Thinking Round Corners
Ian Anderson from Jethro Tull’s Cd Catfish Rising.
Transcription by Peter Dawson
Suggestions for improvement welcome.


Intro riff (see tablature below)

[Bsus2]All of you sit up in bed.  Don’t [A]think in straight [Bsus2]lines ahead.
Can’t sleep?  Head spin?  Don’t [A]think in circles it will [Bsus2]do you in.
[G]Think back to the [D]dream you had: [A]no sense of being [E]good or bad.
[G]Jump to the left, [D]jump to the right.  [A]Think round corners [E]into night.

[A]Let’s [G]go in [C]wet [A]corridors[GA]: [G]dive [C/G]down [A]drains.[GA GA]
Draw [G]strength [A]from ma[C]chinery, it’s [C]all [D]the [A]same.
Thinking round [D5]cor[C]or[D5]ners. [D5]Thinking [C]round corners, I say.

Intro riff

Pretty girl with neon eyes: best man between white thighs.
Bridegroom didn’t know a thing: got his love in lights, she wears two rings.
Think back to that dream you had.  Blue boy sorry, pink girl sad.
Yellow cow, big eyed moon all coming round the corner soon.

Let’s stand in rapids: cling to carnivals.
Split life from the Maypole in savage ceremony.
Let’s go in wet corridors: dive down drains.
Draw strength from machinery, it’s all the same.
Thinking round corners.  Thinking round corners, I say.

Intro riff x2

Instrumental played over...
||:B / / / / / / /|A / / / B / / /:|| x 4

Intro riff

Paper cowboys, tin drums banging where the white man comes.
Landowners with whips and chains but soft in bed amidst warm rains.
Thinking back to the dream they had.  Jack and Jill.  Jack the lad.
Homestead.  Home free.  How about leaving some for me?

Let’s bathe in malt whisky: covet gold finery
through the eyes of a Jackdaw dressed to the nines.
Let’s go down wet corridors: dive down drains.
Draw strength from machinery, it’s all the same.
Thinking round corners.  Thinking round corners, I say.

Intro riff x2

Thinking round [D]co[C]or[D]ners.

 
Tablature for acoustic guitar, some slide and bass by Peter Dawson

   Intro riff
   Acoustic guitar
   |       |       |       |        |       |       |       |        
e |----------------5---4--/5-------|--------------------3-----------|
B |------------5-------4--/5-------|------------5-------3-----------|
G |--------5h6---------5--/6-------|--------5h6---------4-----------|
D |7---7-7-------------6--/7-------|7---7-7---------5---5-----------|
A |--------------------------------|--------------------------------|
E |--------------------------------|--------------------------------|
  |
  |Slide guitar
d |--------------------6--/7-------|--------------------5~~~~~------|
a |--------------------------------|--------------------------------|
F#|--------------------------------|--------------------------------|
D |--------------------------------|--------------------------------|
A |--------------------------------|--------------------------------|
D |--------------------------------|--------------------------------|
  |
  |Bass
G |--------------------------------|--------------------------------|
D |------------------5/7-----------|--------------------5-----------|
A |--------------------------------|--------------------------------|
E |--------------------------------|--------------------------------|


 |       |       |       |        |       |       |       |        
|----------------5h3h0-0-3---5---|----5-830-------5---------------|
|------------5-------------------|5--------5------5---------------|
|--------5h6---------------------|--------------------------------|
|7---7-7-------------------------|--------------------------------|
|--------------------------------|--------------------------------|
|--------------------------------|--------------------------------|
|
|Slide guitar (only top 3 strings shown)
|--------------------------------|5----\2~------------------------|
|--------------------------------|--------5----/7~~~~~------------|
|--------------------------------|--------------------------------|
|Bass
|--------------------------------|--------------------------------|
|--------------------------------|------------5---5h7-------------|
|----------------0---------------|--------5h7---------------------|
|------------------------3-------|5-------------------------------|


               Verse
               Bsus2
 |       |        |       |       |       |        
                   All of you sit up in bed.  Don’t
 Acoustic guitar
|----------------|--------------------------------|
|--------------2-|--------3-0-0-0-2-0---------0---|
|--------------4-|------------------------2-------|
|--------------4-|------4-------------------------|
|--------------2-|------2-------------------------|
|----------------|--------------------------------|


 |       |       |       |        |       |       |       |        
 think in straight lines ahead.     Can’t sleep?  Head spin?  Don’t
|--------------------------------|--------------------------------|
|2-------2h0---------------------|2-------3-0-0-0-2-0-0-0-----0---|
|2---2-------2---4-----4-4-------|4---4-4-----------------2-------|
|2---------------4---------------|4-------------------------------|
|----------------2---------------|2-------------------------------|
|--------------------------------|--------------------------------|
|Bass
|--------------------------------|--------------------------------|
|--------------------------------|--------------------------------|
|----------------------------0---|2-------------------------------|
|------------------------2h3-----|--------------------------------|


 |       |       |       |        |       |       |       |        
 think in circles it’ll do you in.  Think back to the dream you had:
|--------------------------------|------------------5-------------|
|2-------2h0---------------------|--------------------------------|
|2---2-------2---4-----4-4-------|--------------------------------|
|2---------------4---------------|5-------------------------------|
|----------------2---------------|----------------5---------------|
|--------------------------------|--------------------------------|
|Bass
|----------------------4/----2---|0-------4-------2-------7-------|
|--------------------------------|--------------------------------|
|--------------------------------|--------------------------------|
|--------------------------------|--------------------------------|


