written by BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN

 
version française


One of the masterpieces of the boss. It is rather difficult to  play since the band uses keyboards and if you want to make it sound like it you have to make adjustments for the guitar. So I managed to get the sound with one rhythm guitar and one 'lead guitar', this latter playing the part of the organ or the keyboard.  Both are in the standard tuning. Bruce plays staccato with the rhythm guitar while muting the strings. For the lead guitar use tremolo and treble boosting. The bass
is tabbed too. I got that only through hearing and I recorded two demo mp3 to illustrate the tab. 




The first demo is the main theme with intro, chorus and verse. I added the sung melody in the left background only to know where we are. You can download the demo here :



The second is the ballad section that is heard just before the last verse . You can download it here : ( this one is not that necessary)










INTRO and CHORUS :
 

<------------------------------- REPEAT ONCE --------------------------------->

Rhythm guitar  (play staccato and mute all along the song)

        E                  E4                A           B           E
E  +-------------------------------------+-------------------------------------+
B  +-------------------------------------+-------------------------------------+
G  +----1--1---------------2---1---------+---2----6------8-----------1---------+
D  +----2--2-----------2---2---2---------+---2----7------9-----------2---------+
A  +----2--2-....------2---2---2---------+---4----7------9-----------2---------+
E  +----0--0-----------0---0---0---------+---5----5------7-----------0---------+

Lead guitar
E  +-------------------------------------+-------------------------------(0)---+
B  +-------------------------------------+-------------------------------(0)---+
G  +----------------------2---1----------+-------------------------------(1))--+
D  +----------------------2---2----------+--(2)---7------9---------------(2)---+
A  +---2--------------2---2---2----------+---4----7------9-----------2---(2)---+
E  +---0---------------------------------+---5---(5)-----7-----------0---(0)---+
                                                                       Play full E the 2nd time

G  +-------------------------------------+-------------------------------------+
D  +-------------------------------------+-------------------------------------+
A  +-------------------------------------+-------------------------------------+
E  +-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-------+---55555555----77777777--------------+
 
 

VERSE :

Rhythm guitar (play staccato and mute)
         E                                    A               B
E  +-------------------------------------+-------------------------------------+
B  +-------------------------------------+-------------------------------------+
G  +-----1-------------------------------+----6---------------8----------------+
D  +-----2-------------------------------+----7---------------9----------------+
A  +-----2-------------------------------+----7---------------9----------------+
E  +-----0-------------------------------+----5---------------7----------------+

    In the day we sweat it out on the streets of a ______                           runaway            American dream
                At night we ride through mansions of glory in                                  suicide                       machines
 

Lead guitar       play once and let ring 
E  +-----0-------------------------------+----5--------------7-----------------+
B  +-----0-------------------------------+----5--------------7-----------------+
G  +-----1-------------------------------+----6--------------8-----------------+
D  +-----2-------------------------------+----7--------------9-----------------+
A  +-----2-------------------------------+----7--------------9-----------------+
E  +-----0-------------------------------+----5--------------7-----------------+
 

Bass
G  +-------------------------------------+-------------------------------------+
D  +-------------------------------------+-------------------------------------+
A  +-------------------------------------+-------------------------------------+
E  +----0---------------------0----------+----5--------------7-----------------+
 
 

Rhythm guitar (always staccato ...)
       A                Amaj7                F#m                Amaj7
E  +-------------------------------------+-------------------------------------+
B  +-------------------------------------+-------------------------------------+
G  +---6----------------6----------------+---2--------------------6------------+
D  +---7----------------6----------------+---4--------------------6------------+
A  +---7----------------7----------------+---4--------------------7------------+
E  +---5----------------4----------------+---2--------------------4------------+

       Sprung from cages on        Highway 9                        chrome wheeled, fuel injected and       steppin' out over __ (to 1)
  Oh           Baby this town rips the        bones from your back, it's a         death trap,  ______             it's a suicide rap.We gotta _ (to 2)

Lead guitar
E  +-------12------12------12------12----+------12------12-----------12------12-----+
B  +-----14--14--14--14--14--14--14--14--+----14--14--14--14-------14--14--14--14---+
G  +---14------14------13------13--------+--11------11-----------13------13---------+
D  +-------------------------------------+------------------------------------------+
A  +-------------------------------------+------------------------------------------+
E  +-------------------------------------+------------------------------------------+

Bass
G  +-------------------------------------+-------------------------------------+
D  +-------------------------------------+-------------------------------------+
A  +-------------------------------------+-------------------------------------+
E  +---5----------(5)-4----------(4)-----+--2------------(2)-----4-------------+


