[disclaimer: This tab had to be *severely* re-formatted due to font
mismatches, which may have caused misalignment of words and
some phrases. PT]

Tablature for FOR A THOUSAND MOTHERS
Words and music by Ian Anderson
Tablature intrepretation by Bruce Bubier

Key Signature e minor
Time Signature 3/4

No Capo
 

For most of the song the guitar alternates between chords of e minor and b minor
The bass line figured below accompanies this.
It is played for most of the song except where indicated.

The rhythm is 6/8 - meaning there are 6 beats with the accents on 1 and 4
It should be counted as DA da da  DA da da
                        1  2   3   4  5  6
In the example below downbeats are marked with an "X"

EXAMPLE
(emi)      (bmi -      (emi)       (bmi)
         barre on II)

CHORDS
_0___________2___________0___________3_______________________________
_0___________2___________0___________2_______________________________
_2___________4___________2___________4_______________________________
_2___________4___________2___________4_______________________________
_0___________2___________0___________2_______________________________
 X           X           X           X
BASS LINE
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
____________5_______________________5__7_____________________________
_5__7__8______8_7_8_7____5__7__8_____________________________________
_______________________8_____________________________________________
 X           X           X           X

This repeats twice for each verse.
 

FOR A THOUSAND MOTHERS

(emi)      (bmi -      (emi)       (bmi)
        barre on II)
_0___________2___________0___________2_______________________________
_0___________3___________0___________3_______________________________
_0___________4___________0___________4_______________________________
_2___________4___________2___________4_______________________________
_2___________2___________2___________2_______________________________
_0___________2___________0___________2_______________________________
Did you hear mother -

_0_________2_________0_____________2_________________________________
_0_________3_________0_____________3_________________________________
_0_________4_________0_____________4_________________________________
_2_________4_________2_____________4_________________________________
_2_________2_________2_____________2_________________________________
_0_________2_________0_____________2_________________________________
saying I'm wrong but I know I'm right.

_0___________2___________0___________2_______________________________
_0___________3___________0___________3_______________________________
_0___________4___________0___________4_______________________________
_2___________4___________2___________4_______________________________
_2___________2___________2___________2_______________________________
_0___________2___________0___________2_______________________________
Did you hear father?
 

_0_________2_____0___________2____________________________________
_0_________3_____0___________3____________________________________
_0_________4_____0___________4____________________________________
_2_________4_____2___________4____________________________________
_2_________2_____2___________2____________________________________
_0_________2_____0___________2____________________________________
Calling my name into the night.

(C)              (D7)       (emi)       (bmi)     (emi)   (bmi)
_0_________________2_________0_______________________________________
_1_________________1_________0_______________________________________
_0_________________2_________0_______________________________________
 2_________________0_________2_______________________________________
_3___________________________2_______________________________________
_4___________________________0_______________________________________
Saying I'll never be what I am now
NO BASS                                    BASS starts here
 

(C)                        (D7)       (emi)      (bmi)     (emi)    (bmi)
_0___________________________2__________0________________________________
_1___________________________1__________0________________________________
_0___________________________2__________0________________________________
_2___________________________0__________2________________________________
_3______________________________________2________________________________
_4______________________________________0________________________________
Telling me I'll never find what I've already found.
NO BASS                                                        BASS starts
here

       (F)                       (D)

________1_________________________2________________________________
________1_________________________3________________________________
________2_________________________2________________________________
________3_________________________0________________________________
________3__________________________________________________________
________1__________________________________________________________
It was they who were wrong and for them here's a song.

(ami) hard/quick
_0_________________________________________________________________
_2________________________________________0_0_0____________________
_3__________________________0______2_0____________2_0______________
_3_________________2_1_2_4____4________4______________4__2__1______
_0_________________________________________________________________
_0_________________________________________________________________
                  This part is solo instrument (flute or guitar)
Then immediately back into emi bmi chords and bass.

Music repeats to the verses below

Did you hear me baby come back and tell you the things he's seen
Did it surprise you to be picked up at eight in a limosine?
Doing the things he's accustomed to do.
Which at one time it seemed like a dream now it's true.
And unknowing you made it all happen this way.

REPEAT FIRST STANZA
 

After the long ascending guitar line the song stops and then starts again
with a reprise of the main riff and improvisational section.

This is the long ascending guitar line that ends the song and precedes the
"reprise and jam".
_______________________________________________________________
___________________________________7__8__8__8__10__10__12______
_____________________________7__9______________________________
_____________7__7__7__9__9_____________________________________
__7__9__10_____________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________

Repeat main riff and start jammin'.