Vega Suzanne - World Before Columbus Chords & Tabs

#----------------------------------PLEASE NOTE---------------------------------#
#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. #
#------------------------------------------------------------------------------#
#

                   World Before Colombus
                  written by Suzanne Vega
            originally performed by Suzanne Vega
            track #8 on "nine objects of desire"
        transcribed by Drew Boles (BolesGJD@aol.com)

"World Before Colombus" is a rather simple song.  The chord
progression is easy, and the fingerpicking is simple as
well.  I have included the lyrics with the basic chords,
and then the tablature below that.

Chords:
Em=022000      Dsus2/E=0x0230      Cmaj7=x32000   G=320033
Amsus=x02210   D/F#=2x0230         F=133211       Bm=x24400
C=x32010

Lyrics and chords:

Dsus2/E
[intro]
Em       Cmaj7           Bm      Cmaj7
If your love were taken from me
Em    Cmaj7           Bm        Cmaj7
Every color would be black and white.
G        D/F#              Em           Amsus
It would be as flat as the world before Colombus.
G          D/F#            Em      F       Dsus2/E
That's the day that I lose half my sight.
Em      Cmaj7            Bm      Cmaj7
If your life were taken from me
Em      Cmaj7                 Bm        Cmaj7
All the trees would freeze in this cold ground.
G         D/F#              Em          Amsus
It would be as cold as the world before Colombus.
G    D/F#             Em      F
Sail to the edge and I'll be there, looking
Dsus2/E
Down.
G     D/F#              Em           C                 G
Those men who lust for land and for riches strange and new,
          D/F#         Em               C              G
All those trinkets of desire, but they never will have you.
            D/F#           Em           C              G
And they'll never know the gold or the copper in your hair,
     D/F#                F                Dsus2/E
How could they weigh the worth of you so rare.
Em        Cmaj7          Bm      Cmaj7
If your love were taken from me
Em    Cmaj7                     Bm        Cmaj7
Every light that's bright would soon grow dim.

G         D/F#             Em           Amsus
It would be as dark as the world before Colombus.
G         D/F#          Em       F
Down the waterfall and I'd swim over the
Dsus2/E
Brim.
G     D/F#              Em            C                G
Those men who lust for land and for riches strange and new,
          D/F#         Em              C               G
All those trinkets of desire, oh they never will have you.
            D/F#           Em           C              G
And they'll never know the gold or the copper in your hair,
     D/F#                F                Dsus2/E
How could they weigh the worth of you so rare.
Dsus2/E
[outro]

TAB notation:
P: pull off
h: hammer on


(intro riff)
  Dsus2/E
E-------------------------------0-|------------------------B-------------3-------3-------3---|-----3-------3-------3--G---------2-----4---0-----2h4-----|---------2-----4---0----D---------------------------------|------------------------A---------------------------------|------------------------E-0-------------------------------|-0----------------------
  + . ^ . + . ^ . + . ^ . + . ^ .   + . ^ . + . ^ . + . ^ .


-------0-|-------------------------------0-|--------------------3---|-----3-------3-------3-------3---|-----3-------3--2h4-----|---------2-----4---0-----2h4-----|---------2--------------|---------------------------------|------------------------|---------------------------------|------------------------|-0-------------------------------|-0-------------
 + . ^ .   + . ^ . + . ^ . + . ^ . + . ^ .   + . ^ . + . ^


-----------------0-||                                     
-------3-------3---||                                     
-4---0-----2h4-----||                                     
-------------------||                                     
-------------------||                                     
-------------------||
 . + . ^ . + . ^ .

[ Tab from: https://www.guitartabs.cc/tabs/v/vega_suzanne/world_before_columbus_crd.html ]
(verse)  
 Em              Cmaj7             Bm              Cmaj7
---------------------------------|--------------------------------0-------0-------0-------0-|-------0-----0---------0--------------0---------------0---|-----------0------------------2-----2---------2-----2-----|-----4---4-----------2--------------------3---------------|-2---------------3--------0-------------------------------|-------------------------
 + . ^ . + . ^ . + . ^ . + . ^ .   + . ^ . + . ^ . + . ^ .
   If your love were taken...
   If your life were taken...

         Em              Cmaj7             Bm
-------|---------------------------------|----------------------0-|-------0-------0-------0-------0-|-------0-----0------0---|-------------0---------------0---|-----------0------2-----|-----2-----2---------2-----2-----|-----4---4--------------|-----------------3---------------|-2----------------------|-0-------------------------------|-----------------
 . ^ .   + . ^ . + . ^ . + . ^ . + . ^ .   + . ^ . + . ^ .


