Chord transcription by Mikayel Abazyan mikayelabazyan@yahoo.com
Playing tips
On the original recording the main riff (shown in intro) is played by organ,
then guitar joins, and by the time vocal enters organ quits. Same riff is
played during "This is the ending..." sections.
The beauty of the instrumental bridge in the middle, which is also played for
the "Einstein quotation" ("And then he said:...") is a wonderful example of
the brilliance of Van der Graaf Generator. At first fragment may seem strange,
bizarre, out of harmony, but if you go deep down in its contents you will see
that it contains of the full set of 12 semitones of a perfect chord:
c, c#, d, d#, e, f, f#, g, g#, a, a#, and b! Too beautiful to not mention it
separately!
Fmaj7 x x 3 2 1 0
INTRO: g a d a g f e d c b a b d e d D
g a d a g f e d c b a b d e d D
Continuing the story,
g a d a g f e d c b a b d e d D
humanity stumbles -
g a d a g f e d c b a b d e d D
gone is the glory,
g a d a g f e d c b a b d e d
there's a far distant rumble.
C# E F# E F# E F#
C# E F# E F# E F#
The clouds have gathered and exploded now:
C# E F# E F# E F# E F# E F# E F#
axes shattered, there is no North or South.
B B E E C C D D D D B B E E D C+g D Em-D-C-Bm
Far off, the ice is foundering slowly,
the ice is turning to water,
the ice is turning to water.
D Fmaj7
The water rushes over all
C D
cities crash in the mighty wave;
D Fmaj7
the final man is very small,
C D
plunging in for his final bathe.
D F
The water rushes over all
C D
cities crash in the mighty wave;
D Fmaj7
the final man is very small,
C D
plunging in for his final bathe.
g a d a g f e d c b a b d e d D
This is the ending
g a d a g f e d c b a b d e d D
of the beginning,
g a d a g f e d c b a b d e d D
this is the beginning
g a d a g f e d c b a b d e d
o-of the end,
C# E F# E F# E F#
middle of the middle, mid-point, end and start:
C# E F# E F# E F# E F# E F# E F#
the first peak rises, forces the waves apart.
B B E E C C D D D D B B E E D C+g D Em-D-C-Bm
Far off, the ice is now re-forming:
INSTRUMENTAL BRIDGE in D - F - D - F
poles are fixed once more,
water is receding, like death-blood leaving.
D Fmaj7 C D
And when the water falls again, all is dead and nobody lives.
D Fmaj7 C D
And when the water falls again, all is dead and nobody lives.
D F C D
And when the water falls again, all is dead and no - body lives.
D Fmaj7 C D
And when the water falls again, all is dead and nobody lives.
g g# a# d c f c# e d# b f# a - this riff is repeated several times, then improvised, finally fades out...
D C D C etc.
And then he said:
D C
'Every step appears to be
D C
the unavoidable consequence of the preceding one,
D C
and in the end there beckons more and more clearly
D g g# a# d c f c# e d# b f# a g g# a# d c f c# e d# b f# a
total annihila-tio - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - on'
g a d a g f e d c b a b d e d D
This is the ending
g a d a g f e d c b a b d e d D
of the beginning,
g a d a g f e d c b a b d e d D
this is the beginning
g a d a g f e d c b a b d e d
o-of the end,
D Fmaj7 C D
And when the water falls again, all is dead and nobody lives.
D Fmaj7 C D
And when the water falls again, all is dead and nobody lives.
D F C D
And when the water falls again, all is dead and no - body lives.
D Fmaj7 C D
And when the water falls again, all is dead and nobody lives.
Fades out to the omnious Coda.