Skip to content
House in the Woods cover art

House in the Woods

Tom Petty
Bass Tab
★4.7(25)

This is tablature — fret positions rather than chord names. Wide lines scroll sideways on their own, so the page never does.

Song

#----------------------------------PLEASE NOTE---------------------------------#

#This file is the author's own work and represents their interpretation of the #

#song. You may only use this file for private study, scholarship, or research. #

#------------------------------------------------------------------------------##

From: Winston Campbell <jieuryli@eden.rutgers.edu>

Subject: HOUSE IN THE WOODS by Mr. Tom Petty

House In The Woods

by Tom Petty

This is the complete and official transcription of this song by Tom Petty

done by me. It is the thirteenth song off of -Wildflowers-. This was

probably one of the first songs I grew to love on the album. It took me a

while to figure out this song but after figuring it out, it is interesting

to look at the chord changes which speaks of Tom Petty and his simple yet

grandiose songwriting approach. I have done the bass tab for it because

the bass line walks during the second half of the verse. The basic bassline

(with the chords on top) is:

(BASSLINE 1)

F C Eb Bb Dm Am C G

G ------------|------------|------------|------------|------------|
D -3----------|-1----------|-0----------|------------|------------|
A -------3----|-------1----|-------0----|-3----------|------------|
E ------------|------------|------------|-------3----|-3-----3----|

(BASSLINE 2)

F C Eb Bb Dm Am C G

G ------------|---0-2------|---0-3------|------------|------------|
D ------------|-3-------0-2|-1-------0-3|-0-2-3------|---2-0------|
A ------------|-------3----|-------1----|-------0-2-3|-3----------|
E -3-----3----|------------|------------|------------|-------3----|
G ------------|------------|
D ------------|------------|
A ------------|------------|
E -3-----3----|-3-----3----|

The single guitar note that is played is just this:

E -1-----0----|------------|------------|------------|
B ------------|-4-----3----|-3----------|-1----------|
G ------------|------------|-------2----|-------0----| (all notes are

D ------------|------------|------------|------------| vibrato, of course)

A ------------|------------|------------|------------|
E ------------|------------|------------|------------|

Those are the single guitar and basslines for the verse. The song begins

with bassline number 1 and plays it two times. Then when Petty starts

singing, bassline number 1 is played once then bassline number 2 is

played. Then the chorus follows which is:

C G C G C G Em A C G

G ------------|------------|------------|------------|------------|
D ------------|------------|------------|------------|------------|
A -3---2-----2|-3---2-----2|-3---2------|-------0-2-4|-3---2-----2|
E -------3----|-------3----|-------3---2|-0-2-3------|-------3----|

C G C G Em A D

G ------------|------------|------------|------------|
D ------------|------------|------------|-0----------|
A -3---2-----2|-3---2------|-------0-2-4|------------|
E ------3-----|-------3---2|-0-2-3------|------------|

After that part, the song goes back to another verse and another chorus.

After the second chorus, the guitar and bass plays the riff on the

A and D strings like (I will call this Riff X):

E ----------------------------|
B ----------------------------|

G ----------------------------| (As you may notice, I have no measure lines

D -0------------------------2-|  so just play it like how you hear it)
A -----0-2-3---0-2-3--0-2-3---|
E ----------------------------|

Play this part repeatedly (I think four times then the song goes into a

slight verse instrumental and back to the chorus and then back into the

verse. These are basically the tabs for the song. The lyrics are:

F C Eb Bb

I~m going down to the house in the woods

Dm Am C G

See my little darling

F C Eb Bb

I~m going down, out in the fields

Dm Am C G

With summertime coming

C G C G

Oh my love, what can I do

C G Em A

What can I do but love you?

C G C G

For the rest of my days, the rest of my nights

C G Em A

What can I do but love you

D

Babe

F C Eb Bb

Summertime falls on the house in the woods

Dm Am C G

Back by the power lines

F C Eb Bb

I ain~t got a neighbor for nine or ten miles

Dm Am C G

Back in the tall pines

C G C G

And hey, now baby, what can I do?

C G Em A

What am I goin~ to do but trust you?

C G C G

The rest of my nights, the rest of my days

C G Em A

What can I do but love you?

D (Riff X)

Babe

(Instrumental Verse)

C G C G

Hey now baby, what can I do?

C G Em A

What am I going to do but love you

C G C G

For the rest of my days, the rest of my nights

C G Em A

What could I do but love you?

D

Babe

(I think the song goes back to Riff X then continues on ad infinitum

into the ever famous verse chords)

The chords, if you are wondering, for this song are:

E A D G B E

-----------

F 1 3 3 2 1 1

C x 3 2 0 1 0

Eb x 6 8 8 8 x

Bb x 1 3 3 3 x

Dm x x 0 2 3 1

Am x 0 2 2 1 0

G 3 2 0 0 3 3

Em 0 2 2 0 0 0

A x 0 2 2 2 0

D x x 0 2 3 2

(Comments and email will be greatly appreciated. Until the next time.

Bye!!)

Comments

Spotted a wrong chord, or know a capo position that sounds closer to the record?

Sign in to join the conversation.

No comments yet. If you play this one, say what works.