Girl With The Weight Of The World In Her Hands tab by Indigo Girls

Tabs

The Girl with the Weight of the World in Her Hands -- Indigo Girls

This version has corrected bass note timing in Intro/Verse riff, corrected E MajorE chord
names in first verse, more accurate D9/F# riff, plus tabbed riff to Chorus lead-in
and complete Chorus tab. Enjoy!

CAPO 2. Full finger-picking. See tab for picking patterns & riffs.

A augmentedA     A major 6A6        A augmentedA   A major 6A6
She won't recover from her losses
      A augmentedA     A major 6A6      A augmentedA        A augmentedA+
She's not chosen this path, but she watches who it crosses
    D9D9     D9/C#    D9/B    E MajorE
Maybe move to the right, maybe move to the left
      Asus2Asus2    Asus2/G#       D9/F#
So we can all see her pain she wears like a banner on her chest
    E MajorE      EsusEsus    E MajorE      EsusEsus
And we all say it's sad, and we think it's a shame
      Asus2Asus2     Asus2/G#    D9/F#
And she's called to our attention, but we do not call her name
  E MajorE        EsusEsus    E MajorE       (to half intro)
The girl with the weight of the world in her hands

'Cause we're busy with our happiness, and busy with our plans
I wonder if alone she wants it taken from her hands
But if things didn't keep getting harder
She might miss her sacred chance to go a consecrated martyr
  E MajorE        EsusEsus    E MajorE       A9A9 (see transit. riff)
The girl with the weight of the world in her hands

 D9D9      D9/C#   D9/B      E MajorE
I wonder which saint that lives inside a bead
   Asus2Asus2     Asus2/G#    D9/F#
Will grant her consolation when she counts upon her need
  D9D9      D9/C#      D9/B   E MajorE
It makes us all angry, though we feign to care
   Asus2Asus2      Asus2/G#     D9/F#
But who will be the scale to weigh the cross she has to bear?
  E MajorE        EsusEsus    E MajorE
The girl with the weight of the world in her hands (to half intro)

"Is the glass half full or empty?" I ask her as I fill it. She says
"it doesn't really matter, pretty soon you're bound to spill it"
With the half-logic language of the sermon she delivers
And the way she smiles so knowingly at me gives me the shivers
The girl with the weight of the world in her hands (trans. to chorus)

Chorus, then full intro. Slow finish, strumming A.

(Intro = first 8 bars. Hint: mash down the 4 treble strings at the second fret to
play A; it leaves your other fingers free to play the hammer-ons)
 A augmentedA        A major 6A6        A augmentedA        A major 6A6
 ----------------|----------------|----------------|----------------|
 ----------2-----|------2-------2-|----------2-----|------2-------2-|
 --------2-------|--2-------2-----|--------2-------|--2-------2-----|
 ----2---------2h|4-----------4---|----2---------2h|4-----------4---|
 0-------0---0---|----0---0-------|0-------0---0---|----0---0-------|
 ----------------|----------------|----------------|----------------|
 She   won't recover from her losses.          She's not

 A augmentedA        A major 6A6        A augmentedA        A augmentedA+
 ----------------|----------------|----------------|----------------|
 ----------2-----|------2-------2-|----------2-----|------2-------2-|
 --------2-------|--2-------2-----|--------2-------|--2-------2-----|
 ----2---------2h|4-----------4---|----2---------2h|3-----------3---|
 0-------0---0---|----0---0-------|0-------0---0---|----0---0-------|
 ----------------|----------------|----------------|----------------|
 chosen  this path,  but she watches who it crosses.   Maybe move

 D9D9        D9/C#      D9/B       E MajorE
 ----------0-----|----------0-----|----------------|----------0-----|
 ------3-------3-|------3-------3-|----------3-----|--------------0-|
 ----2-------2---|----2-------2---|------2-------2-|------1---------|
 0-------0-------|----------------|----0-------0---|----2-------2---|
 ----------------|4-------4-------|2-------2-------|----------------|
 ----------------|----------------|----------------|0-------0-------|
    to the right,   maybe move   to the left,  so we can all
 Asus2Asus2      Asus2/G#     D9/F#
 ----------------|----------------|----------------|----------------|
 ----------0-----|----------0-----|----------3-----|----------3-----|
 ------2-------2-|------2-------2-|------2-------2-|------2-------2-|
 ----2-------2---|----2-------2---|----0-------0---|----0-------0---|
 0-------0-------|----------------|----------------|----------------|
 ----------------|4-------4-------|2-------2-------|2-------2-------|
    see her pain she wears   like a banner on her chest. And we

