Fare Thee Well Chords & Tabs
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#This file is the author's own work and represents their interpretation of the #
#song. You may only use this file for private study, scholarship, or research. #
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FARE THEE WELL (Emily Saliers)
------------------------------
[Actually in F#; capo 6.]
[Tune both E strings down to D.]
[Complete tablature is at the end.]
[Some of the chord names are kind of strange; this is what happens
when you use alternate tunings. Refer to the tab at the end for
fingerings.]
[Thanks to Rich Tebb and Mark Coiley for the collaboration on the tab.]
C G(4)/F Em7 Am9 F6(#4) G C(9) G(4)/B
[intro]
C G7/F Em7 Am7
Fare thee well, my bright star
F6(#4) G C(9) G(4)/B
I watched your taillights blaze into nothingness
C G7/F Em7 Am9
But you were long gone before I ever got to you
F6(#4) G Am9 Am7
Before you blazed past this address
Dm7(4) C(9)/E F6(9) G
And now I think of having loved and having lost
Dm7(4) C(9)/E F6(9) G7
You never know what it's like to never love
Dm7(4) C(9)/E F6(9) G - G#dim
Who can say what's better when my heart's become the cost
Am7 D11/A G9/D G9
A mere token of a brighter jewel sent from up above
Fare thee well, my bright star
The vanity of youth, the color of your eyes
Maybe if I'd fanned the blazing fire of your day-to-day
Or if I'd been older I'd been wise
Too thick the heat of those long summer evenings
For a cool evening I began to yearn
But you could only feed upon the things which feed a fire
Waiting to see if I would burn
Fare thee well, my bright star
It was a brief brilliant miracle dive
That which I looked up to and I clung to for dear life
F6(#4) G - G#dim Am9 Am7
Had to burn itself up just to make itself alive
And I caught you then, in your moment of glory
Your last dramatic scene against a night sky stage
With a memory so clear it's as if you're still before me
My once in a lifetime star of an age
So fare thee well, my bright star
Last night the tongues of fire circled me around
And this strange season of pain will come to pass
When the healing hands of autumn cool me down
TAB:
[An equal sign is a hammer-on; / is a slide.]
[Play all the notes on the lower three strings with your thumb.]
[Each verse might have a few more or less notes, but the same fingerings.
The only big difference is the extra G#dim (6x0x0x) in verse 3.]
[Actually, you can play it without tuning the high E down, if you want to
avoid the risk of string breakage. The only adjustment you have to make
is in the second measure of the intro, and also on the "easy" version of
the G9 measures.]
C G(4)/F Em7 Am9
D ----------------|0---------0-----|----------------|----------------|
B ----------1-----|------1---------|----------0-----|0=1---0---------|
G ------0-------0-|--------------0-|------0-------0-|------0---0-----|
D ----2-------2---|----0-------0---|----0-------0---|----2-------0---|
A 3-------3-------|----------------|--------2-------|0-------0-------|
D ----------------|3-------3-------|2---------------|----------------|
^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^
[intro]
F6(#4) G C(9) G(4)/B
D ----------------|----------------|----------------|----------------|
B ----------0-----|--0-------0-----|--1-------1-----|--1-------1-----|
G ------2-------2-|------4-------0-|------0-------0-|------0-------0-|
D ----0-------0---|----0-------0---|----0-------0---|----0-------0---|
A ----------------|----------------|3-------3-------|2-------2-------|
D 3-------3------/|5-------5-------|----------------|----------------|
^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^
[intro]
C G7/F Em7 Am7
D ----------------|----------------|----------------|----------------|
B ----------1-----|--3-------3-----|--0-------0-----|1---------1-----|
G ------0-------0-|------0-------0-|------0-------0-|------0-------0-|
D ----2-------2---|----0-------0---|----0-------0---|----2-------2---|
A 3-------3-------|----------------|--------2-------|0-------0-------|
D ----------------|3-------3-------|2---------------|----------------|
^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^
Fare thee well, my bright star I watched your
[ Tab from: https://www.guitartabs.cc/tabs/i/indigo_girls/fare_thee_well_tab.html ]
F6(#4) G C(9) G(4)/B
D ----------------|----------------|----------------|----------------|
B ----------0-----|--0-------0-----|----------1-----|--1-------1-----|
G ------2-------2-|------4-------0-|------0-------0-|------0-------0-|
D ----0-------0---|----0-------0---|----0-------0---|----0-------0---|
A ----------------|----------------|3-------3-------|2-------2-------|
D 3-------3------/|5-------5-------|----------------|----------------|
^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^
taillights blaze into nothingness
C G7/F Em7 Am9
