Radiohead › Subterranean Homesick Alien Bass Tab

OK Computer Tabs:

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Send "Subterranean Homesick Alien" Ringtone to your Cell Phone

SUBTERRANEAN HOMESICK ALIEN
Radiohead

Tabbed by Shor Bowman (abowman@sas.upenn.edu)
This tab has been conspicuously absent from...well, the
world...for entirely too long. I couldn't seem to find
it anywhere, so I just sat down and wrote it out. Caution!
Not only is the song in dropped D, but Colin fills most of
the song with a little pattern of three notes on the low
D-string; those frets are 0, 3, and 5. If it seems that I
have omitted some of the playing, it's because I HAVE! It
would have taken entirely too much time to tab out all of
those improvisational patterns. Just make sure you have your
OK COMPUTER CD or this song's MP3 handy and follow along--
you'll know where these parts come in. If you don't, though,
get in touch with me! I will help or make the tab more user-
friendly any old day of the week. I'm sure that this is not
going to be the most legible of tabs for many, and as a con-
fession I couldn't play this song right now without the aid
of this tab, so bear with me please. For now, though, enjoy.

Bass comes in at approximately 0:05
G-----------------------------------------------------|
D-----------------------------------------------------|
A-10(12)-10(12)-10(12)-10(12)-11/---------------------|
D---------------------------------5---3-0-5---3-0-5---|

"...for cracks in the pavement..."
G-----------------------------------------------------|
D--------9-10-12/-------------------------------------|
A-/10-12----------------------------------------------|
D-------------------5-5-5-3-0-5---3-0-5---------------|

"...home movies for the folks back home..."
G--------------------------------------------|
D-------5(7)5-0------------------------------|
A--------------------------------------------|
D--5-5-----------5-5-5-3-0-5-----------------|

"...and live for their secrets..."
G---------------------------------|
D---------------------------------|
A---------------------------------|
D--5-7-9-10-11-12/5--3-0-3(5)-5-5-|

This is the tablature before the first "Uptight!"
G-------------------------------------------|
D-------------------------------------------|
A-------------------------------------------|
D--5-7-9-10-12-14/3---3/10---12/5--3-0-5----|

G------------------------------------------------|
D------------------------------------------------|
A------------------------------------------------|
D--5-7-9/12-14-15---10---5---3(5)5--5--3(5)5--5--|

G-----------------------------------|
D-------2-3--2--0--3--2--0----------|
A---3-5---------------------3--5----|
D-5-------------------------------5-|

*Things become mellow for awhile.* Do more improvisation
with the third and fifth frets of the low-D string, and 
then:

G-----------------------------------|
D-----------------------------------|
A----------------------------3-5----|
D-12/5--5--5--5--5--5--5--5------5--|

"I'd...love to seeeeee it....."
G--------------------------------------------------------------|
D-----------9-10-9-------5-5-5-------5-5-5-------5-5/7/5-------|
A----/10-12--------12/---------7-5---------7-5-----------7-5---|
D-5--------------------5-----------5-----------5-------------5-|

The improvisation changes to the basic pattern shown here for this
bit (and some at the end as well). The tablature shown beyond the first
row of bars signifies the temporary end of the pattern with a tiny
improvisational section.
G-------------------------------------------------|------------------|
D-5-5-5-------5-5-5-------5-5/7/5-------5-5-5-----|-5-7-9-10-9-------|
A-------7-5---------7-5-----------7-5---------7-5-|------------10/---|
D-----------5-----------5-------------5-----------|----------------5-|

"They'd shut me away, but I'd be all right"
G-------------------------------------------------5---------|
D-------------------------------------------5-5-5---5-7-5-5-|
A-----------------------------------------------------------|
D--5-5-x-5-x-x-5-5-x-5-x-x-5-x-5-/-15-15-15-----------------|

"Uptight" starts to kick in again!
G--7-5-4----------------------------------------------|
D--------7-5-3-2-0------------------------------------|
A-----------------------------------------------------|
D------------------3---3/10---12/3(5)-5-3(5)-5-3(5)-5-|

G------------------------------------------------------------|
D---------------------------------------------0-2-3---3(5)---|
A---0-2-3-2-0---------------------------0-2-3--------------3-|
D-5-----------3---3/10---10-12/3(5)-5-5----------------------|

