The Devil's Tale
( Just the lyrics )
Chord Sheet
Key: A minor
Capo guitar on 5th fret. All chords relative to capo.
Chords
Am .. [ x 0 2 2 1 0 ]
C ... [ x 3 2 0 1 0 ]
D ... [ x x 0 2 3 2 ]
Em .. [ 0 2 2 0 0 0 ]
Intro
Fingerpick like this or similar arpeggios:
(Em) (Am)
e |----0---|--------|0-------|----0---|----0---|--------|0-------|----0---|
B |--------|--0-----|------0-|--------|--------|--1-----|------1-|--------|
G |--0-----|0-----0-|----0---|--0-----|--2-----|2-----2-|----2---|--2-----|
D |--------|--------|--------|--------|--------|--------|--------|--------|
A |------2-|--------|--------|--------|0-----0-|----0---|--0-----|0-------|
E |0-------|----0---|--0-----|0-------|--------|--------|--------|--------| (x2)
(C) (D)
e |----0---|--------|0-------|----0---|----2---|--------|2-------|----2p0-|
B |--------|--1-----|------1-|--------|--------|---3----|------3-|--------|
G |--0-----|0-----0-|----0---|--0-----|--2-----|-2-----2|----2---|--2-----|
D |--------|--------|--------|--------|0-----0-|-----0--|--0-----|0-------|
A |3-----3-|----3---|--3-----|3-------|--------|--------|--------|--------|
E |--------|--------|--------|--------|--------|--------|--------|--------|
(Em)
e |----0---|--------|0-------|----0---|----0---|--3-2-0-|--------|--------|
B |--------|--0-----|------0-|--------|------0-|--------|0-------|--------|
G |--0-----|0-----0-|----0---|--0-----|--0-----|--------|--------|--------|
D |--------|--------|--------|--------|--------|--------|--------|--------|
A |------2-|--------|--------|--------|--------|--------|--------|--------|
E |0-------|----0---|--0-----|0-------|0-------|0-------|--------|--------|
Thesis
The chords in the first half of each verse are fingerpicked in a manner consistent with the intro's picking style. The second half are strummed, often singly for effect. Between each verse, the intro chords are fingerpicked again.
Em Am
Sunday night I stayed out late
Em Am
And went drinking with the devil.
Em Am
It was dark and dank and dripping crysta- -al
Em Am
In the cave beneath the temple.
Em
He said, "God believes in genocide
Am
and incest. Just ask Noah.
Bm
I believe in rock and roll
D
and southern California."
[ Repeat intro ]
Em Am
He clapped his hands to make the music
Em Am
Which set the stage for drama,
Em Am
Saying, "My music is amusi- -ing.
Em Am
My muse is in the fauna.
Em
God's is in the flora.
Am
That's the start of fratricide.
Bm
I just want for once to tell
D
This story from my side."
[ Repeat intro ]
Em Am
The tale was a grippping one,
Em Am
It drifted through my ears,
Em Am
Regaling me with thoughts unhea -ard
Em Am
And bringing me to tears.
Em
And while I was enraptured,
Am
My attention fixed on him,
Bm
He popped his business collar
D
And the fire's light grew dim.
Supporting Arguments
The guitar becomes distorted and strummed, all the nuance of the former arpeggios destroyed, as we play through the intro chords again:
Em Am Em Am C D Em / /
Each chord in these verses is played for only half the duration of the previous ones.
Em
"Back in the beginning,
Am
Back when the world was new,
Em
God made man creatures curious
Am
Where a tree of knowledge grew.
Em
He claimed infallibility
Am
And later lost his wits
Bm
When the people he made just like him had
D
Smartened up a bit.
Between these verses, only a thrumming E minor chord.
Em
He thought he'd start it over
Am
So he washed it all away
Em
When things cleared he ordered
Am
All humans to obey
Em
He set you up and pushed you down
Am
And wasn't that a thrill?
Bm
He killed you all and then he ordered
D
You to never kill."
Dissonance
Only a fuzzed out E minor through here as noise and dissonance builds.
Finally, the intensity drops out from under leaving us with...
Conclusion
Soft fingerpicking again, the verse chords back to their original longer duration. But this time the pattern is extremely loose, lacks meter, and ignores timing.
Em Am
The lights inside the cavern
Em Am
Grew dimmer as he spoke
Em Am
He said, "You are just the punchli- -ine
Em Am
To a cosmic fucking joke.
The chords here are strummed again, singly, quietly to let the lyrics have impact.
Em
Born indentured servants
Am
But promised something swell
Bm
If you don't want the torture
D Em
Then I'll see you in he- -ell."
Outro
Heavy distortion again. Noise and dissonance build over one final round through the intro chords:
Em Am Em Am C D Em / /
End on an E minor jammed in irregular rhythms as the other instrumentation falls into chaos and disassembles.