Bass tabs
MERCY MERCY ME (THE ECOLOGY) (Bassline)
As recorded by Marvin Gaye
(From the 1971 Album WHAT'S GOING ON)
Words and Music by Marvin Gaye
Transcribed by Slowhand
Gtr I (E A D G) - 'Bob Babbitt - Bass'
Intro
Q=92
4/4
Gtr I
E S S E S S S S S S S S S S E S S E S S S S S S S S S S
|-----------------------------|-----------------------------|
|-----------------------------|-----------------------------|
|-1---1-1-----1-1---1---1---1-|-1---1-1---1-----1-1---1---1-|
|-----------1-------------1---|---------------1---------1---|
E S S E S S S S S S S S S S E S S E S S S S S S +S S S S
|-----------------------------|-------------------------------||
|-----------------------------|-------------------------------||
|-2---2-2---2-----2-2---2---2-|-2---2-2---2-----2-2-(2)-2-4-6-||
|---------------2---------2---|---------------2---------------||
1st Verse
Q. S S S S S S E E Q. S S S S S S E E Q. S S S S S S E E
|------------9---9-----|------------9---9-----|------------6---6------|
|------------------9---|------------------9---|------------------6----|
|-7----7-7-----------7-|-7----7-7-----------7-|-4----4-4-----------4--|
|----------------------|----------------------|-----------------------|
Q. S S S S S S E S S Q. S S S S S S E E Q. S S S S S S S S S S
|------------6---6-------|----------------------|--------------------------|
|------------------6-----|------------4---4-----|------------4---4---------|
|-4----4-4-----------4---|------------------4---|------------------4-------|
|----------------------4-|-2----2-2-----------2-|-2----2-2-----------2-4-4-|
E. S E. S S S S S S S S S E. S E. S S S S S S S S S
|---------------------------|---------------------------||
|---------------------------|---------------------------||
|-2--2-2--2-2-2-2-2---2---2-|-2--2-2--2-2-2-2---2-4-6-6-||
|---------------------------|-----------------4---------||
2nd Verse
Q. S S S S S S E E Q. S S S S S S E E Q. S S S S S S E E
|------------9---9-----|------------9---9-----|------------6---6------|
|------------------9---|------------------9---|------------------6----|
|-7----7-7-----------7-|-7----7-7-----------7-|-4----4-4-----------4--|
|----------------------|----------------------|-----------------------|
Q. S S S S S S S S E Q. S S S S S S E E Q. S S S S S S S S S S
|------------6---6-------|----------------------|--------------------------|
|------------------6---4-|------------4---4-----|------------4---4---------|
|-4----4-4-----------4---|------------------4---|------------------4-------|
|------------------------|-2----2-2-----------2-|-2----2-2-----------2-2-4-|
E. S Q S S S S S E S E. S E. S S S S S S S S S
|-----------------------|---------------------------||
|-----------------------|---------------------------||
|-2--2-2----2-2-2---2-2-|-2--2-2--2-2-2-2-2---2-4-6-||
|-----------------------|---------------------------||
3rd Verse
Q. S S S S S S E E Q. S S S S S S E E Q. S S S S S S E E
|------------9---9-----|------------9---9-----|------------6---6------|
|------------------9---|------------------9---|------------------6----|
|-7----7-7-----------7-|-7----7-7-----------7-|-4----4-4-----------4--|
|----------------------|----------------------|-----------------------|
Q. S S S S S S S S S S Q. S S S S S S E E E Q S S S S S S S S S S
|------------6---6---------|----------------------|---------------------------|
|------------------6---4-4-|------------4---4-----|------------4---4----------|
|-4----4-4-----------4-----|------------------4---|------------------4--------|
|--------------------------|-2----2-2-----------2-|-2-2--2-2-----------2-2-4--|
E. S Q S S S S S E S E. S E. S S S S S S S S S
|-----------------------|---------------------------||
|-----------------------|---------------------------||
|-2--2-2----2-2-2---2-2-|-2--2-2--2---2-2---2-4-5-6-||
|-----------------------|-----------------4---------||
4th Verse
Q. S S S S S S E E Q. S S S S S S E E Q. S S S S S S E E
|------------9---9-----|------9-----9---9-----|------------6---6------|
|------------------9---|------------------9---|------------------6----|
|-7----7-7-----------7-|-7------7-----------7-|-4----4-4-----------4--|
|----------------------|----------------------|-----------------------|
Q. S S S S S S S S S S Q. S S S S S S E E E Q S S S S S S S E S
|------------6---6---------|----------------------|------------------------|
|------------------6---4---|------------4---4-----|------------4---4-------|
|-4----4-4-----------4---0-|------------------4---|------------------4-----|
|--------------------------|-2----2-2-----------2-|-2-2--2-2-----------2-4-|
E. S Q S S S S S E S E. S E. S S S S S S S S S
