The Spark That Bled tab

The Spark That Bled

NOT MINE: Found this on another site and thought it should be on UG as well.
All credit goes to arlen b, who it looks like did a really good job with this.


"The Spark That Bled"
The Flaming Lips
from "The Soft Bulletin"
tabbed by arlen b, 05/15/03
website: http://www.geocities.com/kingoftheeskimos

what an insane song... loads of parts; hopefully i've done a decent job of
transcribing most of them. anything that i've thoroughly screwed up, feel
free to point it out to me, and i'll have another go at it, but i think this
is pretty good for the most part...

standard tuning

chords used:
 Amaj7 G#m(aug) F#m(7)  F#m F#dim  C#m C#m/Bb  A    B
e--0----(0)------(0)-----2----------4----4-----0----2------------------|
B--2-----4--------2------2----1-----5----5-----2----4------------------|
G--1-----4--------2------2----2-----6----x-----2----4------------------|
D--2-----6--------4------4----4-----6----6-----2----4------------------|
A--0-----6--------4------4----3-----4----4-----0----2------------------|
E--------4---------------2---------------6-----------------------------|

*note* the intro/verse chord progression is sort of irregularly arpeggiated
and played free hand. the parenthesis are indicative of the high E string
being picked at some point during the arpeggiation of each chord in question.

intro: Amaj7    G#m(aug) x2    F#m(7)    G#m(aug)    Amaj7    G#m(aug)

Amaj7                          G#m(aug) Amaj7                       G#m(aug)
     i accidentally touched my head          and noticed i had been bleeding

F#m(7)                      G#m(aug)   Amaj7    G#m(aug)
      for how long i didn't know

F#m         F#dim                 C#m          C#m/Bb
   what was this, i thought, that struck me??

F#m             F#dim             C#m  C#m/Bb  F#m            F#dim       C#m  C#m/Bb
   what kind of weapons have they got??           the softest bullet ever shot


and then some orchestration with no intelligible guitar (and not much in the way
of basic chords either...)

and then a bridge of sorts:

C#m    A, basic chords, played under this riff (approximately):
e----------------------------------------------------------------------|
B----------------------------------------------------------------------|
G----------------------------------------------------------------------|
D--------2-4-4b5-4-2---------------------------------------------------|
A--(2h4)-------------4--2h4--4-2p0-------------------------------------|
E----------------------------------------------------------------------|

then what i'm calling the chorus:

E                         Aadd9 (x07600)  Amaj7add9 (x06600)  A6add9 (x04600)
  i stood up and i said, "yeah!!"

E                         Aadd9  Amaj7add9  A6add9
  i stood up and i said, "yeah!!"

E                         Aadd9  Amaj7add9  A6add9   B
  i stood up and i said, "hey!!  yeah!!     yeah!!"


then another bridge of sorts (this is pretty sketchy; VERY basic chords...):

C#m

                 C#m                F#m(7)
from this moment on, blaring like a trumpet

            Amaj7                  G#m(aug)
comin' from above us and somewhere below

    F#m(7)        C#m
the confidence of knowing

              F#m(7)                        Amaj7        E
descending to relieve us of the struggle to believe it's so


chorus:


E                         Aadd9  Amaj7add9  A6add9
  i stood up and i said, "yeah!!"

E                         Aadd9  Amaj7add9  A6add9
  i spoke up and i said, "hey!!"

E                         Aadd9  Amaj7add9  A6add9   B
  i stood up and i said, "hey!!  yeah!!     yeah!!"


then another bridge-esque thing (notes in parenthesis indicate notes that
SHOULD be played, but are hard/impossible to get at):

 Eadd9  E  Caug Cmajb5 C#sus4 C#m   G  Gmaj7 Bsus4 Bm   D5 D5maj7 D
e--2----0----4----2-----------------3----2----0-------------------2-------|
B--0----0----1----1------7-----5----0----0----x----3----3----2----3-------|
G--1----1----x----x------6-----6----0----0----4----4----2----2----2-------|
D--2----2----2----2------6-----6----0----0----4----4----0----0----0-------|
A--2----2---(3)--(3)-----4-----4----2----2----2----2----------------------|
E--0----0---------------------------3----3--------------------------------|

then this trippy little thing (just the rough notes; sort of improv'ed):
   D      E       A
e------5------7-------------7---------9--------------------------------|
B----7------9-------10---10---10---10----------------------------------|
G--7------9-------9----9---------9-------------------------------------|
D----------------------------------------------------------------------|
A----------------------------------------------------------------------|
E----------------------------------------------------------------------|
and it seemed to cause a chain reaction
it had momentum; it was gainin' traction
it was all the rage; it was all the fashion
the outreached hands had resigned themselves
to holdin' on to something that they...

   E         A
e------7------------7---9----------7---9-------------------------------|
B----9---------10-------------10---------------------------------------|
G--9--------/9----9---9----/9----9---9---------------------------------|
D----------------------------------------------------------------------|
A----------------------------------------------------------------------|
E----------------------------------------------------------------------|
...never had, and that's too bad

         F#m             E
cos in reality there was no reaction


Amaj7    G#m(aug) x2    F#m(7)    G#m(aug)    Amaj7    G#m(aug)

Amaj7                          G#m(aug) Amaj7                       G#m(aug)
     i accidentally touched my head          and noticed i had been bleeding

F#m(7)                      G#m(aug)   Amaj7    G#m(aug)
      for how long i didn't know

F#m

x

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