Psycho Killer - Talking Heads
00:00 / 00:00
Tabs and lyrics
Tunning: Standard (E A D G B e)
Psycho Killer Acoustic
From Live DVD "Stop Making Sense"

You need to watch the dvd to really get the strumming pattern but everything else is
here

intro
E --------------------------------------------------------------------------|
B --------------------------------------------------------------------------|
G -------------5---------------5---------------5---------------4------------|
D ---7-7-7-----7-----7-7-7-----7-----7-7-7-----7-----7-7-7-----5------------|
A ---0-0-0-----0-----0-0-0-----0-----0-0-0-----0-----0-0-0-----5------------|
E ---5-5-5-----5-----5-5-5-----5-----5-5-5-----5-----5-5-5------------------|

Am G
Verse(3x) Can't seem to face up to the facts....
E ---------5----------------------------------3---- ||
B ---------5----------------------------------3----.||
G ---------5----------------------------------4---- ||
D ---------7----------------------------------5---- ||
A ---0-----0---------------------------------------.||
E --------(5)-------------------------------------- ||

Am G F
Verse(4th time) Psycho killer
E ---------5--------------------------------3----1-----------------3-----5 |
B ---------5--------------------------------3----1-----------------3-----5 |
G ---------5--------------------------------4----2-----------------4-----5 |
D ---------7--------------------------------5----3-----------------5-----7 |
A ---0-----0-------------------------------------3-----------------5-----0 |
E --------(5)------------------------------------1-----------------3----(5)|
Tunning: Standard (E A D G B e)
ADMIN: -> I sent this up several times today, please use this version:

PSYCHO KILLER by the Talking Heads

I lifted the chords from another 'tab' as they were ALMOST correct
(In the Bridge, he had a 'C' chord following the 'Bm', I am quite
sure that a 'G' should follow the 'Bm', not a 'C'. But that's
the only change I made to the chords from the other version).
The purpose of this tab is to give you some of the lead riffs
for the song.

Lots of stuff on this song starts on the last beat of a measure,
so the timing is quite important, but you'll figure it out.


= natural harmonic
^ = upstroke
~ = vibrato


[Intro:]
BASS BASS
e|--------|--------|--------|--------|--------|----<12>|--------|
B|--------|--------|--------|----<12>|--------|----<12>|--------|
G|--------|--------|--------|----<12>|--------|----<12>|--------|
D|--------|--------|--------|----<12>|--------|--------|--------|
A|--------|--------|--------|--------|--------|--------|--------|
E|--------|--------|--------|--------|--------|--------|--------|

G ^ ^
e|--------||:5-5-5-5-5-5-5-5-5-5-5-5-5-5-88888:||
B|--------||:5-5-5-5-5-5-5-5-5-5-5-5-5-5-77777:||
G|--------||:---------------------------------:|| (2X)
D|--------||:---------------------------------:||
A|--------||:---------------------------------:||
E|--------||:---------------------------------:||

Over the verse, the lead just arpeggios an A7 chord,
(starts on the second beat, and the three note riff is played
3 times over two measures, just like this:

e||:-----0-------0---|-----0--------:||
B||:---2---2---2---2-|---2----------:||
G||:-0-------0-------|-0-----0------:|| (4X)
D||:-----------------|--------------:||
A||:-----------------|--------------:||
E||:-----------------|--------------:||


[Verse]
[A] I can't seem to face up to the facts [G]
[A] I'm tense and nervous and I can't relax [G]
[A] I can't sleep cause my bed's on fire [G]
[A] Don't touch me I'm a real live wire [G]

----> Over the chorus, you just play the chords...no lead <----


[Chorus]
[F] Psycho kil[G]ler, qu'est-ce que c'est
[Am] Fa fa fa fa fa fa fa fa fa better
[F] Run run run [G] run run run run a[C]way
[F] Psycho kil[G]ler, qu'est-ce que c'est
[Am] Fa fa fa fa fa fa fa fa fa better
[F] Run run run [G] run run run run a[C]way
Oh oh oh [F] oh [G] ay ay ay ay ay


