Eric Clapton

Song : River of Tears
Album : Pilgrim
Artist : Eric Clapton (/Simon Climie)
Author : Al Watson
Bound to become a classic - I have seen a fairly accurate transcription of
this and have a fairly good interpretation myself. This is my first transcription
so I have just invented the Tab as I went along.
There is quite a lot of arpeggioed rhythm guitar which is repeated so
please excuse me for not writing it out each time.
There were I suspect at least 3 guitar tracks on the original:
1 - Main Rhythm (arpeggioed chords)
2 - Lead / Rhythm
3 - Slide
I have not transcribed the slide part yet but could try - this is because
of the difficulty of getting accurate intonation and the difference between
players have the slide on the neck to acheive a certain note.
As usual you will need to listen to the track for all the timings.
Guitar 1 - Intro / PART A
Played Twice
C F
E----------0--------I---------0-------I--------1--------I-------1----------|I
B--------1-------1--I------1------1---I-----1-------1---I-----1-----1-3----|I
G------0-------0----I----0------0-----I---2-------2-----I---2--------------|I
D-------------------I-----------------I-----------------I------------------|I
A---3---------------I-3---------------I-----------------I------------------|I
E-------------------I-----------------I-1---------------I-1----------------|I
Dm7 G7sus4
E----------1--------I--------1--------I--------1--------I-------1----------|II
B--------1----1-3---I------1----1-3---I------3----1-3---I-----3----1-3-----|II
G------2------------I----2------------I----0------------I---0--------------|II
D---0---------------I-0---------------I-----------------I------------------|II
A-------------------I-----------------I-3---------------I-3----------------|II
E-------------------I-----------------I-----------------I------------------|II
Guitar 1 - PART B
Am D7
E----------0--------I--------0--------I--------5--------I--------5---------|I
B--------1------1---I------1------1---I------3------3---I------3------3----|I
G------2------2-----I----2------2-----I----5------5-----I----5------5------|I
D-------------------I-----------------I-0---------------I-0----------------|I
A---0---------------I-0---------------I-----------------I------------------|I
E-------------------I-----------------I-----------------I------------------|I
Gsus4 G F
E----------3--------I--------3--------I--------1--------I--------1---------|I
B--------3------3---I------3------3---I------1------1---I------1------1----|I
G------5------5-----I----4------4-----I----2------2-----I----2------2------|I
D-------------------I-----------------I-----------------I------------------|I
A-------------------I-----------------I-----------------I------------------|I
E---3---------------I-3---------------I-1---------------I-1----------------|I
E----------1--------I--------1---------|I
B--------1------1---I------1------1----|I
G------2------2-----I----2------2------|I
D-------------------I------------------|I
A-------------------I------------------|I
E---1---------------I-1----------------|I
It is Played
Part A
Part A / Part C
Part B / Part D
Part A / Verse 1 (Start of Part E)
Part B / Part E
Part A / Chorus / Part E cont. (Start Part F)
Part A / Part F (Parts A & C together)
Part A / Verse 2
Part B / Part E
Part A / Chorus
Part A / Part F
Part B / Part E (Start of End on last F) / Two bars of chorus
End (Two bars of C)
Guitar 2 - PART C
G7sus4 C F
E-------------------I-----------------I-----------------I------------------|I
B-------6~~~~~~~~5--I--5~~~~~~~-------I-----------------I------------------|I
G-------------------I-----------------I--------------7--I--p5--------------|I
D---5---------------I-----------------I-----------------I------------------|I
A-------------------I-----------------I-------5/7-------I------------------|I
E-------------------I-----------------I-----------------I------------------|I
Dm7 G7sus4
E-------------------I-----------------I-----------------I------------------|I
B-------8--------6--I--6~~~~~~~-------I---5h6-5---------I------------------|I
G-------------------I-----------------I----------7--p5--I--7~~~~~~---------|I
D---7---------------I-----------------I-----------------I------------------|I
A-------------------I-----------------I-----------------I------------------|I
E-------------------I-----------------I-----------------I------------------|I
C F
E-------------------I-----------------I-----------------I------------------|I
B-------8--p5~~-----I-----------------I-----------------I------------------|I
G----------------7--I-7(9)r7--p5~~~---I-------------7---I--p5~~~~----------|I
D---5---------------I-----------------I-----------------I------------------|I
A-------------------I-----------------I-----5/7---------I------------------|I
E-------------------I-----------------I-----------------I------------------|I
Dm7 G7sus4
E-------------------I-----------------I-----------------I------------------|I
B-----5h6~~~~---5---I-5h6p5-----------I--5h6--5~~~------I------------------|I
G-------------------I-------7~~~~~~---I------------7p5--I--7~~~~~~---------|I
D---7---------------I-----------------I-----------------I------------------|I
A-------------------I-----------------I-----------------I------------------|I
E-------------------I-----------------I-----------------I------------------|I
E--------------------|I
B--------------------|I
G--------------------|I
D--------------------|I
A--------5----5------|I
E--------------------|I
PART D
Am D7
E-------------------I-----------------I-----------------I------------------|I
B-------------------I-----------------I-----------------I-------------8----|I
G------5~~~~~-------I---4/5 7/97-----I-----------------I------7h9~~~------|I
