The National - Fake Empire Chords & Tabs

Song: Fake Empire
Artist: The National
Tabber: Jonathan Doyle 

Tuning: Standard
References:
1 - Live show with only guitars - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zowsCGy68ak
2 - Live show on the Q - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yf0o5W2suTc
3 - How to with the Q - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nmj5I8ME1m0
4 - Description of 4 against 3 - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polyrhythm 

Notes:
The most difficult thing about this song for me was the rhythm. I spent an hour
playing the first chord progression with the rhythm on the wikipedia link.
Basically within the same time scale your thumb plays 3 (bass) notes while your
fingers play 4 (treble) notes. I will reproduce the wikipedia graph here:

4 against 3 polyrhythm
              ||-----------------------||-----------------------||
4-beat rhythm ||X| | |X| | |X| | |X| | ||X| | |X| | |X| | |X| | ||  (treble)
              ||-----------------------||-----------------------||
3-beat rhythm ||X| | | |X| | | |X| | | ||X| | | |X| | | |X| | | ||  (bass)
              ||-----------------------||-----------------------||

All chords are played with one iteration of this rhythm. To sound like the studio
recording you can omit the first treble note in the 4-beat rhythm. 

===
Tab:
I have tabbed two guitar parts as per reference 1

              I                II              III         (Roman numerals indicate
       (Intro / Verse)      (Chorus)         (Bridge)       the chord pattern. Used  
     e|----------------|----------------|----------------|  in lyrics/song
 G1  B|---5--5--5--5---|---5--5--3--3---|---1--1--0--0---|  structure below)
  &  G|---5--5--5--5---|---5--5--4--4---|---2--2--0--0---|
 G2  D|------3---------|------3---------|----------------|
     A|---3------------|---0------------|------0---------|
     E|---------3--3---|---------3--3---|---1-----3--3---|
          C  F  G  G       Am F  G  G       F  Am G  G     (used root to write the  
                                                            timing with the lyrics)  

            IV                 V               VI
         (Bridge2)         (Bridge3)       (Jam/Horns) 
     e|---12-10-8--7---|---8--12-7--7---|----------------|
     B|---13-12-10-8---|---10-10-8--8---|----------------|
 G1  G|----------------|----------------|----------------|
     D|---10----7--9---|------7--5--5---|----------------|
     A|------10--------|---8------------|--/3------------|
     E|----------------|----------------|----------------|
                                          
     e|----------------|---------3--3---|----------------|
     B|---17-15-13-12--|---1--1--3--3---|----------------|
 G2  G|---17-16-14-12--|---2--2--0--0---|----------------|
     D|----------------|---3--2--0--0---|----------------|
     A|---17----12-----|------0--2--2---|----------------|
     E|------15----10--|---1-----3--3---|--/8------------|
                         (light distortion and strumming)
[ Tab from: https://www.guitartabs.cc/tabs/t/the_national/fake_empire_tab_ver_3.html ]
======
Lyrics:
http://www.songmeanings.net/songs/view/3530822107858655995/ 
Using progression from reference 1 and 2. Listen to the song for your the
arrangement you prefer.

Intro: I x 2

Verse: I x 2

C                  F  
Stay out super late tonight
G               G
Picking apples, making pies
C                      F              G                    G
Put a little something in our lemonade and take it with us

Chorus: II x 2
                Am    F          G     G
We're half awake in a fake empire
                Am    F          G     G
We're half awake in a fake empire

Verse: I x 2
C                  F  
Tiptoe through our shiny city
G                           G
With our diamond slippers on
C                  F      G                          G
Do our gay ballet on ice, bluebirds on our shoulders

Chorus: II x 2
                Am    F          G     G
We're half awake in a fake empire
                Am    F          G     G
We're half awake in a fake empire

Bridge: III x 2, IV x 2

Verse: I x 3
C                   F  
Turn the light, out say goodnight
   G                           G
No thinking for a little while
C                F          G                  G
Let's not try to figure out everything at once
     C            F            G                       G
It's hard to keep track of you falling through the sky

Chorus: II x 2
                Am    F          G     G
We're half awake in a fake empire
                Am    F          G     G
We're half awake in a fake empire 

Bridge/End: III x 1, V x 1, VI until end fade out / horn solo (one guitar can do 
            G2 VI or III, or any combination you wish)


===========
Final Notes:

If you wish to play the song solo you can cut the bridge short or just play III in
place of IV. If you want to play completely in open you can play just I, II, and
III as follows. (The fingering can be a bit tricky, I will indicate how I play it
in the column below the chord with the number corresponding to the left hand
finger. The capitol letter “O” represents open)


              I                II               IV         
       (Intro / Verse)      (Chorus)         (Bridge)        
     e|---0--0--0--0---|---0--0---------|----------------| 
 G1  B|---1--1--1--1---|---1--1--3--3---|---1--1--0--0---| 
  &  G|----------------|---------4--4---|---2--2--0--0---|
 G2  D|----------------|----------------|----------------|
     A|---3------------|---0------------|------0---------|
     E|------1--3--3---|------1--3--3---|---1-----3--3---|
          C  F  G  G       Am F  G  G       F  Am G  G       
          
          O  O  O  O       O  O  2  2       2  2  O  O
          2  2  2  2       2  2  3  3       3  3  O  O
          4  1  4  4       O  1  1  1       1  O  3  3