THE WHITE STRIPES
BALL AND BISCUIT
ELEPHANT (2003-Track 08)
tablature par la fouine
This is a cool song with lots of crazy guitar. Seeing as I lack the time and energy
to tab every last note out, I'm going to give a general guide and you can fool
around with the lead part on your own time. Rock out.
As far as I can tell, this is in standard tuning and is derived from a simple 12-bar
blues, reading as follows:
E E E E
A A E E
B A E E
I don't care if that's how a twelve bar blues song is normally played; that's how
THIS one is played.
Here's that same thing w/ the actual notes played:
BAR 1 (E) BAR 2 (E)
E|------------------------|-----------------------|
B|-------5--3--5----------|-------5--3--5---------|
G|-------4--2--4------2---|-------4--2--4------2--|
D|--------------------2---|--------------------2--|
A|--2---------------------|--2--------------------|
E|--0---------------------|--0--------------------|
BAR 3 (E) BAR 4 (E)
E|------------------------|-----------------------|
B|-------5--3--5----------|-------5--3--5---------|
G|-------4--2--4------2---|-------4--2--4------2--|
D|--------------------2---|--------------------2--|
A|--2---------------------|--2--------------------|
E|--0---------------------|--0--------------------|
BAR 5 (A) BAR 6 (A)
E|-----------------------|------------------------|
B|---2---0-2-0-2-0-2-0---|---2---0-2-0-2-0-2-0----|
G|---2---0-2-0-2-0-2-0---|---2---0-2-0-2-0-2-0--0-|
D|---2---0-2-0-2-0-2-0---|---2---0-2-0-2-0-2-0--0-|
A|---0-------------------|---0--------------------|
E|-----------------------|------------------------|
BAR 7 (E) BAR 8 (E)
E|------------------------|-----------------------|
B|-------5--3--5----------|-------5--3--5---------|
G|-------4--2--4------2---|-------4--2--4------2--|
D|--------------------2---|--------------------2--|
A|--2---------------------|--2--------------------|
E|--0---------------------|--0--------------------|
BAR 9 (B) BAR 10 (A)
E|------------------------|-------------------------|
B|------------------------|-------------------------|
G|---4--4--4--4--4--4--4--|---2--0--2--0--2--0------|
D|---4--4--4--4--4--4--4--|---2--0--2--0--2--0---2--|
A|---2--2--0--2--0--2--0--|---0--0--0--0--0--0---2--|
E|------------------------|-------------------------|
BAR 11 (E) BAR 12 (E)
E|------------------------|-----------------------|
B|-------5--3--5----------|-------5--3--5---------|
G|-------4--2--4------2---|-------4--2--4------2--|
D|--------------------2---|--------------------2--|
A|--2---------------------|--2--------------------|
E|--0---------------------|--0--------------------|
For the most part, that's the verses. For the most part. Since this is a blues
song, there's a lot of improv, especially as the song progresses. Like I said, I
don't have the time or energy to tab it all out. If you do, be my guest.
The second and fourth verses have a different E riff for the first 4 bars:
E|------0-----0-----0-----0-0-0-------|
B|----0-----0-----0-------0-0-0-------|
G|--4-----3-----2-----0h1-------------|
D|------------------------------------|
A|--------------------------------2---|
E|--------------------------------0---|
And then the other 8 bars are the same.
Now there's also a part w/o lyrics that is just heavy power chords and a lead. We'll
call it the "chorus". To lead into it, play A5 at the end of the 12th bar.
CHORDS:
E5 E5 E5 E5
A5 A5 E5 E5
B5 A5 E5 E5
Listen to the song for the rhythm. Also I don't plan on tabbing out the lead parts,
but they're most likely in the E pentatonic (12-14-15), with some thrown in on the
top of the A (17-19-20).
To end the chorus, play:
A-------------------------------
E---4--4--5--5--6--6--7---0--0--
...and then back into the verses.
The outro is the standard E riff. End with a E5.
Also, the intro is the standard E riff played 8 times before the lyrics come in (2
w/o drums, 6 with).
That's just about it. If you have any problems with this tab e-mail
walrus0909@yahoo.com.
DO NOT tell me that the chords should not be fifths; it sounds the exact same either
way.
It's quite possible that I'm your thired man girl
But it's a fact that I'm the seventh son
And right now you could care less about me
But soon enough you will care, by the time I'm done
Let's have a ball and a biscuit sugar
And take our sweet little time about it
Let's have a ball and a biscuit sugar P
And take our sweet little time about it
Tell everyone in the place just to get out
We'll get clean together
And I'll find a soapbox where I can shout it
Read it in the newspaper
Ask your girlfriends and see if they know
That my strength is ten fold woman
And I'll let you see if you want to before you go
It's quite possible that I'm your third man girl
But it's a fact that I'm the seventh son Mais
It was the other two which made me your third
But it was my mother who made me the seventh son
And right now you could care less about me
But soon enough you will care by the time Im done