PIPELINE/KILL TIME by Sonic Youth Tab by Chris Lawrence (silvercircle@shaw.ca) special thanx to madsun! TUNINGS ------- Thurston: F#F#F#F#EB Lee: F#F#F#F#EB LAYOUT A - B - A - C - D The album version doesn't entirely match the live version, to my ears. I can imagine why Lee simplified his part to sing it live, but I still hear minor differences in the basic chord shapes. It's probably in my head, though. Thurston and Lee basically play the same parts throughout the live version, except during the 2nd verse when Thurston sticks to what he does on the record. INTRO 00:00-00:04 Thurston starts with: B------- E------- F#--0--- F#--0--- F#--0--- F#--0--- Lee plays: B---10------- E------------ F#------10--- w/ wah F#----------- F#----------- F#----------- A SECTION 00:04-00:29 On the album, each guitarist has a slightly different part, but they both seemed to play the same thing (during the first verse) on live versions: B--------------- E--------------- basically, slide up to the 19th fret and trem pick furiously, F#---\19---/0--- then slide back to the open strings F#---------/0--- F#---\19---/0--- x 4 F#-----/---/0--- B----/---- E----/---- then keep trem picking the same chord, but slowly bend the strings F#--19br-- up and back down (more emphasis on the lower octave) F#-------- F#--19br-- x 4 F#---0---- This is basically what they're doing on the album, but I always thought it sounded more like they were picking the middle F# strings and not the octave chord. Either way, it's basically trem picking the 19th fret and sliding back. On the record, it sounds like Thurston plays: BEND STRINGS UP AND BACK DOWN B----------------------------------------------------- E----------------------------------------------------- furious trem picking F#---19-19-19-19-19-19-19-19-19-19-19-19-19-19-------- F#---19-19-19-19-19-19-19-19-19-19-19-19-19-19-------- keep picking while F#---------------------------------------------19\\\-- sliding down fretboard... F#---------------------------------------------------- sometimes he stretches up to the 22nd fret ("I think you know the place we should meet") B--------------------------------------- E--------------------------------------- F#---19-19-19-19-19-19-19-19-19-19-22/-- F#---19-19-19-19-19-19-19-19-19-19-22/-- F#-------------------------------------- F#-------------------------------------- "run me out a thin wire": B------------------------------------------- E------------------------------------------- F#------------------------------------------ bend strings up slowly F#------------------------------------------ and return, trem picking F#--19-19-19-19-19-19-19-19-19-19-19-19-19-- rapidly...... F#---0--0--0--0--0--0--0--0--0--0--0--0--0-- On the record, Lee plays: B--------- E----21b-- keep bending up and down F#---19--- F#---19--- rapidly pick w/ wah F#-------- F#-------- he doesn't slide back to the open strings "run me out a thin wire": B------- E---9b-- keep bending up and down F#--7--- F#--7--- rapidly pick... F#------ F#------ B SECTION 00:29-01:04 Thurston and Lee play this on the live versions: B-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- E-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- F#--15-15-15--15-15-15-15\17-17-17--17-17-17-19-19-19-19-19-19-19--17-17-17-17--- F#------------------------------------------------------------------------------- F#--15-15-15--15-15-15-15\17-17-17--17-17-17-19-19-19-19-19-19-19--17-17-17-17--- F#------------------------------------------------------------------------------- B-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- E----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------/--- F#--15-15-15--15-15-15-15\17-17-17--17-17-17-19-19-19-19-19-19-19-20-20-20-20--20-20-20-22--- F#------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- F#--15-15-15--15-15-15-15\17-17-17--17-17-17-19-19-19-19-19-19-19-20-20-20-20--20-20-20-22--- F#---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------/--- Hold last chord @ 22nd fret, bend up and pick furiously For the chord part, on live versions they both appear to go from the 3rd to 8th fret, but I swear I hear other notes in there on the record... B---3---3---3---3---8---8---8---8----/--- E---3---3---3---3---8---8---8---8----/--- F#--3---3---3---3---8---8---8---8---19--- hold