|-----------------------|---------------------------||
|-----------------------|---------------------------||
|-2--2-2----2-2-2---2-2-|-2--2-2--2---2-2---2-4-5-6-||
|-----------------------|-----------------4---------||
Saxophone Solo
Q. S S S S S S E E Q. S S S S S S E E Q. S S S S S S E E
|------------9---9-----|------------9---9-----|------------6---6------|
|------------------9---|------------------9---|------------------6----|
|-7----7-7-----------7-|-7----7-7-----------7-|-4----4-4-----------4--|
|----------------------|----------------------|-----------------------|
Q. S S S S S S S S S S Q. S S S S S S E E E Q S S S S S S S S S S
|------------6-----6-------|----------------------|---------------------------|
|----------------6---6---4-|------------4---4-----|------------4---4----------|
|-4----4-4-------------4---|------------------4---|------------------4--------|
|--------------------------|-2----2-2-----------2-|-2-2--2-2-----------2-2-4--|
E. S Q S E S S E S E. S E. S S S S S +S E S
|---------------------|---------------------------|
|---------------------|-------------------------2-|
|-2--2-2----2-2-2-2-2-|-2--2-2--2---2-2-2-(2)-2---|
|---------------------|---------------------------|
Q. S S S S S S E S S Q. S S E. S S E S Q. S S S S S S E E
|------------------------|---------------------|------------7---7-----|
|-3----3-3---3---3---0-2-|-3----3-3------3-3-3-|------------------7---|
|------------------3-----|-------------3-------|-5----5-5-----------5-|
|------------------------|---------------------|----------------------|
Q. S S S S S S S S S S Q. S S S S S S E E E Q S S S S S S E S S
|-7----7-7---7---7---------|----------------------|-------------------------|
|------------------7-------|-5----5-5---5---5---5-|------------5---5--------|
|--------------------5-5-7-|------------------5---|------------------5---5--|
|--------------------------|----------------------|-3-3--3-3-----------3----|
E. S Q S S S S +S E S E. S E. S S S S S +S S S S
|-------------------------|-----------------------------||
|-------------------------|-----------------------------||
|-3--3-3----3-3-3-(3)-3-3-|-3--3-3--3---3-3-3-(3)-3---3-||
|-------------------------|-------------------------3---||
Outro
Q. S S S S S S E E Q. S S S S S S E E Q. S S S S S S E E
|------------3---3-----|------------3---3-----|------------3---3-----|
|------------------3---|------------------3---|------------------3---|
|-1----1-1-----------4-|-1----1-1-----------4-|-1----1-1-----------4-|
|----------------------|----------------------|----------------------|
Q. S S S S S S E S S Q. S S S S S S E E Q. S S S S S S E E
|------------3---3-------|------------3---3-----|------------3---3------|
|------------------3-----|------------------3---|------------------3----|
|-1----1-1-----------4-3-|-1----1-1-----------4-|-1----1-1-----------4--|
|------------------------|----------------------|-----------------------|
Q. S S S S S S E E Q. S S S S S S S S S S Q. S S S S S S E E
|------------3---3-----|------------3---3---------|------------3---3-----|
|------------------3---|------------------3-------|------------------3---|
|-1----1-1-----------4-|-1----1-1-----------4-4-3-|-1----1-1-----------4-|
|----------------------|--------------------------|----------------------|
Q. S S S S S S E E Q. S S S S S S E E Q. S S S S S S E E
|------------3---3-----|------------3---3-----|------------3---3-----|
|------------------3---|------------------3---|------------------3---|
|-1----1-1-----------4-|-1----1-1-----------4-|-1----1-1-----------4-|
|----------------------|----------------------|----------------------|
Q. S S S S S S E E W Q H. W +W
|------------3---3-----|----------|------------|----------|--------*|
|------------------3---|----------|------------|----------|--------*|
|-1----1-1-----------4-|-1--------|------------|-5--------|-(5)----*|
|----------------------|----------|-4--3-------|----------|--------*|
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
Woah, ah mercy mercy me
Ah things ain't what they used to be, no no
Where did all the blue skies go?
Poison is the wind that blows
From the north and south and east
Woah mercy, mercy me, yeah yeah
Ah things ain't what they used to be
Oil wasted on the ocean and upon our seas
Fish full of mercury
Oh Jesus yeah mercy, mercy me ah
Ah things ain't what they used to be, oh no
Radiation under ground and in the sky
Animals and birds who live nearby are dying
Hey mercy, mercy me oh
Ah things ain't what they used to be
What about this overcrowded land
How much more abuse from man can she stand?
Oh, na na na
Ohh baby hey ooh
