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Making Plans For Nigel
-XTC
Tabbed by Joey Lombardi (permanentwaves@hotmail.com)
Standard Tuning (G,D,A,E)
Main Riff
G|-------------------------------------------------------------------|
D|-------------------------------------------------------------------|
A|-----------------7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-----------------------------------|
E|-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-3/----------------7-7-7-7-7-7-7-5-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7---|
And if young Nigel...
G|-------------------------------------------------------------------|
D|-------------------------------------------------------------------|
A|-------------------------------------------------------------------|
E|-5-5-5-5-5-5-5-5-5-5-5-5-5-5-5-5-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1---|
G|-------------------------------------------------------------------|
D|-----2-2-2-0-----2-2-2-2-2-0---------------------------------------|
A|-------------2-0-------------2-0-5-5-5-5-5-5-5-5-5-5-5-5-5-5-5-5---|
E|-0-0---------------------------------------------------------------|
Nigel is not outspoken...
G|-------------------------------------------------------------------|
D|-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-----------------------------------|
A|-------------------------------------------------3-3-3-3-3-3-3-3---|
E|---------------------------------1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-------------------|
G|-------------------------------------------------------------------|
D|-------------------------------------------------2-2-2-2-2-0-------|
A|-------------------------------------------------------------2-0---|
Taken from The BassMasta -- http://www.bassmasta.net
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No Picture
Rignald Average |
#1 by Rignald Tromp at Aug 13, 1972 at 8:58 AM EST |
| I think that this song is about parents that control their children's lives and are unwilling to let them make their own decisions. The "we" in this song is the parents and Nigel is their son. They're planning out his whole life while he is still very young, maybe even too young to understand what is really going on. Its a great song and i can't believe only one other person has commented on it. Definately check it out if you haven't heard it. | |
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No Picture
james Wanna Be |
#2 by james sartor at Jul 8, 1982 at 6:38 PM EST |
| diverdave hasn't a fucking clue. This is about pushy parents who start checking out private schools and Oxbridge applications the second they concieve, so that their poor kid ends up with a "proper" future. It's such a good tune. | |
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No Picture
eddy Lead Player |
#3 by eddy blade at Mar 16, 1985 at 7:26 AM EST |
| this song is just perfect ! it's just impossible not to have the drum intro in my head... clearly about parents expecting their son to be a good boy : "Nigel's whole future is as good as sealed"... such an horrible line in such a healing song ! if you don't know it, go and listen to another fantastic XTC song, "No Thugs In Our House" (on "English Settlement", one of their masterpieces): in a way, it's the sequel for that song, in the continuing story of that british teen symbolized by Nigel... and if you want to know what his dreams look like, just go back to "Across The Universe" by the Boys Of Hamburg ! | |
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No Picture
Connor Average |
#4 by Connor Mactee at Jan 18, 1988 at 7:07 AM EST |
| I think its about the average British bloke that was in the 80's. All he thinks he want is a steady job and everything will fit into place. But the stance of the song seem to suggest that Nigel hasn't got it all figured out. Mybe hs is missing out on something better. | |
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No Picture
Bloody Mess All Musical Thunder |
#5 by Bloody Mess All Over My Clothes at Jan 2, 1990 at 3:14 AM EST |
| Dude. the primus COVER it is by far NOT superior. Anyhow you are an idiot and the method, movement, and simplicity of this song are very much destoryed by primus. | |
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No Picture
Killer Wanna Be |
#6 by Killer at Jan 19, 2000 at 12:17 AM EST |
| Definitely a song about parents planning the life of their child out. This song was way ahead of its time in that respect. Remember, this was 1979, long before the Generation X kids would start whining through grunge music about being dienfranchised. If you were to look up "New Wave" in the dictionary, this song would be there. Primus does a great cover of this song, by the way...I suggest you listen to it! | |
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No Picture
Simon Rhythm Player |
#7 by Simon Pardins at Jun 24, 2000 at 4:22 PM EST |
| Awsome song - i was born in the 80's and just discovered this song. so yeah, here is my two cents! to me when xtc sung 'we are making plans for nigel' they were taking on the persona of the patriachal politcal party of the time - the party that formed the company that was 'british steel'. so in that light they are singing about a politcal party creating jobs for workers (Nigels) However they (the pollies) are 'ONLY' making plans for Nigel. which kind of indicates that everyone else is neglected.... musicians!? or anyone creative i guess. the kooky, crazy sort of tune and singing kind of crreates a sense of madness and stupidity. I think this is an indicator to the bands attitude to the way the government was trying to plan thier lives for them, esp. when the best they could come up with was working in a steel plant! So it is kind of about nationalism, control vs. freedom, life and how depressing work is etc. | |
