MY GOD 
Jethro Tull 
from: Aqualung, 1971 

        Transcribed by: 
          brockman@udavxb.oca.udayton.edu (Bob Brockman) 
          Corrections welcome (please email) - Thanks. 

Notes: 
        1. On the Aqualung album, a lot of the guitar is covered over 
           by the strong piano parts.  I gleaned most of the guitar 
           background from a bootleg recording on which this cut 
           consists pretty much of Ian Anderson and acoustic guitar. 
           Might be a little different from what's played on the 
           album. 

        2. My naming of a couple of the more bizarre chords might be 
           off; if my ignorance is showing, someone let me know 
           (gently) where I'm all wet. 

        3. The lyrics below are different in 2-3 places from the ones 
           printed in the album liner notes; this happens in spots 
           where I'm pretty sure the liner notes are off. 
  

Intro: 

e|----------------|--------------------|| 
B|----------------|--------------------|| 
G|----------------|--------------------|| 
D|---7-----------7|----7---7---7--5-h7-|| 
A|-0--------------|--0---0---0---------|| 
E|----------------|--------------------|| 
      let ring    | repeat several times, 
                    at increasing tempo 

  Am                B7/A 
e|----------------|----------------| 
B|-5--------------|-4--------------| 
G|-5--------------|-4--------------| 
D|-7--------------|-7--------------| 
A|-0--------------|-0--------------| 
E|----------------|----------------|       Repeat to this point 2x 
  finger pick in      let ring 
  this position 
  for a while... 
  

e|---------------------------------------------------| 
B|---------------------------------------------------| 
G|------------------------------2--------2-s4--------| 
D|------------------------0-2-3--------3---s5----5---| 
A|-0---0------------0-2-3----------------------------| 
E|---------------------------------------------------| 
  let ring 
  

Verse 1: 

Part 1: This part can either be strummed (muting both E and e) 
        or finger-picked.  The Aqualung album version seems to 
        be mostly strumming, but it's almost overpowered by the 
        piano part once that starts.  On the bootleg, Anderson 
        finger-picks it, and it sounds really nice.  If you do 
        finger-pick it, throwing in a little of the high 'e' 
        string sounds good -- play with it and see. 
  
  

   Am  B7addE/A     DmaddE/A  E7/A  Am 
e|--0-------------------------4-----0-----|   Repeated twice as intro, 
B|-10--0------------6---------5----10-----|   before piano line begins. 
G|--9--8------------7---------4-----9-----|   Then repeated throughout 
D|-10--7------------7---------0----10-----|   first part of each verse. 
A|--0--0--------0---0---------0-----0-----|   See below for timing. 
E|----------------------------------------| 
  

        Here's how it lines up with the lyrics: 
  

        Am  B7                Dm E7 Am    Am B7 
        People, what have you done 
                   Dm     E7     Am       Am B7 Dm E7 Am 
        Locked Him in His golden cage 
                 Am      B7     Dm E7 Am  Am B7 
        Made Him bend to your religion 
                 Dm      E7      Am       Am B7 Dm E7 Am B7 Dm E7 
        Him resurrected from the grave 
  

Part 2: Chords, all strummed: 

             D           G 
        He is the God of nothing, 
                  C        G       Am B7 Dm E7 Am    Am B7 Dm E7 
        If that's all that you can see 
               D           G 
        You are the God of everything, 
             C      G       D  CaddD  D         ( CaddD = XX0030 ) 
        He's inside you and me. 
  

Verse 2: 

           Am     B7         Dm E7 Am    Am B7 
        So lean upon Him gently 
                   Dm     E7     Am 
        And don't call on him to save 
  

        Riff #1 
e|--------------------------|      This riff replaces the Am - B7addE/A etc. 
B|--------------------------|      chord progression for the remainder of 
G|--------------------------|      the verse.  There are a couple of minor 
D|--------------------------|      variations here and there, very simple. 
A|--7--6------5-3-----------| 
E|---------------5-0-3-5----| 
    ^  ^  ^  ^  ^  ^           <-- rough idea of timing: 6/8, ^ = 1/8 
  

        (keep playing Riff #1 here ...)                              D C 
        you from your social graces, and the sins you used to waive. 

            D                G 
        The bloody Church of England, 
           C         G                (Riff #1 again) 
        in chains of history, 
                D             G 
        requests your earthly presence 
               C    G       D C D 
        at the vicarage for tea. 
  

Solo section: (sorry for the lack of detail here, but I'm pretty lame at 
        picking out solos note for note) 
  

Lead-in to flute solo: 

        Chord progression is:   Am  E  D  C  G  (2x) 

        Solo riff here is blues scale rooted at fret 5 through Am-E-D, 
        then up to fret 8 at the change to C, etc. 

Flute solo: 

        Background chord progression is:   A  E  D/F#  G 

Gregorian chant section: 

        (No instrumental part here.) 

Next, repeat same chord pattern used during flute solo:  A  E  D/F#  G 
Then return to:  Am B7 Dm E  to lead in to verse 3 
  

Verse 3 

(Same as Verse 2; start quietly, then switch to Riff #1 on "crucifix"): 

    And the graven image you-know-who, 
    with His plastic crucifix, 
    Confuses me as to who and where and why, 
    and to how He gets His kicks. 

    Confessing to the endless sin, 
    the endless whining sounds. 
    You'll be praying 'til next Thursday, 
    to all the Gods that you can count. 

Repeat lead-in section to flute solo (same chord pattern, different solo) 

End with: 
            Am B7 Dm E7     Am B7 Dm E7     Am B7 Dm E7     Am B7 
  

-- 
 -------------------------------------------------------------------- 
 brockman@udavxb.oca.udayton.edu  Robert A. Brockman, Univ. of Dayton 
 rbrockma@udecc.engr.udayton.edu  300 College Park, Dayton, OH  45469