WHEN THE LEVEE BREAKS
As recorded by Led Zeppelin
(From the 1971 Album LED ZEPPELIN IV)
Words and Music by Jimmy Page, Robert Plant, John Paul Jones & John Bonham
Transcribed by www.mikesguitarsite.co.uk
Gtr I (C F C F A C) - 'Jimmy Page - Rhythm 12 string electric'
Gtr II (C F C F A C) - 'Jimmy Page - Lead w/dist'
Gtr III (C F C F A C) - 'Jimmy Page - Lead w/dist'
Intro
Q=76
4/4
Gtr I
|---------||--------------------------------|
|---------||o-------------------------------|
|---------||----------0-0-0-------3p0---5-5-|
|---------||--3p0---0-0-0-0-----0-3p0-0-5---|
|---------||o-3p0-0---0-----3-0-0-3p0---5---|
|---------||--------------------------------|
|----------------------------------||
|---------------------------------o||
|---------0-----3p0---3p0---5-5----||
|-3p0---0-0-0-0-3p0-0-3p0-0-5------||
|-3p0-0---0-0-0-3p0-0-3p0-0-5-----o||
|----------------------------------||
$
3x
||----------------------------|--------------------------------||
||o---------------------------|-------------------------------o||
||----------0-0-0-3p0-0---0-0-|---------0-0-0---------0-0-5-5--||
||------0-0-0-0-0-3p0-0-0-----|-----0-0-0-0-0-3p0-0-3-0-0-5----||
||o-3p0-0-0-0-0-0-------------|-3p0-0-0-0-0-0-3p0-0-3-0-0-5---o||
||----------------------------|--------------------------------||
|-------------------------------||------------------------------|
|-------------------------------||o-----------------------------|
|---------0-0-0-----------0-5-5-||------0---0-0-0-----0---0-0-0-|
|-----0-0-0-0-0-----0-3p0-0-5---||------0-0-0-0-0-----0-0-0-0-0-|
|-3p0-0-0-0-0-0-3p0-0-3p0-0-5---||o-3p0-0-0-0-0-0-3p0-----0-0-0-|
|-------------------------------||------------------------------|
3x
|---------------------------------||
|--------------------------------o||
|-----0---0-0-0-3p0---3p0-0-5-5---||
|-----0-0-0-0-0-3p0-0-3p0-0-5-----||
|-3p0-----0-----3p0-0-3p0-0-5----o||
|---------------------------------||
|-------------------------------||
|-------------------------------||
|---------0-0-0-------------5-5-||
|-----0-0-0-0-0-3---0-3p0-0-5---||
|-3p0-0---0-----3p0-0-3p0---5---||
|-------------------------------||
|-/8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8s10-10-10-10\-0-0-|-5-3-5-0-5-3-5-0---|
|-/8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8s10-10-10-10\-0-0-|-5-3-5-0-5-3-5-0---|
|-/8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8s10-10-10-10\-0-0-|-5-3-5-0-5-3-5-0---|
|-/8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8s10-10-10-10\-----|-5-3-5-0-5-3-5-0---|
|-----------------------------------|-------------------|
|-----------------------------------|-------------------|
|-/8-8-8-8-8-8-8s10-10-10-10\-0-0-|-5-3-5-0-5-3-5-0-|-(0)----||
|-/8-8-8-8-8-8-8s10-10-10-10\-0-0-|-5-3-5-0-5-3-5-0-|-(0)----||
|-/8-8-8-8-8-8-8s10-10-10-10\-0-0-|-5-3-5-0-5-3-5-0-|-(0)----||
|-/8-8-8-8-8-8-8s10-10-10-10\-----|-5-3-5-0-5-3-5-0-|-(0)----||
|---------------------------------|-----------------|--------||
|---------------------------------|-----------------|--------||
Verses
||----------------------------|-------------------------------|
||o---------------------0-----|---------0---------------------|
||------0-0-0-0-----0-0-0-0-0-|-----0---0-0-0-------------5-5-|
||--3p0-0-0-0-0-----0-0-0-0-0-|-3p0-0-0-0-0-0-----0-3p0-0-5---|
||o-3p0-0-0-0-0-3p0-0-0-0-----|-3p0-----0-----3p0-0-3p0-0-5---|
||----------------------------|-------------------------------|
|---------------------------|--------------------------------|
|---------------------0-----|---------0----------------------|
|-----0-0-0-0-----0-0-0-0-0-|-----0---0-0-0-------------5-5--|
|-3p0-0-0-0-0-----0-0-0-0-0-|-3p0-0-0-0-0-0-----0-3p0-0-5----|
|-3p0-0-0-0-0-3p0-0-0-0-----|-3p0-----0-----3p0-0-3p0-0-5----|
|---------------------------|--------------------------------|
|---------------------------|-------------------------------|