D--5h7--------------I-----------------I--4------7-------I--7---------------|I
A-------------------I-----------------I-----------------I------------------|I
E-------------------I-----------------I-----------------I------------------|I
Gsus4 G F
E-------------------I-----------------I-----------------I------------------|I
B-------------------I-----------------I-----------------I------------------|I
G-97~~~~-----------I-----------------I-----5~~~--7-----I--5---------------|I
D-------------------I------------5--5-I-5h7---------7---I-------------5----|I
A-------------------I-----------------I-----------------I------------------|I
E-------------------I-----------------I-----------------I------------------|I
E-------------------I------------------|I
B-------------------I------------------|I
G------5~~~~----7---I--5~~~~~~--------|I
D-5h7-------------7-I------------------|I
A-------------------I------------------|I
E-------------------I------------------|I
PART E
G7 Am D7
E-------------------I-----------------I-----------------I------------------|I
B------3/5--3---1--I-----------------I-----------------I------------------|I
G-------------------I--2--------------I-------2/4---5---I-2----------------|I
D------3/5--3------I-----------------I-----------------I------------------|I
A-------------------I--3--------------I-----3-3/5---7---I-3----------------|I
E-------------------I-----------------I-----------------I------------------|I
Gsus4 G F
E-------------------I-----------------I-----------------I------------------|I
B-------------------I-----------------I-----------------I------------------|I
G---2/4--5----------I---4-------------I-----------0-----I--2----------5---|I
D-------------------I-----------------I-----------------I------------------|I
A---3/5--7----------I---5-------------I-----------2-----I--3--------7-7---|I
E-------------------I-----------------I-----------------I------------------|I
{C *only played 1st chorus*
E-------------------I-----------------I-----------------{------------------|I
B-------------------I-----------------I-----------------{--3/5------6------|I
G--2-----------0----I---2--------5---I-2--------------{------------------|I
D-------------------I-----------------I-----------------{--3/5------7------|I
A--3---------2------I---3-----7--7---I-3--------------{------------------|I
E-------------------I-----------------I-----------------{------------------|I
F Dm7
E-------------------I-----------------I-----------------I------------------|I
B----53-p1---------I-------6---5-----I--1-------------I-------5/6---8----|I
G-------------------I-----------------I-----------------I------------------|I
D----53-p2---------I--5/7--7---5-----I--2-------------I-------5/7--------|I
A-------------------I-----------------I-----------------I------------------|I
E-------------------I-----------------I-----------------I------------------|I
G7sus4
E-------------------I-----------------}
B----65-p3---------I------6--5-------}
G-------------------I-----------------} Straight onto Part F
D----75-p3---------I--5/7----5-------}
A-------------------I-----------------}
E-------------------I-----------------}
PART F
G7 C F
E-------------------I-----------------I-----------------I------------------|I
B---3------6~~~-5---I-5-3/5------6----I-53-p1----------I----------6---5---|I
G-------------------I-----------------I--------------7--I-p5---------------|I
D---3---5-----------I---3/5------7----I-53-p2----------I------5/7-----5---|I
A-------------------I-----------------I----------5/7----I------------------|I
E-------------------I-----------------I-----------------I------------------|I
Dm7 G7sus4
E-------------------I-----------------I-----------------I------------------|I
B-1-------8----6---I-6~~~~------6--8-I-6p5-3-5h6-5-----I----------6---5---|I
G-------------------I-----------------I-----------------I------------------|I
D-3----7-----------I-------5/7-------I-7p5-3-------7p5-I-7---5/7------5---|I
A-------------------I-----------------I-----------------I------------------|I
E-------------------I-----------------I-----------------I------------------|I
E--------------------|I
B-3------------------|I
G--------------------|I
D--------------------|I
A-3------------------|I
E--------------------|I
End
F C
E-------------------I-----------------I------------------|I
B--1----------------I--3/5------6-----I--53-p1----------|I
G--2----------------I-----------------I------------------|I
D-------------------I-----------------I------------------|I
A--3----------------I--3/5------7-----I--53-p2----------|I
E-------------------I-----------------I------------------|I
It's three miles to the river that would carry me away,
and two miles to the dusty street that I saw you on today,
It's four miles to my lonely room where I'm gonna hide my face,
and about half a mile to the downtown bar that I ran from in disgrace
Lord how long have I got to keep on running?
Seven hours, seven days or seven years?
All I know is since you've been gone, feel like I'm drowning
in a river
Drowning in a river of tears
Drowning in a river
Feel like I'm drowning, drowning in a river
In three more days, I leave this town, and disappear without a trace,
a year from now maybe settle down, where no one knows my face,
I wish that I could hold you one more time to ease the pain,
But my times run out and I got to go, got to run away again
Still I catch myself thinking one day I'll find my way back here
And you'll save me from drowning,
Drowning in a river, drowning in a river of tears
Drowning in a river, Feels like I'm drowning,
Drowning in a river
Lord how long must this go on?
Drowning in a river, drowning in a river of tears.
Tab
/ = Slide up
= Slide down
(7) = Target pitch
h = hammer onto following note
p = pull off from previous note to new note