Ballad of Big Nothing - Elliot Smith


Tab by Charlotte Thistle - A Girl With A Guitar
agirlwithaguitar@netos.com
http://www.thistlemusic.com
http://www.agirlwithaguitar.com


Tuning: Open C: CGCEGC
This tuning may not work well on many people’s steel string guitars so I wrote it
in Open D instead. However if you want to play in Open C the tab is exactly the
same.

Instead of retyping each chord each time it is strummed, I just entered “D”s
and “U”s below the tab line to indicate the strums, down or up. So the number of
D’s and U’s is the number of strums on that chord (Listen to the recording for
exact rhythm).

[Intro]

D bmi7/D D bmi/D gmi Gsus gmi Gsus emi13/D f#m,add4 Dadd4 A7
D {|----0------0-----0-----0----------------------0-----2----4----5----7--|
A {|----0------0-----0-----0----------------------0-----0----0----0----0--|
F#{|----0------0-----0-----0--------4--6--4--6----1-----1----0----0----7--|
D {|-12/4---12/4-----4--12/4--------5--5--5--5----2-----2----0----0----5--|
A {|----0------2-----0-----0--------X--X--X--X----2-----2----0----0----0--|
D {|----0------0-----0-----0-----5----------------0-----0----4----5----7--|
DD DUDDUD DD DUDDUD D D D D D D
D D DDDUDDUDD

(no vocals .........................................................) Throwing

candy out to the crowd



D Dsus D E Dsus4ma7 D6sus4 Dsus4
D {|--7---7---7---2-----0-------0-----0------|
A {|--9---10--9---2-----0-------0-----0------|
F#{|--8---8---8---2-----7-------5-----3------|
D {|--0---0---0---2-----5-------5-----5------|
A {|--0---0---0---2-----0-------0-----0------|
D {|--0---0---0---2-----0-------0-----0------|
DDU D U DUDDUD DDUUDU U D

Dragging down the main The helpless little thing with the dirty mouth



D Dsus D G Dsus4ma7 D6sus4 Dsus4
D {|--7---7---7---5-----0-------0-----0------|
A {|--9---10--9---5-----0-------0-----0------|
F#{|--8---8---8---5-----7-------5-----3------|
D {|--0---0---0---5-----5-------5-----5------|
A {|--0---0---0---5-----0-------0-----0------|
D {|--0---0---0---5-----0-------0-----0------|
DDU D U DUDDUD DDUUDU U D

who's always got something to say you're sitting around at home
D Dsus D E emi13/D A Asus A5
D {|--7---7---7---2-------0-------7-----7-----7-----|
A {|--9---10--9---2-------0-------7-----7-----7-----|
F#{|--8---8---8---2-------1-------7-----8-----10----|
D {|--0---0---0---2-------2-------7-----7-----7-----|
A {|--0---0---0---2-------2-------7-----7-----7-----|
D {|--0---0---0---2-------0-------7-----7-----7-----|
DDU D U DUDDUD DDDUD DUD D UD

waiting for your brother to call I saw him down at the alley

gmi/D,add2 Dsus4 Gadd2/D D5ma7
D {|---0--------0------0------0---|
A {|---0--------0------0------0---|
F#{|---4--------3------5------7---|
D {|---5--------5------5------7---|
A {|---5--------0------0------0---|
D {|---0--------0------0------0---|
DDDUD DUD D UD

Having had enough of it all Said you can



D {|--|--0------0---0----0----0------0-----0----0---0---|--|
A {| .|--7/9----7---5----4----4------0-----0----0---4---|. |
F#{|--|--0------0---0----0----3------4-----1----4---3---|--|
D {| .|--0------0---0----4----4------5-----2----5---5---|. |
A {|--|--0------0---0----2----2------5-----2----5---0---|--|
D {|--|--7/9----7---5----0----0------0-----0----0---X---|--|
D DUU U U DU DUDU DD DUD DD DD
do what you want to whenever you want to
You can do what you want to there's no one to stop you


D {|---0----|
A {|---0----|
F#{|---7----|
D {|---5----|
A {|---0----|
D {|---0----|
DD DUD DUD DD

All spit and spite you're up all ...