This is a nice time to use a slap method, such as the thumb:
G------------------------------------------------------------|
D-3-2-0-----3-2-0----------0-2-3-----------------------------|
A--------------------0-2-3---------3-------7-5---------------|
D--------5---------5-------------------5-------5--3(5)-5-----|

OUTRO (May sound best on the HIGHER D-string):
G------------------------------------------------------------|
D------------------------------------------------------------|
A------------------------------------------------------------|
D-5-/-12-------------10--------------7-----------------------|

WHEW! That appears to be the entirety of the song. It's a 
perfectly stunning composition, and I hope that this tab is of
use to somebody somewhere. It was a bitch to tab out, so it 
may be a bitch to try to learn to perfection (from memory).
But give it awhile--I'm sure you'll be glad you did! If you
have any questions, comments, concerns, corrections, please
give me a ring on the old e-mail program. Peace.

/= slide to note
()= ghost note


Taken from BASSMASTA.NET - http://www.bassmasta.net

Send "Subterranean Homesick Alien" Ringtone to your Cell Phone

Source: http://www.bassmasta.net/r/radiohead/127816.html

Tab Discussion, Comments, and Critiques


No Picture Average	#1 by Another.Kind.Of.Pain at Nov 13, 1975 at 8:29 PM EST
	i'm not too sure that they mean anything about extra terrestrials at all, not literally.

No Picture jar0n Average	#2 by jar0n at Feb 2, 1979 at 9:49 AM EST
	This is one of Radiohead's best songs, in my opinion. I think this song addresses the issue of extra-terrestrials. Lots of people have AN opinion about aliens. Esp. in the US , where movies, books, and news reports bring this issue up over and over. I think that if humans on earth had the power to do so and found a planet inhabited by technologically uncivilized beings (compared to us), we'd fly over there often to observe them as we are being observed by aliens. I think that this song is Yorke's commentary on the alien issue, and that people tend to think someone who says they've been abducted is crazy, because people still find it (aliens & abduction stories) hard to believe.

No Picture Martin Lead Player	#3 by Martin Endara at Jun 12, 1979 at 9:25 AM EST
	I think all you guys have read way more into what this song is about. I just wanted to point out what Radiohead thinks of this song, as well as all the songs on OK Computer. This is Radiohead reviewing themselves... .http://www.geocities.com/SunsetStrip/Stadium/1738/thom/r-review.htm Nevertheless, I recognize that just cause Radiohead wrote this song about extra-terretrials doesn't mean you can't interpret it in your own ways. That's the beauty of a well-written song.

No Picture josh Wanna Be	#4 by josh g at Aug 22, 1984 at 3:09 AM EST
	This song makes me cry every time I hear it. I would offer my explanation, but it would be pages long and wouldn't make any sense. But I know that there are nights that I lay out on my roof in the cold with my CD player and this song on repeat, and watch the stars for some hope that I, too, one day can see the world as I'd love to see it, from the outside. There are days that the only thing that keeps me alive is the thought of this song.

No Picture Roman Average	#5 by Roman Rozic at Feb 24, 1985 at 3:12 PM EST
	Why always with the extra terrestrials? Maybe, it says because of the aliens- but I don't think that's the point of the song. The point is you live in a town where everything is the same, the modern suburbs, whatever, but you've seen what else the world holds, but you're happy being here, just with that knowledge, knowing there's more, but this is still beautiful in some way- even if you feel alone, you're not, and if maybe you really are alone, that's ok too.

No Picture Rad Average	#6 by Rad Johnson at Jun 11, 1990 at 4:17 PM EST
	yeah, i was actually wondering about that ^. i haven't analyzed the lyrics to either Subterranean Homesick Blues or Subterranean Homesick Alien, but i was wondering what the similarites between the two were.

No Picture Ben Average	#7 by Ben at Mar 2, 1992 at 4:46 AM EST
	I agree a lot with kaisute and PA on this one. The guy feels so bored and so different than everyone else that he just wants something drastic to happen, something to cure him of this insatiable urge for soemthing to happen. And if something happened, i.e. a UFO abduction or whatnot, and he told his friends about it, he wouldn't mind if they thought he was crazy. He knew that it really happened, and he could live knowing. Probably like an insane person, ironically.