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Date: Fri, 5 Jan 1996 22:22:46 -0500
From: Bryson Meunier 

        I have understood the chord progression of this song for quite some
time but I didn't feel that I had enough material to post. Then over the
winter break I figured out something that sounds like Brian Ritchie's
wonderfully elastic guitar solo. In other words, I'm posting most of the
guitar parts of this song. If you have a part that I've neglected to post,
or if you have comments, questions or corrections, e-mail me at
*  


Music by Gordon Gano
Lyrics from the poem "I DANCED BEFORE I HAD TWO FEET" by Max Dunn
Guitar solo by Brian Ritchie
Transcribed by Bryson Meunier

   intro-
     B5              D5      A    
   E------------------------------------------------------|
   B-------------------------2---xxxx--xxxx--xx-----------|
   G--4--4--x--x--x---7--7---2---xxxx--xxxx--xx4--4--4--4-|
   D--4--4--x--x--x---7--7---2---xxxx--xxxx--xx4--4--4--4-|
   A--2--2--x--x--x---5--5-------xxxx--xxxx--xx2--2--2--2-|
   E------------------------------------------------------|
        Repeat that riff once more before the lyrics come in. Then, for the
verse, repeat the riff without making the percussive sounds. At least I
think that's the only distinction between the introduction and the verse but
the bass is so prominent that it's hard to tell. If you know of another
distinction, e-mail me at the aforementioned address and let me in on it.
Here's my best attempt at the guitar solo:

   E--------------------------------|---7-----------------|
   B------------3--2---2brbrbrbr--0-|---7---4---------6\7-|
   G---4--4--4----------------------|---7---4------7------|
   D--------------------------------|-----------7---------|
   A--------------------------------|---------------------|
   E--------------------------------|---------------------| 

   E---------------|--------------------------------------|
   B---7--7--8--7--|---15brp14--14h15brp14--14h15brp14----|
   G---------------|--------------------------------------|
   D---------------|--------------------------------------|
   A---------------|--------------------------------------|
   E---------------|--------------------------------------|            
   
   E------------------------------------------------------|
   B---14h15brp14--14h15brp14-------7---------------------|
   G-----------------------------9--7---2-----------------|
   D-----------------------------9--7---2-----------------|
   A-----------------------------7------0-----------------|
   E------------------------------------------------------|            

   E------------------------------------------------------|
   B--7h8--7\5--7p5---------------------------------------|
   G-----------------7p5----5h7---5\3---5p3---------------|
   D------------------------------------------5-----------|
   A------------------------------------------------------|
   E------------------------------------------------------|

   E------------------------------------------------------|
   B------------------------------------------------------|
   G----3\5---5\7---7\9---9\12----14----------------------|
   D------------------------------------------------------|
   A------------------------------------------------------|
   E------------------------------------------------------|

   Repeat the main riff until the end of the song.

   Lyrics:

   I Sang before I had a tongue
   I laughed before I had two eyes
   and loved before my heart was young
   
   I swam before I had two hands 
   and held the distance in my toes
   before I heard the stars or knew
   the wild compulsion of the rose

   I bore the fruits of many lives
   before I came into this day 
   I knew before my grave was made
   the worms eat only death away (2x)

   I danced before I had two feet (4x)

   symbols used in transcription-
 
   x = make percussive sound with fretting hand
   b = bend
   r = release
   \ = slide
   h = hammer-on
   p = pull-off