D Dsus D E Dsus4ma7 D6sus4 Dsus4
D {|--7---7---7---2-----0-------0-----0------|
A {|--9---10--9---2-----0-------0-----0------|
F#{|--8---8---8---2-----7-------5-----3------|
D {|--0---0---0---2-----5-------5-----5------|
A {|--0---0---0---2-----0-------0-----0------|
D {|--0---0---0---2-----0-------0-----0------|
DDU D U DUDDUD DDUUDU U D

night and down every day A tired man with only hours to go



D Dsus D G Dsus4ma7 D6sus4 Dsus4
D {|--7---7---7---5-----0-------0-----0------|
A {|--9---10--9---5-----0-------0-----0------|
F#{|--8---8---8---5-----7-------5-----3------|
D {|--0---0---0---5-----5-------5-----5------|
A {|--0---0---0---5-----0-------0-----0------|
D {|--0---0---0---5-----0-------0-----0------|
DDU D U DUDDUD DDUUDU U D

just waiting to be taken away... getting in to the back of a car



D Dsus D E emi13/D A Asus A5
D {|--7---7---7---2-------0-------7-----7-----7-----|
A {|--9---10--9---2-------0-------7-----7-----7-----|
F#{|--8---8---8---2-------1-------7-----8-----10----|
D {|--0---0---0---2-------2-------7-----7-----7-----|
A {|--0---0---0---2-------2-------7-----7-----7-----|
D {|--0---0---0---2-------0-------7-----7-----7-----|
DDU D U DUDDUD DDDUD DUD D UD

for candy from some stranger Watching the parade with pinpoint



gmi/D,add2 Dsus4 Gadd2/D D5ma7
D {|---0--------0------0------0---|
A {|---0--------0------0------0---|
F#{|---4--------3------5------7---|
D {|---5--------5------5------7---|
A {|---5--------0------0------0---|
D {|---0--------0------0------0---|
DDDUD DUD D UD

eyes full of smoldering anger You can

D {|--|--0------0---0----0----0------0-----0----0---0---|--|
A {| .|--7/9----7---5----4----4------0-----0----0---4---|. |
F#{|--|--0------0---0----0----3------4-----1----4---3---|--|
D {| .|--0------0---0----4----4------5-----2----5---5---|. |
A {|--|--0------0---0----2----2------5-----2----5---0---|--|
D {|--|--7/9----7---5----0----0------0-----0----0---X---|--|
D DUU U U DU DUDU DD DUD DD DD

do what you want to whenever you want to
You can do what you want to there's no one to stop you

D {|--|--0------0---0----0----0---------|--|
A {| .|--7/9----7---5----4----4---------|. |
F#{|--|--0------0---0----0----3---------|--|
D {| .|--0------0---0----4----4---------|. |
A {|--|--0------0---0----2----2---------|--|
D {|--|--7/9----7---5----0----0---------|--|
D DUU U U DU DUDU

Now you can do what you want to whenever you want to
Do what you want to whenever you want to



e5/b c#5/g# f#5/c# e gmi/D add2
D {|-------------------------------------------------2-------0-----|
A {|-------------------------------------------------2-------0-----|
F#{|-------------------------------------------------2-------0-----|
D {|-------------------------------------------------2-------4-----|
A {|--7---------4----------------9-------------------2-------5-----|
D {|--7---------4----------------9-------------------2-------5-----|
DDUUD DDUUD DDUUD
DDUUD DUDUUDUUDUUD

Do what you want to whenever you want to though it doesn't mean a thing Big nothing


[Outro]

D bmi7/D D bmi/D gmi Gsus gmi Gsus emi13/D f#m,add4 Dadd4 A7
D {|----0------0-----0-----0----------------------0-----2----4----5----7--|
A {|----0------0-----0-----0----------------------0-----0----0----0----0--|
F#{|----0------0-----0-----0--------4--6--4--6----1-----1----0----0----7--|
D {|----4---12/4-----4--12/4--------5--5--5--5----2-----2----0----0----5--|
A {|----0------2-----0-----0--------X--X--X--X----2-----2----0----0----0--|
D {|----0------0-----0-----0-----5----------------0-----0----4----5----7--|
DD DUDDUD DD DUDDUD D D D D D D
D D DDDUDDUDD

D
D {|---0----||
A {|---0----||
F#{|---0----||
D {|---0----||
A {|---0----||
D {|---0----||
D



************************************

| / Slide up

************************************