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/ Eric Clapton / Pilgrim (1998) / River of Tears guitar tab

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--------I---------0-------I--------1--------I-------1---------I
B--------1-------1--I------1------1---I-----1-------1---I-----1-----1-3---I
G------0-------0----I----0------0-----I---2-------2-----I---2-------------I
D-------------------I-----------------I-----------------I-----------------I
A---3---------------I-3---------------I-----------------I-----------------I
E-------------------I-----------------I-1---------------I-1---------------I


   Dm7					G7sus4	
E----------1--------I--------1--------I--------1--------I-------1---------II
B--------1----1-3---I------1----1-3---I------3----1-3---I-----3----1-3----II
G------2------------I----2------------I----0------------I---0-------------II
D---0---------------I-0---------------I-----------------I-----------------II
A-------------------I-----------------I-3---------------I-3---------------II
E-------------------I-----------------I-----------------I-----------------II



Guitar 1 - PART B

  Am					D7
E----------0--------I--------0--------I--------5--------I--------5--------I
B--------1------1---I------1------1---I------3------3---I------3------3---I
G------2------2-----I----2------2-----I----5------5-----I----5------5-----I
D-------------------I-----------------I-0---------------I-0---------------I
A---0---------------I-0---------------I-----------------I-----------------I
E-------------------I-----------------I-----------------I-----------------I


  Gsus4		      G			F	
E----------3--------I--------3--------I--------1--------I--------1--------I
B--------3------3---I------3------3---I------1------1---I------1------1---I
G------5------5-----I----4------4-----I----2------2-----I----2------2-----I
D-------------------I-----------------I-----------------I-----------------I
A-------------------I-----------------I-----------------I-----------------I
E---3---------------I-3---------------I-1---------------I-1---------------I


E----------1--------I--------1--------I
B--------1------1---I------1------1---I
G------2------2-----I----2------2-----I
D-------------------I-----------------I
A-------------------I-----------------I
E---1---------------I-1---------------I

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-------------------I-----------------I-----------------I-----------------I
B-------6~~~~~~~~5--I--5~~~~~~~-------I-----------------I-----------------I
G-------------------I-----------------I--------------7--I--p5-------------I
D---5---------------I-----------------I-----------------I-----------------I
A-------------------I-----------------I-------5/7-------I-----------------I
E-------------------I-----------------I-----------------I-----------------I


  		      Dm7				  G7sus4
E-------------------I-----------------I-----------------I-----------------I
B-------8--------6--I--6~~~~~~~-------I---5h6-5---------I-----------------I
G-------------------I-----------------I----------7--p5--I--7~~~~~~--------I
D---7---------------I-----------------I-----------------I-----------------I
A-------------------I-----------------I-----------------I-----------------I
E-------------------I-----------------I-----------------I-----------------I


  		      C			                  F
E-------------------I-----------------I-----------------I-----------------I
B-------8--p5~~-----I-----------------I-----------------I-----------------I
G----------------7--I-7(9)r7--p5~~~---I-------------7---I--p5~~~~---------I
D---5---------------I-----------------I-----------------I-----------------I
A-------------------I-----------------I-----5/7---------I-----------------I
E-------------------I-----------------I-----------------I-----------------I

  		      Dm7				  G7sus4
E-------------------I-----------------I-----------------I-----------------I
B-----5h6~~~~---5---I-5h6p5-----------I--5h6--5~~~------I-----------------I
G-------------------I-------7~~~~~~---I------------7p5--I--7~~~~~~--------I
D---7---------------I-----------------I-----------------I-----------------I
A-------------------I-----------------I-----------------I-----------------I
E-------------------I-----------------I-----------------I-----------------I


E-------------------I
B-------------------I
G-------------------I
D-------------------I
A--------5----5-----I
E-------------------I


PART D

  Am					D7			
E-------------------I-----------------I-----------------I-----------------I
B-------------------I-----------------I-----------------I-------------8---I
G------5~~~~~-------I---4/5 7/9\7-----I-----------------I------7h9~~~-----I
D--5h7--------------I-----------------I--4------7-------I--7--------------I
A-------------------I-----------------I-----------------I-----------------I
E-------------------I-----------------I-----------------I-----------------I

  Gsus4              G			F
E-------------------I-----------------I-----------------I-----------------I
B-------------------I-----------------I-----------------I-----------------I
G-9\7~~~~-----------I-----------------I-----5~~~--7-----I--5--------------I
D-------------------I------------5--5-I-5h7---------7---I-------------5---I
A-------------------I-----------------I-----------------I-----------------I
E-------------------I-----------------I-----------------I-----------------I

