"Godzilla"

originally by Blue Oyster Cult

here we have the Smashing Pumpkins version, done live

venue/location unknown (at least unknown to me)

tabbed out by Steve Grogan 

my own work, started and completed on 10/09/97



    This is my first time ever trying to tab out anything, so please 

forgive any mistakes. Just to clarify things, this live version of " 

Godzilla" starts out with Billy saying something like, " All right, you 

gotta pretend you didn't hear this," being his modest usual self as if 

the song is going to suck but it really kicks ass. Some people I know 

like it better than BOC's version. (The same holds true for me between 

the Pumpkins' " Jackie Blue" and the original by Ozark Mountain 

Daredevils).

    Anyway, after Billy says that he starts to play the main chord 

progression of the song, which sounds sort of " Teen Spirit"-ish. It is 

hereby designated to be RIFF 1. I am not going to tab out the exact 

number of times they play each chord because I do not hear songs in that 

manner. All I do is follow the rhythm, so just listen close for the 

cahnges and in no time it'll be yours. These are power chords, of 

course.



RIFF 1 Guitar 1 only



E-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

B-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

G------------------------------5--------7------7------------------------------9------10----10------

D------5------5------5------5--------7------7------8------8------8------9------10-----10-----

A------5------5------5------3--------5------5------8------8------8------7------8-------8-------

E------3------3......3--------------------------------6------6------6--------------------------------

        G                      C           D              A#               

E        F



So the chord progression is G-C-D-A#-E-F...and remember to keep it in 

mind that I have not tabbed out the exact number of strums for each 

chord. The one main flaw with guitar tab is that it is impossible to 

discern a song's rhythm from it, so I am not going to bother attempting 

it. Anyway, as I was saying this is what comes. Next we have:



Guitars 1 and 2           RIFF 1     2 times (approximately...once 

again,

                                                  check your recordings)



At the end of the last progression they go back and forth between the E 

and F chords like so:



E----------------------------------------                      At least 

to my memory

B----------------------------------------                      that is 

what they do. 

G-----------9----10----9------10---                      Whether they do 

or not, it

D-----------9----10----9------10---                      functions (to 

my ear anyway)

A-----------7----8------7------8-----                      as a good 

transition into the E----------------------------------------                      

next section.



After the E-F back and forth part the whole band comes in. Then:



Guitar 1        SOLO

Guitar 2        RIFF 1



Yes, I could put alot of time and effort into rewinding the tape ad 

nauseum and figuring out what Billy (I assume by the speed that it is 

Billy) is doing but I see no point in that because he was just jamming 

anyway. HE probably doesnt even know what he did unless he listened to 

the tape. So what you need to do is take some blues sclaes and just 

hammer away on them quickly while the other guitarist plays the 

progression. And oh yeah, this song has alot of solos so...do this alot,



After the solo we get lyrics, and under them we have:



Guitars 1 and 2     RIFF 1



With a purposeful grimace and a terrible sound

he pulls the splitting high tension wires down.

(Guitar 1  solo,   Guitar 2   riff 1)



(both guitars riff 1)

He picks up a bus and throws it back down

as he wades thru the people in the center of town.

(Guitar 1   solo,  Guitar 2   riff 1)



(both guitars riff 1)

Helpless people on a subway train

scream bug-eyed as he looks in on them.

(Guitar 1   solo,   Guitar 2   riff 1)



Now despite its brevity I guess we could call this Riff 2. The sound on 

my recordin is really bad, but I think they just play this:



RIFF 2



E---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

B---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

G--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

D------3------3----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

A------3------3----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

E------1------1----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

       Oh    no,   they say he's got to go...go,go Godzilla.



(drums,    Guitar 1 solo)



E---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

B---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

G---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

D------3------3-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

A------3------3-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

E------1------1----------------------------------------------------1h3p1h3p1h3~------------

       Oh    no, there goes Tokyo...go, go God...zilla.



By the way, that hammer and pull off thing is done for a bit longer and 

kind of fast. After that we have:



Guitar 1     SOLO

Guitar 2     RIFF 1



Then it comes back to this:



(Both guitars Riff 2)

Oh no, they say he's got to go...go, go Godzilla.

(drums...Guitar 1 solo)



(Both guitars Riff 2)

Oh no, there goes Tokyo...go, go God...zilla. (Do hammer-pull off.)



Then only drums for a while. A bit later, bass line comes in. Further 

down the road Guitar 1 comes in for a solo, at the end of which we get 

both guitars doing something like:



E----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

B---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

G---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

D------5/7------9---------10-------11----12------13-------and so on 

right up the

A------5/7------9----------10------11----12------13-------neck...a crazy 

power

E------3/5------7----------8--------9------10------11-----chord going 

all the way

                                                                     up 

the neck. Then the

                                                                     

insanity winds down.                                                                      

Your drummer bursts in

                                                                     

with an explosive roll and

                                                                     

then you just:



Guitars 1 and 2     RIFF 1        which gets played under these lyrics:



History shows again and again

how nature points out the folly of men...Godzilla!  (2 times)



After the second time do that E-F thing again, then:



Guitar 1   SOLO

Guitar 2   RIFF 1



When solo comes to its end you once again switch back and forth between 

E and F power chords, then make random insanity going up and down the 

neck much like the ascending power chords. When it all dies down, a 

high-pitched voice says:



I love you, Godzirra!



And then end by pounding the G power chord a few times. And there you 

should have yourself a fine version of the Pumpkins version of 

" Godzilla." If you want a copy of this song go to the SP Audio Archive, 

whose address is       www.starla.org     and that way you can actually 

hear it. It is not the same live version I have, but I am sure they are 

pretty much the same.