Fish and Bird (Tom Waits)

Tabbed by John Halfpenny ([email protected])

Tricky song to tab as it's played on keyboards and cornets and things. Anyway, here's quite a good solo acoustic guitar version which also plays nicely over the original if you so wish. Don't know if the words are right or not. :) 

No doubt a couple of obvious chords I got wrong will come to me once I've uploaded it.


Capo at fret #3


     C        G            C               Fmaj7     G
They pulled around for the sailor and they heard his tale

     C                          F
Of a world that was so full of waves

      G              C     F
And a song that we'd never heard

  G         C      F                 G           C     G
A song of a little bird that fell in love with a whale


             C       G            C
He said 'you can not live in the ocean'

        Fmaj7   G        C                     F
And she said to him 'You never can live in the sky'

        G        C           F
But the ocean is filled with tears

        G         C       F
And the sea turns into a mirror

          G            C              F
There's a whale in the moon when it's clear

      G           C   
And a bird on the tide


   C      Gm    F            Dm  D   G
Oh please don't cry in these dry old eyes

   C       G             C
So tell me that you will wait for me

        F       G
Hold me in your arms

  C                     F
I promise we never will part

     G          C           F
I'll never sail back to the time

         G         C         F
And I'll always pretend your mine

  G            C         F
I know that we both must part

        G          C
You can live in my heart


   C      Gm    F            Dm  D   G
Oh please don't cry in these dry old eyes

    C       G             C
And tell me that you will wait for me

        F       G
Hold me in your arms

  C                     F
I promise we never will part

     G          C           F
I'll never sail back to the time

         G         C         F
And I'll always pretend your mine

  G            C         F
I know that we both must part

        G          C
You can live in my heart