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Beat The Retreat

Richard Thompson
Version1
90

Chords in this song

Strum
D-DU-UDU
   mixolydian (C-
 
 
 
 
  -Bb),  but sometimes
 
   shows up.
 I haven't bothered to TAB it out since it really wouldn't help with the whole
 feel of the song, and is kind of against Richard's whole philosophy anyway--
 he doesn't play anything the same way twice. It's better to improvise within
 the feel of the song, which is slow, solemn, and bluesy, than to learn exactly
 what he plays. He said exactly that on his Homespun Lesson Tape, so I don't
 feel this is a stretch of logic!
 Chords are:
C: o-o-2-o-1-0----|
Cadd4: o-o-3-o-1--|o
G5: x-o-o-o-3-3---|
a: x-2-2-2-1------|o
 
 Beat  my retreat, back home to you
 
 Beat  my retreat, back home to you
 I'm  burning all my bridges
 I'm  burning all my bridges
 I'm  burning all my bridges
 
 I'm running  back home to you
 Trailing my colours, back home to you
 Trailing my colours, back home to you
 This world is filled with sadness
 This world is filled with sadness
 This world is filled with sadness
 I'm running back home to you
 Follow the drum, back home to you
 Follow the drum, back home to you
 There was no sense in my leaving
 There was no sense in my leaving
 There was no sense in my leaving
 I'm running back home to you
 You can play the song quite adequately in standard, but you won't get
 the same bass feel. Also, Richard frequently plays octave bass runs like:
 
 G___0___2-sl-3-sl-2_____________
 G___0___2-sl-3-sl-2_____________
 

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Readable chord sheet for Beat The Retreat by Richard Thompson

[C] mixolydian (C-
 [D]
 [D]
 [F]
 [G]
 [A]-Bb), but sometimes
 [A]
 [B] shows up.
I haven't bothered to TAB it out since it really wouldn't help with the whole
feel of the song, and is kind of against Richard's whole philosophy anyway--
he doesn't play anything the same way twice.  It's better to improvise within
the feel of the song, which is slow, solemn, and bluesy, than to learn exactly
what he plays.  He said exactly that on his Homespun Lesson Tape, so I don't
feel this is a stretch of logic!

Chords are:

C:  o-o-2-o-1-0----|
Cadd4:  o-o-3-o-1--|o
G5:  x-o-o-o-3-3---|
a:  x-2-2-2-1------|o

 [C]    [Cadd4]
B[G5]eat my retreat, back home to you

 [C]    [Cadd4]
B[G5]eat my retreat, back home to you

I[A]'m burning all my br[C]idges

I[A]'m burning all my br[C]idges

I[A]'m burning all my br[C]idges

 [G5]
I[C]'m [Cadd4]running back home to you

Trailing my colours, back home to you
Trailing my colours, back home to you
This world is filled with sadness
This world is filled with sadness
This world is filled with sadness
I'm running back home to you

[instrumental over same chords as verse]

Follow the drum, back home to you
Follow the drum, back home to you
There was no sense in my leaving
There was no sense in my leaving
There was no sense in my leaving
I'm running back home to you

You can play the song quite adequately in standard, but you won't get
the same bass feel.  Also, Richard frequently plays octave bass runs like:

 [E]

G[B]___0___2-sl-3-sl-2_____________

G[D]___0___2-sl-3-sl-2_____________

 [C]

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