D ----------------|----------------|----------------|----------------|
B ----------1-----|--3-------3-----|--0-------0-----|-----(1?)-0-----|
G ------0-------0-|------0-------0-|------0-------0-|------5-------0-|
D ----2-------2---|----0-------0---|----0-------0---|----2-------2---|
A 3-------3-------|----------------|--------2-------|0-------0-------|
D ----------------|3-------3-------|2---------------|----------------|
^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^
But you were long gone before I ever got to you
F6(#4) G Am9 Am7
D ----------------|----------------|----------------|----------------|
B ----------0-----|--0-------0-----|--1--(0?)-1-----|--1-------1-----|
G ------2-------2-|------4-------0-|------4-------2-|------0-------0-|
D ----0-------0---|----0-------0---|----2-------2---|----2-------2---|
A ----------------|----------------|0-------0-------|0-------0-------|
D 3-------3------/|5-------5-------|----------------|----------------|
^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^
Before you blazed past this address And
Dm7(4) C(9)/E F6(9) G
D ----------------|----------------|----------------|----------------|
B ----------1-----|--1-------1-----|--1-------1-----|--3-------3-----|
G ------0-------0-|------0-------0-|------0-------0-|------0-------0-|
D ----3-------3---|----0-------0---|----0-------0---|----0-------0---|
A ----------------|----------------|----------------|----------------|
D 0-------0-------|2-------2-------|3-------3-------|5-------5-------|
^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^
now I think of having loved and having lost You
Dm7(4) C(9)/E F6(9) G7
D ----------------|----------------|----------------|----------------|
B ----------1-----|--1-------1-----|----------1-----|--0-------0-----|
G ------0-------0-|------0-------0-|------0-------0-|------0-------0-|
D ----3-------3---|----0-------0---|----0-------0---|----3-------3---|
A ----------------|----------------|----------------|----------------|
D 0-------0-------|2-------2-------|3-------3------/|5-------5-------|
^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^
never know what it's like to never love
Dm7(4) C(9)/E F6(9) G G#dim
D ----------------|----------------|----------------|----------------|
B ----------1-----|--1-------1-----|--1-------1-----|--3-------0---0-|
G ------0-------0-|------0-------0-|------0-------0-|------0--(4?)---|
D ----3-------3---|----0-------0---|----0-------0---|----0-------3---|
A ----------------|----------------|----------------|----------------|
D 0-------0-------|2-------2-------|3-------3-------|5-------6-------|
^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^
Who can say what's better and my heart's become the cost, a mere
Am7 D(11)/A G9/D G9
D ----------------|----------------|----------------|----------------|
B ----------1-----|--3-------3-----|--6-------6-----|----------6-----|
G ------0-------0-|------0-------0-|------4-------4-|--------------0-|
D ----2-------2---|----4-------4---|----7-------7---|----7-------7---|
A 0-------0-------|0-------0-------|5-------5-------|----------------|
D ----------------|----------------|----------------|5-------5-------|
^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^
token of a brighter jewel sent from above
[Note that in order to do the x5746x chord, you need to use your pinky
and ring fingers for the Am7 and D(11/)A, rather than the index and
middle fingers. Then you slide up to the next chords, and use the
index and middle fingers for the 5 and 4 in the G9. If that's too
hard, use the following instead:]
Am7 D(11)/A G9/D G9
D ----------------|----------------|--3-------3-----|----------3-----|
B ----------1-----|--3-------3-----|------0-------0-|----------------|
G ------0-------0-|------0-------0-|----2-------2---|------------2-0-|
D ----2-------2---|----4-------4---|0-------0-------|----0-----------|
A 0-------0-------|0-------0-------|----------------|----------------|
D ----------------|----------------|----------------|5-------5-------|
^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^
token of a brighter jewel sent from above
ENDING:
Am(9) Am(9) Am(9) Am(4)
D ----------------|----------------|----------------|--------0-------|
B --1-------1-----|--1-------1-----|--1-------1-----|------1---------|
G ------4-------4-|------4-------4-|------4-------4-|----4-----------|
D ----2-------2---|----2-------2---|----2-------2---|--2-------------|
A 0-------0-------|0-------0-------|0-------0-------|0---------------|
D ----------------|----------------|----------------|----------------|
^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^
cool me down....
[Or you can play 0's on the B string instead of 4's on the G string; it sounds
fine, but then the ending chord has to include a hammer-on from B to C.]
- Adam Schneider, schneider@pobox.com
