WATCHING MY LIFE GO BY
by Michael Hedges 1981
Legend:
! = left hand reaches under neck and vigorously slaps guitar body like
it's a bongo drum!
Forte [WITH PASSION]
| 2 2 2 2 2 2 |
| 2 2 2 2 2 2 |
| 2 2 2 2 2 2 |
| 0 0 0 0 0 0 |
| 4 4 4 4 4 4 |
| 4 4 4 4 4 4 |
| 2 2 2 2 2 2 |
| 2 2 2 2 2 2 |
| 2 2 2 2 2 2 |
| 0 0 0 0 0 0 |
| 4 4 4 4 4 4 |
| 4 4 4 4 4 4 |
| 5 5 5 7 7 7 8 8 8 10 10 10 |
| 5 5 5 7 7 7 10 10 10 12 12 12 |
| 5 5 5 7 7 7 8 8 8 10 10 10 |
| 5 5 5 7 7 7 8 8 8 10 10 10 |
| 5 5 5 7 7 7 8 8 8 10 10 10 |
| 5 5 5 7 7 7 10 10 10 12 12 12 |
! !
| 0 0 H5 |
| 0 0 H4 |
| 0 0 H5 |
| 0 0 0 0 0 (0) 0 0 0 |
| 0 0 0 0 0 (0) 0 0 0 |
| 0 0 0 0 0 (0) 0 0 0 |
! !
| 0 0 H5 |
| 0 0 H4 |
| 0 0 H5 |
| 0 0 0 0 0 (0) 0 0 0 |
| 0 0 0 0 0 (0) 0 0 0 |
| 0 0 0 0 0 (0) 0 0 0 |
pianoforte [lightly with grace and energy, LET IT BREATHE]
[and keep 16ths going on the top 2 strings as shown vaguely below]
Everyone sees their life a different way __________________________
| 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 |
| 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 |
| 5 4 0 0 |
| 7 5 7 5 |
| X X 8 7 |
| X X X X |
Saviors even come on different days
| 2 2 2 2 2 2 |
| 0 0 0 0 0 0 |
| 3 3 3 3 3 3 |
| 0 0 0 0 0 0 |
| 3 3 3 3 3 3 |
| 3 3 3 3 3 3 |
| 2 2 2 2 2 2 |
| 0 0 0 0 0 0 |
| 3 3 3 3 3 3 |
| 0 0 0 0 0 0 |
| 3 3 3 3 3 3 |
| 3 3 3 3 3 3 |
Bleeding his colors into several shades
| 3 3 3 3 3 3 |
| 0 0 0 0 0 0 |
| 0 0 0 0 0 0 |
| 3 3 3 3 3 3 |
| 0 0 0 0 0 0 |
| 3 3 3 3 3 3 |
| 0 0 0 0 0 0 |
| 3 3 3 3 3 3 |
| 0 0 0 0 0 0 |
| 3 3 3 3 3 3 |
| 0 0 0 0 0 0 |
| 3 3 3 3 3 3 |
Forte [stronger]
But I am a prisoner caught in the flesh, red-handed
Watching my life go by
| 0 0 0 0 |
| 0 0 0 0 |
| 0 0 0 0 |
| 12 12 12 0 0 (0) 12 12 12 0 0 |
| 0 0 0 0 0 (0) 0 0 0 0 0 |
| 12 12 12 0 0 (0) 12 12 12 0 0 |
slides up to 12th fret from open string.
| 0 0 0 0 |
| 0 0 0 0 |
| 0 0 0 0 |
| 12 12 12 0 0 (0) 12 12 12 0 0 |
| 0 0 0 0 0 (0) 0 0 0 0 0 |
| 12 12 12 0 0 (0) 12 12 12 0 0 |
I'm watching my life go by
| 0 0 0 0 0 0 |
| 0 0 0 0 0 0 |
| 0 0 0 0 0 0 |
| 9 9 9 9 9 9 |
| 7 7 7 7 7 7 |
| 7 7 7 7 7 7 |
| 0 0 0 0 0 0 |
| 0 0 0 0 0 0 |
| 0 0 0 0 0 0 |
| 9 9 9 9 9 9 |
| 7 7 7 7 7 7 |
| 7 7 7 7 7 7 |
GLISS
Watching my life go by
! !
