"Subterranean Homesick Alien"
Words and Music by:
Colin Greenwood, Jonathan Greenwood, Edward O'Brien, Philip Selway & Thomas Yorke
Performance Notes: In order to perform this song exactly as it was recorded you will need
to use a Digitech whammy pedal. If you're not familiar with this effects pedal what it does
is raise or lower the pitch of the notes in increments of one or two octaves. The Pedal is
essential in performing Jonny's parts faithfully. Many transcriptions of this song (including
the "official" tab book) have erroneously notated Jonny's high pitched leads in this song as
being played high on the fretboard with a slide, I confirmed this by watching a live video of
them playing the song. Along with Whammy pedal, Jonny uses either his DOD envelope filter or
his phase shifter to achieve the weird bubbly sound that rounds off his tone.
Gtr. 1 (Jonny)
E||--5----5---5-----------|------4--------------|----------------------|
B||--6----------6h5-------|---------4-----------|----------------------|
G||--7--7---7-------7--6--|--5--------6h5-------|----------------------|
D||--7--------------------|--6------------6--5--|--4---4----------4----|
A||--5--------------------|--6------------------|--5------5----------5-|
E||-----------------------|--4------------------|--5--------3h5h3------|
(6/8)
[ Gtr. 1 P.S.---------------------|
[|-------------------------|-------------7~~~~~~~~~---|
[|-------------------------|----------6---------------|
[|-------------------------|------7-------------------|
[|--------4---4-3-3---3--1-|--------------------------|
[|--------------x----------|--------------------------|
[|--3h5h3---5---4---4------|--------------------------|
[
[ Gtr. 2 Clean w/Tremolo (Ed)
[|-------------------------|------------------------|
[|-------------------------|--15--------------------|
[|-------------------------|--16--------------------|
[|-------------------------|--15--------------------|
[|-------------------------|------------------------|
[|-------------------------|------------------------|
[
[ Gtr. 3 (Thom's Keyboard arranged for Guitar)
[|-------------------------|------------------------|
[|-------------------------|--6---------------------|
[|-------------------------|--4---------------------|
[|-------------------------|--5---------------------|
[|-------------------------|--x---------------------|
[|-------------------------|--3---------------------|
[ Gtr. 1
[ P.S.------------------------------------------------------------------|
[|-------------7~~~~~~~~~-|--------------------------|------------------|
[|----------5-------------|--------15-13-12-13-12-13-|--12--------------|
[|------7-----------------|--------------------------|------------------|
[|------------------------|--------------------------|------------------|
[|------------------------|--------------------------|------------------|
[|------------------------|--------------------------|------------------|
[
[ Gtr. 2
[|------------------------|--------------------------|----------------|
[|--15--------------------|--13----------------------|--12------------|
[|--16--------------------|--12----------------------|--12------------|
[|--14--------------------|--13----------------------|--12------------|
[|------------------------|--------------------------|----------------|
[|------------------------|--------------------------|----------------|
[
[ Gtr. 3
[|------------------------|--------------------------|----------------|
[|--5---------------------|--4-----------------------|--3-------------|
[|--4---------------------|--5-----------------------|--4-------------|
[|--5---------------------|--5-----------------------|--5-------------|
[|--x---------------------|--x-----------------------|--x-------------|
[|--3---------------------|--3-----------------------|--3-------------|
[ Gtr. 1
[ P.S.-----------------------------------------------|
[|------------7-~~~~~~~~~-|------------7-~~~~~~~~~---|
[|---------6--------------|---------5----------------|
[|------7-----------------|-----7--------------------|
[|------------------------|--------------------------|
[|------------------------|--------------------------|
[|------------------------|--------------------------|
[
[ Gtr. 2
[|------------------------|------------------------|
[|--15--------------------|------------------------|
[|--16--------------------|--16--------------------|
[|--15--------------------|--14--------------------|
[|------------------------|------------------------|
[|------------------------|------------------------|
[
[ Gtr. 3
[|------------------------|------------------------|
[|--6---------------------|--5---------------------|
[|--4---------------------|--4---------------------|
[|--5---------------------|--5---------------------|
[|--x---------------------|--x---------------------|
[|--3---------------------|--3---------------------|
[ Gtr. 1
[|-------------------------|----------------|
[|-------15-13-12-13-12-13-|--12------------|
[|-------------------------|----------------|
[|-------------------------|----------------|
[|-------------------------|----------------|
[|-------------------------|----------------|
[
[ Gtr. 2
[|-------------------------|----------------|
[|-------------------------|----------------|
[|--12---------------------|--12------------|
[|-------------------------|----------------|
[|-------------------------|----------------|
[|-------------------------|----------------|
[
[ Gtr. 3
[|-------------------------|----------------|
[|--4----------------------|--3-------------|
[|--5----------------------|--4-------------|
[|--5----------------------|--5-------------|
[|--x----------------------|--x-------------|
[|--3----------------------|--3-------------|
The breath of the morning I keep forgetting the
[ Gtr. 3
[|----------------------------|---------------------|
[|--6-------------------------|--5------------------|
[|--4-------------------------|--4------------------|
[|--5-------------------------|--5------------------|
[|--x-------------------------|--x------------------|
[|--3-------------------------|--3------------------|
smell of the warm summer air I
[ Gtr. 1 P.S.*
[|--------------------------|-------------------|
[|--------------------------|----------3(15)----|
[|--------------------------|-------------------|
[|--------------------------|-------------------|
[|--------------------------|-------------------|
[|--------------------------|-------------------|
[
[ Gtr. 3
[|--------------------------|-------------------|
[|--4-----------------------|--3----------------|
[|--5-----------------------|--4----------------|
[|--5-----------------------|--5----------------|
[|--x-----------------------|--x----------------|
[|--3-----------------------|--3----------------|
[
[ |-----------------------------------|
[ |*Note: Jonny picks the 3 and then |
[ | uses his Pitch shifter to "glide" |
[ | the note up one octave to the note|
[ | in parenthesis. |
[ |-----------------------------------|
live in a town where you can't smell a thing
[ Gtr. 3
[|----------------------------|---------------------|
[|--6-------------------------|--5------------------|
[|--4-------------------------|--4------------------|
[|--5-------------------------|--5------------------|
[|--x-------------------------|--x------------------|
[|--3-------------------------|--3------------------|
you watch your feet for cracks in the pavement
[ Gtr. 1 P.S.---------------------|
[|---------------------|------------------------|------------7-------------|
[|--
|