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Night Train (Acoustic) by Bruce Cockburn Tuning: Drop F# [E A D F# B e] No Capo It seems this tune was written when Bruce experimented with Absinthe and as he says the tune "kinda popped out sort of fully armed from the head of Zeus" ... a reference to Athena, daughter of Zeus. Brilliant! Suggested Videos: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1LyDGxJcIC4 or https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qf0hYS7Xozk Chords: Bruce works his guitar pretty hard in this tune...hammering the low E string with his thumb and then following with a series of almost claw-hammer like rhythm strokes creating a percussive sound and on the E chord rhythmically lifting the barre finger slightly to mute the chord and give it a more choppy feel. In the main verse the D6/F# chord is like a train's downhill coasting run and then the E is like a train's uphill power cycle. So important to get the rhythm as this tune is all about rhythm and words to paint the story. Well worth watching a couple of the videos of him playing this live. Really fun to play once you capture the gist! Chord names may be slightly inaccurate but I am sure the fingers are correct. Verse/Chorus Main Riff: D6/F# (or F#m11aug5) 200000 Bend and/or vibrato the low E string sometimes E 0222XX Bridge: Chords are in groupings of two...cycling twice between the two chords for each line....basically lifting the middle finger unless you can play the bass note with your thumb like Bruce in which case your lifting the index to cycle between the chords. F#m11 244300 F#sus4 244000 Em13/G 355400 Em9/G 355000 Emaj7/G# 466500 Emaj9/G# 466000 Transition phrase: This quick phrase takes you from the D6/F# chord to the E chord during the intro and during the chorus (where he sings "night train"). It is very quick and Bruce does this without breaking stride in his strumming hand. It's difficult to see exactly how he does it but I assume he catches the A string with his thumb on the down stroke, D string with his index finger on upstroke, down with thumb again on the A string and then the A string of the chord with his index on the upstroke. Or he may do it all with the index finger sweeping the A and D strings on the down and up strokes. e |--------x----| B |--------x----| F#|--------2----| D |----0---2----| A |--4---4-2----| E |-------------| ----------------------------------------------- Intro: (Starts with a quick phrase landing on the F# bass note of the first chord) e |-------------------| or sometimes e |-------------------| (depends on the day I guess) B |-----------------0-| B |-----------------0-| F#|-----------------0-| F#|-----------------0-| D |-2h4p2p0---------0-| D |-2h4p2p0---------0-| A |--------b4-p-0---0-| A |--------b4-p-0-0-0-| E |---------------2---| E |-------------------| D6/F# E D6/F# E
D6/F#Not a knife throw from here you can hear the night train passing EThat's the sound somebody makes when they're getting away D6/F#Leaving next week's hanging jury far behind them EPrisoner only of the choices they've made
Night D6/F#train E Night D6/F#train E
D6/F#Ice cube in a dark drink shines like starlight EThe moon is floating somewhere out at sea D6/F#I'm an island in the blur of noise and color EAlcatraz, St. Helena, Patmos and Chateau D'If
Night D6/F#train E Night D6/F#train E
F#m11And everyoF#sus4ne's an iF#m11sland edgeF#sus4d with sand Em13/GA temporarEm9/Gy refuge Em13/Gwhere someEm9/Gbody else can stand F#m11Till the sea F#sus4that binds usF#m11 like the forcF#sus4ed tide of a blood oath Emaj7/G#Will wear iEmaj9/G#t down - diEmaj7/G#ssolve it -Emaj9/G# recombine it
D6/F# E D6/F# E
D6/F#Anyone can die here they do it every day EIt doesn't take much effort tho' it goes against the grain D6/F#And the ultimate forgetfulness of violence ESweeps the landscape like a headlight of a train
Night D6/F#train E Night D6/F#train E
D6/F#Ice cube in a dark drink shines like star light EStarlight shines like glass shards in dark hair D6/F#And the mind's eye tumbles out along the steel track EFixing every shadow with its stare
Night D6/F#train E Night D6/F#train E
F#m11And in the abF#sus4sence of a F#m11vision thereF#sus4 are nightmares Em13/GAnd in the abEm9/Gsence of coEm13/Gmpassion theEm9/Gre is cancer F#m11Whose banneF#sus4r waves oveF#m11r palaces andF#sus4 mean streets Emaj7/G#And the rhyEmaj9/G#thm of the Emaj7/G#night trainEmaj9/G# is a mantra
[Rit. & diminuendo]