----|--1--|-----|
It goes like this:
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Dm Bb Dm Bb Dm
1. Am I in my cabin dreaming, or are you really scheming,
2. You'd better think about it. I just can't live without it.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Bb F A A
to take my ship away from me?
So please don't take my ship from me.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Then the Acoustic plays D and Cadd9 (just sustaining the chords, not
strumming) twice, like after the lead in the beginning.
After that the Electric comes in playing the same thing, but with Wah-Wah,
playing those same chords twice.
And then back to the D Dsus2 D Cadd9 strumming pattern for about 24 times.
During this the lyrics go "I can feel the hand, of a stranger...".
Now the guitars play these two chords:
D Csus2 D F6/C
e|--2--|--3--| REPEAT the chords e|--2--|--10--|
B|--3--|--3--| 5 times B|--3--|--10--|
G|--2--|--5--| G|--2--|--10--|
D|--0--|--5--| D|--0--|--10--|
A|--0--|--3--| Then play this A|--0--|------|
E|-----|-----| once: E|-----|------|
[ Tab from: https://www.guitartabs.cc/tabs/g/grand_funk_railroad/im_your_captain_tab_ver_2.html ]
Now, for the cool guitar part.
In this part the Acoustic sustains chords while the Electric plays a
lead-type riff. This is the main riff:
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
D D D
e|------------------------------------------------------------------------|
B|------------------------------------------------------------------------|
G|----------7----7-----------------------7---7-------7------------7-------|
D|--------7-9----7-----------------------7---7-------7--9--7------7-------|
A|-(5)*---------------9---9\7---5---7-9----------9------------9-------9---|
E|------------------------------------------------------------------------|
*Play cue note on repeats
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Csus2 Csus2 Csus2
e|------------------------------------------------------------------------|
B|------------------------------------------------------------------------|
G|----5---5------------------------------5---5----------------------------|
D|--5-7---5----------------------------5-7---5----------------------------|
A|-----------7\5---3-----5-5-5-3-----------------7\5---3-----5-5-5-3------|
E|-------------------------------5-----------------------------------5----|
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Play this about 4 times, but the 3rd and 4th times Acoustic substitutes
this:
e|------5--5--5-------------5--5--5----------|
B|------7--7--7-------------7--7--7----------|
G|------7--7--7-------------7--7--7----------|
D|--7-------------7--7--7-------------7--7---|
A|--5-------------5--5--5-------------5--5---|
E|-------------------------------------------|
e|------3--3--3-------------3--3--3----------|
B|------3--3--3-------------3--3--3----------|
G|------5--5--5-------------5--5--5----------|
D|--5-------------5--5--5-------------5--5---|
A|--3-------------3--3--3-------------3--3---|
E|-------------------------------------------|
For the rest of the time the Acoustic plays these chords with the Electric
playing this:
Csus2
e|-----------------------------------|------------------------------------|
B|-----------------------------------|------------------------------------|
G|---5---5------------5---5----------|----5---5------------5---5----------|
D|-5-7---5----------5-7---5----------|--5-7---5----------5-7---5----------|
A|----------7\5--3-----------7\5--3--|-----------7\5--3-----------7\5--0--|
E|-----------------------------------|------------------------------------|
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
D
e|----------------------------------------------|
B|----------------------------------------------|
G|---7---7--7---7---7--7---7---7--7---7---7--7--|
D|-7-9---7--7-7-9---7--7-7-9---7--7-7-9---7--7--|
A|----------------------------------------------|
E|----------------------------------------------|
I'm get - ting
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
e|------------------------------------------|
B|------------------------------------------|
G|---7---7--7---7---7--7---7---7--7-------7-|
D|-7-9---7--7-7-9---7--7-7-9---7--7-------7-|
A|-----------------------------------7-9----|
E|------------------------------------------|
clos - er to my
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Csus2
e|-----------------------------------|-----------------------------------|
B|-----------------------------------|-----------------------------------|
G|-5--5--5-------5---5--5--5-------5-|-5--5--5-------5---5--5--5-------5-|
D|-5--5--5-------5---5--5--5-------5-|-5--5--5-------5---5--5--5-------5-|
A|----------5-7---------------5-7----|----------5-7---------------5-7----|
E|-----------------------------------|-----------------------------------|
home________________________________
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Repeat as needed.
Here are the lyrics:
Everybody, listen to me,
And return me, my ship.
I'm your captain, I'm your captain,
Although I'm feeling mighty sick.
I've been lost now, days uncounted,
And it's months since I've seen home.
Can you hear me, can you hear me,
Or am I all alone.
If you return me, to my home port,
I will kiss you mother earth.
Take me back now, take me back now,
To the port of my birth.
Am I in my cabin dreaming, or are you really scheming,
To take my ship away from me?
You'd better think about it, I just can't live without it.
So, please don't take my ship from me.
Yeah, yeah, yeah ...
I can feel the hand, of a stranger,
And it's tightening, around my throat.
Heaven help me, Heaven help me,
Take this stranger from my boat.
I'm your captain, I'm your captain,
Although I'm feeling mighty sick.
Everybody, listen to me,
And return me, my ship.
I'm your captain, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. (x 4)
I'm getting closer to my home ... (x 4)
Ohhhh ...
I'm getting closer to my home ... (x 4)
Repeated to fade
