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tabbed by Richard Malone
Great song, you should be able to figure out where all these parts go without
much trouble. Have fun.
G---7-9-7-5-12-11-9-7----7-9-7-5---
D-5--------------------5---------5-
A----------------------------------
E----------------------------------
Intro
G-----------------------------------------------------------------
D-----------------------------------------------------------------
A-----------------3-3-3-3-3-3-3-3---------5-5-5-5-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-
E-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-----------------3-3-3-3-------------------------
"There's a letter..." etc.
G--------------------------------- G---------------------------------
D--------------------------------- D---------------------------------
A---------5-5-5-5-7-7-7-7-3-3-3-3- A---------5-5-5-5-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-
E-3-3-3-3------------------------- E-3-3-3-3-------------------------
"It's the pride and the pain..." etc. Play this last time in 1st verse
G--------------------------------- G---------------------------------
D--------------------------------- D---------------------------------
A-7-7-7-7-5-5-5-5-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-3- A-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-5-5-5-5-5-5-5-5-
E--------------------------------- E---------------------------------
"But she doesn't get the jokes..." "But for some reason she laughs..."
G-------------------------------
D---0-2-0---5-4-2-0---0-2-0-----
A---------3-----------------3---
E-3-----------------3---------3-
Play this after first verse
G-----------------------7--------7---------------------------------------
D-----7--------7----5-5---5--5-5---5------7--------7--------5--------5---
A-5-5---5--5-5---5--------------------5-5---5--5-5---5--3-3---3--3-3---3-
E------------------------------------------------------------------------
Play this twice after second verse (the part with no vocals)
G------------- G-------------------------------------------------
D------------- D-------------------------------------------------
A-----5-5-3-3- A---------5-5-5-5-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-5-5-5-5-5-5-5-5-
E-3-3--------- E-3-3-3-3-----------------------------------------
"There's a park..." "...but it'd kill me to know that it's changed..."
G-----------------------------------------------------------------
D-----------------------------------------------------------------
A-----------------3-3-3-3-3-3-3-3---------5-5-5-5-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-
E-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-----------------3-3-3-3-------------------------
"There's these kids who have dreams...."
G------------------------- G---------------------------------
D------------------------- D---------------------------------
A-------3-3-3-------5-5-5- A-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-5-5-5-5-5-5-5-5-
E-3-3-3-------3-3-3------- E---------------------------------
"What's left in this smoke..." "....and losers like me....."
G-----------------
D-----------------
A-----5-5-7-7-3-3-
E-3-3-------------
"Tonight let's go..."
G---------------------------------------------------------------
D---------------------------------------------------------------
A---------5-5-5-5-3-3-3-3-5-3-2-0---------5-5-5-5-3-3-3-3-3-3-3- (cont)
E-3-3-3-3-------------------------3-3-3-3-----------------------
"We'll stop at the bar and pass out on the floor..."
G-------------------------------------------------------
D-------------------------------------------------------
A-(continued from above)3-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-5-5-5-5-5-5-5-5-
E-------------------------------------------------------
"and we'll replay these days again"
G--------------------------------------------------
D--------------------------------------------------
A---------5-5-5-5---------3-3-3-3---------5-5-5-5--
E-3-3-3-3---------3-3-3-3---------3-3-3-3---------3
last part, play this under the guitar
and you're done
Taken from The BassMasta -- http://www.bassmasta.net
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travis Wanna Be |
#1 by travis bass for D-Laid Reaction at Mar 31, 1974 at 7:04 AM EST |
| ^ that made me lol anyway ... i just can't get enough of this song. probably my favorite from the larry arms. | |
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they call me to Average |
#2 by they call me tommy K at Mar 1, 1976 at 9:41 PM EST |
| This song rocks. | |
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justin Average |
#3 by justin andrews at May 7, 1979 at 12:09 AM EST |
| This is an amazing song. Not only is it well performed but also very well written. I keep getting the first bass line trapped within my brain. "There's a girl in this town who doesn't know I exist. There's a wounded sense of pride and a pain in my fist." I really like this line. I interpret it as a guy that is in love with this girl, but she has no idea who he is, or doesn't know how he feels about her. This leads to the wounded sense of pride and pain in his fist, possibly from punching out his reflection in the bathroom mirror. This song I think is majorly about growing up and how some of us grow up, and some just stay the same. | |
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Mitch Average |
#4 by Mitch Macaulay at Jul 6, 1979 at 10:04 PM EST |