| 0 0 H5 |
| 0 0 H4 |
| 0 0 H5 |
| 0 0 0 0 0 (0) 0 0 0 |
| 0 0 0 0 0 (0) 0 0 0 |
| 0 0 0 0 0 (0) 0 0 0 |
| 0 0 H5 |
| 0 0 H4 |
| 0 0 H5 |
| 0 0 0 0 0 (0) 0 0 0 |
| 0 0 0 0 0 (0) 0 0 0 |
| 0 0 0 0 0 (0) 0 0 0 |
Nobody knows how close ... "together" means
| 0 0 0 0 |
| 0 0 0 0 |
| 5 4 0 0 |
| 7 5 7 5 |
| X X 8 7 |
| X X X X |
Love is a race we run at different speeds
| 2 2 2 2 2 2 |
| 0 0 0 0 0 0 |
| 3 3 3 3 3 3 |
| 0 0 0 0 0 0 |
| 3 3 3 3 3 3 |
| 3 3 3 3 3 3 |
| 2 2 2 2 2 2 |
| 0 0 0 0 0 0 |
| 3 3 3 3 3 3 |
| 0 0 0 0 0 0 |
| 3 3 3 3 3 3 |
| 3 3 3 3 3 3 |
Pacing ourselves to deal with different needs
| 3 3 3 3 3 3 |
| 0 0 0 0 0 0 |
| 0 0 0 0 0 0 |
| 3 3 3 3 3 3 |
| 0 0 0 0 0 0 |
| 3 3 3 3 3 3 |
| 0 0 0 0 0 0 |
| 3 3 3 3 3 3 |
| 0 0 0 0 0 0 |
| 3 3 3 3 3 3 |
| 0 0 0 0 0 0 |
| 3 3 3 3 3 3 |
But I am a spectator caught in a crowd of laughter
Watching my life go by
| 0 0 0 0 |
| 0 0 0 0 |
| 0 0 0 0 |
| 12 12 12 0 0 (0) 12 12 12 0 0 |
| 0 0 0 0 0 (0) 0 0 0 0 0 |
| 12 12 12 0 0 (0) 12 12 12 0 0 |
| 0 0 0 0 |
| 0 0 0 0 |
| 0 0 0 0 |
| 12 12 12 0 0 (0) 12 12 12 0 0 |
| 0 0 0 0 0 (0) 0 0 0 0 0 |
| 12 12 12 0 0 (0) 12 12 12 0 0 |
I'm watching my life go by
| 0 0 0 0 0 0 |
| 0 0 0 0 0 0 |
| 0 0 0 0 0 0 |
| 9 9 9 9 9 9 |
| 7 7 7 7 7 7 |
| 7 7 7 7 7 7 |
| 0 0 0 0 0 0 |
| 0 0 0 0 0 0 |
| 0 0 0 0 0 0 |
| 9 9 9 9 9 9 |
| 7 7 7 7 7 7 |
| 7 7 7 7 7 7 |
GLISS
~~~crescendo>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Watching my life go by
| 0 0 H5 |
| 0 0 H4 |
| 0 0 H5 |
| 0 0 0 0 0 (0) 0 0 0 |
| 0 0 0 0 0 (0) 0 0 0 |
| 0 0 0 0 0 (0) 0 0 0 |
| 0 0 H5 |
| 0 0 H4 |
| 0 0 H5 |
| 0 0 0 0 0 (0) 0 0 0 |
| 0 0 0 0 0 (0) 0 0 0 |
| 0 0 0 0 0 (0) 0 0 0 |
Deeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee deet deet
| 2 2 2 2 2 2 |
| 2 2 2 2 2 2 |
| 2 2 2 2 2 2 |
| 0 0 0 0 0 0 |
| 4 4 4 4 4 4 |
| 4 4 4 4 4 4 |
Dee Deeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee
| 2 2 2 2 2 2 |
| 2 2 2 2 2 2 |
| 2 2 2 2 2 2 |
| 0 0 0 0 0 0 |
| 4 4 4 4 4 4 |
| 4 4 4 4 4 4 |
Dweeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee Daa
Dweeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee
| 5 5 5 7 7 7 8 8 8 10 10 10 |
| 5 5 5 7 7 7 10 10 10 12 12 12 |
| 5 5 5 7 7 7 8 8 8 10 10 10 |
| 5 5 5 7 7 7 8 8 8 10 10 10 |
| 5 5 5 7 7 7 8 8 8 10 10 10 |
| 5 5 5 7 7 7 10 10 10 12 12 12 |
eeeeeeeee Ah - dah - daaaaaahhhhh
! !
| 0 0 H5 |
| 0 0 H4 |
| 0 0 H5 |
| 0 0 0 0 0 (0) 0 0 0 |
| 0 0 0 0 0 (0) 0 0 0 |
| 0 0 0 0 0 (0) 0 0 0 |
! !
| 0 0 H5 |
| 0 0 H4 |
| 0 0 H5 |
| 0 0 0 0 0 (0) 0 0 0 |
| 0 0 0 0 0 (0) 0 0 0 |
| 0 0 0 0 0 (0) 0 0 0 |
[same as verses above]
Somebody help me find my way back down
There's nobody left for me to lap around
Everyone's breaking past my speed of sound
I am a dictator I keep my soul surrounded
Watching my life, Waaah - tching my life, Watching my life ....
I'm watching my life go by
Watching my life go by
[ending]
I'm watching my life go by-------------------------
| 0 0 0 0 0 0 |
| 0 0 0 0 0 0 |
| 0 0 0 0 0 0 |
| 7 7 7 7 7 7 |
| 7 7 7 7 7 7 |
| 7 7 7 7 7 7 |
--yyyyy-----------------------------------------------------------I'm---
| 0 0 0 0 0 0 |
| 0 0 0 0 0 0 |
| 0 0 0 0 0 0 |
| 7 7 7 7 7 7 |
| 7 7 7 7 7 7 |
| 7 7 7 7 7 7 |
~~~crescendo>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> >>>>
Watching my life!
| 0 0 0 0 |
| 0 0 0 0 |
| 0 0 0 0 |
| 0 0 0 0 |
| 0 0 0 0 |
| 0 0 0 0 |
Alternative harmonics [the entire harmonics part]
! !
| 0 0 H5 |
| 0 0 H4 |
| 0 0 H5 |
| 0 0 0 0 0 (0) 0 0 0 |
| 0 0 0 0 0 (0) 0 0 0 |
| 0 0 0 0 0 (0) 0 0 0 |
! !
| X X |
| X X |
| 0 0 H5 |
| 0 0 0 0 0 (0) 0 0 0 H4 |
| 0 0 0 0 0 (0) 0 0 0 H5 |
| 0 0 0 0 0 (0) 0 0 0 |