Wilco – I Am Trying To Break Your Heart (Bass Tab)

Versions (3)

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I did my best to transcribe this song as accurately as possible to the original recording. There is some uncertainty to take into account towards the end, but the main body of the song is all there. For playing this practically I would recommend knowing the main structure of the lines, and just gathering a few ornaments from the tab to use while playing. But the song as a whole is just fun to play, so please enjoy! [Intro]

G|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|
D|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|
A|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|
E|-7\--------------|---2---4-5-----0-|-7\--------------|---1---5-5-----0-|

[Verse 1]

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

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

[Instrumental]

G|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|
D|-----------------|---4---2-2-2---x-|---------------x-|-x-4---2-2-2-1-2-|
A|-2-----2-2-------|-----------------|-2-----2-2-------|-----------------|
E|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|

[Verse 2]

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

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

[Instrumental]

G|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|
D|-----------1-----|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|
A|-2-----0-2---2---|---------------0-|-2-----0-2-------|-----------------|
E|---------------0-|-2-----0-4-------|---------------0-|-2-----2-4---4-0-|

[Verse 3]

G|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|---------------2-|
D|---------------2-|/4-----4-2--/4---|-----------------|---4---2-2-2-----|
A|-2-----2-2-------|-----------------|-2-----2-2-------|-----------------|
E|-----------------|-----------------|---------------4-|-----------------|
                                                     s

G|-4---------------|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|
D|---------------2-|-4-----4-6-----6-|-----------------|-----------------|
A|-------2-2-------|-----------------|-2-----2-2-------|-----------------|
E|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|

[Instrumental]

G|-4-----4-4-------|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|
D|---------------2-|-4-----4-2-------|-----------------|-4-----4-2---1---|
A|-----------------|---------------0-|-2-----0-2-----2-|---------------0-|
E|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|

G|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|
D|-----------------|-4-----4-2-------|-----------------|-----------------|
A|-2-----0-2-----0-|---------------0-|-----------------|-----------------|
E|-----------------|-----------------|-7\--------------|---2---------5-5/|

[Verse 4]

G|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|
D|-----------------|-4-----4-2-----2-|-----------------|-4-----4-2----2/4|
A|-------2-2-----0-|-----------------|-2-----2-2-----0-|-----------------|
E|-7\--------------|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|

G|-4---------------|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|
D|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|-4-----4-2---2-1-|
A|-------2-2-------|---------------0-|-2-----2-2-----0-|-----------------|
E|---------------0-|-2-----2-0-------|-----------------|-----------------|

[Instrumental]

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

[Verse 5]

G|-----------------|-----------------|-4---------------|-----------------|
D|---------------2-|-4-----4-2-----2-|-----------------|-4--\2/4-2-----1-|
A|-2-----2-2-------|-----------------|-------2-2-----x-|-----------------|
E|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|

G|-----------------|-----------------|-4---------------|-----------------|
D|-----------------|-4-----4-2-2/4---|-----------------|-----------------|
A|-2-----2-2-----x-|-----------------|-------2-2-------|---------------0/|
E|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|---2-------4-----|

[Chorus]

G|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|
D|-----------------|---4---2-2--/4---|-----------------|-4-----6-6---4-2-|
A|-2-----0-2-2---2-|-----------------|-2-----0-2-4-----|-----------------|
E|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|

G|-----------------|-------x---------|-----------------|-----------------|
D|-----------------|-4-------2-------|-----------------|-----------------|
A|-2-----2-2-------|-----------------|-2---------4-2---|-----------------|
E|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|------------/12\-|

[Instrumental]

G|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|
D|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|
A|-----------------|-9-----9-7-----7-|---------------7/|-9-----9-7---7-9-|
E|-7-----7-7----5/7|-----------------|-7-----7-7-------|-----------------|

G|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|
D|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|
A|---------------7/|-9-9--11-11-9-11-|-----------------|---9---7-7-------|
E|-7-----7-7-------|-----------------|-7-----5-7-9-----|-----------0-5-6-|

G|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|
D|-----------------|-----------------|---------9-6-----|-----------------|
A|-----------------|--7/9------------|-------------9-7-|-9-7/9-7---------|
E|-7-----5-x-4-----|-----------------|-7---------------|----------10---9-|

G|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|
D|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|
A|-----------------|--(7)-(9)--------|-----------------|-----------------|
E|-7-0-------------|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|

[Outro]

G|-----------------|-----------------|...
D|-9---------------|/9---------------|...
A|-----------------|-----------------|... (noise)
E|-----------------|-----------------|...

You can also play this pattern that happens
as the song breaks down, which isn't played
on bass, but essentially goes like this:
G|-----------------|-----------------|
D|-----------------|-----------------|
A|-----------------|-7------9--------|
E|-7---------------|-----------------|