| I think the second line might be wrong -- I think it's actually "folded flag", not "floded", which isn't a word. That gives me that it's about a soldier who died, or, more likely, someone whose close friend or family member has died at war -- hence the letter and folded flag. The friend, hearing the bad news, runs out. He can't go back to the park and bear the memories it held, not to mention the other results of war: fences, cops, lightposts. But I could be wrong. :) | |
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Jake Average |
#5 by Jake Tone at May 26, 1989 at 8:37 PM EST |
| i am really fucking curious about how lightposts are a product of war. dumbfuck | |
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J Rhythm Player |
#6 by J Stew at Sep 16, 1991 at 7:06 PM EST |
| I think this song is about losing all your favorite places and things you had growing up, and the wounded sense of pride in my fist line is about masturbation. | |
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/. Wanna Be |
#7 by /. com at Sep 18, 1996 at 11:38 AM EST |
| "There's a park in this city where I used to go, but now it's covered with fences and cops and lightposts. And I'd never go back even if it was the same, but it kills me to know that it's changed." this line really resonates with me, and it was the first LA song i fell in love with. I know how that is, as there's places like that when i go visit where i used to live. it really does feel like someone's changing a part of who you are, of who you were, when that happens to someplace that was important to you. it's like they've found a way to change your past by changing the present. | |
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Juicy Wanna Be |
#8 by Juicy Dangler at Mar 14, 1999 at 6:00 AM EST |
| the song is about all the places you used to have to hang out at. all the parks and shops and restaurants that arent there anymore. in a way, it's about growing up, as are a lot of arms songs, but when bren explained the song in concert, he talked about hangin out at a quiznos that isnt there anymore. | |
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THIS GUY Wanna Be |
#9 by THIS GUY at Jul 20, 2000 at 8:36 PM EST |
| This is an awesome song. Lawrence Arms kick ass. I love how they put that shit from the simpsons in at the beginning hehe. | |
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Skye Average |
#10 by Skye at Aug 3, 2000 at 9:28 AM EST |
| hey, i wrote that thing and then my friend told me i was being vague, so let me try again... "There's these kids who have dreams. There's these dreams that will grow. Until they get so goddamn big that they explode. And what's left in the smoke and the falling debris is grownups like them and losers like me. " so it seems like this whole thing is a big extended metaphor for growing up. that everyone has these huge ideas for the future, and then when everything blows up (when everyone gets older) and all the pieces fall down, the kids either turn into grownups or losers. it doesn't seem like he's saying one is right or wrong in his view, only that society looks at it this way. he is a loser because he's in a band, and he's not a doctor or a lawyer or whatever it is that society's "grownups" are supposed to do. so, i guess that's all i have to say about that. any thoughts? | |
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Merijn Badass |
#11 by Merijn at Mar 28, 2004 at 5:28 AM EST |
| this song is really great. it has a really catchy melody and bassline, and all the vocals kick ass. my favorite part is definitely: "There's a park in this city where I used to go, but now it's covered with fences and cops and lightposts. And I'd never go back even if it was the same, but it kills me to know that it's changed. " that's such a great way to describe the situation. despite our sadness over the things we lose, if we stop to think about it, we'd probably never get the chance to re-experience them anyway--or at least experience them in the way we originally did. he gets this really awesome point about life across in so few words. we all seek to recapture our happiness or youth or whatever, but it just can't be something that's forced. it's a bitch, he seems to say, but that's growing up. also, i really dig the way he extends the explosion metaphor. it's just really kick ass and smart, as his lyrics always are: after everyone's dreams explode, "what's left in the smoke and the falling debris, is grow-ups like them and losers like me." | |
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19.07.2005 Average |
#12 by 19.07.2005 at Jul 24, 2004 at 11:45 PM EST |
| yet another chicago band that totally ROCKS!! thank you for adding it, you rock! everyone should know this song, it is soo cool! it has so much energy, and totally perks me up whenever i need it to. | |
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james Wanna Be |
#13 by james sartor at Dec 6, 2005 at 10:58 AM EST |
| Man, i love this song. AND I ADDED IT TO THE DATABASE!!! GO ME!!! ....uhm yeah. Anyway, amazing song. These guys should be big. :) | |
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Justin Rhythm Player |
#14 by Justin at Feb 14, 2006 at 2:06 AM EST |
| This song can be summed up in one line, and if you've seen the arms live recently you'll understand, "fuck quiznos" there you have it folks. First song i heard of the arms. Probably the best. | |
