Iron & Wine – House By The Sea (Guitar)

Capo 4

Key

Versions (2)

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Chords

This song is incredible and I've been wanting to play it acoustically for a while. The live version finally helped me find a way to figure out approximately what Sam is playing. Most of the notes seemed to be correct from the other 2 versions posted of the song, but it didn't seem as playable in the key of D as Sam makes it look in the live version playing in the (relative) key of C. Feel free to correct if you can hear any notes I missed. This is my first tab and I mostly filled in what felt natural for me to play for the few notes I couldn't clearly make out.

Note -- after watching the video a little more, I believe he's actually playing in something close to
D-A-C-G-A-D so that he can play 3p0 on the high D string instead of 6p3 on the B string (shown below), 
and then he can also play 3-3/5-5/3-0 for the higher riff on that high D string instead of 6-6/8-6-3 
on the B string.  I'd rather just keep it in standard tuning and slide higher or play your classic 
Dm shape with a slide/hammer up to Dsus and back to Dm. The other big difference the alternate tuning 
allows is that the 3p1 in measures 2 and 4 on the B string can be an octave lower on the C string (2p0),
which really sounds like what he is using in the live videos.

[Intro Pickup] (end of riff below, he begins most of the verse lyrics over this part)
   + 4 + 
e|-------|
b|(1)----|
g|-0-----|
d|-------|
a|-3p0h3-|
E|-------|

[Main Riff]

  Dm + 2 + 3 + 4 +  C + 2 + 3 + 4 +  Dm + 2 + (triplet)   C + 2 + 3 + 4 +
e|-----S-----------|----------------|-----S--------------|----------------|
b|1/3--L-6p3~----3-|1---3p1~-(1)----|1/3--L-6--6/8-6--3--|1---3p1~-(1)----|
g|0----A-------0---|0---0-----0-----|0----A--------------|0---0-----0-----|
d|-----P-0---0--(0)|----------------|-----P-0--0---0--0--|----------------|
a|3/5--!-----------|3---3-----3p0h3-|3/5--!--------------|3---3-----3p0h3-|
E|-----!-----------|----------------|-----!--------------|----------------|

[Verse 1]

           Dm           C
There is a house by the sea

            Dm                           C
Two jealous sisters, they're waiting for me

           Dm          C
And one is laid on the floor

           Dm                        C
And one is changing the locks on the doors

[Chorus 1]

    Dm   C    Dm                   C
And I've been buying the time on my knees

    Dm   C    Dm                       C      Dm
And I've been selling their blankets to bleed on

[Verse 2]

           Dm           C
Around the house by the sea

             Dm                  C
The scent of roses and raspberry leaves

             Dm          C
And there is smoke in my clothes

         Dm                         C
Too much time with just smoke in my nose

[Chorus 2]

    Dm   C    Dm                     C
And I've been making the meaning they lack

    Dm   C    Dm                         C         Dm
And I've been burning that book they come back too-oo

[Verse 3] (Cut to only plucking chord on beat 1)

           Dm           C
There is a house by the sea

       Dm                   C
And an ocean between it and me

             Dm         C
And like the shape of a wave

            Dm                     C
The jealous sisters will sing on my grave

[Chorus 3] (Back to full Riff)

    Dm   C    Dm                      C
And I've been living to run where they led

    Dm   C    Dm                     C
And I've been dying to rise from their bed

    Dm   C    Dm                       C
And I've been sparing my neck from their chain

    Dm      C    Dm                      C
And they've been changing the sound of my name

    Dm   C    Dm                    C
And I've been swimming to them in my sleep

    Dm    C    Dm                       C    Dm
And we've been dreaming our love and our freedom