last chord and trem pick while bending F#--3---3---3---3---8---8---8---8-------- F#--3---3---3---3---8---8---8---8---19--- F#--3---3---3---3---8---8---8---8----/--- I wonder if maybe Thurston only plays the higher strings? B---3-- and --8-- E---3-- --8-- F#--0-- --0-- F#--0-- --0-- F#----- ----- F#----- ----- This was my old tab for it if you'd like a different approach. I don't really hear the higher octave on the album version. B------------------------------------------------------ E------------------------------------------------------ F#--3-3-3--3-3-3-3\5-5-5--5-5-5-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-5-5-5-5-- F#--3-3-3--3-3-3-3\5-5-5--5-5-5-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-5-5-5-5-- F#----------------------------------------------------- F#----------------------------------------------------- bend...... B---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- E------------------------------------------------------------12-12-12-12-12-12-12-- F#--3-3-3--3-3-3-3\5-5-5--5-5-5-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-8-8-8-8--8-8-8-11-11-11-11-11-11-11-- F#--3-3-3--3-3-3-3\5-5-5--5-5-5-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-8-8-8-8--8-8-8-10-10-10-10-10-10-10-- F#--------------------------------------------------------------------------------- F#--------------------------------------------------------------------------------- B--------------------------------------keep trem picking while bending string up E----5---5---5---5---3---3---3---3--9b------------------------------ F#---3---3---3---3---1---1---1---1--7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7--- F#---3---3---3---3---0---0---0---0--7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7--- F#-------------------0---0---0---0---------------------------------- F#-------------------0---0---0---0---------------------------------- A SECTION 01:04-01:28 Thurston starts with: B------- E---9b-- keep bending string up and down F#--7--- trem pick furiously... F#--7--- F#------ this is probably played at the 19th fret F#------ but I like the dissonance you can get with the triple unison "he was mistaken for sane": B---------------------------------------------------------------------- E---------------------------------------------------------------------- trem pick F#--12-12-12-12-12-12-12-12-12-12-19-19-19-19-19-19-19-19-19-19-19-19-- F#--12-12-12-12-12-12-12-12-12-12-19-19-19-19-19-19-19-19-19-19-19-19-- F#--------------------------------------------------------------------- F#--------------------------------------------------------------------- "we move and groove and cut loose from fear": B--------------------- E--------------------- F#---7------12----19-- trem pick (same pattern as "mistaken for sane") F#---7------12----19-- F#---/-------/-----/-- F#---/-------/-----/-- He does play these notes on the live versions, too. On the record, Lee plays this cool riff, but on live versions he just repeated the same part he plays in the first verse. "i'm not moving doesn't mean i can't flame on in my head" B----------------------------------------------------------------------- E----------------------------------------------------------------------- F#---20-17-19-17-20-17-19---------20-17-19-17-20-17-19---15-12--15-12--- F#---20-17-19-17-20-17-19---------20-17-19-17-20-17-19---15-12--15-12--- F#---------------------------------------------------------------------- F#---------------------------------------------------------------------- "my best friend sucked his wife's blood and shriveled up, he was mistaken for sane" B--------------------------------------------------------------------------------- E--------------------------------------------------------------------------------- F#---20-17-19-17-20-17-19---15-12--15-12----20-17-19-17-20-17-19---15-12--15-12--- F#---20-17-19-17-20-17-19---15-12--15-12----20-17-19-17-20-17-19---15-12--15-12--- F#-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- F#-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- "we move and groove and cut loose from fear, we should kill time we'll shut it