Bass tabs
ROCKET MAN (I THINK IT'S GOING TO BE A LONG, LONG TIME) (Bassline)
As recorded by Elton John
(From the 1972 Album HONKY CHÂTEAU)
Words and Music by Elton John
Gtr I (E A D G) - 'Dee Murray - Bass'
1st Verse
Q=70
4/4
Gtr I
W W W W
|----------|----------|----------|------|
|----------|----------|----------|------|
|----------|----------|----------|------|
|----------|----------|----------|------|
W W W W
|----------|----------|----------|------|
|----------|----------|----------|------|
|----------|----------|----------|------|
|----------|----------|----------|------|
|--3--| |--3--|
H. +E S S S W H. +E S S S
|-12-------(12)-12-------|-----------|-12-------(12)-12-------|
|------------------12----|-10--------|------------------12----|
|---------------------10-|-----------|---------------------10-|
|------------------------|-----------|------------------------|
|--3---|
H. S E. Q. E Q. E Q. E Q. E Q. S S S Q. E S S
|-----------------|-----------------|----------------|-------------------8-9-|
|-10-------10-12--|-13------12------|-10------8------|-7------8-9-10---------|
|-----------------|-----------------|----------------|-----------------------|
|-----------------|-----------------|----------------|-----------------------|
Chorus
Q. E Q Q H Q Q H Q Q H Q Q
|-10---------------||------------|------0--3--|-------------|
|-------10\--------||------0--3--|-1----------|------0--3---|
|-----------8\-----||-1----------|------------|-1-----------|
|---------------1--||------------|------------|-------------|
Q E e Q E e Q. S S e Q e Q. S S E Q E
|---------------|-----------------|-----------------|
|-1----1-0----0-|---------------0-|-1--------1-1--3-|
|---------------|-3--------3-3----|--------1--------|
|---------------|--------3--------|-----------------|
Q. S S E Q E Q. S S E Q E H Q Q H Q Q
|------------------|--------3--------|------------|------0--3---|
|------------------|-1--------1-1--3-|------0--3--|-1-----------|
|-1--------1-1--1/-|-----------------|-1----------|-------------|
|--------1---------|-----------------|------------|-------------|
H Q Q Q E E Q E E Q. S S E S S E. S Q. S S E Q E
|------------|------3------3-|---------------------|-----------------|
|------0--3--|-1------0------|-------------------0-|-1--------1-1--3-|
|-1----------|---------------|-3--------3-3---3----|--------0--------|
|------------|---------------|--------3-----3------|-----------------|
2nd Verse
Q. S S E Q E Q. S S E Q E W Q. E +H
|--------3-3-3----|------3-3-3-3-----||-----------|---------------|
|---------------3-|-1----------------||-----------|---------------|
|-1---------------|---------------1\-||-----------|-3----3-(3)----|
|-----------------|------------------||-\3--------|---------------|
W Q. E +Q S E. Q. E Q. E Q. E Q. E
|----------|------------------|---------------|----------------|
|----------|---------------0--|-1-------------|----------------|
|----------|-3----3-(3)--3----|--------5------|----------------|
|-3--------|------------------|---------------|-8------6-------|
|-3-| |-3-|
Q. S S S Q. S S S H. +E e
|-----------------------|---------------|
|-----------------------|---------------|
|-------------------6-7-|-8-------(8)-8-|
|-5------6-7-8----------|---------------|
|--3--|
H. +E S S S Q. E +E Q E
|-------------------------|---------------17----|
|-/17-------(17)-17-------|---------------------|
|-------------------17----|-15----15-(15)-------|
|----------------------15-|---------------------|
|--3--|
Q. E Q. S S S E. S E E +Q E E
|-----------------------|--------17----------------|
|-17-----------17-------|-----17----------------12-|
|-----------------17----|-15--------15-(15)--15----|
|--------------------15-|--------------------------|
Q. E Q. E Q. E Q. E
|-------------------|------------------|
|-13----13-12----12-|-10----10-8----8--|
|-------------------|------------------|
|-------------------|------------------|
Chorus
|-3-|
Q E S S Q. S S S Q +E. S Q S S E H Q Q
|---------------------|--------------------||------------|
|-7-------------------|--------------------||------0--3--|
|---------------6-7-8-|-8--(8)-10-8--6-5-3-||-1----------|
|----5-6-7-8----------|--------------------||------------|
H Q Q H Q Q Q E E Q E E Q. S S S S Q E
|------0--3--|------------|---------------|--------------------|
|-1----------|------0--3--|-1----1-0----0-|-----------------0--|
|------------|-1----------|---------------|-3--------3---3-----|
|------------|------------|---------------|--------3---3-------|
Q. S S S S Q E Q. S S E Q E Q. S S E Q E
|-------------------|-----------------|--------3---3----|
|-1--------1---1--3-|-----------------|-1--------1----1-|
|--------1---1------|-1--------1-1--1-|-----------------|
|-------------------|--------1--------|-----------------|
H Q Q H Q Q H Q Q Q E E Q E E
|------3-----|------0--3--|------------|------3------3--|
|------------|-1----------|------0--3--|-1------0-------|
|-1-------1--|------------|-1----------|----------------|
|------------|------------|------------|----------------|
|-3-|
Q. S S E S S E. S Q. S S E Q E Q. E Q. E Q. S S S Q. a E
|---------------------|-----------------|---------------|------8-8-8-8--------||
|---------------------|--------8---8----|------8-8------|-----------------7h8-||
|-3--------3-3---3--5-|-6--------6----8-|-------------8-|-6-------------------||
|--------3-----3------|-----------------|-6-------------|---------------------||
Outro
Q. E S E. +Q Q. E +H Q. E +H Q. E +Q e e
|------------------|------8-(8)----|---------------|------8-(8)--7-5--|
|------8-8-8--(8)--|---------------|------8-(8)----|------------------|
|------------------|-6-------------|---------------|-6----------------|
|-6----------------|---------------|-6-------------|------------------|
H Q Q H Q Q H Q Q H Q Q 3x
||-------------|------------|------------|-------------||
||o------------|------5--8--|------------|------5--8--o||
||o------5--8--|-6----------|------5--8--|-6----------o||
||--6----------|------------|-6----------|-------------||
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
She packed my bags last night, pre-flight
Zero hour, nine A. M.
And I'm gonna be high as a kite by then
I miss the Earth so much, I miss my wife
It's lonely out in space
On such a timeless flight
And I think it's gonna be a long, long time 'til touch down
brings me round again to find I'm not the man
they think I am at home
Oh no, no, no, I'm a rocket man
Rocket man, burning out his fuse up here alone
And I think it's gonna be a long, long time 'til touch down
brings me round again to find I'm not the man
they think I am at home
Oh no, no, no, I'm a rocket man
Rocket man, burning out his fuse up here alone
Mars ain't the kind of place to raise your kids
In fact it's cold as hell
And there's no one there to raise them if you did
And all this science, I don't understand
It's just my job five days a week
A rocket man, a rocket man
And I think it's gonna be a long, long time 'til touch down
brings me round again to find I'm not the man they think I am at home
Oh no, no, no, I'm a rocket man
Rocket man, burning out his fuse up here alone
And I think it's gonna be a long, long time 'til touch down
brings me round again to find I'm not the man they think I am at home
Oh no, no, no, I'm a rocket man
Rocket man, burning out his fuse up here alone
And I think it's gonna be a long, long time
And I think it's gonna be a long, long time
And I think it's gonna be a long, long time
And I think it's gonna be a long, long time
And I think it's gonna be a long, long time
And I think it's gonna be a long, long time
And I think it's gonna be a long, long time
