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This song is not too hard, but the bass riff that Gene Simmons plays is just
totally cool. This is my first attempt at tab, so it may be a little rough.
You are going to have to listen to the recording for the ’feel.’ The song
begins with:
|------|-------------|-------------|-------------|-------------|
|------|-------------|-------------|-------------|-------------|
|-7\---|--7-5---5-7--|--7-5--------|-------------|-------------|
|------|------7------|------7-3-5--|--5-3-0-3-5--|--5-3-0-3-7--|
|-------------|-------------|-------------|
|-------------|--7-5--------|----------5--|
|--5-7-5------|------7-5-7--|--------5----|
|--------7-5--|-------------|--3-5-3------|
and this is repeated throughout the song (except for the opening slide).
This riff changes slightly just before the chorus, with the last bar in the
above changing to:
|-----------------------------------|
|-----------------------------------|
|--7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-3-3-5--|
|-----------------------------------|
Simmons spices this up this riff by adding hammer-ons and slides in certain
places, but this is enough to start with. From what I can tell, the chorus
riff is as follows:
|-------------|-------------|-----------|-------------------|
|-------------|-------------|-----------|-------------------|
|--5-3-2-0-2--|--5-3-2-0-2--|--3-2-0----|--3-2-0-------(5)--|
|-------------|-------------|--------3--|--------3-(0)------|
This is repeated 2 times (in the first chorus), and then the last time there
is a variation:
|-------------|-------------|-------------|-----------|
|-------------|-------------|-------------|-----------|
|--5-3-2-0-2--|--5-----0-2--|--3-2-0---3--|--5--------|
|-------------|----0-2------|--------3----|-----------|
He changes the order of the riffs in latter choruses, but I think you get
the point. This may not be exact, but it is as close as I can come to the
actual riff.
The only other part of the song that is different is the ’ah-ah-ah’ part and
the last verse. All Simmons does here is pump on the root notes, which in
this case are E-A-B-A-E, where the E sounds like the low E. Here are the
words (once again, they may not be exact!):
I’ve been up and down, I’ve been all around
I was mystified, almost terrified
But late at night I still hear you call my name
I’ve been on my own, I’ve been all alone
I was hypnotized, I felt paralyzed
But late at night I still want you just the same
CHORUS:
I’ve been a giver but I’m nobody’s fool
And I sure know something (sure know something)
You showed me things they never taught me in school
And I sure know something (sure know something)
No one can make me feel the way that you do
And I sure know something, ah-ha
I was seventeen, you were just a dream
I was mezmerized, I felt scared inside
You broke my heart and I still can feel the pain
I’ve been carried out, I’ve had fear and doubt
I’ve been stored and I’m never satisfied
Cause late at night I still need you just the same
CHORUS
Ah-ah-ah...
I’ve been carried out, I’ve had fear and doubt
I’ve been stored and I’m never satisfied
Cause late at night I still need you just the same
(just the same)
CHORUS
Video/Audio
Other versions of this song
- Sure Know Something (Chords)
- Sure Know Something (Ver2) (Chords)
- Sure Know Something (Tabs)
Song History
Last Updated: January 11, 2026