down" B------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- E------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- F#---20-17-19-17-20-17-19---19-19--17-17-17-19-17-----20-17-19-17-20-17-19---15-12--15-12--- F#---20-17-19-17-20-17-19---19-19--17-17-17-19-17-----20-17-19-17-20-17-19---15-12--15-12--- F#------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ F#------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ "i've got a pipeline straight to the heart of you opening in my head" B---------------------------------------------------------------------------- E---------------------------------------------------------------------------- F#---20-17-19-17-20-17-19---19-19------20-17-19-17-20-17-19---12-12--15-12--- F#---20-17-19-17-20-17-19---19-19------20-17-19-17-20-17-19---12-12--15-12--- F#--------------------------------------------------------------------------- F#--------------------------------------------------------------------------- C SECTION 01:29-02:13 Thurston starts with this riff: B---2--2-2-2-0--0-0-0-2--2-2-2-0--0-0-0--- ---2--- E---2--2-2-2-0--0-0-0-2--2-2-2-0--0-0-0--- then just ---2--- F#--0--0-0-0-0--0-0-0-0--0-0-0-0--0-0-0--- ---0--- F#--0--0-0-0-0--0-0-0-0--0-0-0-0--0-0-0--- ---0--- F#---------------------------------------- ------- F#---------------------------------------- ------- When Lee sings "endless revolt" it sounds like Thurston switches to: B----------- E----------- F#---2--0--- F#---2--0--- x 4 F#---2--0--- F#---2--0--- Then: B---------------------- E---------------------- F#---2---4-----2---3--- x 2 F#---2---4-----2---3--- F#---2---0-----2---0--- F#---2---0-----2---0--- Then: B----------- E----------- F#---2--0--- F#---2--0--- x 5 F#---2--0--- F#---2--0--- Lee keeps strumming at the same chord: B------- E------- on live versions this is where he starts w/ the wah F#--19-- F#------ F#--19-- F#---0-- At "endless revolt" he switches to: B----0---3--- E----0---3--- F#---0---0--- which he repeats until the end of this section F#---2---0--- F#---2---0--- F#---2---0--- D SECTION 02:13-04:33 Thurston starts slowly strumming: B---2--2-2-2-0--0-0-0-2--2-2-2-0--0-0-0--- E---2--2-2-2-0--0-0-0-2--2-2-2-0--0-0-0--- F#--2--2-2-2-0--0-0-0-2--2-2-2-0--0-0-0--- F#--0--0-0-0-0--0-0-0-0--0-0-0-0--0-0-0--- F#---------------------------------------- F#---------------------------------------- I think that's about all he does, though on live versions he did seem to go up and octave if he felt like it: B----14--14-14-14-12--12-12-12--- E----14--14-14-14-12--12-12-12--- F#---14--14-14-14-12--12-12-12--- F#---12--12-12-12-12--12-12-12--- F#---(0)------------------------- F#---(0)------------------------- Lee starts with this chord: B---0--- E---0--- F#--2--- F#--2--- F#--2--- F#--2--- Then I think he switches to: B---2-2-2-2-0--0-0-0--- E---2-2-2-2-0--0-0-0--- repeat F#--2-2-2-2-2--2-2-2--- F#--2-2-2-2-2--2-2-2--- use your thumb for the F# strings F#--2-2-2-2-2--2-2-2--- F#--2-2-2-2-2--2-2-2--- Around 2:25, an overdubbed Lee guitar enters with feedback, it sounds like he's using his "watery" effect (I believe some sort of Ibanez 9 series pedal) possibly in conjunction with his wah for really trebly, wobbly sound. At the same time, the Moog noise enters lightly in the right speaker, but Lee's noise guitar is loudly dominant. Around 2:37, the mix starts to change, with Lee's main rhythm guitar moving from the left side to more of the right/center, with the Moog coming from the right and going to the left. The Moog keeps moving throughout the outro. Around 2:45, Lee's lead/noise guitar starts picking at the 19th fret of the middle F#s, bending away then moving down an octave. On live versions, he would start this section with the open F# strings (or 000022 chord) rather than the 222200 chord, turn on his watery pedal, and just let feedback ring. He did usually play this specific little riff: B----16--------16----14---- E--------17-------17------- F#------------------------- F#------------------------- F#------------------------- F#------------------------- It doesn't help that Kim's bass sounds like a guitar in this section (and on much of Sister!). By 3:30, it's not clear who's doing what, but nothing is really critical to work out. Just kill time! Last updated: 10/14/22 ------------------------------------------------ THE SONIC YOUTH GUITAR/BASS TABLATURE ARCHIVE: http://www.sonicyouth.com/mustang/tab/index.html ------------------------------------------------