Big Country - Where The Rose Is Sown
Album - Steeltown(1984)
From: maule_andy@hotmail.com
The tab represents the single version of the song (the album
version was slightly longer). Sadly, Stuart Adamson passed
away shortly after I had started to tab this classic from
'Steeltown'. The song stands testament to his great guitar
and songwriting ability...rest easy big man. The song is in A.
h - hammer on
p - pull off
b - bend up
/ - slide up
- slide down
~ - vibrato
Guitar 1 - Stuart Adamson
Guitar 2 - Bruce Watson
INTRO - Both guitar riffs are played twice before the verse
enters. The slide in the last bar of Guitar 2's riff
is played twice the second time round. You may want to
palm mute the strings when playing Guitar 1's part.
Guitar 1
E|--------------------|--------------------|
B|--------------------|--------------------|
G|--------------------|--------------------|
D|-11-14-141414-11----|--------------------|
A|-0--0--0-0-0--0--14-|-12-12-121212-11-11-|
E|-----------------0--|-10-10-101010-0--0--|
E|--------------------|--------------------|
B|--------------------|--------------------|
G|---11-11----9--9----|--------------------|
D|---12-12----11 11---|--------------------|
A|--------------------|-12-14-141414-12-14-|
E|--------------------|-12-12-121212-0--0--|
Guitar 2
E|-------------|------------|-------------|-----------|
B|-------------|------------|-------------|-----------|
G|-------------|-------6~~~~|--------9~~~~|--6/9~~~~--|
D|--------7~~~~|-7-7h9------|-9-9/11------|-----------|
A|-7-7h9-------|------------|-------------|-----------|
E|-------------|------------|-------------|-----------|
VERSE - Both guitar parts are repeated 4 times. Again, palm
muting the strings for Guitar 1's part is optional.
Guitar 1
E|-----------------------------|-----------------------------|
B|-----------------------------|-----------------------------|
G|-----------------------------|-----------------------------|
D|----------------------111111-|-----------------------------|
A|-141414-141414-141414-0-0-0--|-121212-121212-121212-121212-|
E|-121212-121212-121212--------|-101010-101010-101010-101010-|
We're at war..........all the papers say....etc.
E|-----------------------------|-----------------------------|
B|-----------------------------|-----------------------------|
G|-----------------------------|-----------------------------|
D|----------------------111111-|-----------------------------|
A|-9-9-9--9-9-9--9-9-9--0-0-0--|-141414-141414-141414-141414-|
E|-101010-101010-101010--------|-121212-121212-121212-121212-|
Guitar 2
[let ring] [let ring]
E|--------------|-----------|--------------|-----------|
B|--------------|-----------|--------------|-----------|
G|-4-2-4--4-4/6-|-2---------|-2-2-2--2-4/6-|-4---------|
D|-2-2-2--2-----|---0-------|-0-0-0--0-----|---2-------|
A|--------------|-----------|--------------|-----------|
E|--------------|-----------|--------------|-----------|
CHORUS - Guitar 1 plays the following 2 bars 3 times followed by
the next 2 bars. Guitar 2 picks out a riff similar to
the one in the intro.
Guitar 1
E|----------------------|---------------------|
B|----------------------|---------------------|
G|----------------------|---------------------|
D|------------11--11-14-|---------------------|
A|-12--12-12--0---0--0--|-14--14-14---12/14---|
E|-10--10-10------------|-12--12-12---10/12---|
Sons of men who.....etc.