 E MajorE        EsusEsus       E MajorE        EsusEsus
 ----------------|----------------|----------------|----------------|
 ----------0-----|------0-------0-|----------0-----|------0-------0-|
 ------1-------1-|--2-------2-----|------1-------1-|--2-------2-----|
 ----2-------2---|----2-------2---|----2-------2---|----2-------2---|
 ----------------|----------------|----------------|----------------|
 0-------0-------|0-------0-------|0-------0-------|0-------0-------|
 all say it's sad,     and we think it's a shame.    And she's

 Asus2Asus2      Asus2/G#     D9/F#
 ----------------|----------------|--------------0-|----------------|
 ----------0-----|------0---------|----------3-----|--3-------3-----|
 ------2-------2-|---------2----2-|------2---------|------2-------2-|
 ----2-------2---|----2-------2---|----0-------0---|----0-------0---|
 0-------0-------|----------------|----------------|----------------|
 ----------------|4-------4-------|2-------2-------|2-------2-------|
 called to our attention,  but we do not call her name.     The

 E MajorE        EsusEsus       E MajorE
 ----------------|----------------|----------------|
 ----------0-----|--0-------0-----|----------0-----|
 ------1-------1-|------2-------2-|------1-------1-|
 ----2-------2---|----2-------2---|--2---------2---|
 ----------------|----------------|----------------|
 0-------0-------|0-------0-------|0-------0-------|
 girl with the weight    of the world  in her hands.

(Play first half of Intro, then 2nd verse)

Transition to Chorus:       ----------------|-----0----------|
                  ----------0-----|0h2------2---2--|
                  ------2-------2-|-----------2----|
                  ----2-------2---|-------0--------|
                  0-------0-------|---0------------|
                  ----------------|----------------|

Chorus:
 D9D9        D9/C#      D9/B       E MajorE
 ----------0-----|----------0-----|----------------|------0---------|
 ------3-------3-|------3-------3-|----------3-----|----------0-----|
 ----2-------2---|----2-------2---|------2-------2-|--------------1-|
 0-------0-------|----------------|----0-------0---|----2-------2---|
 ----------------|4-------4-------|2-------2-------|----------------|
 ----------------|----------------|----------------|0-------0-------|
 I wonder which  saint    that lives inside a bead     Will

 Asus2Asus2      Asus2/G#     D9/F#
 ----------------|------0---------|--------------0-|----------------|
 ----------0-----|----------------|----------3-----|--3-------3-----|
 ------2-------2-|----2-----2---2-|------2---------|------2-------2-|
 ----2-------2---|--2---------2---|----0-------0---|----0-------0---|
 0-------0-------|----------------|----------------|----------------|
 ----------------|4-------4-------|2-------2-------|2-------2-------|
 grant her consolation  when she counts up-on her need

 ----------0-----|----------0-----|----------------|----------------|
 ------3-------3-|------3-------3-|----------3-----|----------0-----|
 ----2-------2---|----2-------2---|------2-------2-|------1-------1-|
 0-------0-------|----------------|----0-------0---|----2-------2---|
 ----------------|4-------4-------|2-------2-------|----------------|
 ----------------|----------------|----------------|0-------0-------|
 It makes us all angry, though we feign     to care     But

 ----------------|----------------|--------------0-|----------------|
 ----------0-----|----------0-----|----------3-----|--3-------3-----|
 ------2-------2-|------2-------2-|------2---------|------2-------2-|
 ----2-------2---|----2-------2---|----0-------0---|----0-------0---|
 0-------0-------|----------------|----------------|----------------|
 ----------------|4-------4-------|2-------2-------|2-------2-------|
 who will be the scale to weigh the cross she has to bear?    The

 E MajorE        EsusEsus       E MajorE
 ----------------|----------------|----------------|
 ----------0-----|----------0-----|----------0-----|
 ------1-------1-|------2-------2-|------1-------1-|
 ----2-------2---|----2-------2---|--2---------2---|
 ----------------|----------------|----------------|
 0-------0-------|0-------0-------|0-------0-------|
 girl with the weight    of the world  in her hands.