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Lithium by NIRVANA
On the Nevermind CD and Lithium single.


I’m not too sure if this is correct but the last post of Lithium didn’t sound quite right, so here’s how I play it..

Sounds good with a clean electric or light strumming on an acoustic..


Intro/Verses (Main Riff)

e-------------------------------------------------------------------------|
b-------------------------------------------------------------------------|
g-------------------------------------------------------------------------|
d-2-------6--------11-------7--------10---------12--------9---------12----|
a-2------6-------11--------7-------10---------12---------9--------12------|
e-0-x-x-4---4/--9-----9/--5---5/--8-----8/--10-----10/--7---7/--10-----10/|

I’m so happy cause today I’ve found my friends, ...
Chorus:
e-----------------------------------------------------------------------|
b-----------------------------------------------------------------------|
g---------5--5----------5--5--5-----------4-4-4-4-4-4--2--2--2----------|
d--7--7---5--5---7--7---5--5--5---7-------4-4-4-4-4-4--2--2--2----------|
a--7--7---3--3---7--7---3--3--3---7-------2-2-2-2-2-2--0--0--0--1--2--0-|
e--5--5----------5--5-------------5-------------------------------------|
                              ..Crack..

I like it I’m not gonna crack...


Instead of the 1--2--0 on the A-string, play:

d--------2--|
a--------2--|
e--0--3-----|

after the Chorus to end the song


Lithium - by Nirvana

Well after looking everywhere and not being satisfied with what I found
I decided to just do it myself. This is my first attempt at writing
tablature so be kind. I’m sure there is some intricate picking going on
that you can add but I believe this is very close to the way it was played
live.
Intro:

     Chord diagramE minorEm        Chord diagramG#G#       Chord diagramC#C#        Chord diagramA augmentedA        Chord diagramC majorC       Chord diagramD MajorD        Chord diagramBB       Chord diagramD MajorD
X--------------------------------------------------------------------------
X---------------------------------2----------------------------------------
X-----------------------6---------2--------5-------7--------4-------7------
X----2---------6--------6---------2--------5-------7--------4-------7------
X----2---------6--------4------------------3-------5--------2-------5------
X--------------4-----------------------------------------------------------
               I’m so happy.......Cause today I ...


There it is. I’m pretty sure the second to last chord is called B, I did
this off the top of my head.
I play them all as bar-chords except Chord diagramE minorEm and A. Some palm muting helps also.


**Any corrections or comments please send to:
[email protected]

Lithium - by Nirvana                                        31 Oct 1995

Intro:

     Chord diagramE minorEm        Chord diagramG#G#       Chord diagramC#C#        Chord diagramA augmentedA        Chord diagramC majorC       Chord diagramD MajorD        Chord diagramBB       Chord diagramD MajorD
X--------------------------------------------------------------------------
X---------------------------------2----------------------------------------
X-----------------------6---------2--------5-------7--------4-------7------
X----2---------6--------6---------2--------5-------7--------4-------7------
X----2---------6--------4------------------3-------5--------2-------5------
X--------------4-----------------------------------------------------------
               I’m so happy........

Chorus:
    Chord diagramA augmentedA          Chord diagramC majorC         Chord diagramA augmentedA           Chord diagramC majorC                    Chord diagramA augmentedA
X--------------------------------------------------------------------------
X--------------------------------------------------------------------------
X--------------5---5-----------------5-----5-----5-------------------------
X---7---7------5---5-----7----7------5-----5-----5--------7----------------
X---7---7------3---3-----7----7------3-----3-----3--------7----------------
X---5---5----------------5----5---------------------------5----------------
-
        I     like it    I’m  not       gon ...

On the last line do this:

    Chord diagramA augmentedA          Chord diagramC majorC         Chord diagramA augmentedA           Chord diagramC majorC                    Chord diagramA augmentedA           Chord diagramBB
X--------------------------------------------------------------------------
X--------------------------------------------------------------------------
X--------------5---5-----------------5-----5-----5--------7-----------4----
X---7---7------5---5-----7----7------5-----5-----5--------7-----------4----
X---7---7------3---3-----7----7------3-----3-----3--------5-----------2----
X---5---5----------------5----5--------------------------------------------
        I     kill you   I’m  not       gon ....
                                                   (strum each several x’s)

Immediately after last chord do this to go back to the Chord diagramE minorEm and start over:

             Chord diagramE minorEm
X--------------------------------------------------------------------------
X--------------------------------------------------------------------------
X--------------------------------------------------------------------------
X------------2-------------------------------------------------------------
X------------2-------------------------------------------------------------
X---O---3------------------------------------------------------------------
    (Open E, then third string and into Chord diagramE minorEm)

There it is, I play them all as bar-chords except Chord diagramE minorEm and A.

I verified this by watching Kurt play it on Live! Tonight! Sold Out!!
The only difference I noticed was that he sometimes played the Chord diagramA augmentedA as a
bar-chord and the Chord diagramD MajorD as a regular chord, otherwise the chords are the way
he played them live.

