'Stones In The Road' by Carpenter Mary Chapin - Guitar Tutorial

            #----------------------------------PLEASE NOTE---------------------------------#
#This file is the author's own work and represents their interpretation of the #
#song. You may only use this file for private study, scholarship, or research. #
#------------------------------------------------------------------------------#


STONES IN THE ROAD (Mary Chapin Carpenter)
------------------------------------------
[Actually in Bb; capo 3; tuning: DADF#GD.]
[The chords need some explanation.  There are two ways to play G, and two
 ways to play D.  The chords that say G? or D? are places where she sometimes
 plays it one way, and sometimes the other.  (It doesn't mean I'm not sure
 about the chord!)  Also, the chord names are over-simplified; Am7 is really
 Am7(4), Em is really Em9, etc.]

[G = 055500;  D = 000020;  C(9) = 230100;  D* = 453000;  Am7 = 777600;
 G* = 020100;  Gsus4 = 030100;  Em = 222000;  Em/D = 022000;  Em* = 222100.]
[Thanks a lot to Chris Pelow (pelow@krdc.int.alcan.ca) for the help with the
 chord fingerings, and John Smiley (jd4147@halcyon.com) for the videotape.]

n.c.  n.c.  n.c.  n.c.  n.c.  n.c.  n.c.  n.c.
[intro: lead acoustic guitar; see tab at end]

G  D  C(9)  C(9)    D?  D?  Am7  Am7
[intro: all instruments]
G  D  C(9)  C(9)    D?  D?  G?  G?
[intro: all instruments]

G              D         C(9)      C(9)    D?     D?      Am7     Am7
  When we were young, we pledged allegiance every morning of our lives
G          D            C(9)         C(9)  D?     D?         G?       G?
  The classroom rang with children's voices under teacher's watchful eye
G             D        C(9)    C(9)   D?      D?         Am7      Am7
  We learned about the world around us at our desks and at dinnertime
G       D         C(9)    C(9)       D?          D?             G?      G?
  Reminded of the starving children, we cleaned our plates with guilty minds

C(9)      C(9)          D    D   G*         Gsus4 - G*    D       D
  And the stones in the road     shone like dia  -  monds in the dust
Am7          Am7    Em       Em/D      C(9)      G*       D     D
  And then a voice called to us     to make our way back home

When I was ten, my father held me on his shoulders above the crowd
To see a train draped in mourning pass slowly through our town
His widow kneeled with all their children at the sacred burial ground
And the TV glowed that long hot summer with all the cities burning down

And the stones in the road flew out beneath our bicycle tires
Worlds removed from all those fires as we raced each other home

[guitar solo; same as intro.]
[piano solo; use intro/verse chords.]

           C(9)       C(9)   C(9)   C(9)   D          D      G*       G*
And now we drink our coffee on the run, we climb that ladder rung by rung
   C(9)    C(9)       C(9)    C(9)     Em*        C(9)        D      D  D  D
We are the daughters and the sons, and here's the line that's missing

The starving children have been replaced by souls out on the street
We give a dollar when we pass, and hope our eyes don't meet
We pencil in, we cancel out, we crave the corner suite
We kiss your ass, we make you hold, we doctor the receipt

And the stones in the road fly out from beneath our wheels
Another day, another deal, before we get back home

And the stones in the road leave a mark from whence they came
A thousand points of light or shame, baby, I don't know

[repeat guitar solo three times; end on G.]


ACOUSTIC GUITAR INTRO AND SOLO:

Note: let all the notes ring as much as possible.
     G       D        C                D                Am7
E --|----------------|----------------|----------------|----------------|
B --|----0-3---3-----|------------3---|------3-------1-|--0---0---------|
G --|0-----2---0-----|--0-----------0-|--0-2-2---0---0-|--0---0---------|
D 0-|--0-----------4-|------2---------|4-------------0-|--0---0-------0-|
A --|----------------|----------------|----------------|----------------|
E --|----------------|----------------|----------------|----------------|
     ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ .  ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ .  ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ .  ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ .

  G       D        C                D                G
E ----------------|----------------|----------------|----------------|
B ----0-3---------|------------3---|----------------|----------------|
G 0-----2---0-----|--0-----------0-|--0-2-0-------0-|----------------|
D --0-----------4-|------2---------|4-----0---4---0-|----------------|
A ----------------|----------------|----------------|----------------|
E ----------------|----------------|----------------|----------------|
  ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ .  ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ .  ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ .  ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ .

PIANO SOLO (arranged for guitar, obviously):
  G       D        C                  D                  Am7
E ----------------|------------------|------------------|------------------|
B 3-----3---3---3-|3-----------3--3--|3-----------3--3--|1--0--------------|
G ----------------|---0--0--0--------|---0--0--0--------|------0--2-----2--|
D ----------------|triplet--triplet--|triplet--triplet--|triplet-----2-----|
A ----------------|------------------|------------------|---------triplet--|
E ----------------|------------------|------------------|------------------|
  ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ .  ^ . ^  . ^ . ^  .  ^ . ^  . ^ . ^  .  ^ . ^  . ^ . ^  .
  G        D         C                D                G
E ------------------|----------------|----------------|----------------|
B ------------------|----------------|------1---------|----------------|
G 2--0--------0--2--|0---------------|--0-2---------0-|----------------|
D ------0--4--------|----------0=2---|4-----------4---|----------------|
A triplet--triplet--|--------------3-|----------------|----------------|
E ------------------|----------------|----------------|----------------|
  ^ . ^  . ^ . ^  .  ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ .  ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ .  ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ .

- Adam Schneider, schneider@pobox.com