Back On The Chain Gang - The Pretenders

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From: norlin@essex.ecn.uoknor.edu (Norman Lin)
Subject: REQ: Pretenders' "Back on the chain gang"

[Riff]

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From: julius@alumni.caltech.edu (julius yang)

Well I finally sat down with the Singles CD and bashed this out.  I can
play the riff at the beginning, but now that I don't have my guitar
in hand I forget it.  Agh.  I can't understand two places where Chrissy
is singing either--'crescending' and 'baggle' aren't words that I know
of, but that sounds like what she's saying.  Corrections appreciated.

Back on the Chain Gang - The Pretenders

opening strum:        

Riff x2

            
I found a pict

             
ure of you   o

 
h
What hijacked my world that night
To a place in the past we've been cast out of  oh
Now we're back in the fight

            
We're back on 

    
the train (ooh

, ah)
Ohh
             
    Back on th

                    
e chain gang

The circumstance beyond our control oh
The fool on TV and the news of the world
Got in the house like a pigeon from hell, oh
Threw sand in our eyes and descended like flies

Put us back on the train, yeah
Oh
Back on the chain gang

   

Riff x2

Bridge:
     
The powers tha

 
t be
That force us to live like we do
Bring me to my knees
When I see what they've done to you

chord comping

I'll die as I stand here today
Knowing that deep in my heart
             
They'll fall t

           
o ruin one day
             
For making us 


part-----

            
I found a pict

           
ure of you, oh
Those were the happiest days of my life
Like a break in the battle was your part, oh
In the wretched life of a lonely heart

           
Now we're back

        
 on the train
Ohh
             
  Back on the 


chain gang

     
--



From: Harlan L Thompson 

BACK ON THE CHAIN GANG - The Pretenders

      (rpt over riff)

            
I found a pict

           
ure of you   o

  
h
             
What hijacked 

             
my world that 

     
night
             
To a place in 

             
the past we've

           
 been cast out

     
 of  oh
            
  Now we're ba

           
ck in the figh

   
t

            
We're back on 

           
the train hey
           
Aaaah, back on

             
 the chain gan

     
g

Circumstance beyond our control oh
The phone, the TV, and the news of the world
Got in the house like a pigeon from hell, oh
Threw sand our eyes and descended like flies

Put us back on the train, yeah
Aaaaah, back on the chain gang

       

BRIDGE:
          
The powers tha

          
t be that forc

              
e us to live l

       
ike we do
            
Bring me to my

            
 knees when I 

            
see what they'

               
ve done to you
          
Well I'll die 

              
as I stand her

          
e today, knowi

              
ng that deep i

      
n my heart
            
They'll fall t

           
o ruin one day
            
For making us 

          
part-----

            
I found a pict

             
ure of you, oh
             
Those were the

             
 happiest days

           
 of my life
             
Like a break i

             
n the battle w

            
as your part, 

 
oh
             
In the wretche

             
d life of a lo

           
nely heart
             
Now we're back

             
 on the train,

    
 hey
          
Aaaah, back on

      
 the chain gan

g

    (rpt and fade)


Em7:     0 2 2 0 3 0     Gmaj7/B: 3 2 4 0 0 2
Amaj7/B: x 0 6 6 5 4     A/B:     x 7 7 6 5 5


NOTE:  If you find Gmaj/B too hard to finger, try Bm in its place.  Not
as accurate, but a hell of a lot easier.
(from Learning to Crawl, 1983)
(sent by Harlan at harlant@hawaii.edu)


From: schn0170@maroon.tc.umn.edu (Adam Schneider)
Subject: CRD: "Back on the Chain Gang" (The Pretenders)

There are about three versions of this already in the archive, but none of
them is quite right.  This one's a little better; someone sent it to me last
fall, and I recently cleaned it up because I wanted to play it.

Unfortunately, this might still have mistakes; I can't check because I don't
have the album.  I'll have to see if I can get them to play it on the radio...

Adam

BACK ON THE CHAIN GANG (The Pretenders)
---------------------------------------
[All the work on this song was done by nlin@alliant.backbone.uoknor.edu
 (Norman Lin); I just cleaned it up a little for my own use.]

          
[intro; slow s

            
trum]  [hard s

    
trum]
          
[with lead gui

                
tar]

            
  I found a pi

             
cture of you, 

         -  
      ohh oh-o

  
h ohh ohhh
            
  Oh, what hij

              
acked my world

                -  
 that night?
             
  To a place i

             
n the past we'

             
ve been cast o

            
ut of,   ohh o

-    
h-oh ohh ohhh
            
Oh,    now we'

              
re back in the

          -  
 fight

            
   We're back 

             
on the train, 

      -     -  -  - 
yeah
           
Oh,  oh, back 

             
on the chain g

             
ang

Circumstance beyond our control, ohh oh-oh ohh ohhh
Oh, the phone, the TV, and the news of the world
Got in our house like a pigeon from hell (??), ohh oh-oh ohh ohhh
Oh, threw sand in our eyes, and descended like flies

            
   Put us back

             
 on the train,

       -     -  -  - 
 yeah
         
Ohhh, ohhhhh

 -     

 -  -  

- 
             
Back on the ch

              
ain gang

          
[guitar solo, 

            
same as second

     [ 
 part of intro


]


           
  The powers t

            
hat be   that 

             
force us to li

          (
ve like we do
           
(..do)    Brin

              
g me to my kne

        
es when I see 

what they've d

one to you
Dm*  AaddF*   Dm*  AaddF*
[no vocals]


           
  And will I d

              
ie as I stand 

           
here today,  k

              
nowing that de

         (
ep in my heart
           
(..heart)   Th

              
ey'll fall to 

            
ruin one day, 

    
for making us 

part

           
[no vocals]

  - 

            
  I found a pi

             
cture of you, 

         - 
      ohh oh-o

  
h ohh ohhh
             
  Oh, those we

             
re the happies

             
t days of my l

         -  
ife
             
  Like a break

             
 in the battle

             
 was your part

       -   
,   ohh oh-oh 


ohh ohhh
             
Oh, in the wre

             
tched life of 

                  -  
a lonely heart

           
   Now we're b

             
ack on the tra

          -     -  -  - 
in, yeah
          
Oh,   oh, back

             
 on the chain 

              
gang
           
Chain gang    

  [repeat and 

fade]


Funny chords:
*: 022003
*: 244225
  - 
AaddF*: x02220

 - 
 - x02221 - x0


2220


Intro & Solo:
              
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ll off, b=bend

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, ~=vibrato)


For the ending
             
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rpeggiate as f
     
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ollows:
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