Breaking The Girl Tab

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Tuning:	E A D G B E
Capo:	no capo

Author Unregistered.

3 contributors total, last edit on Mar 3, 2023

We have an official Breaking The Girl tab made by UG professional guitarists.

Check out the tab

This is close to how Frusciante plays it - especially the Chorus. 12-string acoustic, tuned down
a half-step. No Capo. And most importantly: hit the strings as hard as humanly possible.
 
Original tab by Louis L.
 
 
[Verse 1]
 
 I                   am a man                         cut from      the
 rarely              do friends                       come and      then
 she                 was a girl                       soft          but
 we                  were the two                     our lives     re-
e|------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
B|-2--2--2-------2--2--2--2--4--5--5-------5--5--5--5---7--7--7--------7--7--7--|
G|-2--2--2-------2--2--2--2--4--5--5-------5--5--5--5---7--7--7--------7--7--7--|
D|-2--2--2-------2--2--2--2--4--5--5-------5--5--5--5---7--7--7--------7--7--7--|
A|-0--0--0--4p0--0--0--0--0--0--0--0--6p0--0--0--0--0---0--0--0--10p0--0--0--0--|
E|------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
 
know
go
estranged
arranged
e|-------9---9---9---9---9---9--------------------------------------------------|
B|-7--9--10--10--10--10--10--10-------------------------------------------------|
G|-7--9--9---9---9---9---9---9--------------------------------------------------|
D|-7--9--11--11--11--11--11--11-------------------------------------------------|
A|-0--0--0---0---0---0---0---0--------------------------------------------------|
E|------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
 
 
[Pre-chorus]
 
   C         G        Am
Feeling so good that day
   C         G         Fmaj7
A feeling of love that day
 
 
[Chorus]
 
Twisting and turning, your feelings are burning, you're
e|------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
B|------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
G|-5--5--5--5--7--7--7--7--9--9--9--9--12--12--12--12---------------------------|
D|-5--5--5--5--6--6--6--6--7--7--7--7---9---9---9---9---------------------------|
A|-x--x--x--x--x--x--x--x--x--x--x--x---x---x---x---x---------------------------|
E|-5--5--5--5--7--7--7--7--8--8--8--8--10--10--10--10---------------------------|
 
breaking the girl
e|-10--10--10--10--10--10--10--10--10--10--10--10--10--10--10--10--10--10--10---|
B|--9---9---9---9---9---9---9---9---9---9---9---9---9---9---9---9---9---9---9---|
G|--9---9---9---9---9---9---9---9---9---9---9---9---9---9---9---9---9---9---9---|
D|--9---9---9---9---9---9---9---9---9---9---9---9---9---9---9---9---9---9---9---|
A|--7---7---7---7---7---7---7---7---7---7---7---7---7---7---7---7---7---7---7---|
E|--0---0---0---0---0---0---0---0---0---0---0---0---0---0---0---0---0---0---0---|
 
She          meant       you         no
e|------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
B|------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
G|-5--5--5--5--7--7--7--7--9--9--9--9--12--12--12--12---------------------------|
D|-5--5--5--5--6--6--6--6--7--7--7--7---9---9---9---9---------------------------|
A|-x--x--x--x--x--x--x--x--x--x--x--x---x---x---x---x---------------------------|
E|-5--5--5--5--7--7--7--7--8--8--8--8--10--10--10--10---------------------------|
 
harm
e|-0---0---0---0---0---0---0---0---0---0---0---0---0---0---0---0---0---0--------|
B|-10--10--10--10--10--10--10--10--10--10--10--10--10--10--10--10--10--10-------|
G|-9---9---9---9---9---9---9---9---9---9---9---9---9---9---9---9---9---9--------|
D|-10--10--10--10--10--10--10--10--10--10--10--10--10--10--10--10--10--10-------|
A|-8---8---8---8---8---8---8---8---8---8---8---8---8---8---8---8---8---8--------|
E|-x---x---x---x---x---x---x---x---x---x---x---x---x---x---x---x---x---x--------|
 
Think you're so clever but now you must sever, you're
e|------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
B|------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
G|-5--5--5--5--7--7--7--7--9--9--9--9--12--12--12--12---------------------------|
D|-5--5--5--5--6--6--6--6--7--7--7--7---9---9---9---9---------------------------|
A|-x--x--x--x--x--x--x--x--x--x--x--x---x---x---x---x---------------------------|
E|-5--5--5--5--7--7--7--7--8--8--8--8--10--10--10--10---------------------------|
 
breaking the girl...
e|-10--10--10--10--10--10--10--10--10--10--10--10--10--10--10--10--10--10--10---|
B|--9---9---9---9---9---9---9---9---9---9---9---9---9---9---9---9---9---9---9---|
G|--9---9---9---9---9---9---9---9---9---9---9---9---9---9---9---9---9---9---9---|
D|--9---9---9---9---9---9---9---9---9---9---9---9---9---9---9---9---9---9---9---|
A|--7---7---7---7---7---7---7---7---7---7---7---7---7---7---7---7---7---7---7---|
E|--0---0---0---0---0---0---0---0---0---0---0---0---0---0---0---0---0---0---0---|
 