 |       |       |       |        |       |       |       |        
 No sense of being good or bad.   Jump to the left,  jump right.
|------------------7-------------|----3-------3-------5---5-------|
|--------------------------------|----3-------3-------7---7-------|
|--------------------------------|----0-------4-------7---7-------|
|7-------------------------------|----0-------5-------7---7-------|
|----------------7---------------|----2-------2-------5---5-------|
|--------------------------------|----3---------------5-----------|
|Bass
|2-------6-----------------------|--------7-----------------------|
|------------------------2---4---|----5-----------0---------------|
|--------------------------------|------------2-------0-----------|
|----------------0---------------|------------------------10/---5-|


 |       |       |       |        |       |       |       |        
 Think round corners into night.          Let’s           go in
|5-------5-------7-------7-------|--------------------3---------0-|
|5-------5-------9-------9-------|--------------------3---------1-|
|6-------6-------9-------9-------|--------------------4-----------|
|7-------7-------9---0---9-------|--------7-----------5-----------|
|----------------7-------7-------|--------------------------------|
|--------------------------------|--------------------------------|
|
|Slide (top 3 strings only)
|--------------------------------|--------------------5~~~~~------|
|--------------------------------|------------------------------7-|
|--------------------------------|----2--/3-----------------------|
|Bass
|--------2-----------------------|--------------------------------|
|2---------------2---0-----------|--------------------------------|
|------------------------2-------|----------------------------3---|
|--------------------------------|------------------------3h5-----|
 
 |       |       |       |        |       |       |       |        
 wet corridors:         dive down drains.             Draw strength from
|----5-------3/5-----3-----0-3---|0-------------------------------|
|1---5-------3/5-----3-----1-3---|2-------3/5-----3/5-----3---5---|
|0---6-------4/6-----4-----0-4---|2-------4/6-----4/6-----4---6---|
|2---7-------5/7-----5-----2-5---|2-------5/7-----5/7-----5---7---|
|--------------------------------|--------------------------------|
|--------------------------------|--------------------------------|
|Slide
|----7-------5/7-----5-----------|7-------5/7-----5/7-----5---7---|
|----------7-----7---------7-----|------7-----7-7-----7-7---7-----|
|6---------------------------6---|--------------------------------|
|Bass
|--------------------------------|--------------------------------|
|--------------------------------|--------------------------------|
|0---------------------------3---|0-------------------------------|
|--------3/5---------3-----------|--------3/5-----3/5-----3---5---|
 

 |       |       |       |        |       |       |       |        
 machinery,      it’s all the same.       Thinking round  corners
|0---------------3-------3/5-----|5-------------------5-----0-----|
|1---------------5-------5/7-----|5-------------------3-----1-----|
|0---------------5-------5/7-----|6-------------------2-----0-----|
|2---------------5-------5/7-----|7-------------------------------|
|3---------------3-------3/5-----|--------------------------------|
|--------------------------------|--------------------------------|
|Slide
|--------------------------------|--------------------------------|
|----------------10--------12----|6/7~~~~~~-----------------------|
|6-------------------------------|--------------------------------|
|Bass
|--------------------------------|--------------------------------|
|--------------------------------|--------------------------------|
|3---------------3---------------|--------------------------------|
|------------5h7-----3---3-5-----|5-------------------------------|


 |       |       |       |        |       |        
                 Thinking round corners I say.
|5---------------5---0-----------|----------------|
|3---------------3---1-----------|----------------|
|2---------------2---0-----------|----------------|
|--------------------------------|----------------|
|--------------------------------|----------------|
|--------------------------------|----------------|
|Bass
|--------------------------------|----------------|
|--------------------------------|----------------|
|------------------------3------/|----10-----\3---|
|--------------------------------|----------------|


 |       |       |       |        |       |       |       |        
|----------------5h3h0-0-3---5---|--------------------------------|
|------------5-------------------|------------5-------------------|
|--------5h6---------------------|--------5h6---------------------|
|7---7-7-------------------------|7---7-7-----------5-7-----------|
|--------------------------------|----------------7---------------|
|--------------------------------|--------------------------------|
|Slide
|--------7---------------7-------|--------7---------------7-------|
|--------7---------------7-------|--------7---------------7-------|
|--------------------------------|--------------------------------|
|Bass
|--------------------------------|--------------------------------|
|--------------------------------|----------------------------5---|
|0---0-------0-------0-------0---|----0-------0-------0---5h7-----|
|--------------------------------|--------------------------------|


 |       |       |       |        |       |       |       |        
|----------------5h3h0-0-3---5---|--------------------------------|
|------------5-------------------|------------5-------------------|
|--------5h6---------------------|--------5h6---------------------|
|7---7-7-------------------------|7---7-7-----------5-7-----------|
|--------------------------------|----------------7---------------|
|--------------------------------|--------------------------------|
|Slide
|--------7---------------5/--7---|--------7-----------2-----------|
|--------7---------------5/--7---|--------7-----------0-----------|
|--------------------------------|--------------------------------|
|Bass
|--------------------------------|--------------------------------|
|5h7-----------------------------|--------------------------------|
|----0-------0-------0-------0---|----0-------0-------0-----------|
|--------------------------------|--------------------------------|