Down On The Border by (The) Little River Band
Tabbed by David Guy [email protected]
A5 A7n3A7(no3rd) Am(elec) Am(acou) Am7 D5 E A B
|e----x---------x------------x--------x---------x--------x-------0-------0------2|
|B----x---------x------------x--------1---------1--------2-------0-------0------2|
|G----2---------0------------5--------2---------0--------3-------1-------2------4|
|D----2---------2------------2--------2---------2--------0-------1-------2------4|
|A----0---------0------------0--------x---------x--------x-------2-------2------4|
|E----x---------x------------x--------x---------x--------x-------0-------0------2|
This took me some while to work out, because I think they use shortened chords which
give a very different sound to their equivalent full ones. This is the closest I could get,
though I?m happy to have input from anyone who suggests better fits!
If playing an acoustic guitar, which I?d recommend plucking just the 3 notes mentioned
by playing the bottom string with thumb and the two above it with 1st and 2nd finger,
except in the chorus where the straight E,A,B should be strummed.
If playing on electric guitar, you can do a type of power chord ?boogie-woogie? going
from A5 to A7n3 to Am using just the G and D strings ? which I think is what the lead
guitarist does in live version.
If you just want to strum as a full chord, you could try substituting A for A5, A7 or
Am7 for A7n3 and D or better still DSus2 (open top e string) for D5, but you?ll hear it
really doesn?t sound quite the same.
A7(no3rd) is not a text-book chord, it?s one I?ve made up. For those interested in the
technicality it has no name as it only features a Root, 5 and 7th, assuming the bass
note is the root). It could equally be an Am7th (no 3rd), since it?s impossible to tell
whether it?s minor or major without knowing if the 3rd is flatted (minor) or not. End of
music theory lesson ;-). On with the music....
Intro Plucked on acoustic, arpeggios (with slightly different bass etc) on electric
[A5/A7n3/A5/Am/Am/A5]
[A5/A7n3/A5/Am/Am/A5]
[A5]I just got back from the bor[A7n3]der[A5]
And [Am7]what I s[A5]aw made me k[D5]now for [A5]sure
We're out of [A7n3]order[A5]
[A5]I had a dream about New[A7n3] Orlea[A5]ns
At J[Am7]ackson S[A5]quare I h[D5]eard their [A5]prayer
Down in [A7n3]New Or[A5]leans
[E]On the run, there's a life for livin'
But the [A]people there, they [B]just don't care
[A5]Livin' their life like a mil[A7n3]lionai[A5]re
Down on the [A7n3]borde[A5]r
[A5]You never see me in old[A7n3] Iran[A5]
The [Am7]women [A5]there don't [D5]know who[A5] I am
In o[A7n3]ld Ira[A5]n
[A5]And I never will go to Sin[A7n3]gapore[A5]
The [Am7]people [A5]there will [D5]cut your h[A5]air
In [A7n3]Singap[A5]ore
[E]On their streets there's a life of plenty
Oh but they'll [A]never know about the f[B]reedom show
[A5]They?re livin' in darkness year[A7n3]s ago[A5]
Down on the [A7n3]border[A5]
Solo
[A5]They built a wall at the [A7n3]border[A5]
Not to [Am7]keep us o[A5]ut, but to l[D5]eave n[A5]o doubt
They're out of [A7n3]order[A5], hey
[E]And all the people who are trapped within
Serve to s[A]how just how [B]far we'll go
And how [A7n3]dumb we've [A5]been
[A5]At the top life looks so[A7n3] easy[A5]
But they'll [Am7]never k[A5]now what they'll [D5]never k[A5]now
They're much[Am7] too bu[A5]sy countin' [D5]all their [A5]dough
From the [Am7n3]border[A5]
Tabbed by David Guy [email protected]
A5 A7n3A7(no3rd) Am(elec) Am(acou) Am7 D5 E A B
|e----x---------x------------x--------x---------x--------x-------0-------0------2|
|B----x---------x------------x--------1---------1--------2-------0-------0------2|
|G----2---------0------------5--------2---------0--------3-------1-------2------4|
|D----2---------2------------2--------2---------2--------0-------1-------2------4|
|A----0---------0------------0--------x---------x--------x-------2-------2------4|
|E----x---------x------------x--------x---------x--------x-------0-------0------2|
This took me some while to work out, because I think they use shortened chords which
give a very different sound to their equivalent full ones. This is the closest I could get,
though I?m happy to have input from anyone who suggests better fits!
If playing an acoustic guitar, which I?d recommend plucking just the 3 notes mentioned
by playing the bottom string with thumb and the two above it with 1st and 2nd finger,
except in the chorus where the straight E,A,B should be strummed.
If playing on electric guitar, you can do a type of power chord ?boogie-woogie? going
from A5 to A7n3 to Am using just the G and D strings ? which I think is what the lead
guitarist does in live version.
If you just want to strum as a full chord, you could try substituting A for A5, A7 or
Am7 for A7n3 and D or better still DSus2 (open top e string) for D5, but you?ll hear it
really doesn?t sound quite the same.
A7(no3rd) is not a text-book chord, it?s one I?ve made up. For those interested in the
technicality it has no name as it only features a Root, 5 and 7th, assuming the bass
note is the root). It could equally be an Am7th (no 3rd), since it?s impossible to tell
whether it?s minor or major without knowing if the 3rd is flatted (minor) or not. End of
music theory lesson ;-). On with the music....
Intro Plucked on acoustic, arpeggios (with slightly different bass etc) on electric
[A5/A7n3/A5/Am/Am/A5]
[A5/A7n3/A5/Am/Am/A5]
[A5]I just got back from the bor[A7n3]der[A5]
And [Am7]what I s[A5]aw made me k[D5]now for [A5]sure
We're out of [A7n3]order[A5]
[A5]I had a dream about New[A7n3] Orlea[A5]ns
At J[Am7]ackson S[A5]quare I h[D5]eard their [A5]prayer
Down in [A7n3]New Or[A5]leans
[E]On the run, there's a life for livin'
But the [A]people there, they [B]just don't care
[A5]Livin' their life like a mil[A7n3]lionai[A5]re
Down on the [A7n3]borde[A5]r
[A5]You never see me in old[A7n3] Iran[A5]
The [Am7]women [A5]there don't [D5]know who[A5] I am
In o[A7n3]ld Ira[A5]n
[A5]And I never will go to Sin[A7n3]gapore[A5]
The [Am7]people [A5]there will [D5]cut your h[A5]air
In [A7n3]Singap[A5]ore
[E]On their streets there's a life of plenty
Oh but they'll [A]never know about the f[B]reedom show
[A5]They?re livin' in darkness year[A7n3]s ago[A5]
Down on the [A7n3]border[A5]
Solo
[A5]They built a wall at the [A7n3]border[A5]
Not to [Am7]keep us o[A5]ut, but to l[D5]eave n[A5]o doubt
They're out of [A7n3]order[A5], hey
[E]And all the people who are trapped within
Serve to s[A]how just how [B]far we'll go
And how [A7n3]dumb we've [A5]been
[A5]At the top life looks so[A7n3] easy[A5]
But they'll [Am7]never k[A5]now what they'll [D5]never k[A5]now
They're much[Am7] too bu[A5]sy countin' [D5]all their [A5]dough
From the [Am7n3]border[A5]
