Everyday I Write The Book Bass Tab by Elvis Costello

Everyday I Write The Book bass tab by Elvis Costello

Bass Tab

EVERYDAY I WRITE THE BOOK (Bassline)

As recorded by Elvis Costello And The Attractions
(From the 1983 Album PUNCH THE CLOCK)

Words and Music by Elvis Costello

Transcribed by Slowhand


Gtr I (E A D G) - 'Bruce Thomas - Bass'


 Intro
  Q=100
 4/4
  Gtr I
  E Q.   +H       E Q.   +H       E Q.   +H       E Q.   +Q.   S S
|---------------|---------------|---------------|------------------|
|---------------|---------------|---------------|--------------2-2-|
|-4-4----(4)----|---------------|---------------|-2-2----(2)-------|
|---------------|-4-4----(4)----|-5-5----(5)----|------------------|

🎸

Accuracy Rating: - Votes: -


  E Q.   +Q   Q     E Q.   +Q.   S S   E Q.   +Q.   S S   E Q.   +H
|-----------------|------------------|------------------|---------------||
|-----------------|------------------|------------------|---------------||
|-4-4----(4)--x\--|--------------7-7-|------------------|-2-2----(2)----||
|-----------------|-4-4----(4)-------|-5-5----(5)---5-5-|---------------||


 1st & 2nd Verses
  $
  E E S S E H      E E S S E H      E E S S E H      E E S S E H
|---9------------|---8------------|---9---6--------|---8------------|
|-------9---6----|-------9---6----|-----------6----|-------9---6----|
|----------------|----------------|----------------|----------------|
|----------------|----------------|----------------|----------------|


  E E S S E H      E  E S  S E  Q  Q
|---9---6--------|---11---------------|
|-----------6----|--------11----------|
|----------------|-------------12-----|
|----------------|--------------------|


  S S E E E +Q.   S S   S S E E E +Q.   S S
|---------------------|----------------------|
|-6-6-------------6-6-|----------------------|
|---------------------|-4-4---4-4-(4)--------|
|-------4-4-(4)-------|-----------------4-4--|


         To Coda
  S S E E E +H       S S E E E +H
|------------------|------------------|
|------------------|------------------|
|------------------|---------2-(2)----|
|-2-2---2-2-(2)----|-4-4--------------|


   Chorus
    E Q  S S E Q  S S   E Q  S S S S E Q
||-----------1-1--1---|-2-2--1-2-4---------|
||o-2-2--2-4--------2-|------------1---1---|
||o-------------------|--------------------|
||--------------------|--------------------|


  E Q  S S E Q  S S   E Q  S S S S E Q    E Q  S S E Q  S S
|----------1-1----1-|-2-2--1-2-4--------|----------1-1----1-|
|-2-2--2-4------2---|------------1---1--|-2-2--2-4------2---|
|-------------------|-------------------|-------------------|
|-------------------|-------------------|-------------------|


                          Bridge
  E E E S S S S E E S S    E Q.   +Q.   S S
|-2-2---1-2-4-----------||------------------|
|-------------1---1-2-1-||------------------|
|-----------------------||-4-4----(4)-----2-|
|-----------------------||--------------4---|


  E Q.   +H       E Q  S S E Q  S S
|---------------|--------------------|
|---------------|-2-2----------------|
|-4-4----(4)----|------2-0------4-2--|
|---------------|----------4-4-------|


  E Q  S S E Q  S S   E Q.   +Q.   S S   E Q.   +Q   Q     S S E E E +H
|-------------------|------------------|-----------------|------------------|
|---2-----------2-1-|------------------|-----------------|------------------|
|------4-2----------|-4-4----(4)-----2-|-4-4----(4)--x\--|------------------|
|-4--------0-0------|--------------4---|-----------------|-2-2-----2-(2)----|


                      Chorus
  S S E E E +H         E Q  S S E Q  S S   E Q  S S S S E Q
|-------------------||----------1-1--1---|-2-2--1-2-4---------|
|------------------o||-2-2--2-4--------2-|------------1---1---|
|---------2-(2)----o||-------------------|--------------------|
|-4-4---------------||-------------------|--------------------|


  E Q  S S E Q  S S   E Q  S S S S E Q    S S E E E +Q.   S S
|----------1-1--1---|-2-2--1-2-4--------|---------------------|
|-2-2--2-4--------2-|------------1---1--|---------------------|
|-------------------|-------------------|-4-4-----4-(4)---2-0-|
|-------------------|-------------------|---------------------|


                                              D.S. al Coda
  S S E E E +Q.   S S   S S E E E +Q.   E   S S E E E +H
|---------------------|-------------------|------------------||
|-----------------2-2-|-------------------|------------------||
|---------------------|-------------------|-2-2-----2-(2)----||
|-4-4-----4-(4)-------|-5-5-----5-(5)---5-|------------------||


                        Chorus
  &
  S S E E E +Q.   S S    E Q  S S E E +S  S S S   E Q  S S S S E Q
|---------------------||----------1-1-(1)---1---|-2-2--1-2-4---------|
|---------------------||-2-2--2-4---------2---2-|------------1---1---|
|---------2-(2)---2-4-||------------------------|--------------------|
|-4-4-----------------||------------------------|--------------------|


  E Q  S S E Q  S S   E Q  S S S S E Q    E Q  S S E Q  S S
|----------1-1----1-|-2-2--1-2-4--------|----------1-1----1-|
|-2-2--2-4------2---|------------1---1--|-2-2--2-4------2---|
|-------------------|-------------------|-------------------|
|-------------------|-------------------|-------------------|


  E Q  S S S S E Q    E Q  S S E Q  S S   E Q  S S S S E E S S
|-2-2--1-2-4--------|----------1-1----1-|-2-2--1-2-4------------|
|------------1---1--|-2-2--2-4------2---|------------1---1-2-1--|
|-------------------|-------------------|-----------------------|
|-------------------|-------------------|-----------------------|


