Hello to everyone. As you know I'm a big Uriah heep fan and so I decide that the time's arrived for another Heep number. Of course as with previous songs I show a very basic version, nothing to be compared with the excellent Mattguitar's lessons, but I guess it is a good starting point for beginners to learn a number. Ok this time I chose “Stealinâ€, probably Heep's biggest US hit, taken off their 1973 “Sweet freedomâ€album. Having said that I took the chords from the excellent Uriah Heep site http://home.online.no/~prannug/heep/heeptabs.htm ., we can move on with the song.
Chords: the song revolves over four simple chords (D, G, C and F) which change with the following pattern
Verse: D (2 measure), C (half measure), G (half measure), D (one measure) – play twice
Bridge: G (one measure), F (one measure), F7 (2 measures), G (one measure), F (one measure), F7 (1 measures), D (1 measure)
Outro: not 100% sure but it keeps playing C (half measure), G (half measure), D (one measure)
Strumming Pattern: first of all the song it is in 4/4 signature and it is played at a moderated pace (I guess around 110-120 bpm). The song is mainly based on bass so I play it and it sounds good to my ears with a simple eight note pattern, with a bit of shuffle: I also accent all the beats so it is something like
D U D U D U D U
You could also play it with all downstrums. Ok enough talking, here is the song and as always if someone knows the song please let me know any mistake
Matteo
verse:
D
Take me across the water
C G D
'Cause I need some place to hide
D
I done the rancher's daughter
C G D
And I sure did hurt his pride
verse:
D
Well, there's a
Hundred miles of desert
C G D
Lies between his hide and mine
D
I don't need no food
And no water, Lord
C G D-D7
'Cos I'm running out of time
bridge:
G F
Fightin', killin', wine and women
F(maj7)
Gonna put me to my grave
G F
Runnin', hidin', losin', cryin'
F(maj) D
Nothing left to save but my life
ADDITIONAL VERSES
verse:
D
Stood on a ridge
And shunned religion
C G D
Thinking the world was mine
D
I made my break and a big mistake
C
Stealin', when I
G D
Should've been buyin'
bridge:
All that fightin', killin'
Wine and those women
Gonna put me to an early grave
Runnin', hidin', losin', cryin'
Nothing left to save but my life, life...
verse:
So I stood on a ridge
And shunned religion
Thinking the world was mine
I made my break and a big mistake
Stealin', when I
Should've been buyin'
I was stealin'
When I should've been buyin'
I was stealin'
When I should've been buyin'
Stealin', when I
Should've been buyin' ..
I was stealin' ...
I LOVE this song! I used to listen to it way back when I was in high school. A friend of mine had a band that used to be called Rabbi Steal that eventually evolved to the name "Stealin'"
Do you play only the bass notes on this or do you incorporate some treble into it?
Thanks for your hard work matteo!
Hi mike
thanks for your kind words but that's not so hard really since I usually took the chords off some Internet sites and my job is only to decide where they change and which strummin pattern to use. Anyway, to answer your question I play them full chords and the song works fine, but as you suggested me may be it is better to play a bass note on the beat and the treble on the upstrum: i'll give it a try!. Another thing: if you'are mastering the d/du/udu pattern, you could try "otherside" by Red hot chili peppers (I posted a thread in this forum about it), which is based on five quite simple chords with slow, regular chord changes...
Cheers
Matteo
Great song! Brings back lots of memories. We used to play this song in one of the first cover bands I was in back in the day. Always had fun with it. Good job. 8)
"The only way I know that guarantees no mistakes is not to play and that's simply not an option". David Hodge
