Chord/Tab song: Why I Like the Robins

Subject: h/hum/why_i_like_the_robins.tab
Date: Fri, 08 May 1998 20:35:52 GMT

Artist: Hum
Album: You'd Prefer An Astronaut
Song: Why I Like the Robins

Transcribed by Jeremy Styron

Dropped D Tuning

Main riff:

Guitar 1:

||A chorus effect is used||
||throughout this whole riff||

B |---------------------------------|
G |-------------0---0---0---0---0---|
D |-------------4---4---4---4---4---|
A |-5--5-5-5-5--0---0---0---0---0---|
D |-0--0-0-0-0-(0)-(0)-(0)-(0)-(0)--|
B |---0----0---0---0---0---0--------|
G |---6----6---6---6---6---6---0-0--|
D |--(0)--(0)-(0)-(0)-(0)-(0)--4-4--|
A |----------------------------0-0--|

Guitar 2 ( riff 1):

A |--5-5-5-5--|
D |--0-0-0-0--|

[this part is probably both guitar 2 and bass at
one point or another, but this is the part that's there]

[Play this through the 1st verse:]
This distance outside of you (I find in you) [maybe]
comes into focus, collapses away lovingly
and hands to the glass and eyes to the sky
moves to the south, she waits to see
She's looking for birds she met last fall
said they would come back different than all
She's waiting for six who know about sound
if we promise to come back upside down
[Here, some soaring sound effects come in that
I personally like a lot]

[The next section of the verses brings in a
different guitar 2 part...keep playing the main riff
along with this part...]

Guitar 2 (riff 2):

E |------5-------------------------------------------|
B |------2--2--2-2-2-2-------------------------------|
G |------2--2--2-2-2-2-------6----6---6---6---6---6--|
D |----4-----------4-4---4--(0)--(0)-(0)-(0)-(0)-(0)-|
A |--5-----------------5-----------------------------|
D |-(0)----------------------------------------------|

And i like your raindrop collector
splash in my eyes and makes everything else
look like you
So hand me the glasses and teach me to use
them, show me the window
i wanna look too

[Next part....Distortion]

Guitar 1 (riff 2):

E |--0--0-0--0--0-0--0--0-0--0--0-0--|
B |--3--3-3--3--3-3--3--3-3--3--3-3--|
G |--2--2-2--2--2-2--2--2-2--2--2-2--|
D |--0--0-0--0--0-0--0--0-0--0--0-0--|
A |--0--0-0--0--0-0--0--0-0--0--0-0--|
D |--0--0-0--0--0-0--0--0-0--0--0-0--|

E |--0--0-0--0--0-0--0--0-0--0--0-0--|
B |--5--5-5--5--5-5--9--9-9--9--9-9--|
G |--4--4-4--4--4-4--6--6-6--6--6-6--|
D |--0--0-0--0--0-0--0--0-0--0--0-0--|
A |--0--0-0--0--0-0--0--0-0--0--0-0--|
D |--0--0-0--0--0-0--0--0-0--0--0-0--|

[Guitars 1 and 2 play this riff 4 times]
and on the 3rd time...guitar 2 breaks off
and plays this at the part on riff 2 with
the asterick above it...]

E |--5------------------------------------|
B |--5------------------------------------|
G |--6---(bring this note out the most)---|
D |--5------------------------------------|
A |--5------------------------------------|
D |--5------------------------------------|

||strum this very furiously,||
||kinda syncopated||

E |----9----------------------------------|
B |----9----------------------------------|
G |----X-(about 12 times)----------------|
D |---11----------------------------------|
A |----0----------------------------------|

||strum the same way as mentioned||

[Here, play the main riff with these lyrics:]
I'll take the glasses and cover for you
You get some sleep and i'll stay til two
I'm looking for six who know about sound
who promised to come back upside

[Next, while guitar 1 plays riff 2, play guitar 2
plays this 4 times
Guitar 2 (Riff 3):

A |--0--0-0-0-0--2--2-2-2-2--2--2-2-2-2--0-0--|
D |--0--0-0-0-0--0--0-0-0-0--0--0-0-0-0--0-0--|

[repeat guitar 1 riff 2 twice then...]
Guitar 1 (Riff 3):

G |-------------------------------------6-6-6--|
D |--------------------------------------------|
A |--------------------------------------------|
D |--0--0-0-0-0--4--4-4-4-4--7--7-7-7-7--------|

[this riff and other lead fills are played during
the last portion of the lyrics...]

She's got colors to spare and i don't care
what they choose
and i've got nothing to do and nothing like
you left to lose (repeat this verse 3 times
and fade while the music overpowers the
singing)

[repeat the guitar parts above until the end
and fade with the closing drumbeat]
the end of the song)