E|----------------------|---------------------|
B|----------------------|---------------------|
G|----------------------|---------------------|
D|-11-11----------------|--------------11-11--|
A|-0--0---12-12---------|-14-14--12-12-0--0---|
E|--------10-10---------|-12-12--10-10--------|
Guitar 2
E|-------------------|----------------|-------------------|
B|-------------------|----------------|-------------------|
G|-----------------6-|--------9-----9-|-----------------6-|
D|-------7---7-7h9---|-9-9/11----11---|-------7---7-7h9---|
A|-7-7h9-------------|----------------|-7-7h9-------------|
E|-------------------|----------------|-------------------|
E|----------------|-------------------|----------------|
B|----------------|-------------------|----------------|
G|--------9-------|-----------------6-|--------9-----9-|
D|-9-9/11-------9-|-------7---7-7h9---|-9-9/11----11---|
A|-----------12---|-7-7h9-------------|----------------|
E|----------------|-------------------|----------------|
E|----------------12------|-------------------|
B|----------12-14----14~--|-------------------|
G|-11-11h14---------------|-------------6-----|
D|------------------------|-------7-9-7---7~--|
A|------------------------|-7-7h9-------------|
E|------------------------|-------------------|
MAIN RIFF/BRIDGE - The main riff follows the chorus and is played
by Guitar 1 twice. Guitar 2 plays barred chords
as shown above the tabbed riff - the number in
brackets denotes the fret to play each chord at.
F#m(9) A(12)D(10) F#m(9) A(12)Bm(14)
Guitar 1
E|-------17h19-21--21p19p17--------|-17-17----------------------|
B|-17h19--------------------19--17-|-------17-15-14h15p14-------|
G|---------------------------------|----------------------17-15-|
D|---------------------------------|----------------------------|
A|---------------------------------|----------------------------|
E|---------------------------------|----------------------------|
F#m(9) A(12)D(10) A(5) Bm(7)
E|-------17h19p-21-21p19p17--------|-------------------------------|
B|-17h19--------------------19--14-|-14b15-------------------------|
G|---------------------------------|-------16-16-14-13h14p13-------|
D|---------------------------------|-------------------------16-14-|
A|---------------------------------|-------------------------------|
E|---------------------------------|-------------------------------|
2ND VERSE - As per 1st verse
CHORUS - As before
MAIN RIFF/BRIDGE - As before except that the second time around
replace the last bar (bar 8)with the following
A Bm
E|-17-19b21-19--17-16--------------|
B|--------------------17-15-14-----|
G|-----------------------------14~~|
D|---------------------------------|
A|---------------------------------|
E|---------------------------------|
E-BOW SOLO - This little e-bow solo appears before the 3rd verse.
The first 4 bars are played once. The 4 bars that
follow are played twice. These are accompanied by the
Guitar 1 riff from the intro. The Guitar 2 riff from
the intro kicks in for the last 4 bars of the solo.
E|----------|----------|----------|------------------|
B|-14-------|-17-------|-12-------|-14/15-14---1210-|
G|----------|----------|----------|------------------|
D|----------|----------|----------|------------------|
A|----------|----------|----------|------------------|
E|----------|----------|----------|------------------|
E|-------------------------|--------------------|
B|-12/14-17p14-1210-10/12-|-14-10h12-12/1412--|
G|-------------------------|--------------------|
D|-------------------------|--------------------|
A|-------------------------|--------------------|
E|-------------------------|--------------------|
E|-------------------------|--------------------|
B|-12/14-17p14-1210-10/12-|-/14--10/12/14------|
G|-------------------------|--------------------|
D|-------------------------|--------------------|
A|-------------------------|--------------------|
E|-------------------------|--------------------|
3RD VERSE - As before
CHORUS - As before
MAIN RIFF/BRIDGE - Play exactly the same as the last time
OUTRO - The song plays out with Guitars 1 & 2 playing the following
repeatedly.
Guitar 1
E|---------|---------|---------|---------|
B|---------|---------|---------|---------|
G|---------|---------|-14------|---------|
D|---------|-14------|-0-------|-16------|
A|-16------|-0-------|---------|-14------|
E|-14------|---------|---------|---------|
Guitar 2
E|----------------------------|-17--16-16h17p16-14----|
B|-14h17p14----14-17b19r17-14-|--------------------17~|
G|----------16----------------|-----------------------|
D|----------------------------|-----------------------|
A|----------------------------|-----------------------|
E|----------------------------|-----------------------|
E|----------------------------|-----------------------|
B|-14h17p14----14-17b19r17-14-|-15--14-14h15p14-------|
G|----------16----------------|-----------------16-14~|
D|----------------------------|-----------------------|
A|----------------------------|-----------------------|
E|----------------------------|-----------------------|