{As intro}
lead plays intro lick again:


G ^ ^
e|--------||:5-5-5-5-5-5-5-5-5-5-5-5-5-5-88888:||
B|--------||:5-5-5-5-5-5-5-5-5-5-5-5-5-5-77777:||
G|--------||:---------------------------------:|| (2X)
D|--------||:---------------------------------:||
A|--------||:---------------------------------:||
E|--------||:---------------------------------:||

[A] [G]
[A] [G]

e||:-----0-------0---|-----0--------:||
B||:---2---2---2---2-|---2----------:||
G||:-0-------0-------|-0-----0------:|| (4X)
D||:-----------------|--------------:||
A||:-----------------|--------------:||
E||:-----------------|--------------:||


[Verse]

[A] You start a conversation, you can't even finish it [G]
[A] You're talking a lot, but you're not saying anything [G]
[A] When I have nothing to say, my lips are sealed [G]
[A] Say something once, why say it again [G]


[Bridge]

[Bm] Ce que j'ai fait, ce soir [G] la (What I did that night)
[Bm] Ce qu'elle a dit, ce soir [G] la (What she said that night)
[A] Realisant mon espoir (Realizing my hopes)
[G] Je me lance, vers la gloire (I rush towards glory)




[Again:]

e||:-----0-------0---|-----0--------:||
B||:---2---2---2---2-|---2----------:||
G||:-0-------0-------|-0-----0------:|| (4X)
D||:-----------------|--------------:||
A||:-----------------|--------------:||
E||:-----------------|--------------:||

{Back to hitting G's hard.}



[A] Okay [G]
[A] Ay ay ay ay ay ay ay ay [G]
[A] We are vain and we are blind [G]
[A] I hate people when they're not polite [G]


[Chorus]
[F] Psycho kil[G]ler, qu'est-ce que c'est
[Am] Fa fa fa fa fa fa fa fa fa better
[F] Run run run [G] run run run run a[C]way
[F] Psycho kil[G]ler, qu'est-ce que c'est
[Am] Fa fa fa fa fa fa fa fa fa better
[F] Run run run [G] run run run run a[C]way
Oh oh oh [F] oh [G] ay ay ay ay ay

[A] Just pick the open 'A' string
as fast as you can for 8 measures
e|--------|-----88888|---------|---------|---------|
B|--------|-----77777|---------|---------|---------|
G|--------|----------|---------|---------|---------|
D|--------|----------|---------|---------|---------|
A|--------|----------|000000000|000000000|000000000|
E|--------|----------|---------|---------|---------|

e|---------|---------|---------|---------|---------|
B|---------|---------|---------|---------|---------|
G|---------|---------|---------|---------|---------|
D|---------|---------|---------|---------|---------|
A|000000000|000000000|000000000|000000000|000000000|
E|---------|---------|---------|---------|---------|

Then he just makes some noises, best I've been able to
duplicate it using the whammy Bar and playing double
note stuff out of the A Pentatonic Minor scale. You can
pretty much play anything you want here.

e|5~~~-8~~~|5~~~-8~~~-|5~~~-8~~~|5~~~-8~~~|
B|5~~~-7~~~|5~~~-7~~~-|5~~~-7~~~|5~~~-7~~~|
G|---------|----------|---------|---------|
D|---------|----------|---------|---------|
A|---------|----------|---------|---------|
E|---------|----------|---------|---------|

e|5~~~-5~~~|5~~~-5~~~-|5~~~-5~~~|5~~~-5~~~|
B|5~~~-5~~~|5~~~-5~~~-|5~~~-5~~~|5~~~-5~~~|
G|---------|----------|---------|---------|
D|---------|----------|---------|---------|
A|---------|----------|---------|---------|
E|---------|----------|---------|---------|.....

Enjoy, send any complaints, praises, or
penis-enlargement advertisements to:

rik9999@hotmail.com
Tunning: Standard (E A D G B e)
Psycho Killer (Live Acoustic)

This is the live acoustic version of psycho killer from the album Stop Making Sense.
The song is broken up into simple parts, so I'm going to write this out as easily as possible.

