Chord/Tab song: Dam Would Break

Tab: "Dam Would Break," by Toad the Wet Sprocket
Transcribed by Michael A. Mazur ([email protected])

Guitar 1 is an acoustic, capoed at the 6th fret
Guitar 2 is an electric, also capoed at the 6th fret
All chord names are relative to the capos, so the actual sounding
chord is a diminished fifth higher than written

Rhythm Figure 1 (Guitar 1)

[Am]

|----0--0--0--0----0--0--0--0--|----0--0--0--0----0--0--0--0--|
|----1--1--1--1----1--1--1--1--|----1--1--1--1----1--1--1--1--|
|----2--2--2--2----2--2--2--2--|----2--2--2--2----2--2--2--2--|
|--0h2--2--2--0--0h2--2--2--0--|--0h2--2--2--0--0h2--2--2--0--|
|----0--0--0--0----0--0--0--0--|----0--0--0--0----0--0--0--0--|
|------------------------------|------------------------------|

[Dm] [G]

|----1--1--1--1----1--1--1--1--|--1h3--3--3--3-3--3--3--|
|----3--3--3--3----3--3--3--3--|--3-3--3--3--3-3--3--3--|
|--0h2--2--2--0--0h2--2--2--0--|--0-0--0--0--0-0--0--0--|
|----0--0--0--0----0--0--0--0--|--0-0--0--0--0-0--0--0--|
|------------------------------|--2-2--2--2--0h2--2--2--|
|------------------------------|------------------------|

Rhythm Figure 1B

[Am]

|----0--0--0--0--0--0--0--|----0--0--0--0--0--0--0--|
|----1--1--1--1--1--1--1--|----1--1--1--1--1--1--1--|
|----2--2--2--0--0--0--0--|----2--2--2--0--0--0--0--|
|--0h2--2--2--2--2--2--2--|--0h2--2--2--2--2--2--2--|
|----0--0--0--0--0--0--0--|----0--0--0--0--0--0--0--|
|-------------------3--3--|-------------------3--3--|

[Dm] [G]

|----1--1--1--1--1--1--1--|--1h3--3--3--3--3--3--3--|
|----3--3--3--1--1--1--1--|--3-3--3--3--3--3--3--3--|
|--0h2--2--2--2--2--2--2--|--0-0--0--0--0--0--0--0--|
|----0--0--0--0--0--0--0--|--0-0--0--0--0--0--0--0--|
|-------------------3--3--|--2-2--2--2--2--2--2--2--|
|-------------------------|-------------------------|

Intro:
Guitar 1 plays rhythm figure 1 twice
Guitar 2 plays:
[Am] [Dm] [G] [Am]

|--|--|--|----------------------|-----|-------------------------|
|--|--|--|-----0h1--0h1p0-------|-----|-----0h1--1--0h1p0-------|
|--|--|--|-----------------2p0--|-----|--------------------2p0--|
|--|--|--|----------------------|--2--|-------------------------|
|--|--|--|----------------------|--0--|-------------------------|
|--|--|--|----------------------|-----|-------------------------|

Dm G Am (to verse)

|-----------|-------------------------|-----|
|-----------|--------0h1--0h1p0-------|--1--|
|-----0--2--|--------------------2p0--|--2--|
|--2--------|--0----------------------|--2--|
|-----------|-------------------------|--0--|
|-----------|-------------------------|-----|

Verse: Guitar 2 tacet, Guitar 1 plays single chords at every change
(The bass plays the Am and Dm chords as Am7 and Dm7, so these can
be substituted)

[Am] is it this [Dm]place that [G]makes me fall from [Am]you
forget the words that once rang so true

(Guitar 1 plays rhythm figure 1B twice, Guitar 2 plays tab below)

did we expect that life was ever fair, my god...
i sowed a field of rose and reaped a whipping rod

[Am] [Dm] [G]

|-----------------------|-----|--1--|--3--|
|-----------------------|-----|--3--|--3--|
|-----0h2p0-------------|-----|--2--|--0--|
|------------2p0-----0--|-----|--0--|--0--|
|-----------------3-----|--0--|-----|-----|
|-----------------------|-----|-----|--3--|

[Am] [Dm] [G]

|-----------------------|---------------------|-----1-----|--3--|
|-----------------------|---------------------|--------3--|-(3)-|
|-----0h2p0-------------|--------2p0----------|-----------|--0--|
|------------2p0-----0--|-------------2p0-----|--0--------|--0--|
|-----------------3-----|--0---------------3--|-----------|-----|
|-----------------------|---------------------|-----------|-----|

Chorus: Guitar 1 plays chords, Guitar 2 plays tab

[F]and everything i've held too [G]tight inside

Em (guitar 2 plays the first Em below)
could make a part of me die

[F]and if my lips could only [G]speak the name

Em (guitar 2 plays the second Em)
the dam would break

[F] [G]

|--------------------|-----------------|--3-----------|
|-----------0--------|--------0--------|--3--3--------|
|--------0-----0-----|-----0-----0-----|--0-----0-----|
|-----0-----------0--|--------------0--|--0--------0--|
|--3-----------------|-(3)-------------|--------------|
|--------------------|-----------------|--------------|

Em(first time) Em(second time)

|--0--------------|--|--0--|
|--0--0-----------|--|--0--|
|--0-----0--------|--|--0--|
|--2--------0-----|--|--2--|
|--2-----------2--|--|--2--|
|--0--------------|--|-----|

Guitar 1 plays rhythm figure 1, Guitar 2 plays this:

[Am]

|------------------------|----------------------|
|--0h1--0-----0h1--0-----|--1h3--1-----0--1-----|
|----------0----------0--|----------0--------0--|
|------------------------|----------------------|
|------------------------|----------------------|
|------------------------|----------------------|

Dm G Am(verse)

|--------------------|---------------------------------|--0--|
|--0--1-----0--1-----|-------1-------1---------3--3\1--|--5--|
|--------0--------0--|--0h2-----0h2-----0h2/4----------|-----|
|--------------------|---------------------------------|-----|
|--------------------|---------------------------------|-----|
|--------------------|---------------------------------|-----|

Verse:
what is this ice that gathers 'round my heart
to stop the flood of warmth before it even starts
it would make me blind to what i thought would always be
the only constant in the world for me

Chorus:
and every hour of every day
i need to fight from pulling away
and if my mind could only loose the chain
the dam would break

Bridge: (Guitar 1 plays chords, guitar 2 plays tab below)

[Am]for all the things i hid [G]away[Em]

[Am]and all the words i could not [G]say

[Em]the dam would break

[Am]

|-------0--------0----------0--------0-----|
|--0h1-----1--------1--0h1-----1--------1--|
|-------------2-------------------2--------|
|------------------------------------------|
|------------------------------------------|
|------------------------------------------|

[G] [Em]

|------3--------3----------0--------0-----|
|--/3-----3--------3----------0--------0--|
|------------4--------0h2--------0--------|
|-----------------------------------------|
|-----------------------------------------|
|-----------------------------------------|

Repeat the last part of the chorus until end