backwater
status quo
Intro: w w w q q w
G---|----------------r---|---r---|---r---|--------7---6---|--------r---|--------|
D---|---4:-----------e---|---e---|---e---|---2:---9---8---|---4:---e---|--------|
A---|---4:-----------s---|---s---|---s---|---4:-----------|---4:---s---|--------|
E---|----------------t---|---t---|---t---|----------------|--------t---|--------|
only in LIVE version
w w e e e e h w w
G---r---|---r---|------------------r---|---r---|---r---|------------------------|
D---e---|---e---|---7---9---7/11---e---|---e---|---e---|------------------------|
A---s---|---s---|------------------s---|---s---|---s---|------------------------|
E---t---|---t---|------------------t---|---t---|---t---|------------------------|
only in LIVE version
q q w w e e e q q
G--------7---6---|--------r---|---r---|-----------------------|-----------------|
D---2:---9---8---|---4:---e---|---e---|-----------------------|-----------------|
A---4:-----------|---4:---s---|---s---|---5---7---5---4---0---|-----------------|
E----------------|--------t---|---t---|-----------------------|-----------------|
only in LIVE version
q q q e e q e e e e q
G-----------------------|---------------------------|---------------------------|
D-----------------------|---------------0---2---0---|---------------------------|
A---2---2---2---2---2---|---2---2---2---------------|---------------------------|
E-----------------------|---------------------------|---------------------------|
q q q e e q e e e e q
G-----------------------|---------------------------|---------------------------|
D-----------------------|---------------0---2---0---|---------------------------|
A---2---2---2---2---2---|---2---2---2---------------|---------------------------|
E-----------------------|---------------------------|---------------------------|
q q q e e q e e e e q q q q q
G-----------------------|---------------------------|-------------------|-------|
D-----------------------|---------------0---2---0---|-------------------|-------|
A---2---2---2---2---2---|---2---2---2---------------|---2---2---2---2---|-------|
E-----------------------|---------------------------|-------------------|-------|
e e e e e e e e w w w
G-----------------------------------|----------|----------|----------|----------|
D-------2---4---2---0---2---0-------|----------|----------|----------|----------|
A---2---------------------------2---|---0~~~---|---0~~~---|---2~~~---|----------|
E-----------------------------------|----------|----------|----------|----------|
__________________________________________________________________________________
********************************************************************************
This is a more fun way to play (but its not correct its just better if you are
playing by yourself or with no guitar): x3
G|--]---------------------------------------------------------------------------|
D|--]---5---5-------------------------------------------------------------------|
A|-6]-7---7---7-5-7-5-3-5-7-----------------------------------------------------|
E|--]---------------------------------------------------------------------------|
^^only play the 6 the very first time
G|------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
D|---5---5----------------------------------------------------------------------|
A|-7---7---7-5-7-5-3-5---5------------------------------------------------------|
E|---------------------5-3------------------------------------------------------|
***********************************************************************************
_________________________________________________________________________________
w rest for 6 bars w
G----------|-------------------------------r------------------------------------|
D----------|-------------------------------e------------------------------------|
A---2~~~---|-------------------------------s------------------------------------|
E----------|-------------------------------t------------------------------------|
e e e e e e e e 9x
G---||-------------------------------------||-----------------------------------|
D---||*-----------------------------------*||-----------------------------------|
A---||*---2---2---2---2---2---2---2---2---*||-----------------------------------|
E---||-------------------------------------||-----------------------------------|
build up!!
