Ballad Of Big Nothing Tab

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Difficulty:	advanced
Tuning:	C G C G C E
Capo:	no capo

Author agirlwithguitar [a] 82.

1 contributor total, last edit on Dec 16, 2018

We have an official Ballad Of Big Nothing tab made by UG professional guitarists.

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Ballad of Big Nothing - Elliot Smith
 
 
Tab by Charlotte Thistle - A Girl With A Guitar
agirlwithaguitar@netos.com
http://www.misscharlottemusic.com/lessons.html
http://www.agirlwithaguitar.com
 
 
Tuning: Open C: CGCEGC
This tuning may not work well on many people’s 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 “D”s
and “U”s below the tab line to indicate the strums, down or up. So the number of
D’s and U’s 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 .........................................................)  Throwing
 
candy out to the crowd
 
 
 
        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        UD         
 
waiting for your brother to call      I saw him down at the alley
 
        gmi/D,add2  Dsus4  Gadd2/D   D5ma7
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       UD
 
Having had enough of it all  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     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----|
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------|
        DDU  D    U     DUDDUD  DDUUDU    U      D
 
just waiting to be taken away... getting in to the back of a car
 
 
 
        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        UD         
 
for candy from some stranger Watching the parade with pinpoint
 
 
 
        gmi/D,add2  Dsus4  Gadd2/D   D5ma7
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       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  whenever you want to  though it doesn't mean a  thing     Big nothing
 
 
[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
 
 
 
************************************
 
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Ballad Of Big Nothing – Elliott Smith

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"Ballad Of Big Nothing"

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6 comments

Why don't you be more specific? Which chords do you think are wrong? Or, even better, why not post your suggested corrections, so we can all see what you're talking about.

Be careful with the open C string. You have it tabbed far more than it actually happens in the song. I have a conclusive tab of this song from the 'elliott smith songbook' by Fred Sokolow, and yours is close but not 100%

Says open C tuning but the staff is in DADF#AD..? What up with that? I can’t recall many ES songs in an open tuning. This recording does however sound like it’s out of standard.