|---------------------0-----|---------0---------------------|
|-----0-0-0-0-----0-0-0-0-0-|-----0---0-0-0-------------5-5-|
|-3p0-0-0-0-0-----0-0-0-0-0-|-3p0-0-0-0-0-0-----0-3p0-0-5---|
|-3p0-0-0-0-0-3p0-0-0-0-----|-3p0-----0-----3p0-0-3p0-0-5---|
|---------------------------|-------------------------------|
|----------------------------------||
|---------------------------------o||
|---------0-0-0-------------5-5----||
|-----0-0-0-0-0-----0-3p0-0-5------||
|-3p0-0---0-0-0-3p0-0-3p0-0-5-----o||
|----------------------------------||
|-/8-8-8-8-8-8-8s10-10-10-10\-0-0-|-5-3-5-0-5-3-5-0-|
|-/8-8-8-8-8-8-8s10-10-10-10\-0-0-|-5-3-5-0-5-3-5-0-|
|-/8-8-8-8-8-8-8s10-10-10-10\-0-0-|-5-3-5-0-5-3-5-0-|
|-/8-8-8-8-8-8-8s10-10-10-10\-----|-5-3-5-0-5-3-5-0-|
|---------------------------------|-----------------|
|---------------------------------|-----------------|
To Coda
|-/8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8s10-10-10-10\-----|-5-3-5-0-5-3-5-0-||
|-/8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8s10-10-10-10\-0-0-|-5-3-5-0-5-3-5-0-||
|-/8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8s10-10-10-10\-0-0-|-5-3-5-0-5-3-5-0-||
|-/8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8s10-10-10-10\-----|-5-3-5-0-5-3-5-0-||
|-----------------------------------|-----------------||
|-----------------------------------|-----------------||
Bridge
Gtr II
|-----------------|----------------12-|
|-----------------|-------------------|
|-----------------|-------------------|
|-----------------|-------------------|
|-----------------|-------------------|
|-----------------|-------------------|
|
| Gtr I
|-0-12-12--0-7-7--|-0-5-5-7-10-12-----|
|-0-12-12--0-7-7--|-0-5-5-7-10-12-----|
|-0-12-12--0-7-7--|-0-5-5-7-10-12-----|
|--------------7--|---------10-12-----|
|-----------------|-------------------|
|-----------------|-------------------|
~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~ ~~
3x
||--12s10-----12-(12)--7s5----7-(7)--|-5s3----5-(5)-7-10-12-------------||
||o-------/12--------------/7--------|-----/5--------------------------o||
||-----------------------------------|----------------------------------||
||-----------------------------------|----------------------------------||
||o----------------------------------|---------------------------------o||
||-----------------------------------|----------------------------------||
|
| 3x
||---0--------12--12---0------7--7---|-0------5--5--7-10-12-12-12-12----||
||o--0--------12--12---0------7--7---|-0------5--5--7-10-12-12-12-12---o||
||---0--------12--12---0------7--7---|-0------5--5--7-10-12-12-12-12----||
||-------------------------------7---|----------------10-12-12-12-12----||
||o----------------------------------|---------------------------------o||
||-----------------------------------|----------------------------------||
~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~
|-12s10-----/17-(17)--12s10--------------|
|-------/12-----------------/12s10-(10)--|
|----------------------------------------|
|----------------------------------------|
|----------------------------------------|
|----------------------------------------|
|
|--0---------12--12----0---------7---7---|
|--0---------12--12----0---------7---7---|
|--0---------12--12----0---------7---7---|
|------------------------------------7---|
|----------------------------------------|
|----------------------------------------|
~~~~~~~
|-12s10-----17-(17)-15-15-15s17-(17)-------|
|-------/12--------------------------------|
|------------------------------------------|
|------------------------------------------|
|------------------------------------------|
|------------------------------------------|
|
|--0---------5---5---7-10-12-----12--12-12-|
|--0---------5---5---7-10-12-----12--12-12-|
|--0---------5---5---7-10-12-----12--12-12-|
|--------------
|