Song : River of Tears
Album : Pilgrim
Artist : Eric Clapton (/Simon Climie)
Author : Al Watson
Bound to become a classic - I have seen a fairly accurate transcription of
this and have a fairly good interpretation myself. This is my first transcription
so I have just invented the Tab as I went along.
There is quite a lot of arpeggioed rhythm guitar which is repeated so
please excuse me for not writing it out each time.
There were I suspect at least 3 guitar tracks on the original:
1 - Main Rhythm (arpeggioed chords)
2 - Lead / Rhythm
3 - Slide
I have not transcribed the slide part yet but could try - this is because
of the difficulty of getting accurate intonation and the difference between
players have the slide on the neck to acheive a certain note.
As usual you will need to listen to the track for all the timings.
Guitar 1 - [Intro] / [PART A] Played Twice
C F
e|----------0--------|---------0-------|--------1--------|-------1------------|
B|--------1-------1--|------1------1---|-----1-------1---|-----1-----1-3------|
G|------0-------0----|----0------0-----|---2-------2-----|---2----------------|
D|-------------------|-----------------|-----------------|--------------------|
A|---3---------------|-3---------------|-----------------|--------------------|
E|-------------------|-----------------|-1---------------|-1------------------|
Dm7 G7sus4
e|----------1--------|--------1--------|--------1--------|-------1------------|
B|--------1----1-3---|------1----1-3---|------3----1-3---|-----3----1-3-------|
G|------2------------|----2------------|----0------------|---0----------------|
D|---0---------------|-0---------------|-----------------|--------------------|
A|-------------------|-----------------|-3---------------|-3------------------|
E|-------------------|-----------------|-----------------|--------------------|
Guitar 1 - [PART B]
Am D7
e|----------0--------|--------0--------|--------5--------|--------5-----------|
B|--------1------1---|------1------1---|------3------3---|------3------3------|
G|------2------2-----|----2------2-----|----5------5-----|----5------5--------|
D|-------------------|-----------------|-0---------------|-0------------------|
A|---0---------------|-0---------------|-----------------|--------------------|
E|-------------------|-----------------|-----------------|--------------------|
Gsus4 G F
e|----------3--------|--------3--------|--------1--------|--------1-----------|
B|--------3------3---|------3------3---|------1------1---|------1------1------|
G|------5------5-----|----4------4-----|----2------2-----|----2------2--------|
D|-------------------|-----------------|-----------------|--------------------|
A|-------------------|-----------------|-----------------|--------------------|
E|---3---------------|-3---------------|-1---------------|-1------------------|
e|----------1--------|--------1-----------|
B|--------1------1---|------1------1------|
G|------2------2-----|----2------2--------|
D|-------------------|--------------------|
A|-------------------|--------------------|
E|---1---------------|-1------------------|
It is Played
[Part A]
[Part A] / [Part C]
[Part B] / [Part D]
[Part A] / [Verse 1] (Start of [Part E])
[Part B] / [Part E]
[Part A] / [Chorus] / [Part E] cont. (Start [Part F])
[Part A] / [Part F] (Parts A & C together)
[Part A] / [Verse 2]
[Part B] / [Part E]
[Part A] / [Chorus]
[Part A] / [Part F]
[Part B] / [Part E] (Start of [End] on last F) / Two bars of chorus
[End] (Two bars of C)
Guitar 2 - [PART C]
G7sus4 C F
e|-------------------|-----------------|-----------------|--------------------|
B|-------6~~~~~~~~5--|--5~~~~~~~-------|-----------------|--------------------|
G|-------------------|-----------------|--------------7--|--p5----------------|
D|---5---------------|-----------------|-----------------|--------------------|
A|-------------------|-----------------|-------5/7-------|--------------------|
E|-------------------|-----------------|-----------------|--------------------|
Dm7 G7sus4
e|-------------------|-----------------|-----------------|--------------------|
B|-------8--------6--|--6~~~~~~~-------|---5h6-5---------|--------------------|
G|-------------------|-----------------|----------7--p5--|--7~~~~~~-----------|
D|---7---------------|-----------------|-----------------|--------------------|
A|-------------------|-----------------|-----------------|--------------------|
E|-------------------|-----------------|-----------------|--------------------|
C F
e|-------------------|-----------------|-----------------|--------------------|
B|-------8--p5~~-----|-----------------|-----------------|--------------------|
G|----------------7--|-7(9)r7--p5~~~---|-------------7---|--p5~~~~------------|
D|---5---------------|-----------------|-----------------|--------------------|
A|-------------------|-----------------|-----5/7---------|--------------------|
E|-------------------|-----------------|-----------------|--------------------|
Dm7 G7sus4
e|-------------------|-----------------|-----------------|--------------------|
B|-----5h6~~~~---5---|-5h6p5-----------|--5h6--5~~~------|--------------------|
G|-------------------|-------7~~~~~~---|------------7p5--|--7~~~~~~-----------|
D|---7---------------|-----------------|-----------------|--------------------|
A|-------------------|-----------------|-----------------|--------------------|
E|-------------------|-----------------|-----------------|--------------------|
e|----------------------|
B|----------------------|
G|----------------------|
D|----------------------|
A|--------5----5--------|
E|----------------------|
[PART D]
Am D7
e|-------------------|-----------------|-----------------|--------------------|
B|-------------------|-----------------|-----------------|-------------8------|
G|------5~~~~~-------|---4/5 7/9\7-----|-----------------|------7h9~~~--------|