  S S E E E +Q.   S S   S S E E E +Q.   E   S S E E E Q  Q
|---------------------|-------------------|-----------------||
|---------------------|-------------------|-----------------||
|-4-4-----4-(4)---2-0-|-------------------|--------------2--||
|---------------------|-4-4-----4-(4)---4-|-5-5---5-5-------||


 Outro
  Q.   E E Q  S S   E Q  S S S S E E S S   E Q  S S E Q  S S
|-----------------|----------------------|-------------------|
|--------6-6----6-|-7-7--6-7-9-----------|----------6-6----6-|
|------7------7---|------------6---6-----|-7-7--7-9------7---|
|-0---------------|------------------7-7-|-------------------|


  E Q  S S S S E E S S   E Q  S S E Q  S S   E Q  S S S S E Q
|----------------------|-------------------|--------------------|
|-7-7--6-7-9-----------|----------6-6----6-|-7-7--6-7-9---------|
|------------6---6-----|-7-7--7-9------7---|------------6---6---|
|------------------7-7-|-------------------|--------------------|


  E Q  S S E Q  S S   E Q  S S S S E Q    E Q  S S E Q  S S
|-------------------|-------------------|------9-9------9-9-|
|----------6-6----6-|-7-7--6-7-9--------|----------6-6------|
|-7-7--7-9------7---|------------6---6--|-7-7---------------|
|-------------------|-------------------|-------------------|


  E Q  S S Q  Q    E Q  S S E E +S  S S S   E Q  E E E Q
|--------6-8-----|------9-9-----------9-9-|--------6-8----|
|-7-7--9---------|----------6-6-(6)-6-----|-7-7--9--------|
|-------------6--|-7-7--------------------|------------6--|
|----------------|------------------------|---------------|


  E Q  S S E Q  S S   E Q  S S S S S S S S S S   E Q  S S E E +S  S S S
|------9-9------9---|----------6-8-8-8-8-------|------9-9-----------9-9-|
|----------6-6----6-|-7-7--6-7-----------------|----------6-6-(6)-6-----|
|-7-7---------------|--------------------6-6-6-|-7-7--------------------|
|-------------------|--------------------------|------------------------|


  E Q  S S S S S S +S  S S S   E Q  S S E Q  S S   E Q  S S S E. +E  E
|--------6-8-8-6-8-(8)-6-----|-------------------|---------------------|
|-7-7--9---------------------|------9-9-6-6------|-7-7--6-7-9--------6-|
|------------------------6-6-|-7-7-----------7-7-|------------7--(7)---|
|----------------------------|-------------------|---------------------|


  E Q  S S E Q  S S   E Q  S S S E. +E  E
|-------------------|---------------------|
|----------6-6----6-|-7-7--6-7-9----------|
|-7-7--7-7------7---|-------------------9-|
|-------------------|------------7--(7)---|


  E Q  S S E Q  S S   E Q  S S S E. +Q
|-------------------|---------------------*|
|----------6-6----6-|-7-7--6-7-9----------*|
|-7-7--7-7------7---|------------7--(7)---*|
|-------------------|---------------------*|


Duration 🏷Legend
---------------
W - whole; H - half; Q - quarter; E - 8th; S - 16th; T - 32nd; X - 64th; a - acciaccatura
+ - note tied to previous; . - note dotted; .. - note double dotted
Uncapitalized letters represent notes that are staccato (1/2 duration)
Irregular groupings are notated above the duration line
Duration letters will always appear directly above the note/fret number it represents the
duration for.  Duration letters with no fret number below them represent rests.  Multi-
bar rests are notated in the form Wxn, where n is the number of bars to rest for.  Low
melody durations appear below the staff

Tablature 🏷Legend
----------------
 h   - hammer-on
 p   - pull-off
 b   - bend
 pb  - pre-bend
 r   - bend release (if no number after the r, then release immediately)
 /\  - slide into or out of (from/to "nowhere")
 s   - legato slide
 S   - shift slide
  - natural harmonic
[n]  - artificial harmonic
n(n) - tapped harmonic
 ~   - vibrato
 tr  - trill
 T   - tap
 TP  - trem. picking
 PM  - palm muting
\n/  - tremolo bar dip; n = amount to dip
 \n  - tremolo bar down
 n/  - tremolo bar up
/n\  - tremolo bar inverted dip
 =   - hold bend; also acts as connecting device for hammers/pulls
 <>  - volume swell (louder/softer)
 x   - on rhythm slash represents muted slash
 o   - on rhythm slash represents single note slash

Misc 🏷Legend
-----------
 |  - bar
||  - double bar
||o - repeat start
o|| - repeat end
*|  - double bar (ending)
 :  - bar (freetime)
 $  - Segno
 &  - Coda
Tempo markers -  = BPM(8/16=s8/s16), where s8 = swing 8ths, s16 = swing 16ths


Don't tell me you don't know what love is
When you're old enough to know better
When you find strange hands in your sweater
When your dreamboat turns out to be a footnote
I'm a man with a mission in two or three editions
And I'm giving you a longing look
Everyday, everyday, everyday I write the book

Chapter One we didn't really get along
Chapter Two I think I fell in love with you
You said you'd stand by me in the middle of Chapter Three
But you were up to your old tricks in Chapters Four, Five and Six

The way you walk
The way you talk, and try to kiss me, and laugh
In four or five paragraphs
All your compliments and your cutting remarks
Are captured here in my quotation marks

Don't tell me you don't know the difference
Between a lover and a fighter
With my pen and my electric typewriter
Even in a perfect world where everyone was equal

Last updated: September 10, 2025

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