**Any corrections please send to:
[email protected]   * Best if viewed/printed from DOS
prompt

.......................................................................


from: [email protected]

Nirvana-Lithium

Ok, I downloaded this song for a thing I’m doing with my band
to find out one part, which I did. But the rest of it was
completely friggen wrong soooooooooooooo.
 I will do it.


|---------------------------------------------------------------------|
|---------------------------------------------------------------------|
|-----X---------X-----------------------------5----------7------------|
|--2--X---------X-------4-----------5---------5-----------------------|
|--2--X-------4-X--0--6----------5-----0--3-------3/5-----------------|
|--0--X--0--6---X----------0--7---------------------------------------|

|---------------------------------------------------------------------|
|---------------------------------------------------------------------|
|-4---4-4-/---7-7-7-7-------------------------------------------------|
|-4---4-4-/---7-7-7-7-------------------------------------------------|
|-2---2-2-/---5-5-5-5-------------------------------------------------|
|---------------------------------------------------------------------|

the rest is simple and probably described below

************************************************************************

Lithium  By Nirvana  Written by Kurt Cobain from the Nevermind Album

Chris M
[email protected]


Intro
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
------------------------------------------------7-------------------7------
----------------------6-x---------7---5-5-5/-7--7------4-4-4-4/7-7--7------
-------------6------4-6-x-------7-----3-3-3/-5--5---0--2-2-2-2/5-5--5-0----
--0---x--0-4----x-0-------0---5-----0--------------------------------------

Verse                                              **                   *
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------------------------------------4---------7------
------------------------------------5---------------------4--4/7----7------
------------------6---------7-------5-5--5/7-7-7-------4--4--4/7-----------
----------6-----4---------7-------3------3/5-5-5-------2----------5--------
-0--x-0-4---x-0------0--5------0------------------0-------------------0----


---------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------------------------------------4----------------
------------------6------------------5-------------5------4--------7-------
----------6-------6---------7----------------------5----2-------7--7-------
--------4----4--4---------7---0--3------5--3/5--5-----0-----2/5-5----------
-0--x-0--------------0--5---------------------------------------------0----

Then, play from verse to *, then from verse to **, then:


     Dist.           $
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
-----------7--7-7-7----------------6--6-6--2--2--0---5--5-5--5/7-7-7-7-----
--4--4--4/-7--7-7-7--2--2-2/6-6-6--6--6-6--2--2--0---5--5-5--5/7-7-7-7-----
--2--2--2/-5--5-5-5--2--2-2/6-6-6--4--4-4--0--0--0---3--3-3--3/5-5-5-5-----
---------------------0--0-0/4-4-4------------------------------------------

                      $$
---------------------------
---------------------------
---------------------------
-4---4--4--4/7---7--7------
-4---4--4--4/7---7--7------
-2---2--2--2/5---5--5------

Then play from $ to $$ twice, then:

---------------------------
---------------------------
-4--4-4-4/7--7--7---------
-4--4-4-4/7--7--7---------
-2--2-2-2/5--5--5---------
---------------------------

Then repeat from Verse, then:
@
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
-2-----5--5----2-2---5-------2-2-2--5--5-----2-2---5-5-5---2------5-5------
-2-----5--5----2-2---5-------2-2-2--5--5-----2-2---5-5-5---2------5-5------
-0-0-0-3--3-0--0-0-0-3-------0-0-0--3--3--0--0-0-0-3-3-3-0-0--0-0-3-3-0----
-----------------------0-3-4-----------------------------------------------

                                       @@
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
-2---2-----5----------2---------5--5---------2--2----5---------------------
-2---2-----5----------2---------5--5---------2--2----5---------------------
-0---0--0--3----------0---0--0--3--3--0------0--0--0-3---------------------
--------------0--3--4-----------------------------------0--3--4------------

Then play from @ to @@, then:

--------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
-2--2-----5-5-5-5--7---7--7--7--7-7--------4--4-4--4-----------------------
-2--2-----5-5-5-5--7---7--7--7--7-7--------4--4-4--4-----------------------
-0--0--0--3-3-3-3--5---5--5--5--5-5--0-----2--2-2--2-----------------------
------------------------------------------------------0--3--0--------------
                                                    /---/---/
             ***BASS SOLO***                       /
                                                  /
After Bass solo, play from Verse to end, and the / 3 bends, and the last note holds at the end.

Lithium tab

Yet another famous Nirvana song written by Kurt Cobain. It was the third single from Nevermind released in 1992 but did not climb high in the charts. Still a popular song these days and here are the Nirvana Lithium guitar tabs.

This was a hard song for Nirvana to record as the producer wanted some space in between. Kurt on the other hand played the song faster and faster on his guitar and didn’t make it. He wanted it to be heavy while producer Butch Vig wanted it more relaxed. The result is heavy choruses and slow verses, a template often used by the band. When playing these Nirvana lithium guitar tabs keep in mind that Cobain added distortion to his guitar during choruses. The lyrics are about people turning to religion because the need something to save them from everything bad in life.

Other versions of Lithium

Alternative guitar chords and tabs for Lithium (Ver. 2) by Nirvana

VersionType
LithiumChords
LithiumIntro
Lithium (Ver. 2)Chords
Lithium (Ver. 2)Intro

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