Date: Sat, 11 Mar 1995 07:04:03 -0500 
From: BABubier@aol.com 
To: tarvydas@tsctrl.guild.org 
Subject: For a thousand mothers tablature 

[disclaimer: This tab had to be *severely* re-formatted due to font 
mismatches, which may have caused misalignment of words and 
some phrases. PT] 

Tablature for FOR A THOUSAND MOTHERS 
Words and music by Ian Anderson 
Tablature intrepretation by Bruce Bubier 

Key Signature e minor 
Time Signature 3/4 

No Capo 
  

For most of the song the guitar alternates between chords of e minor and b minor 
The bass line figured below accompanies this. 
It is played for most of the song except where indicated. 

The rhythm is 6/8 - meaning there are 6 beats with the accents on 1 and 4 
It should be counted as DA da da  DA da da 
                        1  2   3   4  5  6 
In the example below downbeats are marked with an "X" 

EXAMPLE 
(emi)      (bmi -      (emi)       (bmi) 
         barre on II) 

CHORDS 
_0___________2___________0___________3_______________________________ 
_0___________2___________0___________2_______________________________ 
_2___________4___________2___________4_______________________________ 
_2___________4___________2___________4_______________________________ 
_0___________2___________0___________2_______________________________ 
 X           X           X           X 
BASS LINE 
_____________________________________________________________________ 
_____________________________________________________________________ 
_____________________________________________________________________ 
____________5_______________________5__7_____________________________ 
_5__7__8______8_7_8_7____5__7__8_____________________________________ 
_______________________8_____________________________________________ 
 X           X           X           X 

This repeats twice for each verse. 
  

FOR A THOUSAND MOTHERS 

(emi)      (bmi -      (emi)       (bmi) 
        barre on II) 
_0___________2___________0___________2_______________________________ 
_0___________3___________0___________3_______________________________ 
_0___________4___________0___________4_______________________________ 
_2___________4___________2___________4_______________________________ 
_2___________2___________2___________2_______________________________ 
_0___________2___________0___________2_______________________________ 
Did you hear mother - 

_0_________2_________0_____________2_________________________________ 
_0_________3_________0_____________3_________________________________ 
_0_________4_________0_____________4_________________________________ 
_2_________4_________2_____________4_________________________________ 
_2_________2_________2_____________2_________________________________ 
_0_________2_________0_____________2_________________________________ 
saying I'm wrong but I know I'm right. 

_0___________2___________0___________2_______________________________ 
_0___________3___________0___________3_______________________________ 
_0___________4___________0___________4_______________________________ 
_2___________4___________2___________4_______________________________ 
_2___________2___________2___________2_______________________________ 
_0___________2___________0___________2_______________________________ 
Did you hear father? 
  

_0_________2_____0___________2____________________________________ 
_0_________3_____0___________3____________________________________ 
_0_________4_____0___________4____________________________________ 
_2_________4_____2___________4____________________________________ 
_2_________2_____2___________2____________________________________ 
_0_________2_____0___________2____________________________________ 
Calling my name into the night. 

(C)              (D7)       (emi)       (bmi)     (emi)   (bmi) 
_0_________________2_________0_______________________________________ 
_1_________________1_________0_______________________________________ 
_0_________________2_________0_______________________________________ 
 2_________________0_________2_______________________________________ 
_3___________________________2_______________________________________ 
_4___________________________0_______________________________________ 
Saying I'll never be what I am now 
NO BASS                                    BASS starts here 
  

(C)                        (D7)       (emi)      (bmi)     (emi)    (bmi) 
_0___________________________2__________0________________________________ 
_1___________________________1__________0________________________________ 
_0___________________________2__________0________________________________ 
_2___________________________0__________2________________________________ 
_3______________________________________2________________________________ 
_4______________________________________0________________________________ 
Telling me I'll never find what I've already found. 
NO BASS                                                        BASS starts 
here 

       (F)                       (D) 

________1_________________________2________________________________ 
________1_________________________3________________________________ 
________2_________________________2________________________________ 
________3_________________________0________________________________ 
________3__________________________________________________________ 
________1__________________________________________________________ 
It was they who were wrong and for them here's a song. 

(ami) hard/quick 
_0_________________________________________________________________ 
_2________________________________________0_0_0____________________ 
_3__________________________0______2_0____________2_0______________ 
_3_________________2_1_2_4____4________4______________4__2__1______ 
_0_________________________________________________________________ 
_0_________________________________________________________________ 
                  This part is solo instrument (flute or guitar) 
Then immediately back into emi bmi chords and bass. 

Music repeats to the verses below 

Did you hear me baby come back and tell you the things he's seen 
Did it surprise you to be picked up at eight in a limosine? 
Doing the things he's accustomed to do. 
Which at one time it seemed like a dream now it's true. 
And unknowing you made it all happen this way. 

REPEAT FIRST STANZA 
  

After the long ascending guitar line the song stops and then starts again 
with a reprise of the main riff and improvisational section. 

This is the long ascending guitar line that ends the song and precedes the 
"reprise and jam". 
_______________________________________________________________ 
___________________________________7__8__8__8__10__10__12______ 
_____________________________7__9______________________________ 
_____________7__7__7__9__9_____________________________________ 
__7__9__10_____________________________________________________ 
_______________________________________________________________ 

Repeat main riff and start jammin'.