1:
Rhythm guitar
      E                  D9
E  +-------------------------------------+-------------------------------------+
B  +---------5-----------7_--------------+-------------------------------------+
G  +--4------4-----------7_--------------+-------------------------------------+
D  +--6------6-----------7_--------------+-------------------------------------+
A  +--7------------------7_--------------+-------------------------------------+
E  +-------------------------------------+-------------------------------------+

     the line __________

Lead guitar
E  +--------------------14---------------+-------------------------------------+
B  +-9-----12-----------15---------------+-------------------------------------+
G  +--------------------14---------------+-------------------------------------+
D  +--------------------14---------------+-------------------------------------+
A  +-------------------------------------+-------------------------------------+
E  +-------------------------------------+-------------------------------------+

Bass
G  +-------------------------------------+-------------------------------------+
D  +------11-14--------------------------+-------------------------------------+
A  +-11h14-----14p11---------------------+-------------------------------------+
E  +----------------14p12------7---------+-------------------------------------+
 


2:
Rhythm guitar
      E                 C#m7                 A              Bsus4           E
E  +-------------------------------------+-------------------------------------+
B  +---------5-----------------5---------+--------2---------5------------------+
G  +--4------4----------4------4---------+---2----2---------4-------4-------1--+
D  +--6------6----------6------6---------+---2----2---------4-------4-------2--+
A  +--7-----------------4----------------+---0--------------2---------------2--+
E  +-------------------------------------+----------------------------------0--+
     get out while                            we're young                  'Cause tramps like us                           baby we were born to run.
 

Lead guitar
E  +--12---------------------------------+------------------12-----------------+
B  +---------12---------9------12--------+--9-----12----------------12---------+
G  +-------------------------------------+-------------------------------------+
D  +-------------------------------------+-------------------------------------+
A  +-------------------------------------+-------------------------------------+
E  +-------------------------------------+-------------------------------------+

Bass
G  +-------------------------------------+-------------------------------------+
D  +-------------------------------------+-------------------------------------+
A  +-------------------------------------+-------------------------------------+
E  +--12----------------9----------------+---5-------------7-------------------+
 

The remainder hardly needs tabbing.

           E
Hey Wendy, let me in, I wanna be your friend,

             A                                 B
I wanna guard your dreams and visions.

      E 
Just wrap your legs 'round these velvet rims,

         A                                    B
And strap your hands across my engines.

        A                           Amaj7 
And Together we could break this trap,

       F#m                          Amaj7                   E         D9
We'll run till we drop and, baby we'll never go back.
 

                    A                                Amaj7
Oh will you walk with me out on the wire?
 

             F#m                        Amaj7
Girl, I'm just a scared and a lonely rider,

        C 
But I gotta know how it feels,

      C#m7
I want to know if love is wild, baby,

    A                    B4 
I want to know if love is real.

(THEN CHORUS)

(sorry for the instrumental : I'll see to it one day)
 

The chords used in this ballad section are these ones :

Em9   :  024000
G4     : 320013
A4    :  X02240
C4    :  X35563 
 

  Em    Em9           Em       Em9                G4    G    G4      G 
Beyond the palace hemi-powered drones scream down the boulevard

  A4       A         A4          A
Girls comb their hair in rear-view mirrors

             C4     C        C4    C
and the boys try to look so hard

        Em    Em9           Em       Em9 
The amusement park rises bold and stark

   G4    G    G4      G 
Kids are huddled on the beach in a mist

             A4       A         A4          A
I wanna die with you Wendy on the street tonight

         C4     C        C4    C 
In an everlasting kiss

(Here there is an instrumental that is not fully played with a guitar but sounds about like this)

       F4     F         C4    C      G4     G                         F#
E  +---6------5----------------------8---+--7----12-11-10--9-8-7-7----6---------+
B  +---6------6-....----6-----5------8---+--8----13-12-11-10-9-8-8----7---------+
G  +---5------5---------5-----5------7---+--7----12-11-10--9-8-7-7----6---------+
D  +--------------------5-----5----------+----------------------------8---------+
A  +--------------------3-----3----------+----------------------------9---------+
E  +-------------------------------------+--------------------------------------+
 
 

For the last verse  the lead guitar plays the main riff

                E
Well, The highways jammed with broken heroes

          A                          B
On a last chance power drive

 E 
Well  everybody's out on the run tonight 

                 A                    B
But there's no place left to hide

    A                                 Amaj7
Together, Wendy, we can live with the sadness

    F#m                         Amaj7              E     D9
I'll love you with all the madness in my soul

         A                            Amaj7                            F#m 
Oh someday girl, I don't know when, we're gonna get to that place 

          Amaj7                E
Where we really wanna go

             C#m7 
And we'll walk in the sun

               A
Till then tramps like us

B4                                E
Baby we were born to run.
 
 

Tabbed by myself . All comments welcome here.

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