When The Levee Breaks Bass Tab

IV Tabs:

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Gtr I (D G C F)

Intro
 4/4
  Gtr I
  Wx2           S S E E S S S S S S E E
|------------||-3-0-0-0-0-0-3-0-0-0-0-5-|
|------------||-------------------------|
|------------||-------------------------|
|------------||-------------------------|


                                  $
    S S E E S S S S S S S S E  3x     S S E E S S E S S E S S
||--3-0-0-0-0-0-3-0-0-3-0-0-5--||-||--3-0-0-0-----0-0-0-0-----|
||o---------------------------o||-||o---------3s4---------3s4-|
||o---------------------------o||-||o-------------------------|
||-----------------------------||-||--------------------------|


  E E E S S S S S S S S E  3x S S E E S S S S S S S S E
|-0-0-0-0-0-3-0-0-3-0-0-5--||-3-0-0-0-0-0-3-0-0-3-0-0-5-|
|-------------------------o||---------------------------|
|-------------------------o||---------------------------|
|--------------------------||---------------------------|


    S S E E S S E S S E S S   E E E S S S S S S S S E   3x
||--3-0-0-0-----0-0-0-0-----|-0-0-0-0-0-3-0-0-3-0-0-5---||
||o---------3s4---------3s4-|--------------------------o||
||o-------------------------|--------------------------o||
||--------------------------|---------------------------||


  S S E E S S S S S S S S S S    E E e S S S S S S S E S
|-3-0-0-0-0-0-3-0-0-3-0-0-5-4-||-3-3-3--------------------|
|-----------------------------||-----------------------3--|
|-----------------------------||--------------------------|
|-----------------------------||---------2-3-3-3-3-5-5----|


  S E. S E. S E. S S S S   E E S S S S S S E S S S S
|---3---------3----------|---------------------------|
|-3----3-5--3----3-5-----|-----------------------0-2-|
|--------------------3-5-|-1-1---0h1-2-3-3-3---2-----|
|------------------------|---------------------------|


  S E. S E. S E. S E.   +W
|---3---------3-------|--------||
|-3----3-5--3----3-5--|-(5)----||
|---------------------|--------||
|---------------------|--------||


   Verse
    S S E E S S E S S E S S   E E E S S S S S S S S E   3x
||--3-0-0-0-----0-0-0-0-----|-0-0-0-0-0-3-0-0-3-0-0-5---||
||o---------3s4---------3s4-|--------------------------o||
||o-------------------------|--------------------------o||
||--------------------------|---------------------------||


  S S E E S S S S S S S S E     S S E E S S E S S E S S
|-3-0-0-0-0-0-3-0-0-3-0-0-5-||--3-0-0-0-----0-0-0-0-----|
|---------------------------||o---------3s4---------3s4-|
|---------------------------||o-------------------------|
|---------------------------||--------------------------|


  E E E S S S S S S S S E  3x S S E E S S S S S S S S S S
|-0-0-0-0-0-3-0-0-3-0-0-5--||-3-0-0-0-0-0-3-0-0-3-0-0-5-4--||
|-------------------------o||------------------------------||
|-------------------------o||------------------------------||
|--------------------------||------------------------------||


  E E e S S S S S S S E S   S E. S E. S E. S S S S
|-3-3-3-------------------|---3---------3----------|
|-----------------------3-|-3----3-5--3----3-5-----|
|-------------------------|--------------------3-5-|
|---------2-3-3-3-3-5-5---|------------------------|


                                        To Coda
  E E S S S S S S E S S S S   S E. S E. S E. S E.
|---------------------------|---3---------3-------||
|-----------------------0-2-|-3----3-5--3----3-5--||
|-1-1---0h1-2-3-3-3---2-----|---------------------||
|---------------------------|---------------------||


 Bridge
  W          +H.      Q
|----------|-------------|
|-5--------|-(5)---------|
|----------|-------------|
|----------|-------------|


  E. S Q  H      E. S e e e S S S S S S
|--------------|------------------------|
|-5--5-5-------|----------3-5-5-5-5-5-3-|
|---------5----|-3--3-3-5---------------|
|--------------|------------------------|


  E S S E E S S S S E E   E S S E e e S S E E
|-----------------------|-----------5-7-7-7---|
|-5-5-5-5---7-7-7-7-7---|-5-5-5-5-7-3-5-5-5---|
|-----------5-5-5-5-5---|-3-3-3-3-5-----------|
|-----------------------|---------------------|