E-------------------I-----------------I
B-------------------I-----------------I
G------5~~~~----7---I--5~~~~~~\-------I
D-5h7-------------7-I-----------------I
A-------------------I-----------------I
E-------------------I-----------------I


PART E

  G7		      Am				  D7
E-------------------I-----------------I-----------------I-----------------I
B------3/5--\3---1--I-----------------I-----------------I-----------------I
G-------------------I--2--------------I-------2/4---5---I-2---------------I
D------3/5--\3------I-----------------I-----------------I-----------------I
A-------------------I--3--------------I-----3-3/5---7---I-3---------------I
E-------------------I-----------------I-----------------I-----------------I

  		      Gsus4		G		  F
E-------------------I-----------------I-----------------I-----------------I
B-------------------I-----------------I-----------------I-----------------I
G---2/4--5----------I---4-------------I-----------0-----I--2----------5\--I
D-------------------I-----------------I-----------------I-----------------I
A---3/5--7----------I---5-------------I-----------2-----I--3--------7-7\--I
E-------------------I-----------------I-----------------I-----------------I

  							{C *only played 1st chorus* 			
E-------------------I-----------------I-----------------{-----------------I
B-------------------I-----------------I-----------------{--3/5------6-----I
G--2-----------0----I---2--------5\---I-\2--------------{-----------------I
D-------------------I-----------------I-----------------{--3/5------7-----I
A--3---------2------I---3-----7--7\---I-\3--------------{-----------------I
E-------------------I-----------------I-----------------{-----------------I

		      F					  Dm7
E-------------------I-----------------I-----------------I-----------------I
B----5\3-p1---------I-------6---5-----I--\1-------------I-------5/6---8---I
G-------------------I-----------------I-----------------I-----------------I
D----5\3-p2---------I--5/7--7---5-----I--\2-------------I-------5/7-------I
A-------------------I-----------------I-----------------I-----------------I
E-------------------I-----------------I-----------------I-----------------I

  		      G7sus4
E-------------------I-----------------}
B----6\5-p3---------I------6--5-------}
G-------------------I-----------------}  Straight onto Part F
D----7\5-p3---------I--5/7----5-------}
A-------------------I-----------------}
E-------------------I-----------------}


PART F

  G7 		      C		      			  F
E-------------------I-----------------I-----------------I-----------------I
B---3------6~~~-5---I-5-3/5------6----I-5\3-p1----------I----------6---5\-I
G-------------------I-----------------I--------------7--I-p5--------------I
D---3---5-----------I---3/5------7----I-5\3-p2----------I------5/7-----5\-I
A-------------------I-----------------I----------5/7----I-----------------I
E-------------------I-----------------I-----------------I-----------------I

  		      Dm7				  G7sus4		
E-------------------I-----------------I-----------------I-----------------I
B-\1-------8----6---I-6~~~~------6--8-I-6p5-3-5h6-5-----I----------6---5--I
G-------------------I-----------------I-----------------I-----------------I
D-\3----7-----------I-------5/7-------I-7p5-3-------7p5-I-7---5/7------5--I
A-------------------I-----------------I-----------------I-----------------I
E-------------------I-----------------I-----------------I-----------------I

		
E-------------------I
B-3-----------------I
G-------------------I
D-------------------I
A-3-----------------I
E-------------------I


End

  F		      C
E-------------------I-----------------I-----------------I
B--1----------------I--3/5------6-----I--5\3-p1---------I
G--2----------------I-----------------I-----------------I
D-------------------I-----------------I-----------------I
A--3----------------I--3/5------7-----I--5\3-p2---------I
E-------------------I-----------------I-----------------I



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.




Tab

 /   = Slide up
 \   = Slide down
(7)  = Target pitch
 h   = hammer onto following note
 p   = pull off from previous note to new note


Eric Clapton albums
2001 Reptile
2000 Riding with the King
1998 Pilgrim
1994 From the Cradle
1992 Rush
1992 Unplugged
1989 Journeyman
1988 Crossroads
1986 August
1985 Behind the Sun
1983 Money and Cigarettes
1981 Another Ticket
1978 Backless
1977 Slowhand
1976 No Reason to Cry
1975 There's One in Every Crowd
1974 461 Ocean Boulevard
1970 Eric Clapton
Pilgrim tabs
01My Father's Eyes tabbass tab
02River of Tears tabbass tab
04Broken Hearted tabbass tab
06Circus tabbass tab
09Born in Time tabbass tab
12She's Gone tabbass tab

 

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