Khe Sanh Cifras

Alternate pattern 2 x2, main pattern x2 on the first two verses and instrumental.
 
 
Tuning is closer to A = 445hz/446hz.
 
Transcribed by Dean Povey (dean@psy.uq.edu.au)
 
G    320003     D    xx0232     Em   0220xx
C    x32010     Am   xx2210     G/F# 200003
 
 
Riff 1            Riff 2
e|---------|      e|----------|
B|---------|      B|----------|
G|-----0-2-|      G|-2h4p2-0--|
D|-0-2-----|      D|----------|
A|---------|      A|----------|
E|---------|      E|----------|
 
 
[Intro]
       G   D/F#     Em  D   C   G/B Am  D
Riff 1 / / / Riff 2 / / / / / / / / / / / /
 
 
[Verse 1]
  Em                   C                    G  G/F#  G  D
I left my heart to the sappers round, Khe Sahn.
       Em                    C                 D
And my soul was sold with my cigarettes, to the black market man.
             Em           C                G                   C
I've had the Vietnam cold turkey, from the ocean to the silver city
         Am         F               D
And it's only other vets could understand.
 
 
[Verse 2]
          Em             C              G  G/F#  G  D
'Bout the long forgotten dockside guarantees,
               Em       C         D
How there were no V-day heroes in nineteen seventy-three;
       Em                 C               G                         C
How we sailed into Sydney Harbour, saw an old friend but I couldn't kiss her.
        Am               D                  G   C   G  D
She was lined, and I was home to the lucky land
 
 
[Verse 3]
        Em           C                   G  G/F#  G  D
She was like so many more from that time on
      Em                C                  D
Their lives were all so empty, till they'd found their chosen one,
          Em              C               G                C
And their legs were often open, but their minds were always closed,
          Am                  F             D
And their hearts were held in fast suburban chains
 
 
[Verse 4]
        Em              C              G    G/F#   G  D
And the legal pads were yellow, hours long paypackets lean,
        Em            C                   D
And the telex writers clattered where the gunships once had been;
         Em              C            G                 C
But the carparks made me jumpy, and I never stopped the dreams,
       Am               D             G   C   G  D
Or the growing need for speed and novacaine
 
 
[Verse 5]
     Em                C                   G  G/F#  G  D
So I worked across the country from end to end
         Em              C                     D
Tried to find a place to settle down, where my mixed up life could mend,
       Em            C           G               C
Held a job on an oil-rig, flying choppers when I could,
        Am               F                  D
But the nightlife nearly drove me round the bend.
 
 
[Verse 6]
         Em                  C                  G  G/F#  G  D
And I've travelled round the world from year to year,
    Em                C                 D
And each one found me aimless, one more year the worse for wear,
         Em                      C             G                 C
And I've been back to South East Asia, and the answer sure ain't there,
        Am                 D                 G   C   G  D
But I'm drifting north, to check things out again.
 
 
[Instrumental]
|Em      |C       |G  G/F# |G   D   |
|Em      |C       |D       |D       |
|Em      |C       |G       |C       |
|Am      |D       |G   C   |G   D   |
 
 
[Verse 7]
         Em            C               G  G/F#  G  D
Well the last plane of Sydney's almost gone.
         Em           C                  D
And only seven flying hours, and I'll be landing in Hong Kong.
          Em                     C             G             C
And there ain't nothin' like the kisses from a jaded Chinese princess,
          Am                 F                  D
I'm gonna hit some Hong Kong mattress all night long
 
 
[Verse 8]
         Em                C               G  G/F#  G  D
Well the last plane out of Sydney's almost gone.
             Em                C               D
You know the last plane out of Sydney's almost gone.
         Em            C                   G                   C
And it's really got me worried, I'm going nowhere and I'm in a hurry.
             Am                D               G   C   G
You know the last plane out of Sydney's almost gone.
 
 
[Verse 9]
         Em                C               G  G/F#  G  D
Well the last plane out of Sydney's almost gone.
             Em                C               D
You know the last plane out of Sydney's almost gone.
         Em            C                   G                   C
And it's really got me worried, I'm going nowhere and I'm in a hurry.
             Am                D               G   C   G   C   G
You know the last plane out of Sydney's almost gone.
 
 
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| h  Hammer-on
| p  Pull-off
 
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