    E S S E E S S S S E E   E S S E e e S S E E
||--7-7-7-7---------------|-----------5-7-7-7----||
||o-5-5-5-5---7-7-7-7-7---|-5-5-5-5-7-3-5-5-5---o||
||o-----------5-5-5-5-5---|-3-3-3-3-5-----------o||
||------------------------|----------------------||


                                  D.S. al Coda
  E S S E E E S S E E   E S S E e e S S +E  S S
|-7-7-7-7-------------|-----------5-7-7-(7)-----||
|-5-5-5-5---7-7-7-7---|-5-5-5-5-7-3-5-5-(5)---3-||
|-----------5-5-5-5---|-3-3-3-3-5---------------||
|---------------------|-------------------------||


  &
  S S S S E. S E S S E. S   E S S Q  E S S +S  S S S
|-3-0-0-0-0--0------------|--------------------------|
|--------------5-5-5-5--5-|-5-5-5-5--5-5-5-(5)-5-0-3-|
|-------------------------|--------------------------|
|-------------------------|--------------------------|


  E S S E S S S S S S E S S   e S S e e e S S S S S S
|---------------------------|-------------------------|
|-5-5-5-5-5-----------------|-----------3-5-5-5-3---3-|
|-----------7-5-5-5-5-5-5-3-|-3-3-3-3-5-----------5---|
|---------------------------|-------------------------|


    E S S E E S S S S E E   E S S E e e S S E E  4x
||--7-7-7-7---------------|-----------5-7-7-7----||
||o-5-5-5-5---7-7-7-7-7---|-5-5-5-5-7-3-5-5-5---o||
||o-----------5-5-5-5-5---|-3-3-3-3-5-----------o||
||------------------------|----------------------||


   Outro
    S S S S E S S S S S S E S S   S S S S E S S S S S S S S E
||--3-0-0-0-0-0-0-3-0-0-0-0-0-0-|-3-0-0-0-0-0-0-3-0-0-3-0-0-5--||
||o-----------------------------|-----------------------------o||
||o-----------------------------|-----------------------------o||
||------------------------------|------------------------------||


    S S S S E S S S S S S E S S   S S S S E S S S S S S S S E
||------------------------------|------------------------------||
||o-----------------------------|-----------------------------o||
||o-----------------------------|---------------------------3-o||
||--6-3-3-3-3-3-3-6-3-3-3-3-3-3-|-6-3-3-3-3-3-3-6-3-3-3-3-3----||


  S S S S E S S S S S S E S S     S S S S E S S S S S S S S E  3x
|-----------------------------||-------------------------------||
|-----------------------------||o-----------------------------o||
|-----------------------------||o---------------------------3-o||
|-6-3-3-3-3-3-3-6-3-3-3-3-3-3-||--6-3-3-3-3-3-3-6-3-3-3-3-3----||


  S S S S E S S S S S S S S E   S S S S E S S S S S S S S E
|-----------------------------|-----------------------------|
|-----------------------3-3---|-----------------------------|
|---------------------------3-|---------------------------3-|
|-6-3-3-3-3-3-3---3-3-3-------|-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-6-3-3-6-3-3---|


  S S S S E S S S S S S S S E   S S S S E S S S S S S S S S S
|-----------------------------|-------------------------------|
|-----------------------------|-------------------------------|
|---------------------------3-|-----------------------2-3-4-5-|
|-6-3-3-3-3-3-3-6-3-3-6-3-3---|-6-3-3-3-3-3-3-6-3-3-6---------|


  S S S S E S S S S S S S S E   S S S S E S S S S S S S S S S
|-----------------------------|-------------------------------|
|-----------------------------|-------------------------------|
|---------------------------3-|-------------------------3-4-5-|
|-6-3-3-3-3-3-3-6-3-3-6-3-3---|-6-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-6-------|


  S S S S E S S S S S S E E   S S S S E S S +H
|---------------------------|----------------------|
|---------------------------|----------------------|
|-------------------------3-|----------------------|
|-6-3-3-3-3-3-3-6-3-3-3-3---|-6-3-3-3-3-3-3-(3)----|


  +H     H      W
|-------------|------*|
|-------------|------*|
|-------------|------*|
|-(3)---------|------*|



If it keeps on rainin', levee's goin' to break
If it keeps on rainin', levee's goin' to break
When the levee breaks I'll have no place to stay

Mean old levee taught me to weep and moan, moan yeah
Lord, mean old levee taught me to weep and moan
It's got what it takes to make a mountain man leave his home
Oh well, oh well, oh well, ahh, ooh-ooh

