Song : River of Tears
Album : Pilgrim
Artist : Eric Clapton (/Simon Climie)
Author : Al Watson
Bound to become a classic - I have seen a fairly accurate transcription of
this and have a fairly good interpretation myself. This is my first transcription
so I have just invented the Tab as I went along.
There is quite a lot of arpeggioed rhythm guitar which is repeated so
please excuse me for not writing it out each time.
There were I suspect at least 3 guitar tracks on the original:
1 - Main Rhythm (arpeggioed chords)
2 - Lead / Rhythm
3 - Slide
I have not transcribed the slide part yet but could try - this is because
of the difficulty of getting accurate intonation and the difference between
players have the slide on the neck to acheive a certain note.
As usual you will need to listen to the track for all the timings.
Guitar 1 - Intro / PART A
Played Twice
C F
E----------0--------I---------0-------I--------1--------I-------1---------I
B--------1-------1--I------1------1---I-----1-------1---I-----1-----1-3---I
G------0-------0----I----0------0-----I---2-------2-----I---2-------------I
D-------------------I-----------------I-----------------I-----------------I
A---3---------------I-3---------------I-----------------I-----------------I
E-------------------I-----------------I-1---------------I-1---------------I
Dm7 G7sus4
E----------1--------I--------1--------I--------1--------I-------1---------II
B--------1----1-3---I------1----1-3---I------3----1-3---I-----3----1-3----II
G------2------------I----2------------I----0------------I---0-------------II
D---0---------------I-0---------------I-----------------I-----------------II
A-------------------I-----------------I-3---------------I-3---------------II
E-------------------I-----------------I-----------------I-----------------II
Guitar 1 - PART B
Am D7
E----------0--------I--------0--------I--------5--------I--------5--------I
B--------1------1---I------1------1---I------3------3---I------3------3---I
G------2------2-----I----2------2-----I----5------5-----I----5------5-----I
D-------------------I-----------------I-0---------------I-0---------------I
A---0---------------I-0---------------I-----------------I-----------------I
E-------------------I-----------------I-----------------I-----------------I
Gsus4 G F
E----------3--------I--------3--------I--------1--------I--------1--------I
B--------3------3---I------3------3---I------1------1---I------1------1---I
G------5------5-----I----4------4-----I----2------2-----I----2------2-----I
D-------------------I-----------------I-----------------I-----------------I
A-------------------I-----------------I-----------------I-----------------I
E---3---------------I-3---------------I-1---------------I-1---------------I
E----------1--------I--------1--------I
B--------1------1---I------1------1---I
G------2------2-----I----2------2-----I
D-------------------I-----------------I
A-------------------I-----------------I
E---1---------------I-1---------------I
It is Played
Part A
Part A / Part C
Part B / Part D
Part A / Verse 1 (Start of Part E)
Part B / Part E
Part A / Chorus / Part E cont. (Start Part F)
Part A / Part F (Parts A & C together)
Part A / Verse 2
Part B / Part E
Part A / Chorus
Part A / Part F
Part B / Part E (Start of End on last F) / Two bars of chorus
End (Two bars of C)
Guitar 2 - PART C
G7sus4 C F
E-------------------I-----------------I-----------------I-----------------I
B-------6~~~~~~~~5--I--5~~~~~~~-------I-----------------I-----------------I
G-------------------I-----------------I--------------7--I--p5-------------I
D---5---------------I-----------------I-----------------I-----------------I
A-------------------I-----------------I-------5/7-------I-----------------I
E-------------------I-----------------I-----------------I-----------------I
Dm7 G7sus4
E-------------------I-----------------I-----------------I-----------------I
B-------8--------6--I--6~~~~~~~-------I---5h6-5---------I-----------------I
G-------------------I-----------------I----------7--p5--I--7~~~~~~--------I
D---7---------------I-----------------I-----------------I-----------------I
A-------------------I-----------------I-----------------I-----------------I
E-------------------I-----------------I-----------------I-----------------I
C F
E-------------------I-----------------I-----------------I-----------------I
B-------8--p5~~-----I-----------------I-----------------I-----------------I
G----------------7--I-7(9)r7--p5~~~---I-------------7---I--p5~~~~---------I
D---5---------------I-----------------I-----------------I-----------------I
A-------------------I-----------------I-----5/7---------I-----------------I
E-------------------I-----------------I-----------------I-----------------I
Dm7 G7sus4
E-------------------I-----------------I-----------------I-----------------I
B-----5h6~~~~---5---I-5h6p5-----------I--5h6--5~~~------I-----------------I
G-------------------I-------7~~~~~~---I------------7p5--I--7~~~~~~--------I
D---7---------------I-----------------I-----------------I-----------------I
A-------------------I-----------------I-----------------I-----------------I
E-------------------I-----------------I-----------------I-----------------I
E-------------------I
B-------------------I
G-------------------I
D-------------------I
A--------5----5-----I
E-------------------I
PART D
Am D7
E-------------------I-----------------I-----------------I-----------------I
B-------------------I-----------------I-----------------I-------------8---I
G------5~~~~~-------I---4/5 7/9\7-----I-----------------I------7h9~~~-----I
D--5h7--------------I-----------------I--4------7-------I--7--------------I
A-------------------I-----------------I-----------------I-----------------I
E-------------------I-----------------I-----------------I-----------------I
Gsus4 G F
E-------------------I-----------------I-----------------I-----------------I
B-------------------I-----------------I-----------------I-----------------I
