Constellation Chords & Tabs
Constellations
Jack Johnson
Capo: 1st
Tuning: Open Gadd4
(Low to High) C-G-D-G-B-D
My buddy showed me how to play this, so here you go.
Intro: The hammer-ons and pull-offs are all "drawn out," that is, they are slowly
Just listen and you'll understand.
*Let all notes ring
Intro:
D|-5-h-4-h-5-/-7-p-4-p-0-|----------7-p-5-------0-|----------0----------|
B|-----------------------|-6---------------6------|--1-----------1------|
G|-----------------------|----5---------------0---|----0------------0---|
D|-----------------------|-------7------------0---|------2----------0---|
G|-----------------------|------------------------|---------------------|
C|-0---------------------|-5----------------------|--0------------------|
D|---------4-p-2---------|
B|-3--------------3------|
G|----2--------------0---|
D|------4------------0---|
G|-----------------------|
C|-2---------------------|
Verse:
D|--5--5--7------5--5--4--|/-5--0--0--0---0-0-0-|
B|--0--0--0------0--0--0--|-(0)-0--0--0---------|
G|------------------------|---------------------|
D|-----------0------------|-------------0-------|
G|--0---------------------|--0------------------|
C|------------------------|---------------------|
D|---2--0--0----0--0--0--|-----0--0--0----0--0--0-|
B|---1--1-------1--1--1--|-----1--1--1----1--1--1-|
G|-----------------------|---0----------2---------|
D|------------4----------|------------------------|
G|-----------------------|------------------------|
C|-0---------------------|------------------------|
The Verse Riff is played twice the first time, four times the second.
*Accenting the bass notes will give you that Jack J sound.
Sing it
Verse 1:
The light was leavin' in the west it was blue.
The children's laughter sang, skipping just like the stones they threw.
Their voices echoed across the waves.
Verse 2:
The west winds often last too long,
and when they calm down nothing ever seems the same.
Sheltered under the Kamani tree, waiting for the passing rain.
Clouds keep moving to uncover the sea
of stars above us chasing the day away
to find the stories that we sometimes need.
Pre-Chorus: .
D|---2--2--2----2--2--2--|-----------------------|---2--2--2----2--2--2-|
B|---1--1--1----1--1--1--|-----------------------|---3--3--3----3--3--3-|
G|---0--0--0----0--0--0--|----repeat previous----|---2--2--2----2--2--2-|
D|------------2----------|--------measure--------|------------4---------|
G|-----------------------|-----------------------|----------------------|
C|-0---------------------|-----------------------|--2-------------------|
[ Tab from: https://www.guitartabs.cc/tabs/j/jack_johnson/constellation_tab.html ]
D|-(2)--2--2-2---2--0--0-|
B|-(3)--3--3-3---3--0--0-|
G|-(2)--2--2-2---2--0--0-|
D|--------------4--------|
G|-----------------------|
C|--2--------------------|
Here are the Pre-Chorus lyrics:
1st: It's getting late
2nd: Fade's Away
Chorus: Here's the main chord progression (G-Fadd2-C-Dadd2) coupled with open strings on
top three strings (which sounds out a G chord by the way.)
D|----5--5-----5--0--0---|-----5--5--5----5--0--0-|----2--2--2---2-0-0--|
B|----0--0-----0--0--0---|-----6--6--6----6--0--0-|----1--1--1---1-0-0--|
G|----0--0-----0--0--0---|-----5--5--5----5--0--0-|----0--0--0---0-0-0--|
D|----------0------------|--------------7---------|------------2--------|
G|--0--------------------|------------------------|---------------------|
C|-----------------------|---5--------------------|--0------------------|
D|------2--2-2---2--0--0-|
B|------3--3-3---3--0--0-|
G|------2--2-2---2--0--0-|
D|--------------4--------|
G|-----------------------|
C|--2--------------------|
And the lyrics:
It was just another lonely night,
with the sunset and a moon rise
not so far behind to give us just enough light
to lay down underneath the stars, listen to (Papa's/ All the)
translations of the stories across the sky.
We drew our own constellations.
The interlude is a complex combination of hammer-ons, pull-offs, and slides.
Stay calm.
D|----5-------7--------0-|---9---------7-------0-|---2-p-0--------0---0-|
B|-----------------------|-----------------------|---------1------------|
G|------4/5------5/4-----|------7-/-5-----5/4----|-----------0h2----4---|
D|-(0)-------------------|-----------------------|----------------------|
G|--0--------------------|-0---------------------|----------------------|
C|-----------------------|-----------------------|-0--------------------|
*Harm.
D|----5p0---------0---0--|---5------7--------5---|---9-p-7--------------|
B|---------3-------------|-----0------0----------|---------8-----10-8---|
G|------------0h2---/4---|--------7-----7--------|-------------9-----9--|
D|-----------------------|-----------------------|----------------------|
G|-----------------------|-0---------------------|-0--------------------|
C|--0--------------------|-----------------------|----------------------|
D|---------0------5-p-2-|---2-----0----4-p-0----|
B|----8---------3-------|-----------------------|
G|------9-----4---------|------0--------------0-|
D|----------------------|------------4--------0-|
G|----------------------|-----------------------|
C|----------------------|-----------------------|
For the outro just repeat the intro and end on this chord:
D|-5-|
B|-0-|
G|---|
D|---|
G|-0-|
C|---|
