Tabs
This is the basic way to play it. There’s some adlibing that they
do throughout each verse... You should be able to find your way.
The guitars do some different positions...E/E5, octaves, barre
kinda dynamics... Like I said, you’ll dig your own way through it.
But this is the song all and all.
The intro to this requires some really fast, controlled picking.
Try to keep your up and downs tight as to not hit the B.
It might seem hard not to double pick the fretted notes at first.
(It even happens to them live!)
Standard tuning (
E MajorE 
A augmentedA 
D MajorD 
G+G 
BB E MajorE) (I use "." for palm mutes)
Intro: key of E MajorE minor(?)
E MajorE 12-0-0-0-7-0-0-0-8-0-0-0-5-0-0-0-7-0-0-3-0-0-0-5-0-0-0-2-0-0-0-3-0-0-0
BB ----------------------------------------------------------------------
G+G ----------------------------------------------------------------------
D MajorD ----------------------------------------------------------------------
A augmentedA ----------------------------------------------------------------------
E MajorE ----------------------------------------------------------------------
(repeat this 3 times)
E MajorE -5-0-0-2-0-0-3--------------------------------------------------------
BB ----------------------------------------------------------------------
G+G ----------------------------------------------------------------------
D MajorD ----------------------------------------------------------------------
A augmentedA ----------------------------------------------------------------------
E MajorE ----------------------------------------------------------------------
(then...) D MajorD
E MajorE 12-0-0-0-7-0-0-0-8-0-0-0-5-0-0-0-7-0-0-3-0-0-0-5-0-0-0-2-----0-0------
BB -------------------------------------------------------------3-3------
G+G -------------------------------------------------------------2-2------
D MajorD -------------------------------------------------------------0-0------
A augmentedA ----------------------------------------------------------------------
E MajorE ----------------------------------------------------------------------
(let ring out)
Verse: (play rhythm using all down strokes for tighter feel)
D MajorD 
E5E5 D MajorD G+G D MajorD
. . . . . . . . . .
E MajorE ----------------------------------------------------------------------
BB ----------------------------------------------------------------------
G+G ----------------------------------------------------------------------
D MajorD --------7 / 9--9--9--9-9-9-9-9-9-9-9 \ 7--7/12-12-12-12-12-12-12-12---
A augmentedA --------5 / 7--7--7--7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7 \ 5--5/10-10-10-10-10-10-10-10-12
E MajorE --------------------------------------------------------------------10
"From the..." "Across the seven..."
D MajorD E5E5 D MajorD G+G
. . . . . . . . . . . . .
E MajorE ----------------------------------------------------------------------
BB ----------------------------------------------------------------------
G+G ----------------------------------------------------------------------
D MajorD --------------------------------7 / 9--9--9--9-9-9-9-9-9-9-9 \ 7--7/12
A augmentedA 12-12-12-12-12-12-12-12-12\-0-0-5 / 7--7--7--7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7 \ 5--5/10
E MajorE 10-10-10-10-10-10-10-10-10\-------------------------------------------
"I traveled..."
D MajorD G+G 
C majorC
. . . . . . . . . .
E MajorE ---------------------------------------------------------3---3---3----
BB ---------------------------------------------------------4---4---4----
G+G ---------------------------------------------------------5---5---5----
D MajorD -12-12-12-12-12-12-12----------------------12-12-12-12 \ 5-5-5-5-5-5--
A augmentedA -10-10-10-10-10-10-10-12-12-12-12-12-12-12-10-10-10-10 \ 3-3-3-3-3-3--
E MajorE ----------------------10-10-10-10-10-10-10----------------------------
"But now it seems..."
D MajorD E5E5 D MajorD G+G D MajorD
. . . . . . . . . .
E MajorE 3--3------------------------------------------------------------------
BB 4--4------------------------------------------------------------------
G+G 5--5------------------------------------------------------------------
D MajorD 5--5-----7 / 9--9--9--9-9-9-9-9-9-9-9 \ 7-7/12-12-12-12-12-12-12-12---
A augmentedA 3--3-----5 / 7--7--7--7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7 \ 5-5/10-10-10-10-10-10-10-10-12
E MajorE --------------------------------------------------------------------10
"I’m just a stranger to myself..."
G+G C majorC D MajorD E5E5
. . . . .
E MajorE -----------------------------------------3----------------------------
BB -----------------------------------------4----------------------------
G+G -----------------------------------------5----------------------------
D MajorD ---------------------------12-12-12-12 \ 5--5--5--5--5--5-5-5-5/7-7/9-
A augmentedA 12-12-12-12-12-12-12-12-12-10-10-10-10 \ 3--3--3--3--3--3-3-3-3/5-5/7-
E MajorE 10-10-10-10-10-10-10-10-10--------------------------------------------
"I close
G+G D MajorD
. . . . . . . . .
E MajorE ----------------------------------------------------------------------
BB ----------------------------------------------------------------------
G+G ----------------------------------------------------------------------
D MajorD 9-9-9-9-9-9-9-9-9-9/12-12-12-12-12-12-12-12---------------------------
A augmentedA 7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7/10-10-10-10-10-10-10-10-12-12-12-12-12-12-12-12-12
E MajorE --------------------------------------------10-10-10-10-10-10-10-10-10
my eyes... And I think of home..."
