BUFFALO RIVER HOME - John Hiatt
-------------------------------
Intro:
E A E A E
B E
I've been taking off + landing but this airport's closed
A E B
and how much thicker this fog is gonna get, God only knows
A
Just when you think that you've got a grip,
E /F# /G# A
reality sneaks off and gives you the slip-
E B/D# C#m B
As if you ever knew what it was,
A G#m F#m
takin' you down the line.
CHORUS:
B E
Tearing through the cotton fields and bus shelters
A
of the South running helter skelter
E B/D# C#m
Down through the Mississippi Delta
B A B
with no place to call your own.
E
Mixing up drinks with mixed feelings,
A
all along the paint was peeling
E B/D# C#m
down to an Indian blanket on a pony,
B A G#m F#m
with no rider in the flesh and bone
A E
Lookin' for his buffalo river home.
I've been circling the wagons down at Times Square
trying to fill up this hole in my soul, but nothing fits there
Just when you think that you can let it rip
you're pounding the pavement in your daddy's wingtips
As if you had someplace else to go, or a better way to get there.
CHORUS:
Now there's only two things in life, but I forget what they are-
it seems we're either hangin' on a moonbeam's coattails, or wishing
on stars.
Just when you think that you've been gyped,
the bearded lady comes and does a double back flip
and you run off and join the circus,
yeah you just let that pony ride.
CHORUS:
Lookin' for his buffalo river home.
-------------
Chords used: John Michael Alternatively
E- 022100 022xxx
A- x02200 577xxx
B- x2440x 799xxx
B/D#- x69xxx x69xxx x6444x
C#m- x46xxx x466xx x46654
G#m- 4664xx 466xxx 466444
F#m- 2442xx 244xxx 244222
On the album, John strums along (in the left channel, clean) with the
chords shown above, whilst Michael (in the right channel, with
distortion), aside from the links between the verses and fills shown
below, plays mostly power chords as shown above. The alternative
chords are fuller chords that you can use if playing it by yourself.
Note also that Michael's part on the first and third line of the
chorus goes like this:
+ + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +
|----0---0|----0----|----0---0|----0----|
|------0--|--0---0--|------0--|--0---0--|
|---------|---------|-2-------|---------|
|-2-------|---------|-2-------|---------|
|-2-------|---------|-0-------|---------|
|-0-------|---------|---------|---------|
If you want to improvise your own links and fills you will note that
Michael uses E major pentatonic all the way.
Intro:
+ + + + + + + + + + + +
|-------------------------|-------------------------|-------------------------|
|-------------------------|-9-----12-9~~~~~---------|-9-----12-9~~~~~---------|
|----------------9--------|----11----------11-9-----|----11----------11-9-----|
|----------9-/11----11-9--|----------------------11-|----------------------11-|
|----7-/11----------------|-------------------------|-------------------------|
|-------------------------|-------------------------|-------------------------|
+ + + + + + + + + + + +
|-------------|-------------------------|-------------------------|
|-------------|----------9--------------|-9-----12-9~~~~~---------|
|-9~~~~~~~~~~~|------/11----11-9--------|----11----------11-9-----|
|-------------|-------------------11-9--|----------------------11-|
|-------------|-------------------------|-------------------------|
|-------------|-------------------------|-------------------------|
+ + + + + + + + + + + +
|-------------------------|-------------------------|-------------------|---
|-9-----12-9~~~~~---------|-9-----------------------|-------------------|---
|----11----------11-9-----|----11-9-/11----9-----9--|----------9--------|---
|----------------------11-|-------------------11----|------/11----11-9--|-9-
|-------------------------|-------------------------|-------------------|---
|-------------------------|-------------------------|-------------------|---
Link to v2:
+ + + + + + + + + + + +
|-------------------------|-------------------------|-------------------------|
|-9-----12-9~~~~~---------|-9-----12-9~~~~~---------|-9-----------------------|
|----11----------11-9-----|----11----------11-9-----|----11-9-/11----9-----9--|
|----------------------11-|----------------------11-|-------------------11----|
|-------------------------|-------------------------|-------------------------|
|-------------------------|-------------------------|-------------------------|
+ + + + + + + + + + + +
|-------------------|-------------------------|-------------------------|
|-------------------|-9-----12-9~~~~~---------|-9-----12-9~~~~~---------|
|----------9--11-9--|----11----------11-9-----|----11----------11-9-----|
|------/11----------|----------------------11-|----------------------11-|
|-------------------|-------------------------|-------------------------|
|-------------------|-------------------------|-------------------------|
+ + + + + + + + +
