Walk to the Water by U2 -B-side for With or Without You
Transcribed by Richard Zangoli.
Well this is one of my favourite
U2 tracks and seeing that there was no transcription to it on the archive
and that I'm on holidays, I decided to tab it. I hope somebody uses it
because it took me ages to tab out mainly because (as I eventually
discovered), the guitar in the song is tuned up a bit, not a whole 1/2 step
but more like a 1/4 step. This is unusual for U2 as they usually use
standard tuning or tune down to Eb. Anyway, here it is.
The chords for the verses seem to be C and Am. The best way to play the
song, in my opinion, is to bar the fifth fret and play the chords in
arpeggio fashion. To give you an idea of what I mean, here is some tab-
C
E-----------------------------------------------------------------------5-------
B-----5----5----5----5---5----5------5------5----5----5----5----5--------------
G----------------------------------5--------------------------------------------
D--5----5----5----5----5----5-----------5-----5----5----5----5-----5------------
A------------------------------------------------------------------------------
E------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Am
C
E-------------------------------------------------------------------
B----------5---------5--------5----------5----------5--------5---- and so on.
G------------------------------------5---------------------------- This should
D---5----------7---------7-----------------------7--------5------- give you
A------------------------------------------------------------------ the general
E------------------------------------------------------------------- idea
C Am C
She said it wasn't cold, she left her coat at home that day
Am C
She wore white canvas shoes, white canvas shoes,
Am C etc...
Around her neck she wore a silver necklace,
It was given to me by my father she says, it was given to me,
She took the back way home, past the lights at Summer Hill
Turned left onto the north strand, and on out towards the city,
He said he was an artist, but he really painted billboards,
In large capital letters, large capital letters
He was telling jokes, but nobody else would listen to him,
Bridge- This is goes something like-
E-----------7-------------7----------------------7---------7-----------7----7---
B----------------8-------------8-------------8-------8----------8--------8-----8
G---9------------------------------9--------------------------------9-----------
E----7-------------7--------7----------
B-------8--------------8--------8------
G-----------9------------------------9--
I saw you that day, your lips were cherry red,
Your legs were crossed (what a shame!), your arms wide open
Your hair was coloured gold, not unlike a field of corn
You were blown by the wind, you were blown by the wind
Repeat the Em bridge and this is played over it
E------12s/-----------12-----------------------12---------------------12--------
B------------------------------15-----------------------13--------------------12
G--------------12----------------------12---------------------12----------------
Walk walk walk to the water walk with me a while......
This is played over the chorus after "to the water"-
E----------------10--10---10--10---10--10-------------------0------------------0
B----12---13-------------------------------------13-----12-------12--12---12--
G-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
E------------------------0-------0--------0----------0--------------12----------
B---10-----8---8---8-------10-----8--8---8--8--8-------------------------15-----
G------------------------------------------------------------12-----------------
A room in a wild(?) hotel, sea facing views,
A man with a suitcase full of things he doesn't need
I'm looking through your window, I'm walking through your doorway,
I'm on the outside, let me in,
Let me love you let me love you let me...
E-------------------------------------10--------------------------------------
B----12--12--12--12--12--12---13----------13--12---10--8---10p8--8----8----8---8
G-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
E----------------10--------------0------------------------10--------------
B------12--13--------13---12--------12---12-----12---13-------13---12---10-10-10
G-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
E------------------------------------------------------------------------------
B---8---10------------------8--10--12----13-s/15-------17----17--17--17---------
G-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Walk Walk walk................
E-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
B--------17---17----12-----10--8--5---3---5---5--5---------12---12----12--12-12
G-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
You can start ad libbing here^ but this can be used as a guide
E-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
B---10---8--5---1---3---5-----------12---12---12---12---12---13--12--10---12---
G-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Fade out.....
E---------12----------12-----------0------0------------------------------------
B---------------------------10-----10----12----12(hold)12-s/13-s/15-s/17-s/12---
G---12--------12----------------------------------------------------------------
E-----------------------
B--12----12-s/13-s/8-----
G------------------------
So that's it. The bit at the end isn't 100% perfect but sounds OK and it
should give you enough to figure out something that you think sounds good.
Richard Zangoli (ahowden@magna.com.au)