Don't it make you feel bad
When you're tryin' to find your way home
You don't know which way to go
If you're goin' down South
They got no work to do
If you goin' on to Chicago

Ahh ahh ahh, ahh ahh ahh, ahh ahh ahh, hey hey hey

  Harmonica Solo

Cryin' won't help you, prayin' won't do you no good
Now, cryin' won't help you, prayin' won't do you no good
When the levee breaks, mama, you got to move, whoo-hoo

All last night sat on the levee and moaned
All last night sat on the levee and moaned
Thinkin' 'bout my baby and my happy home, oh ohh-oh

Ahh-ahh-ahh ahh-ahh-ahh ahh-ahh-ahh, ah ah ah
Ahh-ahh-ahh ahh-ahh-ahh ahh-ahh-ahh, ah ah ah
Oh, oh

Going, go'n' to Chicago
Go'n' to Chicago
Sorry but I can't take you
Going down, going down now
Going down, going down now
Going down, going down
Going down, going down

Going down, going down now
Going down, going down now
Going down, going down now
Going down, going down down down down, down now, whoo-ooh whoo-ooh

Source: http://www.bassmasta.net/l/led_zeppelin/148922.html

Tab Discussion, Comments, and Critiques


No Picture Black Rainbow Professional	#1 by Black Rainbow at May 16, 2006 at 8:00 PM EST
	When bonzo played this he had to record himself at the bottom of a stairwell to get that echo effect, this song was rarely done live (once MAYBE twice) because it required bonzo to play in pit.

No Picture Jonoz Average	#2 by Jonoz Moe at Jul 7, 2006 at 9:00 PM EST
	the history part sounds very convincing but so do the innuendoes... any way gr8 song...

No Picture Erik Lead Player	#3 by Erik StJimmy at Jul 31, 2006 at 9:04 PM EST
	No, no, no, no, no, noooooooo Are you kidding? Dudes...this song is about sEX. In fact Plant referred to is as "the sex groove". True he took the lyrics from some old memphis minnie song but if you start to think about the lyrics as robert plant the sex god singing them.......you too will see the double meaning.........If it keeps on raining levees going to break....I mean come on people...dont make me go into detail about the sexual inuendo there. Then he says "all last night sat on the levee and moaned" sounds like he's having an affair with some woman and thinking about how he's being a dick for cheating on his wife......ahem "got what it takes to make a mountain man leave his home" or WIFE..."when the levee breaks mama you got to movE" when im done with you woman im going home to my wife...maybe the wifes in chicago..."sorry but i cant take you" lol i dont know guiys....this is just what i think when i hear it,......I think of it as the striptease song

No Picture Al Average	#4 by Al Turner at Sep 25, 2006 at 3:43 AM EST
	I don't agree with what the miracle says... the history just fits too well. Just as a little piece of trivia the drums sound so cool in this track because they were recorded in a stone stairwell with just a couple of mic's. Tres intressant, no?

No Picture † The Jester † Average	#5 by † The Jester † at Oct 20, 2006 at 11:03 AM EST
	k I'm a pretty big zeppelin fan. I mean i know the members, and every song the band's ever done but i dont really know that much about the history or origin of the band. Anyway, i think this song is a metaphor about a guy whos troubles just keep adding up and up. The Rain symbolizes the problems and the Levee symbolizes where its all collecting and the guys feelings. "If it keeps on rainin', levee's goin' to break" and plant's telling this guy that pissin and moaning isnt gonna fix or solve anything.. "Cryin' won't help you, prayin' won't do you no good," but the guy keep dwelling on the past and how it everything used to be fine and good.. "All last night sat on the levee and moaned,Thinkin' about me baby and my happy home" and you just gotta move on but you gotta do it on your own. "Going, going to Chicago... Going to Chicago... Sorry but I can't take you..." then it just gets worst "Going down.. goin down.." well thats how i see it, but whatever. great song.

No Picture Sybren Average	#6 by Sybren .... at Nov 9, 2006 at 10:40 PM EST
	If you are interested in the history behind this song, I would recommend Lanterns on the Levee or Rising Tide, both excellent accounts of floods in the Mississippi Delta country.

No Picture i wish i had a Wanna Be	#7 by i wish i had a gibson at Mar 5, 2007 at 12:05 AM EST
	Is it just me or does the line at the end: "Going down... going down now... going down" have some sexual innuendo to it?