 Cmaj7             G               D/F#              Em
-----------------|---------------------------------|--------------0---------|-------3---------------3---------|------------------------|-----------0---------------2-----|------------2-----2-----|-----0---------0-----0---------0-|-----2--3-----------0---|---------------------------------|------------------------|-3---------------2---------------|-0-----
 + . ^ . + . ^ .   + . ^ . + . ^ . + . ^ . + . ^ .   + . ^


           Amsus             G               D/F#
---------------------------|--------------------------------0---------------3---------|-------3---------------3------------0---------------2-----|-----------0---------------2------------0-----2---------0-|-----0---------0-----0--------------------0---------------|----------------------------------------------------------|-3---------------2-------------
 . + . ^ . + . ^ . + . ^ .   + . ^ . + . ^ . + . ^ . + . ^

     (these two measures go with the first verse)
     Em              F
---|--------------------------------|-----------------||  
---|-------0------------------------|-----------------||  
---|-----------0--------------------|-----------------||  
-0-|-----2---------0----------------|-----------------||  
---|-----------------3--------------|-(3)-------------||  
---|-0---------------1--------------|-(1)-------------||
 .   + . ^ . + . ^ . + . ^ . + . ^ .   + . ^ . + . ^ .


 (these two measures go with the second and third verses;   
they replace the two measures above)
 Em              F
---------------------------------|-----------------||     
-------0(3)------------1---------|-------1---------||     
-----------0---------------2-----|-----------2-----||     
-----2---------0-----3---------3-|-----3---------3-||     
---------------------------------|-----------------||     
-0---------------1---------------|-1---------------||
 + . ^ . + . ^ . + . ^ . + . ^ .   + . ^ . + . ^ .


(pre-chorus riff)
 Dsus2/E
-------------------------------0-|--------------------------------------3-------3-------3---|-----3-------3-------3------------2-----4---0-----2h4-----|---------2-----4---0--------------------------------------|----------------------------------------------------------|--------------------------0-------------------------------|-0-----------------------
 + . ^ . + . ^ . + . ^ . + . ^ .   + . ^ . + . ^ . + . ^ .
...down.
...brim.

           (chorus riff)
           G               D/F#              Em
---------|-------3-3-3-3-3-------0-0-0-0-0-|-------0-0-0-0----------|-------3-3-3-3-3-------3-3-3-3-3-|-------0-0-0-0----------|-------0-0-0-0-0-------2-2-2-2-2-|-------0-0-0-0----------|-------0-0-0-0-0-------0-0-0-0-0-|-------2-2-2-2----------|---------------------------------|----------------0---2---|-3---------------2---------------|-0-------------
 + . ^ .   + . ^ . + . ^ . + . ^ . + . ^ .   + . ^ . + . ^ 


   C
-0-------0-0-0-0-0-||                                     
-0-------1-1-1-1-1-||                                     
-0-------0-0-0-0-0-||                                     
-2-------2-2-2-2-2-||                                     
---3---------------||                                     
-------------------||
 . + . ^ . + . ^ .

(repeat chorus riff 3 times; the last time, play only the
first measure, then the chorus outro)

(chorus outro)
 F
-------1-1-1-1-1-------1-1-1-1-1-|-------1-1-1-1-1-||     
-------1-1-1-1-1-------1-1-1-1-1-|-------1-1-1-1-1-||     
-------2-2-2-2-2-------2-2-2-2-2-|-------2-2-2-2-2-||     
-------3-3-3-3-3-------3-3-3-3-3-|-------3-3-3-3-3-||     
---------------------------------|-----------------||     
-1---------------1---------------|-1---------------||      
 + . ^ . + . ^ . + . ^ . + . ^ .   + . ^ . + . ^ .

(play intro riff 2 times; replace the last measure with the
outro riff)

(outro riff)
 Dsus2/E
-------------------------0------------------------------||
-----3-------3-------3---3------------------------------||
---------2-----4---0-----4------------------------------||
-------------------------2------------------------------||
-------------------------0------------------------------||
-0-----------------------0------------------------------||
 + . ^ . + . ^ . + . ^ . +


That's it everybody.  Have fun.

transcribed by: Drew Boles (BolesGJD@aol.com)