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BACK STABBERS
As recorded by The O'Jays
(From the 1972 Album BACK STABBERS)
Words and Music by Leon Huff, Gene McFadden & John Whitehead
Transcribed by Slowhand
Gtr I (E A D G B E) - 'Norman Harris - Electric Guitar'
Intro
Q=116
N.C.
4/4
Gtr I (Clean El. Gtr.)
w W W W
|----------|----------|----------|------|
|----------|----------|----------|------|
|----------|----------|----------|------|
|----------|----------|----------|------|
|----------|----------|----------|------|
|----------|----------|----------|------|
Q. E H +Q Q Q E E Q. E +E E Q +Q. E Q Q
|-------------|-----------------|-----------------|----------------|
|-8----8-8----|-(8)--8--11--8s6-|-8----6-(6)-8----|------------6---|
|-------------|-----------------|--------------8--|-(8)---5-8------|
|-5----5-5----|-(5)--5---8--5s3-|-5----3-(3)-5----|------------3---|
|-------------|-----------------|--------------6--|-(6)---3-6------|
|-------------|-----------------|-----------------|----------------|
S S E +E E S S E +E E E E E E E E E E W W
|-------------------------|-----------------|-----------|------|
|-8s9s8-(8)-8-8s9s8-(8)-8-|-8-8-6-6---------|-/8--------|------|
|-------------------------|---------8-8-7-7-|-----------|------|
|-5s6s5-(5)-5-5s6s5-(5)-5-|-5-5-3-3---------|-/5--------|------|
|-------------------------|---------6-6-5-5-|-----------|------|
|-------------------------|-----------------|-----------|------|
Q E E H +Q Q Q E E Q. E +E E Q
|-------------|-----------------|-----------------|
|------8-8----|-(8)--8--11--8s6-|-8----6-(6)-8----|
|-------------|-----------------|--------------8--|
|------5-5----|-(5)--5---8--5s3-|-5----3-(3)-5----|
|-------------|-----------------|--------------6--|
|-------------|-----------------|-----------------|
G
+Q. E Q Q e e e E E e e E e E Q H
|---------------|-3-3-3-----3-3---|-3-----------||
|------------6--|-3-3-3-----3-3---|-3-----------||
|-(8)---5-8-----|-4-4-4-----4-4---|-4-----------||
|------------3--|-----------------|-------------||
|-(6)---3-6-----|-----------------|-------------||
|---------------|-----------------|-------------||
Chorus
N.C. AbmajBb G G7
W Q Q Q q Q E E +E E Q +Q Q E Q E
|----------|------------6--|-8--8-6-(6)-6-3--|-(3)-------------|
|----------|----/8--/8-----|-8----6-(6)---4--|-(4)--3--3-3-----|
|----------|----/7--/7-----|-8----7-(7)---5--|-(5)--4--4-4-----|
|----------|---------------|-----------------|------3--3-3-----|
|----------|---------------|-----------------|-----------------|
|----------|---------------|-----------------|-----------------|
Cm N.C. AbmajBb G G7
W Q q Q q Q E E +E E Q +Q Q E Q E
|-8--------|-----6------6--|-8--8-6-(6)-6-3--|-(3)-------------||
|-8--------|-/8-----/8-----|-8----6-(6)---4--|-(4)--3--3-3-----||
|-8--------|-/7-----/7-----|-8----7-(7)---5--|-(5)--4--4-4-----||
|----------|---------------|-----------------|------3--3-3-----||
|----------|---------------|-----------------|-----------------||
|----------|---------------|-----------------|-----------------||
1st Verse
N.C. F7 N.C.
W H Q q W W
||-----------|---------6--|-5--------|------|
||o----------|------8-----|-4--------|------|
||-----------|------8-----|-5--------|------|
||-----------|------------|----------|------|
||o----------|------------|----------|------|
||-----------|------------|----------|------|
F7
W H Q q W W
|----------|---------6--|-5--------|------||
|----------|------8-----|-4--------|------||
|----------|------8-----|-5--------|------||
|----------|------------|----------|------||
|----------|------------|----------|------||
|----------|------------|----------|------||
Pre-Chorus
N.C. Abmaj7 N.C.
E E E E E E Q W W W
|---8s6---8s6----|-8--------|----------|------|
|---8s6---8s6----|-8--------|----------|------|
|----------------|-8--------|----------|------|
|----------------|-6--------|----------|------|
|----------------|----------|----------|------|
|----------------|----------|----------|------|
Abmaj7 G
E E E E E E Q W W e e e E E e e E e E Q H
|---8s6---8s6----|-8--------|----------|-3-3-3-----3-3---|-3-----------||
|---8s6---8s6----|-8--------|----------|-3-3-3-----3-3---|-3-----------||
|----------------|-8--------|----------|-4-4-4-----4-4---|-4-----------||
|----------------|-6--------|----------|-----------------|-------------||
|----------------|----------|----------|-----------------|-------------||
|----------------|----------|----------|-----------------|-------------||
Chorus
1.
Cm N.C. Bb G G7
W Q q Q q Q E E +E E Q +Q Q E Q E
|-8--------|-----6------6--|-8--8-6-(6)-6-3--|-(3)--------------||
|-8--------|-/8-----/8-----|-8----6-(6)---4--|-(4)--3--3-3-----o||
|-8--------|-/7-----/7-----|-8----7-(7)---5--|-(5)--4--4-4------||
|----------|---------------|-----------------|------3--3-3------||
|----------|---------------|-----------------|-----------------o||
|----------|---------------|-----------------|------------------||
Interlude
2.
N.C.
Q E E +E E Q +Q Q E Q E W W
|-8--8-6-(6)-6-3--|-(3)------------||----------|------|
|-8----6-(6)---4--|-(4)--3--3-3----||----------|------|
|-8----7-(7)---5--|-(5)--4--4-4----||----------|------|
|-----------------|------3--3-3----||----------|------|
|-----------------|----------------||----------|------|
|-----------------|----------------||----------|------|
Q. E H +Q Q Q E E Q. E +E E Q +Q. E Q Q
|-------------|-----------------|-----------------|----------------|
|-8----8-8----|-(8)--8--11--8s6-|-8----6-(6)-8----|------------6---|
|-------------|-----------------|--------------8--|-(8)---5-8------|
|-5----5-5----|-(5)--5---8--5s3-|-5----3-(3)-5----|------------3---|
|-------------|-----------------|--------------6--|-(6)---3-6------|
|-------------|-----------------|-----------------|----------------|
Out-Chorus
Cm
S S E +E E S S E +E E E E E E E E E E W
|-------------------------|-----------------||--8----|
|-8s9s8-(8)-8-8s9s8-(8)-8-|-8-8-6-6---------||o-8----|
|-------------------------|---------8-8-7-7-||--8----|
|-5s6s5-(5)-5-5s6s5-(5)-5-|-5-5-3-3---------||-------|
|-------------------------|---------6-6-5-5-||o------|
|-------------------------|-----------------||-------|
N.C. Cm Bb G G7
Q q Q q Q E E +E E Q +Q Q E Q E 3x
|-----6------6--|-8--8-6-(6)-6-3--|-(3)-------------||
|-/8-----/8-----|-8----6-(6)---4--|-(4)--3--3-3----o||
|-/7-----/7-----|-8----7-(7)---5--|-(5)--4--4-4-----||
|---------------|-----------------|------3--3-3-----||
|---------------|-----------------|----------------o||
|---------------|-----------------|-----------------||
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
Other Versions & Arrangements
- Back Stabbers (Chords)
- Back Stabbers (Bass)
Song History
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