The Numbers - Radiohead
-----------------------
From the album "A Moon Shaped Pool"
Transcribed by Howard Wright
hakwright (at) gmail (dot) com
Tuning:
--------
From low to high: CGCFAD
From standard tuning, tune all strings down a tone, then tune the
bottom string down one more tone. It's like dropped D but with
everything one tone lower.
Main riff:
-----------
The song is built on one riff, shown in the tab below
(chord names given above the tab)
Cm7 Gm/C F/C C
D--------5----5---5----7--------5---5---------5---5---------
A--------6----6---5----8--------7---7---------7---7---------
F--------5----5---5----7--------7---7---------7---7---------
C-(0)-------------------------------------------------------
G-(0)-------------------(0)------------(0)------------------
C--0--0------------------0--0-----------0--0----------------
The open top string is sometimes used for the last C chord,
giving Cadd2 (000770), but for much of the time you just play
the plain C chord (000775).
You can play the open G and middle C strings along with the
low C string, though the bottom C string is the dominant sound.
In one or two places (e.g. "The future is inside us"), some
higher chord voicings are used for the riff, like this:
D--------10----10---8----12--------0-------------------------
A--------10----10---8----12--------10---10---------10---10---
F--------10----10---9----12--------11---11---------11---11---
C-(0)----10----10---10---12--------12---12---------12---12---
G-(0)--------------------------------------------------------
C--0--0----------------------0--0-----------0--0-------------
During the intro and early verses, a few short hammer-on riffs
are played between riffs:
D-----------------------------------------------------------
A--------5--------------------------------------------------
F----5h7---h7--5h7------------------------------------------
C------------------7----------------------------------------
G-----------------------------------------------------------
C-----------------------------------------------------------
For most of the song, a simple hammer-on fill on the F string
(at the 5th and 7th frets) is used between riffs.
All chord shapes are given at the end of the tab (based on the
alternative guitar tuning).
Verse 1
---------
(Repeat the main riff throughout)
He holds us like a phantom
The touch is like a breeze
It shines its understanding
See the moon smiling
Verse 2
---------
(Main riff continues)
Open all channels
Ready to receive
Cos we're not at the mercy
Of your shimmers or spells
Your shimmers or spells
Verse 3
---------
(Main riff continues)
We are of the earth
To her we do return
The future is inside us
It's not somewhere else
It's not somewhere else
Cm7 Gm/C Bb F (main riff restarts)
It's not somewhere else (one day at a time)
Chorus 1
---------
Bb F Abmaj7
One day at a time
E Gb Ab G Bb F/A
(the Ab sounds like it might be played as Ab/C on the guitar)
Verse 4
---------
(Main riff continues)
We call upon the people
People have this power
The numbers don't decide
The system is a lie
The river running dry
The wings of a butterfly
Verse 5
---------
(Main riff continues)
And you may pour us away like soup
Like we're dreary broken flowers
We'll take back what is ours
Cm7 Gm/C Bb F Fm
Take back what is ours
Chorus
-------
E Gb Ab G
Bb F/A Abmaj7
One day at a time
G7sus4 C(no 3rd)
Chord shapes
-------------
All chord shapes are shown using the alternative guitar tuning
used in the song.
CGCFAD CGCFAD CGCFAD CGCFAD CGCFAD
000565 000555 000787 000775 000770
Cm7 Gm/C F/C C C(add2)
CGCFAD CGCFAD CGCFAD CGCFAD CGCFAD
x32010 5x5433 x1323x 4x432x 6x654x
Bb F Abmaj7 E Gb
CGCFAD CGCFAD CGCFAD CGCFAD CGCFAD
8x876x x5333x x02220 x20003 5x5333
Ab Ab/C G F/A Fm
CGCFAD CGCFAD
x02030 000xxx
G7sus4 C(no 3rd)
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Last updated: July 2020
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