How Soon Is Nowv4

#----------------------------------PLEASE NOTE---------------------------------#

#This file is the author's own work and represents their interpretation of the #

#song. You may only use this file for private study, scholarship, or research. #

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Date: 17 Oct 96 00:30:00 EDT

From: john dioso <76711.2312@CompuServe.COM>

To: "Robert \"Robman\" Svihla"

<robman@netrail.net>

Subject: how soon is now

Hey, Jennifer, I've been playing this song for a good decade now, and I'll be

damned if what I play matches Johnny Marr note for

note. The chords, ostensibly, are F#, A, and B in the verse, and C#m, E, and

F# in the chorus (the "You shut your mouth" bit).

Played straight, it sounds horrendously wrong. But with the right rhythm, you

can approach Johnny-ness.

I read in a "Guitar" magazine profile of Johnny five or six years ago that he

actually played this song with his guitar tuned to an

open E (that is, strumming all the open strings would be an E chord; so the

strings were tuned, from lowest to highest,

E-B-E-G#-B-E). It's a tuning that Bo Diddley used in many of his songs, and

if you listen carefully, you'll notice the "Bo Diddley

beat" lurking behind this mope-rock anthem (try playing the song to the

rhythm of "Born to Hand Jive" from "Grease," and you'll get

the picture. Anyway, on to the song.

chords (in standard tuning, BTW):

verse chorus

The opening "riff" is just the F# chord (2nd fret position) with loads of

reverb, another way to get that "wavy" feeling from just

playing the one chord is to position your hand to play the F# as I've shown

you above, except hammer on the first-finger barre on

the 2nd fret to begin the riff (^ = downstroke. v = upstroke):

|F# ^ v ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ | do this twice; the second time the lead guitarist (on

tour, Johnny) plays:

E-----2-2-2-2-2-2-2 | (4/5\4) just before the rhythm guitarist (on tour,

Craig Gannon) plays the next chords

E-0(

so the chord sequence for the intro and verse is:

|

F#|

F#|

F#|

A/

B/|

How Soon Is Now ?

I am the son and the heir

Of a shyness that is criminally vulgar

I am the son and heir

Of nothing in particular

You shut your mouth, how can you say

I go about things the wrong way ?

I am Human and I need to be loved

F#|

F#|

F#|

A/

B/|

Just like everybody else does

I am the son and the heir

Of a shyness that is criminally vulgar

I am the son and heir

Oh, of nothing in particular

You shut your mouth

You shut your mouth, how can you say

I go about things the wrong way ?

I am Human and I need to be loved

F#|

F#|

F#|

A/

B/|

Just like everybody else does

There's a club if you'd like to go

You could meet somebody who really loves you

So you go, and you stand on your own

And you leave on your own

And you go home, and you cry

|

F#|

F#|

F#|

A/

B/|

And you want to die

When you say it's gonna happen "now"

Well, when exactly do you mean?

See I've already waited too long

And all my hope is gone

You shut your mouth, how can you say

I go about things the wrong way ?

I am Human and I need to be loved

F#|

F#|

F#|

A/

B/|

Just like everybody else does

</robman@netrail.net>