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Perfect Water Tab

by Blue Oyster Cult



 "PERFECT WATER" (Blue Oyster Cult)
 ===============

 --comp. Donald "Buck Dharma" Roeser & Jim Carroll (from _Club_Ninja_, 1986)
   -- chords & tabbed Intro "transcr." by tcg, 1994
   -- 4/4 // keys: Bm (D); E (C#m) // Allegro // ...slight flange


 --------                                                           [2nd x:
 INTRO TAB:                                                         to Verse]
      [=hold thru=]                 ""
 -2-0-----||----------------|---------------|---------------|-----2-0------||
 -3---0-3=||===3========--2=|==2====--0-2-3=|===3===========|===--3---0-3==||
 -0-----4=||o==4========--2=|==2====------0=|===0===========|===--0-----4=o||
 -2-----4=||o==4========--2=|==2====------0=|===0===========|===--2-----4=o||
 -------2=||===2========--0=|==0====--------|---------------|-----------2==||
 ---------||----------------|-------------3=|===3===========|===-----------||
  3 & 4 &      1  2  3 4  &    1 2 3  & 4 &     1  2  3  4   1 2  3 & 4 &

 --------
 CHORDS USED, in order of appearance (@/$/% designate different voicings
                     of same chord)--
  Bm@:   x 2 4 4 3 x
  A@:    x 0 2 2 2 x
  G5:    3 x 0 0 3 x
  Em7:   0 2 2 0 3 x
  D/F#:  2 x 0 2 3 x
  D:     x x 0 2 3 2
  C/9:   x 3 2 0 3 0
  E:     0 2 2 1 0 0
  A$:    x 0 2 2 2 0
  D/9/A: x 0 4 2 3 0
  A%:    x 0 2 2(2)x
  B:     x 2 4 4(4)x
  C#m:   x 4 6 6(5)x
  Bm$:   x 2 4 4 3 2

 --------
 LYRICS, CHORDS, & SEQUENCE of PARTS (see below for chord durations)--

 INTRO
 VERSE 1:
 @          @                             
     Perfect water - the dark wind braids the waves--
                                @             (@)
     The  crazed birds raid the trees--        Is this our destiny?
                 $   /9/             $    /9/
     To join our hands   at   sea-- and slow  -  ly
                $    /9/        $   /9/
     sink, and slow  -  ly    think:
       G5            (G5)   [1 1/2-measure chord tacit; ->Em9]
     This is perfect water, passing over me--

 INTRO
 VERSE 2:
 @              @                                          
     Do you know Jacques Cousteau?   Well, they said on the radi  -  o
                           /9                         ()
     That he hears bells in random order,  deep beneath the perfect water--
         $    /9/               $    /9/
     Love       that is frightening,
              $    /9/          $    /9/
     but still        so   inviting--
                              $    /9/                $    /9/
     To drown {drown-drown} inside a sound that lay so far underground,
                                          $          /9/
     And to think--{and to think} And to think {and to think}:
       G5            (G5)   [2-measure chord tacit]
     This is perfect water, passing over me.

 LEAD TACIT: ||: %      :|| <-2x

 CHORUS:
      %            
 To flow inside the spiral tide,
      %                 
 To drown my eyes like a blind ride,
          %                            %       
 And to cross the perils of black water--
     %                                 %       
 It waits for me like mother and daughter--
     %                             %                
 {A life}A life of perfect order--{A strange}A strange and perfect water--
     %                             %                
 {A life}A life of perfect order--{A strange}A strange and perfect water--

 LEAD TACIT:||:%   :||<-4x   () [1 1/2-measure chord tacit;->]

 VERSE 3:
 @          @                                      
     Perfect water-- I dream this dream within the     deep and warm
                /9
         Gulf Stream,
                $      /9/              $        /9/
     Where two blocks of ice   melt into my hands like dice,
                        $          /9/                   $    /9/
     And I roll {seven} seven on the floor of the sea  {seven}--
                        $          /9/                   $    /9/
     And I roll {seven} seven on the floor of the sea  {seven}--
            G5              (G5)   [1 1/2-measure chord tacit]
     And I feel the perfect water, washing over me--
   @    ()  [2-measure chord tacit]

 CHORUS [as above, then]:
    %            %     
  life!          strange!
    %            %     
  life!          strange!

 LEAD TACIT: ||: %      :||<-4x-4x    ()

   [1 1/2-measure chord tacit, ritard.]

   $  $ [hold]
                   [**lyrics based upon version in BOC-L archive: thanks!]

 --------
 Chord DURATION/RHYTHM Schema:

 VERSE: (hold all chords for indicated duration, except Em9 [see
   Intro tab]; small letter = single note "bass fill" on A string)

    @         @                      
 3 & 4 &   1 2 3 4 &  1 2 3 4  1 2 3 4  "1    2    3"[<-triplet quarters]

          /9*                        ()   [i.., hold 2 measures]
 1  2 & 3 & 4   1  2  3  & 4 &  1  2  3  4==1  2  3  4

 ||: E            A$     D/9/A :|| (# of repeats varies: see lyrics)
     1  2  3  4   1  2   3  4

 G5      (G5) [hold 2 measures]     [2-measure chord tacit]**
 1 2 3 4==1 2 3 4                     (1 2 3 4  1 2 3 4)

 ----
  * 3rd Verse: C/9         -->to E chord
                4  1 2 3 4

  ** 1st Verse: "steal" last 2 beats for Em9 segue to 2nd verse

  ** 3rd Verse: replace 2-measure tacit with the following--
    [1 1/2-measure chord tacit]      A@
      1   2   3   4   1   2          3  4

     G5      (G5)  [hold 2 measures]    [2-measure chord tacit]
     1 2 3 4==1 2 3 4                     (1 2 3 4  1 2 3 4)

 ["triplet" chords (Em7-D/F#-G5) are guesses that "fit," but are open
     to question: after 4 or 5 days of tryin', decided to get on with
     my life!]

 LEAD TACIT/CHORUS:
 ||: A%   B       C#m                :||(# of repeats varies: see lyrics)
     1  2 & 3 &  4 &  1 & 2 & 3 & 4 &
     /  / /   /    /    /   /   / / / [<-strums]

 -->1st ending:
 G5      (G5)   [hold 2 measures]    [1 1/2-measure chord tacit]->Em9 riff
 1 2 3 4==1 2 3 4                     (1  2  3  4  1  2)          3 & 4

 -->2nd ending:
 G5      (G5)   [hold 2 measures]     [1 1/2-measure chord tacit; ritard.]
 1 2 3 4==1 2 3 4                      (1  2  3  4  1  2)

 $ [hold]    $ [hold]
 3 4         1234->fermata...

                               [Geez, I might as well have tabbed it. . . .]


   |
 --:--tcg
   )