Babel tab by Mumford & Sons

Tabs

Tuning: Standard

Difficulty: Advanced

The strumming in this song is not very easy. If you listen to the song you can find it.

Intro:
d |---x-x-x-x-x-x---0--0---|
A augmentedA |---x-x-x-x-x-x---0--0---|
F#F#|---8-8-8-8-8-8---5--5---|
D MajorD |---0-0-0-0-0-0---0--0---|
A augmentedA |---x-x-x-x-x-x---x--x---|
D MajorD |---9-9-9-9-9-9---5--5---|

Now Marcus just strums 8 times the D MajorD chord

d |---0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0---|
A augmentedA |---0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0---|
F#F#|---0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0---|
D MajorD |---0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0---|
A augmentedA |---0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0---|
D MajorD |---0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0---|

But if you want to do the banjo riff on your guitar you can play like this

d |---0--0--0--0-0-0---|
A augmentedA |---0--0--0--0-0-0---|
F#F#|---3--5--3--5-3-1---| x2
D MajorD |---0--0--0--0-0-0---|
A augmentedA |---0--0--0--0-0-0---|
D MajorD |---0--0--0--0-0-0---|

Verse 1:
For the verse you play like the intro for 4 times

"Cause I know.." "..everything you say"    (or the banjo riff)
d |-x-x-x-x-x-x-----0---0----------0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0--|
A augmentedA |-x-x-x-x-x-x-----0---0----------0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0--|
F#F#|-8-8-8-8-8-8-----5---5----------0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0--|
D MajorD |-0-0-0-0-0-0-----0---0----------0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0--|
A augmentedA |-x-x-x-x-x-x-----x---x----------0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0--|
D MajorD |-9-9-9-9-9-9-----5---5----------0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0--|

During the song Marcus stops muting the 6th and the 5th strings when he plays the first
chord (B minorBm chord) so he plays:

d |--0--|       |--x--|
A augmentedA |--0--|       |--x--|
F#F#|--8--| instead of |--8--|
D MajorD |--0--|       |--0--|
A augmentedA |--x--|       |--x--|
D MajorD |--9--|       |--9--|
Chorus: ("Cause I know my weakness, know my voice...")
Strum every chord once, except the last chord (you can listen to the song)

d |--0--0--0--0---0--0--0--0---0--|
A augmentedA |--0--0--0--0---0--0--0--0---0--|
F#F#|--5--7--8--12--5--7--8--12--10-| x2
D MajorD |--0--0--0--0---0--0--0--0---0--|
A augmentedA |--x--x--x--x---x--x--x--x---x--|
D MajorD |--5--7--9--12--5--7--9--12--11-|

Then it continues with the strumming of the D MajorD chord or the banjo riff

Verse 2: ("Like the city that nursed my greed and my pride...")
It is like the first verse but now you can use the B minorBm chord all open.

Bridge: ("Press my nose up to the glass around your glass...")

d |-0--0--0-----0--0--0-----0--0--0-0-0---0--0-0-0-----0--0-0-0--|
A augmentedA |-0--0--0-----0--0--0-----0--0--0-0-0---0--0-0-0-----0--0-0-0--|
F#F#|-3--5--0-----3--5--0-----3--5--8-7-5---5--3-1-0-----8--5-1-0--|
D MajorD |-0--0--0-----0--0--0-----0--0--0-0-0---0--0-0-0-----0--0-0-0--|
A augmentedA |-x--x--0-----x--x--0-----x--x--x-x-x---x--x-x-0-----x--x-x-0--|
D MajorD |-4--5--0-----4--5--0-----4--5--9-7-5---5--4-2-0-----9--5-2-0--|

Well, for the strumming listen to the song. I heard that on the third chord (D MajorD chord)
Marcus does a hammer on the 4th string, a sort of 0h1.
He starts to sing after he plays the first chord and when he strums the second one he
says "NOse up". When he starts to play from the 9th chord (B minorBm chord) he also starts to
sing "Play my bloody part" and then there's the "Tear tear them down" part.

Finally there is a chorus, with the usual hard strumming and the banjo riff after that.

Other versions of Babel

Alternative guitar chords and tabs for Babel by Mumford & Sons