V=up stroke

|---------------------------------|
|---------------------------------|
|-Percussive Intro for 2 measures-|
|---------------------------------|
|---------------------------------|
|---------------------------------|

Guitar Intro:

|-----------------3---|
|-----------------3---|
|---2---2---2-x---0---|
|---2---2---2-x---0---| 2x
|-0---0---0---x---2---|
|---------------3-----|

Verse:
v
|-5--x--5--x--5----3--|
|-5--x--5--x--5----3--|
|-5--x--5--x--5----4--| 2x without vocals, 3rd time vocals come in and repeat verse 4x.
|-7--x--7--x--7--5----|
|---------------------|
|---------------------|

Chorus:
Psycho Killer... Kiss Ku Se...Fa Fa Fa Far Fa Fa Fa Fa Far Far Better...
|-1-1~-------------3-3~-------------------------------|
|-1-1~-------------3-3~---------------1-x-1-x-1-x-1---|
|-2-2~-------------0-0~---------------2-x-2-x-2-x-2---|
|-3-3~-------------0-0~---------------2-x-2-x-2-x-2---|
|------------------2-3~---------------0-x-0-x-0-x-0---|
|------------------3-3~-------------------------------|
Run Run... Run Run Run away...
|-1-1~----------3-3-----------------------------------|
|-1-1~----------3-3-----------------1-x-1-x-1-x-1-----|
|-2-2~----------0-0-----------------0-x-0-x-0-x-0-----|
|-3-3~----------0-0-----------------2-x-2-x-2-x-2-----|
|---------------2-2-----------------3-x-3-x-3-x-3-----|
|---------------3-3-----------------------------------|

Pre-Verse:
Oh Oh oh OHHHH...Ai Yai Yai...
|--------1~------3~-----------|
|--------1~------3~-----------|
|--------2~------4~-----------|
|--------3~------5~-----------|
|-----------------------------|
|-----------------------------|

Verse
Chorus 2x
Pre-Verse

And then the bridge-type-thing:
Su Ku Je Pet...This One... V V V V
|-2----2-----2--2--------------3--3--3-----3-3--3---|
|-3----3-----3--3--------------3--3--3-----3-3--3---|
|-4----4-----4--4--------------4--4--4-----4-4--4---| 2x
|-4----4-----4--4-----------5-5----5---5-5----5-----|
|---------------------------------------------------|
|---------------------------------------------------|

Realisone-Mone-Squier... She Mamance...Bele Brier...O Kaaaaaayyyyyyyy.. V
| V----------------------3-3-3~------| |--------------------3---|
|-2-2-2~-------------------3-3-3~------| |---5---5---5---x----3---|
|-2-2-2~-------------------0-0-0~------| |---6---6---6---x----4---|
|-2-2-2~-------------------0-0-0~------| |-7-7-7-7-7-7---x--5-----| 4x
|-0-0-0~-------------------2-2-2~------| |------------------------|
|--------------------------3-3-3~------| |------------------------|

Chorus
Pre-verse

Outro:
V v
|-5-5------5------5-5---------3----|
|-5-5------5------5-5---------3----|
|-5-5------5------5-5---------4----|
|-7-7------7------7-7-------5------| 4x
|----------------------------------|
|----------------------------------|

Percussion Break One Measure.
Return to the intro but with a twist:
v v v
|------------3-3-3-3-3-3---|
|------------3-3-3-3-3-3---|
|--2--2--2-2-0-0-0-0-0-0---| 4x
|--2--2--2-2-0-0-0-0-0-0---|
|-0--0--0--0-2-2-2-2-2-2---|
|------------3-3-3-3-3-3---|

End On:

|-------------------------|
|-------------------------|
|-2~----------------------|
|-2~----------------------|
|-0~----------------------|
|-------------------------|
Song info
Psycho Killer
Talking Heads
2001
  • Rock
  • New Wave
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