Ballad of Big Nothing - Elliot Smith

Tab by Charlotte Thistle - A Girl With A Guitar

agirlwithaguitar@netos.com
http://www.thistlemusic.com
http://www.agirlwithaguitar.com
Tuning: Open C: CGCEGC
This tuning may not work well on many peoples steel string guitars so I wrote it
in Open D instead. However if you want to play in Open C the tab is exactly the
same.
Instead of retyping each chord each time it is strummed, I just entered Ds
and Us below the tab line to indicate the strums, down or up. So the number of
Ds and Us is the number of strums on that chord (Listen to the recording for
exact rhythm).
Intro:
D
bmi7/D D
bmi/D
gmi Gsus gmi Gsus
emi13/D
f#m,add4
Dadd4 A7
D {|----0------0-----0-----0----------------------0-----2----4----5----7--|
A {|----0------0-----0-----0----------------------0-----0----0----0----0--|
F#{|----0------0-----0-----0--------4--6--4--6----1-----1----0----0----7--|
D {|-12/4---12/4-----4--12/4--------5--5--5--5----2-----2----0----0----5--|
A {|----0------2-----0-----0--------X--X--X--X----2-----2----0----0----0--|
D {|----0------0-----0-----0-----5----------------0-----0----4----5----7--|
DD
DUDDUD DD
DUDDUD
D
D
D
D
D
D
D
D
DDDUDDUDD
(no vocals .........................................................)
candy out to the crowd

Throwing

D
Dsus D
E
Dsus4ma7 D6sus4 Dsus4
D {|--7---7---7---2-----0-------0-----0------|
A {|--9---10--9---2-----0-------0-----0------|
F#{|--8---8---8---2-----7-------5-----3------|
D {|--0---0---0---2-----5-------5-----5------|
A {|--0---0---0---2-----0-------0-----0------|
D {|--0---0---0---2-----0-------0-----0------|
DDU D
U
DUDDUD DDUUDU
U
D
Dragging down the main

The helpless little thing with the dirty mouth

D
Dsus D
G
Dsus4ma7 D6sus4 Dsus4
D {|--7---7---7---5-----0-------0-----0------|
A {|--9---10--9---5-----0-------0-----0------|
F#{|--8---8---8---5-----7-------5-----3------|
D {|--0---0---0---5-----5-------5-----5------|
A {|--0---0---0---5-----0-------0-----0------|
D {|--0---0---0---5-----0-------0-----0------|
DDU D
U
DUDDUD DDUUDU
U
D
who's always got something to say you're sitting around at home
D
Dsus D
E
emi13/D
A
Asus
A5
D {|--7---7---7---2-------0-------7-----7-----7-----|
A {|--9---10--9---2-------0-------7-----7-----7-----|

F#{|--8---8---8---2-------1-------7-----8-----10----|
D {|--0---0---0---2-------2-------7-----7-----7-----|
A {|--0---0---0---2-------2-------7-----7-----7-----|
D {|--0---0---0---2-------0-------7-----7-----7-----|
DDU D
U
DUDDUD
DDDUD
DUD
D
waiting for your brother to call
gmi/D,add2 Dsus4 Gadd2/D
D {|---0--------0------0------0---|
A {|---0--------0------0------0---|
F#{|---4--------3------5------7---|
D {|---5--------5------5------7---|
A {|---5--------0------0------0---|
D {|---0--------0------0------0---|
DDDUD
DUD
D
Having had enough of it all

UD

I saw him down at the alley

D5ma7

UD

Said you can

D {|--|--0------0---0----0----0------0-----0----0---0---|--|
A {| .|--7/9----7---5----4----4------0-----0----0---4---|. |
F#{|--|--0------0---0----0----3------4-----1----4---3---|--|
D {| .|--0------0---0----4----4------5-----2----5---5---|. |
A {|--|--0------0---0----2----2------5-----2----5---0---|--|
D {|--|--7/9----7---5----0----0------0-----0----0---X---|--|
D DUU
U
U
DU
DUDU
DD
DUD
do what you want to whenever you want to
You can do what you want to there's no one to stop you
D {|---0----|
A {|---0----|
F#{|---7----|
D {|---5----|
A {|---0----|
D {|---0----|
DD DUD DUD DD
All spit and spite you're up all ...
D
Dsus D
E
Dsus4ma7 D6sus4 Dsus4
D {|--7---7---7---2-----0-------0-----0------|
A {|--9---10--9---2-----0-------0-----0------|
F#{|--8---8---8---2-----7-------5-----3------|
D {|--0---0---0---2-----5-------5-----5------|
A {|--0---0---0---2-----0-------0-----0------|
D {|--0---0---0---2-----0-------0-----0------|
DDU D
U
DUDDUD DDUUDU
U
D
night and down every day A tired man with only hours to go

