Once Upon a Time in the West

Dire Straits

Chords & TabKeyGintermediate

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6 versions

Chords4

Tab1

Bass1

Chords in this song8

Song

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Once Upon a Time in the West - Dire Straits

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Tabbed by: maguri

Tuning: Standard

Dire Straits

Once Upon a Time in the West (1979)

(Knopfler)

From: "Communique"

Great song to play on an acoustic! The signature changes may seem a little

tricky at first, but as they follow the vocals they're not a real problem:

don't count, just play along with the singer.

The bass does a lot in the verses. I added a skeleton of a tab below,

that includes the bass line wherever necessary/possible and the main

accents for strumming along.

I recorded a quick demo; check it out here:

https://www.dropbox.com/s/m6mxneq0ry5rjuc/DireStraits_OnceUponATime_Demo.mp3

And here's a good tab for the lead guitar, too:

http://tabs.ultimate-guitar.com/d/dire_straits/once_upon_a_time_in_the_west_tab.htm

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SPECIAL CHORDS/VOICINGS

E-A-D-G-B-e

D5 x-x-0-2-3-x

D/C x-3-x-2-3-x

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[Intro] (freely)

| D | % | F | % | Am G | F | Am G | F | % |

[Intro Verse] (solo)

2/4

| Am | % | % | D5 D/C |

2/4

| Am | % | % | D5 D/C |

2/4

| Am | Am | G | G |

[2/4] [2/4]

| D | D | Am | Am |

2/4

| C | C | Am | % |

| Dm | G | Am | % |

Verse

Some people get a cheap laugh breaking up the speed limit

Scaring the pedestrians for a minute

Crossing up progress driving on the grass

Leaving just enough room to pass

Sunday driver never took a test

Oh yeah, once upon a time in the west

Verse

Yes and it's no use saying that you don't know nothing

It's still gonna get you if you don't do something

Sitting on a fence that's a dangerous course

Ah, you could even catch a bullet from the peace-keeping force

Even the hero gets a bullet in the chest

Oh yeah, once upon a time in the west

Link

| D | % | F | % | Am G | F | % |

[Solo] (= [Verse] + [Link])

2/4

| Am | % | % | D5 D/C |

2/4

| Am | % | % | D5 D/C |

2/4

| Am | Am | G | G |

[2/4] [2/4]

| D | D | Am | Am |

2/4

| C | C | Am | % |

| Dm | G | Am | % |

| D | % | F | % | Am G | F | % |

Verse

Mother Mary your children are slaughtered

Some of you mothers ought to lock up your daughters

Who's protecting the innocenti

Heap big trouble in the land of plenty

Tell me how we're gonna do what's best

You guess once upon a time in the west

Outro

Oh yeah, once upon a time in the west

| Dm | G | Am | % |

(guitar and ad lib chorus)

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[Verse]/[Solo] etc

1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + 1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + 1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + 1 + 2 +

e|--------0-----0-|-------0------0-|----------------|--------|
B|--------1-----1-|-------1------1-|-------(1)------|3-3-3---|
G|--------2-----2-|-------2------2-|--------2-------|2-2-2---|
D|--------2-------|-------2--------|--------2-------|0-0-x---|
A|0---------------|0---------------|0---3---------3-|----3---|
E|----------------|----------------|----------------|--------|

1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + 1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + 1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + 1 + 2 +

e|--------0-----0-|-------0------0-|----------------|--------|
B|--------1-----1-|-------1------1-|-------(1)------|3-3-3---|
G|--------2-----2-|-------2------2-|--------2-------|2-2-2---|
D|--------2-------|-------2--------|--------2-------|0-0-x---|
A|0---------------|0---------------|0---3---------3-|----3---|
E|----------------|----------------|----------------|--------|

1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + 1 + 2 + 1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + 1 + 2 + 3 + 4 +

e|--------0-----0-|----0---|--------3-----3-|--------3-----3-|
B|--------1-----1-|----1---|--------3-----3-|--------3-----3-|
G|--------2-----2-|----2---|--------0-----0-|--------0-----0-|
D|--------2-------|----2---|--------0-----0-|--------0-----0-|
A|0---------------|0-------|x---------------|x---x-----------|
E|----------------|--------|3---------------|3---3-----------|

1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + 1 + 2 + 1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + 1 + 2 +

e|--------2-----2-|----2---|--------0-----0-|--------|
B|3-------3-----3-|----3---|--------1-----1-|1-1-1---|
G|2-------2-----2-|2---2---|--------2-----2-|2-2-2---|
D|0-------0-------|0---0---|--------2-------|2-2-x---|
A|----------------|--------|0---------------|----3---|
E|----------------|--------|----------------|--------|

1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + 1 + 2 + 1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + 1 + 2 + 3 + 4 +

e|--------0-----0-|----0---|--------0-----0-|--------0-----0-|
B|--------1-----1-|----1---|--------1-----1-|--------1-----1-|
G|--------0-----0-|----0---|----2---2-----2-|--------2-----2-|
D|--------2-----2-|----2---|3---x---2-------|--------2-----2-|
A|3---------------|3-------|0---3-----------|0---0-----------|
E|----------------|--------|----------------|----------------|

1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + 1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + 1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + 1 + 2 + 3 + 4 +

e|--------1-----1-|--------3-----3-|--------0-----0-|--------0-----0-|
B|--------3-----3-|--------3-----3-|--------1-----1-|--------1-----1-|
G|--------2-----2-|--------0-----0-|----2---2-----2-|--------2-----2-|
D|0---------------|--------0-----0-|3---x---2-------|--------2-----2-|
A|----------------|x---x-----------|0---3-----------|0---0-----------|
E|----------------|3---3-----------|----------------|----------------|

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