Beds Are Burning Midnight Oil
Artist's Name - Midnight Oil
Song Title - Beds Are Burning
Album - Diesel and Dust
Approximate Song Length - 4 min 16 sec
Release Date - August 1987
The Story Behind the Tab:
One's taste in music is as ecclectic or limited as one's exposures. The rythmic
of melody rest upon the edge of a blade, falling towards many genres and musical styles,
Progressive Rock to Jazz to Classical and even Pop. Hell, sometimes genres are split,
with no other option than to multiply and spawn bastard children, such as Frank Zappa
disrespect intended; I love Zappa)! What I mean to say, without the use of a vague
is that it is not an easy thing to find another person who has the same musical preferences
you. Most often, like ideas and beliefs, the love for a sound is introduced, rather than
That is how I came across Midnight Oil. A friend of mine, who just
to be from Australia, noticed my collection of AC/DC songs and... well, what can I say.
made a connection, lightbulbs flipped on in her head, and here I am! Writing this tab
you, the curious musician.
Notes:
Technically, this song relies heavily on at least two major elements: Peter
driving bassline and Robert Hirst's intense drums. Having listened to the song, you should
notice the repetitive bassline. I will provide it below:
G ----------------|----------------|----------------|----------------| D ----------------|----------------|----------------|----------------| A ----------------|----------------|----------------|----------------| E 0---0---6---7---|0---0---6---7---|0---0---4---5---|0---0---3---2---|
Now, for those of you who aren't familiar with the bass, guess what? It's tuned exactly
same way as the standard tuning for any six string guitar, except for the fact that it
one octave lower and is missing the top two stings. Got that? Good! So you can play the
on your guitar and it will sound perfect. Maybe a little too high in terms of
but at least you'll have the right note! I've included the bass information because much
the song should, in my opinion, be played as it would be played on a bass. Much of the
can't be defined by an omnipresent chord, which is marked below as "N.C." or "No Chord,"
playing the driving bassline should compensate for that. Keep in mind that this is
my personal preference. Play it however you like. That's what music is all about,
So, whenever you see a "N.C." it means to either play the bassline, or that there is
type
wild percussion which can't be reproduced on a guitar (Unless you want your guitar to
like Willie Nelson's...). There is another important riff which, I believe, is created
a synthesizer. However, for the sake of simplicity, I will simply transpose it to the bass:
G ----------------| D ----------------| A ------0---------| E 3-----------3-2-|
This riff appears after the second line of every refrain, where I have placed (Riff 2).
this is just to fill in those empty gaps in the song. This is how I like to play it, but
can and should play it how you hear it. Other than that, there are a few minor issues
I should address. The second E5 in the intro gradually fades in, and just
like white noise at first. A few of the chords in the song are fairly strange, so if you
know them, which is probably likely, you can find them at any chord dictionary site. I
certain to disclude the chord positions because you may find a positioning of the chord
works for you better than the one that I have listed. Remember, it's all about how
the song. Other than that, there are a few other interesting facts that should be
Written by Robert Hirst, James Moginie and Peter Garrett, Beds Are Burning is a great example
a song that is both pleasing to listen to and politically conscious. It possesses depth.
the album Diesel and Dust, Beds Are Burning makes a plea for the returning of the
Australians' land rights. In fact, this album--a concept album based on the struggles of
combined with various environmental causes--follows the Black Fella White
tour of remote indigenous communities with the Warumpi Band. The rhythm of Beds are
is said to be inspired by the
of their vehicles'wheels on the corrugated dirt roads in the region. This song has at
been covered once by German EUrogroup, Novaspace in 2004. It is also one of The Rock and
Hall of Fame's 500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll. Feel free to contact me with any comments!
Transcribed By: Nathan Bartman
E-mail Address: NateBartman@yahoo.com
AIM Name: Nate Bartman
Intro E5 G5 A5 E5
N.C.
Verse I N.C.
Out where the river broke
N.C.
The bloodwood and the desert oak
N.C.
Holden wrecks and Boilin' Diesels
N.C.
Steam in forty-five degrees
Bridge E5
The time has come
[E7(11)]
To say fair's fair
[E(11/13)]
To pay the rent
[E5]
To pay our share
The time has come
[E7(11)]
A fact's a fact
[E(11/13)]
It belongs to them
[F#]
Let's give it back
E5 G5 A5 N.C.
Chorus Em C
(Riff 2)
How can we dance when our Earth is turnin'?
[(Em)] [C]
[D#m(#5)]
How do we sleep while our beds are burnin'?
(Riff 2)[Em] [C]
How can we dance when our Earth is turnin'?
[(Em)] [C] [D]
How do we sleep while our beds are burnin'?
[Em]
The time has come
[C]
To say fair's fair
[G]
To pay the rent, now
[D]
To pay our share
N.C.
Verse II N.C.
Four wheels scare the cockatoos
N.C.
From Kintore East to Yuendemu
N.C.
The western desert lives and breathes
N.C.
In forty five degrees
Bridge E5
The time has come
[E7(11)]
To say fair's fair
[E(11/13)]
To pay the rent
[E5]
To pay our share
[E5]
The time has come
[E7(11)]
A fact's a fact
[E(11/13)]
It belongs to them
N.C.
Let's give it back
E5 G5 A5 N.C.
Chorus Em C
(Riff 2)
How can we dance when our Earth is turnin'?
[(Em)] [C]
[D#m(#5)]
How do we sleep while our beds are burnin'?
(Riff 2)[Em] [C]
How can we dance when our Earth is turnin'?
[(Em)] [C] [D]
How do we sleep while our beds are burnin'?
[Em]
The time has come
[C]
To say fair's fair
[G]
To pay the rent, now
[D]
To pay our share
N.C.
Outtro Em C
(Riff 2)
How can we dance when our Earth is turnin'?
[(Em)] [C] [D]
How do we sleep while our beds are burnin'?
[Em] [C] [G] [D]
[Em] [C] [G] [D]
E5 G5 A5 N.C.
[E5] [G5] [A5]
"I haven't understood a bar of music in my life, but I have felt it."
- Igor Stravinsky
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