|---------------|-----------------------|-----
|---10----------|-----9--10-12--10--9---|-----
|---9-----------|----x------------------|-9---
|--x------------|----x------------------|-----
|-x-------------|---x-------------------|-----
|-rake----------|--rake-----------------|-----
Fills in v2:
+ + + + + + + +
|--------------|-------------|
|--------------|-------------|
|--------------|-------------|
|-2--------6-7-|-9-7-6-------|
|-2------------|-------7-----|
|-0------------|-------------|
down at Times Square
+ + + + +
|-----------------|----
|-----------------|----
|---------8---9---|-8--
|-9--------/9---9-|----
|-9---------------|----
|-7---------------|----
but nothing fits there
Link to v3/solo:
+ + + + + + + + + + + +
|-------------------------|-------------------------|-------------------|
|-9-----12-9~~~~~---------|-------------------------|-------------------|
|----11----------11-9-----|-9-----11-9~~~~~---------|-------------------|
|----------------------11-|----11----------11-9-----|----------------9--|
|-------------------------|---------------------9--|-7--------7-/11----|
|-------------------------|-------------------------|-------------------|
+ + + + + + + + + + + +
|-----------------------|-----------------|---------------------------|
|-----------------------|-----------------|---------------------------|
|------9-11b13---b13----|b13---b13-b13----|b13-r11p9---9------------9-|
|/11--------------------|-----------------|---------11-------11-9h11--|
|-----------------------|-----------------|---------------------------|
|-----------------------|-----------------|---------------------------|
+ + + + + + + + +
|-------------|-----------------|-----
|-10----------|---10----9---10--|-12--
|-9-----------|-----9-----9---9-|-9---
|-------------|-11----11--------|-----
|-------------|-----------------|-----
|-------------|-----------------|-----
Fills in v3:
+ + + + + + +
|-----------------------|------------
|-----------------------|------------
|--------------9-----9--|------------
|-2------------9--11-9--|------------
|-2-----/7-/11----------|9-7---7----
|-0---------------------|-----9------
but I forget what they are
+ + + + +
|-----------------|-----
|-----------------|-----
|---------11--13--|-11--
|-9----/13--13--13|-13--
|-9---------------|-----
|-7---------------|-----
or wishing on stars
Outro:
+ + + + + + + + + + + +
|-------------------|---------------------|---------------------|
|-------------------|---------------------|---------------------|
|-------9-----------|---------------------|-------------9-11-9--|
|/11-9----11--9-----|-------------------9-|-7------7-/11--------|
|--------------9-7-|/11-9--7-7----7-/11--|---------------------|
|-------------------|---------------------|---------------------|
+ + + + + + + + + + + +
|----------------------|------------------------|--------------------|
|----------------------|-------/14-12b14-b14-12-|-------9-/12-9------|
11b13------r11-11b13r11|b13---------------------|---------------11-9-|
|----------------------|------------------------|--------------------|
|----------------------|------------------------|--------------------|
|----------------------|------------------------|--------------------|
+ + + + + + + + + + + +
|--------------------|--------------|------12-----------------|
|--------------------|------------12|-14-12--14~~~-12---------|
11b13-r11p9--9-------|---------/13--|----------------13b14r13-|
|----------11--------|--------------|-------------------------|
|--------------------|--------------|-------------------------|
|--------------------|--------------|-------------------------|
+ + + + + + + + + + + +
|------12----------|----------------------|--------------------|
|-14-12--14~-12----|----------------------|--------------------|
|--------------13--11b13--9h11p9----------|--------------------|
|------------------|-----------------11-9-|--------------------|
|------------------|----------------------|9--7-9b11---b11----|
|------------------|----------------------|--------------------|
+ + + + + + + + + + + +
|------------------|-------------------------------|---------------------|
|------------------|-------------------------------|-----12---12---12-10~|
|------------------|-----9-11b13---b13--r11p9-11-9-|-9------9----9-------|
|--------------9-11|/11----------------------------|---------------------|
|b11r9-7-7--/11----|-------------------------------|---------------------|
|------------------|-------------------------------|---------------------|
+ + + + +
|---------------------|----||
|~~~---10---10p9------|----||
|----9----------------|-9--||
|----------------11-9-|-9--||
|---------------------|----||
|---------------------|----||
Notation used:
+ = beat marker
h = hammer-on
p = pull-off
/ = slide
b = bend eg 11b13---b13--r11- means bend from the 11
r = release fret up 2 frets, re-bend, and then release
~ = vibrato