D|--5h7--------------|-----------------|--4------7-------|--7-----------------|
A|-------------------|-----------------|-----------------|--------------------|
E|-------------------|-----------------|-----------------|--------------------|
Gsus4 G F
e|-------------------|-----------------|-----------------|--------------------|
B|-------------------|-----------------|-----------------|--------------------|
G|-9\7~~~~-----------|-----------------|-----5~~~--7-----|--5-----------------|
D|-------------------|------------5--5-|-5h7---------7---|-------------5------|
A|-------------------|-----------------|-----------------|--------------------|
E|-------------------|-----------------|-----------------|--------------------|
e|-------------------|--------------------|
B|-------------------|--------------------|
G|------5~~~~----7---|--5~~~~~~\----------|
D|-5h7-------------7-|--------------------|
A|-------------------|--------------------|
E|-------------------|--------------------|
[PART E]
G7 Am D7
e|-------------------|-----------------|-----------------|--------------------|
B|------3/5--\3---1--|-----------------|-----------------|--------------------|
G|-------------------|--2--------------|-------2/4---5---|-2------------------|
D|------3/5--\3------|-----------------|-----------------|--------------------|
A|-------------------|--3--------------|-----3-3/5---7---|-3------------------|
E|-------------------|-----------------|-----------------|--------------------|
Gsus4 G F
e|-------------------|-----------------|-----------------|--------------------|
B|-------------------|-----------------|-----------------|--------------------|
G|---2/4--5----------|---4-------------|-----------0-----|--2----------5\-----|
D|-------------------|-----------------|-----------------|--------------------|
A|---3/5--7----------|---5-------------|-----------2-----|--3--------7-7\-----|
E|-------------------|-----------------|-----------------|--------------------|
{C *only played 1st chorus*
e|-------------------|-----------------|-----------------{--------------------|
B|-------------------|-----------------|-----------------{--3/5------6--------|
G|--2-----------0----|---2--------5\---|-\2--------------{--------------------|
D|-------------------|-----------------|-----------------{--3/5------7--------|
A|--3---------2------|---3-----7--7\---|-\3--------------{--------------------|
E|-------------------|-----------------|-----------------{--------------------|
F Dm7
e|-------------------|-----------------|-----------------|--------------------|
B|----5\3-p1---------|-------6---5-----|--\1-------------|-------5/6---8------|
G|-------------------|-----------------|-----------------|--------------------|
D|----5\3-p2---------|--5/7--7---5-----|--\2-------------|-------5/7----------|
A|-------------------|-----------------|-----------------|--------------------|
E|-------------------|-----------------|-----------------|--------------------|
G7sus4
e|-------------------|-----------------}
B|----6\5-p3---------|------6--5-------}
G|-------------------|-----------------} Straight onto Part F
D|----7\5-p3---------|--5/7----5-------}
A|-------------------|-----------------}
E|-------------------|-----------------}
[PART F]
G7 C F
e|-------------------|-----------------|-----------------|--------------------|
B|---3------6~~~-5---|-5-3/5------6----|-5\3-p1----------|----------6---5-----|
G|-------------------|-----------------|--------------7--|-p5-----------------|
D|---3---5-----------|---3/5------7----|-5\3-p2----------|------5/7-----5-----|
A|-------------------|-----------------|----------5/7----|--------------------|
E|-------------------|-----------------|-----------------|--------------------|
Dm7 G7sus4
e|-------------------|-----------------|-----------------|--------------------|
B|-\1-------8----6---|-6~~~~------6--8-|-6p5-3-5h6-5-----|----------6---5-----|
G|-------------------|-----------------|-----------------|--------------------|
D|-\3----7-----------|-------5/7-------|-7p5-3-------7p5-|-7---5/7------5-----|
A|-------------------|-----------------|-----------------|--------------------|
E|-------------------|-----------------|-----------------|--------------------|
e|----------------------|
B|-3--------------------|
G|----------------------|
D|----------------------|
A|-3--------------------|
E|----------------------|
[End]
F C
e|-------------------|-----------------|--------------------|
B|--1----------------|--3/5------6-----|--5\3-p1------------|
G|--2----------------|-----------------|--------------------|
D|-------------------|-----------------|--------------------|
A|--3----------------|--3/5------7-----|--5\3-p2------------|
E|-------------------|-----------------|--------------------|
It's three miles to the river that would carry me away,
and two miles to the dusty street that I saw you on today,
It's four miles to my lonely room where I'm gonna hide my face,
and about half a mile to the downtown bar that I ran from in disgrace
Lord how long have I got to keep on running?
Seven hours, seven days or seven years?
All I know is since you've been gone, feel like I'm drowning
in a river
Drowning in a river of tears
Drowning in a river
Feel like I'm drowning, drowning in a river
In three more days, I leave this town, and disappear without a trace,
a year from now maybe settle down, where no one knows my face,
I wish that I could hold you one more time to ease the pain,
But my times run out and I got to go, got to run away again
Still I catch myself thinking one day I'll find my way back here
And you'll save me from drowning,
Drowning in a river, drowning in a river of tears
Drowning in a river, Feels like I'm drowning,
Drowning in a river
Lord how long must this go on?
Drowning in a river, drowning in a river of tears.
************************************
| ~ Vibrato
| p Pull-off
| / Slide up
| h Hammer-on
| \ Slide down
************************************