He          loves        no          one
e|------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
B|------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
G|-5--5--5--5--7--7--7--7--9--9--9--9--12--12--12--12---------------------------|
D|-5--5--5--5--6--6--6--6--7--7--7--7---9---9---9---9---------------------------|
A|-x--x--x--x--x--x--x--x--x--x--x--x---x---x---x---x---------------------------|
E|-5--5--5--5--7--7--7--7--8--8--8--8--10--10--10--10---------------------------|
 
else
e|-0---0---0---0---0---0---0---0---0---0---0---0---0---0---0---0----------------|
B|-10--10--10--10--10--10--10--10--6---6---6---6---5---5---5---5----------------|
G|-9---9---9---9---9---9---9---9---8---8---8---8---7---7---7---7----------------|
D|-10--10--10--10--10--10--10--10--7---7---7---7---6---6---6---6----------------|
A|-8---8---8---8---8---8---8---8---8---8---8---8---7---7---7---7----------------|
E|-x---x---x---x---x---x---x---x---x---x---x---x---x---x---x---x----------------|
 
 
[Verse 2]
 
Raised by my dad
Girl of the day
He was my man
That was the way
She was the girl
Left alone
Feeling the need
To make me her home
 
 
[Pre-chorus 2]
 
   C         G             Am
I don't know what, when or why
 C               G          F
The twilight of love had arrived
 
 
[Chorus]
 
Twisting and turning, your feelings are burning you're
breaking the girl
She meant you no harm
Think you're so clever but now you must sever, you're
breking the girl
He loved no one else
 
 
  "Pots and pans" break: (play this 8 times)
e|-----------------8------------------------------x---x---x---------------------|
B|--5--x--x--x--x--5--x--x--x--x--x--x--x--x--x--15--15--15---------------------|
G|--5--x--x--x--x--5--x--x--x--x--x--x--x--x--x--14--14--14---------------------|
D|--7--x--x--x--x--7--x--x--x--x--x--x--x--x--x--15--15--15---------------------|
A|--0--0--0--0--0--0--0--0--0--0--0--0--0--0--0---0---0---0---------------------|
E|------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
 
 
[Outro]
Same as Chorus with this electric guitar fill (tuned half-step down):
 
e|-12-----12------12------12----------------------------------------------------|
B|-13-13--13--13--13--13--13--13---12---13---12---13---12---13---12---13--------|
G|----14------14------14------14---13---14---13---14---13---14---13---14--------|
D|------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
A|------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
E|------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
 
 
************************************
 
| x  Muted note
| p  Pull-off
 
************************************
X

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Breaking The Girl – Red Hot Chili Peppers

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"Breaking The Girl"

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24 comments

Hey everyone, I'm the person who originally wrote this tab. I still stand by this being one of the most accurate tabs of this song you'll find.But admittedly, some of it is wrong, as people have pointed out. Keep in mind that I wrote this and posted it online about 14 years ago! :) The resources back then were pretty slim, so I think it's not a bad tab.IIRC, it was actually based on not only what you see in the "Funky Monks" video, but also on a few interviews with Frusciante in a guitar magazine (I think it was Guitar World or Guitar Player) where he demonstrated how to play a few sections of this song, including the chorus, and they were tabbed out.Originally, Guitar World, back in the mid-90s, published a horrible tab of this song that was not correct. There was also a BSSM tab book that was also incorrect. I ignored all those and tabbed this based on the interview(s) with Frusciante and what I could hear/see from him playing the song on video.I'd like to correct the tab, but I don't see a way for me to do that.

Umm... boldaslove... And I quote from boldaslove on the 5 star chord tab: "to tejada3, frusciante used a 12-string on this song, and when you play it on a regular 6-string it doesn't sound right the way frusciante plays it, and also there was more than one guitar, so my guess is that he a layer with the capo and a layer without where it shows on funky monks. but i think this sounds so much truer to the recording than doing it: -------------------------------------------------------------------- -2--2--2-------2--2--2--2--4--5--5-------5--5--5--5---7--7--7------- -2--2--2-------2--2--2--2--4--5--5-------5--5--5--5---7--7--7------- -2--2--2-------2--2--2--2--4--5--5-------5--5--5--5---7--7--7------- -0--0--0--4p0--0--0--0--0--0--0--0--6p0--0--0--0--0---0--0--0--9p0-- --------------------------------------------------------------------" That's exactly what this tab is... and you're saying that this tab is wrong? WTF? And yes, this tab is great, aside from a few mistakes in the chorus I think, or maybe I'm just playing it wrong. GJ, 4 stars

This is definetely the correct way of playing it, it's clearly visible in the funky monks dvd, great tab mate, certainly cleared up a few points I didn't get =).