The National, City Middle
AT LONG LAST somebody has put some chords up.
This is by no means an easy song to pick out. There are a lot of tracks and there seems
be a degree of improvisation particularly
in the low synthy noises so, it won't be exact by any stretch of the imagination but I
give you what are some damned
close chords and will certainly be recognisable as the song. It's just with all the
you've then got woodwind, a violin and a
piano, it's a bloody nightmare.
I will give you the chords and any important 'licks' that recur.
Whenever I give a chord with a specific bass note (e.g. g/B) please pay attention
it matters a lot in this song.
At the first instance of "I have weird memories of you" I have given three slightly
D/A chords. While they shouldn't
really be treated as separate chords it serves to highlight the musical idea of going
the 'e' to the 'f#' and down to 'b', which
at concert pitch (w/o capo) is 'g' to 'a' to 'd'.
I recommend playing it this way for the first line, but it's up to you if you want to do
every time it appears.
________________________________________
*CAPO on 3rd*
e|-0-----0--3----2---0------0---0------0--------2----2-----2------0---0----0---------|
B|-0-----1--0----3---3------2---3------3--------3----0-----3------0---3----0---------|
G|-0-----0--0----4---2------0---0------2--------2----2-----4------0---0----2---------|
D|-2-----2--0----4---0------2---2------0--------0----0-----4------0---2----2---------|
A|-2-----3--2----2---x------0---3------0--------0----0-----2------2---2----0---------|
E|-x-----x--x----x---x------x---x------x--------x----x-----2------3---0----0---------|
Em/B C G/B Bm Dsus2 A7 Cadd9 Dsus2/a D/A D6/a Bm/F# G6 Em7 Asus2/e
"Karen take me to..." (fret positions given WITHOUT capo)
e|--------------------------------------------------------------------------|
B|----10--11--13--10--------------------10--11--13--13----------------------|
G|12------------------12--10--------12--------------------------------------|
D|--------------------------------------------------------------------------|
A|--------------------------------------------------------------------------|
E|--------------------------------------------------------------------------|
Em/B C G/B
Karen, take me to the nearest famous city middle
Bm
Where they hang the lights
Em/B C
Where it's random, and it's common versus common
Dsus2
La di la
[repeat]
Em/B A7
I've got five hundred in twenties
Cadd9
And I've got a ton of great ideas
Dsus2
I'm really worked up
Em/B A7
I'm on a good mixture, I don't want to waste it
Cadd9 Dsus2
I'm on a good mixture, I do not want to waste it
Em/B A7 Cadd9
I wanna go gator around the warm beds of beginners
Dsus2
I'm really worked up
[ Tab from: https://www.guitartabs.cc/tabs/t/the_national/city_middle_crd.html ]
Em/B C G/B
Karen, take me to the nearest famous city middle
Bm
Where they hang the lights
Em/B C
Where it's random, and it's common versus common
Dsus2
La di la
[repeat]
Dsus2/a------D/A---------D6/a Em/B
I have weird memories of you
g
Wearing long red socks and red shoes
Bm/F#
I have weird memories
D/A Em/B
I have weird memories of you (there is also a guitar track on the
g CD that repeats 'f# b b' over and
Pissing in a sink, I think over which colours the harmony
Bm/F# significantly. Add your own f#s if
I have weird memories of you you like)
Em/B A7 Cadd9
I wanna go gator around the warm beds of beginners
Dsus2
I'm really worked up
Em/B A7 Cadd9
I wanna go gator around the warm beds of beginners
Dsus2
I'm really worked up
Em/B C G/B
Karen, take me to the nearest famous city middle
Bm
Where they hang the lights
Em/B C
Where it's random, and it's common versus common
Dsus2
La di la
[repeat]
D/A Em/B
I have weird memories of you
g
Wearing long red socks and red shoes
Bm/F#
I have weird memories
D/A Em/B
I have weird memories of you
g
Pissing in a sink, I think
Bm/F#
I have weird memories of you
D/A Em
Parking your car, you said, I'm overwhelmed
G6 Bm/F#
You were thinking out loud, you said, I'm overwhelmed
D/A Em
You were parking your car, you said, I'm overwhelmed
G6 Bm/F#
You were thinking out loud, you said, I'm overwhelmed
D Em
You said, I think I'm like Tennessee Williams
g
I wait for the click
Bm/F#
I wait, but it doesn't kick in
D Em
I think I'm like Tennesse Williams
g
I wait for the click
Bm/F#
I wait, but it doesn't kick in
D/A Em/B
I have weird memories of you
g
Wearing long red socks and red shoes
Bm/F#
I have weird memories
D/A Em/B
I have weird memories of you
g
Pissing in a sink, I think
Bm/F#
I have weird memories of you
D/A Em
la da da da...
G6 Bm/F#
D Em
la da da da...
G6 Bm/F#
D/A Em Em7 Asus2/e....
I have weird memories of you
_______________________________________
If you're going to perform this with a band, then do some listening, have a think about
you yourself want to do, and let this
serve as a guideline for your arrangement.
Any queries,
jreid38@qub.ac.uk
Please don't forget to rate, and comment if you think you've spotted something that I haven't.