e e e e e e s s s s q q q q 3x
G-------------------------------------------||---------------------||-----------|
D-------------------------------------------||*-------------------*||-----------|
A---2---2---2---2---2---2---2---2---2---2---||*---2---2---2---2---*||-----------|
E-------------------------------------------||---------------------||-----------|
q q q q q q q q
G-----------------------|-----------------------|-------------------------------|
D-----------------------|-----------------------|-------------------------------|
A---2---2---2---2-------|---2---2---2---2-------|-------------------------------|
E-----------------------|-----------------------|-------------------------------|
[1. verse] Down at back-water junc-tion
q q q q q q q q
G-----------------------------------|-------------------|-----------------------|
D-----------------------------------|-------------------|-----------------------|
A---2-------2-------2-------2-------|---2---2---2---2---|-----------------------|
E-----------------------------------|-------------------|-----------------------|
roll-ing down the line___
q q q q q q q q q q q q
G-----------------------|-----------------------|-------------------|------------|
D-----------------------|-----------------------|-------------------|------------|
A---2---2---2---2-------|---2---2---2-------2---|---2---2---2---2---|------------|
E-----------------------|-----------------------|-------------------|------------|
In the dark earl-y morn-ing - I heard the 149------------|_
q q q q q q q q
G-------------------|-----------------------|-----------------------------------|
D-------------------|-----------------------|-----------------------------------|
A---2---2---2---2---|---2---2---2---2-------|-----------------------------------|
E-------------------|-----------------------|-----------------------------------|
I was
q q q q q q q q
G-------------------------------|-------------------------------|---------------|
D---2-------2-------2-------2---|---2-------2-------2-------2---|---------------|
A-------------------------------|-------------------------------|---------------|
E-------------------------------|-------------------------------|---------------|
walk-ing down the highway needing some-where to go_
q q q q q q q q q q q q
G-----------r-------|-----------r-----------|-------------------|---------------|
D---2---2---e---0---|---2---2---e---0-------|-------------------|---------------|
A-----------s-------|-----------s-----------|---2---2---2---2---|---------------|
E-----------t-------|-----------t-----------|-------------------|---------------|
A la- dy laid be-side me
q q q q q q q q
G-----------------------------------|-------------------|-----------------------|
D-----------------------------------|-------------------|-----------------------|
A---2-------2-------2-------2-------|---2---2---2---2---|-----------------------|
E-----------------------------------|-------------------|-----------------------|
- and she in-vit-ed me home__
q q q q w
G---------------------------|---------------------------------------|-----------|
D---------------------------|---------------------------------------|-----------|
A---2---2---2---2-----------|---0-----------------------------------|-----------|
E---------------------------|---------------------------------------|-----------|
- She led me cold tired and hun-gry__
w w w
G-------------------------------------------|-------|------r--------------------|
D---2---------------------------------------|-------|------e--------------------|
A-------------------------------------------|---2---|~~~---s--------------------|
E-------------------------------------------|-------|------t--------------------|
down the backwa-ter road__ (let note ring)
w 3x h q q q q q q 3x
G---||--------------------r----||---r---r-----||---------------------||---------|
D---||*-------------------e---*||---e---e-----||*-------------------*||---------|
A---||*-------------------s---*||---s---s\2---||*---2---2---2---2---*||---------|
E---||--------------------t----||---t---t-----||---------------------||---------|
(Rhythm guitar)
q q q q q q q q
G-----------------------|-----------------------|-------------------------------|
D-----------------------|-----------------------|-------------------------------|
A---2---2---2---2-------|---2---2---2---2-------|-------------------------------|
E-----------------------|-----------------------|-------------------------------|
[2. verse] In a house on the corner
q q q q q q q q
G-----------------------------------|-------------------|-----------------------|
D-----------------------------------|-------------------|-----------------------|
A---2-------2-------2-------2-------|---2---2---2---2---|-----------------------|
E-----------------------------------|-------------------|-----------------------|
looking over the track
q q q q q q q q q q q q
G-----------------------|-----------------------|-------------------|-----------|
D-----------------------|-----------------------|-------------------|-----------|
A---2---2---2---2-------|---2---2---2-------2---|---2---2---2---2---|-----------|
E-----------------------|-----------------------|-------------------|-----------|
I woke up with a fever and a pain in my bac
q q q q q q q q
G-------------------|-----------------------|-----------------------------------|
D-------------------|-----------------------|-----------------------------------|
A---2---2---2---2---|---2---2---2---2-------|-----------------------------------|
E-------------------|-----------------------|-----------------------------------|
She was
q q q q q q q q
G-------------------------------|-----------------------------------|-----------|
D---2-------2-------2-------2---|---2-------2-------2-------2-------|-----------|
A-------------------------------|-----------------------------------|-----------|
E-------------------------------|-----------------------------------|-----------|
lying there beside me my fever started to grow
q q q q q q q q q q q q
G-----------r-------|-----------r-----------|-------------------|---------------|
D---2---2---e---0---|---2---2---e---0-------|-------------------|---------------|
A-----------s-------|-----------s-----------|---2---2---2---2---|---------------|
E-----------t-------|-----------t-----------|-------------------|---------------|
Had a funny feeling
q q q q q q q q
G-----------------------------------|-------------------|-----------------------|
D-----------------------------------|-------------------|-----------------------|
A---2-------2-------2-------2-------|---2---2---2---2---|-----------------------|
E-----------------------------------|-------------------|-----------------------|
but the lady said no
q q q q w