G-9\7~~~~-----------I-----------------I-----5~~~--7-----I--5--------------I
D-------------------I------------5--5-I-5h7---------7---I-------------5---I
A-------------------I-----------------I-----------------I-----------------I
E-------------------I-----------------I-----------------I-----------------I
E-------------------I-----------------I
B-------------------I-----------------I
G------5~~~~----7---I--5~~~~~~\-------I
D-5h7-------------7-I-----------------I
A-------------------I-----------------I
E-------------------I-----------------I
PART E
G7 Am D7
E-------------------I-----------------I-----------------I-----------------I
B------3/5--\3---1--I-----------------I-----------------I-----------------I
G-------------------I--2--------------I-------2/4---5---I-2---------------I
D------3/5--\3------I-----------------I-----------------I-----------------I
A-------------------I--3--------------I-----3-3/5---7---I-3---------------I
E-------------------I-----------------I-----------------I-----------------I
Gsus4 G F
E-------------------I-----------------I-----------------I-----------------I
B-------------------I-----------------I-----------------I-----------------I
G---2/4--5----------I---4-------------I-----------0-----I--2----------5\--I
D-------------------I-----------------I-----------------I-----------------I
A---3/5--7----------I---5-------------I-----------2-----I--3--------7-7\--I
E-------------------I-----------------I-----------------I-----------------I
{C *only played 1st chorus*
E-------------------I-----------------I-----------------{-----------------I
B-------------------I-----------------I-----------------{--3/5------6-----I
G--2-----------0----I---2--------5\---I-\2--------------{-----------------I
D-------------------I-----------------I-----------------{--3/5------7-----I
A--3---------2------I---3-----7--7\---I-\3--------------{-----------------I
E-------------------I-----------------I-----------------{-----------------I
F Dm7
E-------------------I-----------------I-----------------I-----------------I
B----5\3-p1---------I-------6---5-----I--\1-------------I-------5/6---8---I
G-------------------I-----------------I-----------------I-----------------I
D----5\3-p2---------I--5/7--7---5-----I--\2-------------I-------5/7-------I
A-------------------I-----------------I-----------------I-----------------I
E-------------------I-----------------I-----------------I-----------------I
G7sus4
E-------------------I-----------------}
B----6\5-p3---------I------6--5-------}
G-------------------I-----------------} Straight onto Part F
D----7\5-p3---------I--5/7----5-------}
A-------------------I-----------------}
E-------------------I-----------------}
PART F
G7 C F
E-------------------I-----------------I-----------------I-----------------I
B---3------6~~~-5---I-5-3/5------6----I-5\3-p1----------I----------6---5\-I
G-------------------I-----------------I--------------7--I-p5--------------I
D---3---5-----------I---3/5------7----I-5\3-p2----------I------5/7-----5\-I
A-------------------I-----------------I----------5/7----I-----------------I
E-------------------I-----------------I-----------------I-----------------I
Dm7 G7sus4
E-------------------I-----------------I-----------------I-----------------I
B-\1-------8----6---I-6~~~~------6--8-I-6p5-3-5h6-5-----I----------6---5--I
G-------------------I-----------------I-----------------I-----------------I
D-\3----7-----------I-------5/7-------I-7p5-3-------7p5-I-7---5/7------5--I
A-------------------I-----------------I-----------------I-----------------I
E-------------------I-----------------I-----------------I-----------------I
E-------------------I
B-3-----------------I
G-------------------I
D-------------------I
A-3-----------------I
E-------------------I
End
F C
E-------------------I-----------------I-----------------I
B--1----------------I--3/5------6-----I--5\3-p1---------I
G--2----------------I-----------------I-----------------I
D-------------------I-----------------I-----------------I
A--3----------------I--3/5------7-----I--5\3-p2---------I
E-------------------I-----------------I-----------------I
It's three miles to the river that would carry me away,
and two miles to the dusty street that I saw you on today,
It's four miles to my lonely room where I'm gonna hide my face,
and about half a mile to the downtown bar that I ran from in disgrace
Lord how long have I got to keep on running?
Seven hours, seven days or seven years?
All I know is since you've been gone, feel like I'm drowning
in a river
Drowning in a river of tears
Drowning in a river
Feel like I'm drowning, drowning in a river
In three more days, I leave this town, and disappear without a trace,
a year from now maybe settle down, where no one knows my face,
I wish that I could hold you one more time to ease the pain,
But my times run out and I got to go, got to run away again
Still I catch myself thinking one day I'll find my way back here
And you'll save me from drowning,
Drowning in a river, drowning in a river of tears
Drowning in a river, Feels like I'm drowning,
Drowning in a river
Lord how long must this go on?
Drowning in a river, drowning in a river of tears.
Tab
/ = Slide up
\ = Slide down
(7) = Target pitch
h = hammer onto following note
p = pull off from previous note to new note
PRIVACY POLICY OF TABLATURES.TK
Guitar tablatures at www.tablatures.tk are not intended to be accurate nor official tabs for the artist,
but are only transcriptions. These tabs are to be used only for study, skill development and scholarship.
The goal of www.tablatures.tk is to provide a valuable resource for musicians who want to improve their
instrument skills. We do not seek to violate copyrights and we encourage that you purchase the artist's
album and official sheet music whenever available. If you see any tab where its content is violating copyright
infringement, please contact us and the tab will be removed
from the archive immediately. You can also contact us with any question regarding this.