D
Dsus D
G
Dsus4ma7 D6sus4 Dsus4
D {|--7---7---7---5-----0-------0-----0------|
A {|--9---10--9---5-----0-------0-----0------|
F#{|--8---8---8---5-----7-------5-----3------|
D {|--0---0---0---5-----5-------5-----5------|
A {|--0---0---0---5-----0-------0-----0------|
D {|--0---0---0---5-----0-------0-----0------|

DD

DD

DDU

DUDDUD

DDUUDU

just waiting to be taken away... getting in to the back of a car

D
Dsus D
E
emi13/D
A
Asus
D {|--7---7---7---2-------0-------7-----7-----7-----|
A {|--9---10--9---2-------0-------7-----7-----7-----|
F#{|--8---8---8---2-------1-------7-----8-----10----|
D {|--0---0---0---2-------2-------7-----7-----7-----|
A {|--0---0---0---2-------2-------7-----7-----7-----|
D {|--0---0---0---2-------0-------7-----7-----7-----|
DDU D
U
DUDDUD
DDDUD
DUD
D

A5

UD

for candy from some stranger Watching the parade with pinpoint

gmi/D,add2 Dsus4 Gadd2/D

D {|---0--------0------0------0---|
A {|---0--------0------0------0---|
F#{|---4--------3------5------7---|
D {|---5--------5------5------7---|
A {|---5--------0------0------0---|
D {|---0--------0------0------0---|
DDDUD
DUD
D

D5ma7

UD

eyes full of smoldering anger You can

D {|--|--0------0---0----0----0------0-----0----0---0---|--|
A {| .|--7/9----7---5----4----4------0-----0----0---4---|. |
F#{|--|--0------0---0----0----3------4-----1----4---3---|--|
D {| .|--0------0---0----4----4------5-----2----5---5---|. |
A {|--|--0------0---0----2----2------5-----2----5---0---|--|
D {|--|--7/9----7---5----0----0------0-----0----0---X---|--|
D DUU
U
U
DU
DUDU
DD
DUD

DD

DD

do what you want to whenever you want to

You can do what you want to there's no one to stop you
D {|--|--0------0---0----0----0---------|--|
A {| .|--7/9----7---5----4----4---------|. |
F#{|--|--0------0---0----0----3---------|--|
D {| .|--0------0---0----4----4---------|. |
A {|--|--0------0---0----2----2---------|--|
D {|--|--7/9----7---5----0----0---------|--|
D DUU
U
U
DU
DUDU
Now you can do what you want to whenever you want to
Do what you want to whenever you want to

e5/b
c#5/g#
f#5/c#
e
gmi/D add2
D {|-------------------------------------------------2-------0-----|
A {|-------------------------------------------------2-------0-----|
F#{|-------------------------------------------------2-------0-----|
D {|-------------------------------------------------2-------4-----|
A {|--7---------4----------------9-------------------2-------5-----|
D {|--7---------4----------------9-------------------2-------5-----|
DDUUD
DDUUD
DDUUD
DDUUD
DUDUUDUUDUUD

Do what you want to

Big nothing

whenever you want to

though it doesn't mean a

thing

Outro:
D
bmi7/D D
bmi/D
gmi Gsus gmi Gsus
emi13/D
f#m,add4
Dadd4 A7
D {|----0------0-----0-----0----------------------0-----2----4----5----7--|
A {|----0------0-----0-----0----------------------0-----0----0----0----0--|
F#{|----0------0-----0-----0--------4--6--4--6----1-----1----0----0----7--|
D {|----4---12/4-----4--12/4--------5--5--5--5----2-----2----0----0----5--|
A {|----0------2-----0-----0--------X--X--X--X----2-----2----0----0----0--|
D {|----0------0-----0-----0-----5----------------0-----0----4----5----7--|
DD
DUDDUD DD
DUDDUD
D
D
D
D
D
D
D
D
DDDUDDUDD
D
D {|---0----||
A {|---0----||
F#{|---0----||
D {|---0----||
A {|---0----||
D {|---0----||
D