G---------------------------|---------------------------------------|-----------|
D---------------------------|---------------------------------------|-----------|
A---2---2---2---2-----------|---0-----------------------------------|-----------|
E---------------------------|---------------------------------------|-----------|
The lover needs a doctor
w q w
G-------------------------------------------|-------|------r--------------------|
D---2---------------------------------------|---0---|------e--------------------|
A-------------------------------------------|-------|~~~---s--------------------|
E-------------------------------------------|-------|------t--------------------|
down the backwa-ter road__ (let no
Q e h Q e h h h
G---||----------------|---------------|-----------|-----------------------------|
D---||*---------------|---0-----------|-------0---|-----------------------------|
A---||*---0---2---2---|-------2---2---|---0-------|-----------------------------|
E---||----------------|---------------|-----------|-----------------------------|
Q e h 2x E s E s E s E s
G----------------------------||-----------------------------------|-------------|
D---0-----------------------*||-----------------------------------|-------------|
A---------------2---2-------*||---2---2---2---2---2---2---2---2---|-------------|
E----------------------------||-----------------------------------|-------------|
(2. time) What you looking for__ what you
E s E s E s E s e e e e q e e
G-----------------------------------|-------------------------------|-----------|
D-----------------------------------|---0---0---2---0---2---4---2---|-----------|
A---2---2---2---2---2---2---2---2---|-------------------------------|-----------|
E-----------------------------------|-------------------------------|-----------|
looking for ___ Lady do you know what your're
e Q h E s E s E s E s
G---------------|-----------------------------------|---------------------------|
D---0-----------|-----------------------------------|---------------------------|
A-------2---2---|---2---2---2---2---2---2---2---2---|---------------------------|
E---------------|-----------------------------------|---------------------------|
looking for__ Was I wrong _
E s E s E s E s e e e e e e e e
G-----------------------------------|-----------------------------------|-------|
D-----------------------------------|---0---0---2---0---2---2---4---2---|-------|
A---2---2---2---2---2---2---2---2---|-----------------------------------|-------|
E-----------------------------------|-----------------------------------|-------|
to play a long__ Lady was I right or lady
e Q h
G-------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
D---0---------------------------------------------------------------------------|
A-------2---2-------------------------------------------------------------------|
E-------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
was I wrong
(Instrumental) e e e e e e e e
G---||------------------------------------------------------------|-------------|
D---||*-----------------------------------------------------------|-------------|
A---||*-----------------------------------------------------------|-------------|
E---||----------------------------5---5---5---5---5---5---5---5---|-------------|
e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e
G-----------------------------------|-----------------------------------|-------|
D-----------------------------------|-----------------------------------|-------|
A---4---4---4---4---4---4---4---4---|---5---5---5---5---5---5---5---5---|-------|
E-----------------------------------|-----------------------------------|-------|
e e e e e e e e 5x e e e e e e e e
G------------------------------------||-----------------------------------|-----|
D-----------------------------------*||-----------------------------------|-----|
A---7---7---7---7---7---7---7---7---*||-----------------------------------|-----|
E------------------------------------||---5---5---5---5---5---5---5---5---|-----|
e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e
G-----------------------------------|---------------------------------|---------|
D-----------------------------------|---------------------------------|---------|
A---7---7---7---7---7---7---7---7---|---5---5---5---5---5---5---5---5/|---------|
E-----------------------------------|---------------------------------|---------|
e e e e e
G------------------------------|------------------------------------------------|
D------------------------------|------------------------------------------------|
A---12---12---12---12---12\----|------------------------------------------------|
E------------------------------|------------------------------------------------|
3rd Verse (Play the same as the 1st verse):
Backwater doctor
You've got me breathing in time
It's ten thirty in the morning
And I'm feeling alright
I ran back to my lady
But I was'nt to know
Lady left this morning
And she's not coming home
I was cold when she left me
Down the Backwater Road.
Bass Tabs |
|
Title |
Backwater |
Artist |
Status Quo |
Tablature Type |
ASCII Tab |
YouTube ID |
sGKPJIBlv-Q |
Interactive Bass Tab Guide
Interactive bass tabs provide a better experience than ASCII tabs. With playback, loop, print features and a responsive display that follows the screen of your device.
Use these buttons to control the digital tab player.
Symbol | Function |
| Move cursor to the first bar |
| Play interactive tabs |
| Pause playback |
| Loop |
| Print the tab |
| Zoom |
Page | Switch between page and horizontal view mode |
How to Read Bass Tab: A Beginner's Guide
1. Understanding the Basics
a. Strings:
Bass tab consists of horizontal lines representing the strings of the bass guitar.
The lowest-pitched string (usually the E string) is at the bottom, and the highest-pitched string
(usually the G string) is at the top.
b. Numbers:
Numbers on the lines indicate which fret to play on a specific string.
For example, if you see "3" on the E string, it means you should press down the third fret on the lowest string.
2. Reading Bass Tab Example
In this tab:
- Play the note on the 1st fret of the E string.
- Play the open E string.
- Play the 3rd fret on the A string.
- Play the 1st fret on the A string.
G|-----------------|
D|-----------------|
A|---------3-------|
E|---1-1---1---3---|
3. Playing Techniques
a. Hammer-ons and Pull-offs:
Hammer-ons are represented by an "h" (e.g., 5h7 means play the 5th fret and hammer onto the 7th fret).
Pull-offs are represented by a "p" (e.g., 7p5 means play the 7th fret and pull off to the 5th fret).
b. Slides:
Slides are often indicated by an "/" or "\\" between two numbers (e.g., 5/7 means slide from the 5th fret to the 7th fret).