Pearl Jam - Black
General info
- Key: E
- Scale: Major pentatonic
- Time signature: 4/4 [1]
- Beat: 76 bpm → 19 bars/minute
- #bars: 81 [2]; 86 [3]; 102 [4] - including outtro. Standard recording is 5:42 → 108,3 bars
- Syncoped, with bars as here
- The song is played using two guitars: One rhythm guitar (playing chords mostly) and a lead guitar (playing pentatonic fills).
Variant Nigel - E - No capo
De akkoorden zijn hetzelfde, maar de manier van spelen is anders.
Intro
{E A, Asus4} x8
- E: A-vorm met barré op 7 (zie diagram)
- A: Open F-vorm (zie diagram)
Verse 1 - 0:24
E A, Asus4 E A, Asus4
Sheets of empty canvas, untouched sheets of clay
E A, Asus4 E
Were laid spread out before me as her body once did
E A, Asus4 E A, Asus4
All five horizons revolved around her soul as the earth to the sun
E A, Asus4 E
Now the air I tasted and breathed has taken a turn.
Pre-chorus 1 - 1:11
C Em Hmmmm, and all I taught her was everything C Em Hmmmm, I know she gave me all that she wore.
Chorus 1 - 1:35
D
And now my bitter hands,
C
Chafe beneath clouds
Em
Of what was everything.
D
Oh, the pictures
C
have all been washed in black
Em
tattooed everything.
Verse 2 - 1:55
E A, Asus4 E A, Asus4 I take a walk outside I'm surrounded by some kids at play E A, Asus5 E I can feel their laughter so, why do I sear.
Pre-chorus 2 - 2:20
C Em
Hmmmm, and twisted thoughts that spin around my head, I'm spinning, oh
C Em
I'm spinning, How quick the sun can drop away
Chorus 2 - 2:43
D
And now my bitter hands
C
cradle broken glass
Em
of what was everything
D
all the pictures have
C
all been washed in black
Em
tattooed everything
D
all the love gone bad
C
turned my world to black
D
and tattooed all I see,
C
all that I am,
Em
all I'll be.
Break - 3:21
D C Em D C
Yeah Uh huh Uh huh
Em
I know someday you'll have a beautiful life,
D C
I know you'll be a star in somebody elses sky
Em D C
But why, why, why can't it be,
C Em
Why can't it be mine
D C
Outtro - 3:21
Em D C (herhalen)
No capo - Easy
Intro
{E A Asus4} x8
Verse 1 - 0:24
E A, Asus4 E A, Asus4
Sheets of empty canvas, untouched sheets of clay
E A, Asus4 E
Were laid spread out before me as her body once did
E A, Asus4 E A, Asus4
All five horizons revolved around her soul as the earth to the sun
E A, Asus4 E
Now the air I tasted and breathed has taken a turn.
Pre-chorus 1 - 1:11
C Em Hmmmm, and all I taught her was everything C Em Hmmmm, I know she gave me all that she wore.
Chorus 1 - 1:35
D
And now my bitter hands,
C
Chafe beneath clouds
Em
Of what was everything.
D
Oh, the pictures
C
have all been washed in black
Em
tattooed everything.
Verse 2 - 1:55
E A, Asus4 E A, Asus4 I take a walk outside I'm surrounded by some kids at play E A, Asus5 E I can feel their laughter so, why do I sear.
Pre-chorus 2 - 2:20
C Em
Hmmmm, and twisted thoughts that spin around my head, I'm spinning, oh
C Em
I'm spinning, How quick the sun can drop away
Chorus 2 - 2:43
D
And now my bitter hands
C
cradle broken glass
Em
of what was everything
D
all the pictures have
C
all been washed in black
Em
tattooed everything
D
all the love gone bad
C
turned my world to black
D
and tattooed all I see,
C
all that I am,
Em
all I'll be.
Break - 3:21
D C Em D C
Yeah Uh huh Uh huh
Em
I know someday you'll have a beautiful life,
D C
I know you'll be a star in somebody elses sky
Em D C
But why, why, why can't it be,
C Em
Why can't it be mine
D C
Outtro - 3:21
Em D C (herhalen)
No capo - More accurate
E-chord
You can hear that the basic e-chord in the song, includes a higher tone that what can be produced by the 'ordinary E' (= E-shape). It's obviously the A-shape with a bar on 7
Esus2-chord
- This too, is an A-shape with a bar on 7.
- Note that in the easy transcription above, the verse sequence is E, A, Asus4. That's probably not accurate, as we now come up with E, Esus2
A-chord
- F-shape with bar on 5
Notes
- The chords are roughly the same as in the easier version mentioned before, but they are played differently, plus some bells & whistels
Sources
- https://www.ultimate-guitar.com/tabs/pearl_jam_tabs2.htm
- https://tabs.ultimate-guitar.com/p/pearl_jam/black_ver3_crd.htm - Best gewaardeerde akkoorden-uitwerking
- https://tabs.ultimate-guitar.com/p/pearl_jam/black_ver4_crd.htm - Inclusief maatstrepen
Performances
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n3r9KWth84Y - Pinkpop 1992
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ChbxMVgGV4 - Unplugged 1992