A augmentedA D MajorD E5E5 G+G D MajorD
. . . . . . . . .
E MajorE ---------------------------------------------12-12--------------------
BB ---------------------------------------------12-12--------------------
G+G ---------------------------------------------12-12--------------------
D MajorD --------7 / 9--9--9--9-9-9-9-9-9-9-9-9/12-12-12-12\-------------------
A augmentedA 12\-0-0-5 / 7--7--7--7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7/10-10-10-10\12--12--12--12-12--
E MajorE 10\------------------------------------------------10--10--10--10-10--
"Another city goes by..." "In the night..."
G+G C majorC D MajorD E5E5 G+G
. . . . .
E MajorE ----------------------------------------------------------------------
BB ----------------------------------------------------------------------
G+G ----------------------------------------------------------------------
D MajorD 12-12-12-12 \ 5--(5)-----(5)----7-7-7 / 9-9-9-9-9-9-9-9-9-9/12-12-12--
A augmentedA 10-10-10-10 \ 3--(3)-----(3)----5-5-5 / 7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7/10-10-10--
E MajorE ----------------------------------------------------------------------
"Ain’t it funny..." "And my heart..."
D MajorD G+G C majorC
E MajorE --------------------------------3--(5)-----(3)------------------------
BB --------------------------------4--(4)-----(4)------------------------
G+G --------------------------------5--(5)-----(5)------------------------
D MajorD ------------------12-12-12-12 \ 5--(5)-----(5)------------------------
A augmentedA 12--12--12--12-12-10-10-10-10 \ 3--(3)-----(3)------------------------
E MajorE 10--10--10--10-10-----------------------------------------------------
"And will be till my dying day!"
========================================================================
Chorus:
Guitar I
G+G C majorC A augmentedA D MajorD C majorC A augmentedA E MajorE D MajorD 
A#A# G+G
E MajorE 3--------------3------------------------------------------------------
BB 3--------------3------------------------------------------------------
G+G 0------5---2---2------5---2-------------------------------------------
D MajorD 0------5---2---0------5---2----------7------11-11-11-12-12-12-12-12-12
A augmentedA x------3---0----------3---0---2------5-------9--9--9-10-10-10-10-10-10
E MajorE 3-----------------------------0---------------------------------------
"So..." (This part can be done different
"Face up..." ways, but this sounds cool -
So does using an octave of G+G)
Guitar II
G+G C majorC A augmentedA D MajorD C majorC A augmentedA E5E5 D MajorD C majorC
E MajorE ----------------------------------------------------------------------
BB ----------------------------------------------------------------------
G+G -------5---2---7------5---2----------------------------5-5-5-5-5-5-5-5
D MajorD 5------5---2---7------5---2---9------7-------5-5-5-5-5-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x
A augmentedA 5------3---0---5------3---0---7------5-------3-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-3
E MajorE 3---------------------------------------------------------------------
========================================================================
Verse II
Chorus
Intro riff again
Into solo which starts with some 3 - 5 - 7 (?) fret tapping
on the high E, then goes ballistic in E MajorE minor...
I’ll leave that up to your creative imagination.
The backing rhythm is simple: D5-slide up to-E5, D5, 
C5C5
(lot’s of palm mutes)
Chorus X2
then intro riff again...but after hammering the G+G (3rd fret, high E MajorE)
E MajorE 12-0-0-0-7-0-0-0-8-0-0-0-5-0-0-0-7-0-0-3-0-0-0-5-0-0-0-2-0-0-0-3-
BB -----------------------------------------------------------------
G+G -----------------------------------------------------------------
D MajorD -----------------------------------------------------------------
A augmentedA -----------------------------------------------------------------
E MajorE -----------------------------------------------------------------
finish it off with a two guitar harmony that’s (something) like this:
========================================================================
Guitar I
E5E5
E MajorE --------------------------0----(0)----(0)----(0)----------------------
BB --------------------------0----(0)----(0)----(0)----------------------
G+G /9---7---5~---4-----------0----(0)----(0)----(0)----------------------
D MajorD ------------------5---0---9----(9)----(9)----(9)----------------------
A augmentedA --------------------------7----(7)----(7)----(7)----------------------
E MajorE --------------------------0----(0)----(0)----(0)----------------------
(let ring out - feedback)
Guitar II
. . E MajorE
E --------------------------0----(0)----(0)----(0)----------------------
BB --------------------------0----(0)----(0)----(0)----------------------
G+G -2---0--------------------0----(0)----(0)----(0)----------------------
D MajorD ---------3~---2-----------2----(2)----(2)----(2)----------------------
A augmentedA --------------------------2----(2)----(2)----(2)----------------------
E MajorE ------------------3---2---0----(0)----(0)----(0)----------------------
(let ring out - feedback)
Other versions of Wasted Years
Alternative guitar chords and tabs for Wasted years by Iron Maiden
| Version | Type |
|---|
| Wasted years | Chords |
| Wasted years | Intro |
