Tabs
"Speed Kills"
by
the Smashing Pumpkins
There are more than one versions of this song. I have
two versions: one is a heavy version, the other softer.
This is the heavy version. 'Speed Kills' appears as the
fourth song on the second EP of Machina II: Friends and
Enemies of Modern Music, and it also appears as a B-side
on the 'Stand Inside Your Love' import single from the UK.
I don't know which is which because I don't have the single
and I don't have Machina II. I got both of them from Napster,
but it seems that there only those two versions. If anyone
knows more about this, please let me know. So here's the
heavy version, 4:37 long. Great song!
regular tuning & distortion, of course
() hold note
b bend note up or down accordingly
/ slide up
\ slide down
Intro
|---------------------------------------------|
|---------------------------------------------|
|---------------------------------------------|
|---------------------------------------------|
|---------------------------------------------|
|--(12)-----12-14-14b16b14-(12)-----11--(12)--|
|-----------------------------------------------------|
|-----------------------------------------------------|
|-----------------------------------------------------|
|-----------------------------------------------------|
|-----------------------------------------------------|
|-----------------------------------------------------|
|--12-14-14b16b14-(12)-----11-(9)-----9-11b12b11-(9)--|
|-----------------------------------------------------|
|-----------------------------------------------------|
|-----------------------------------------------------|
|-----------------------------------------------------|
|-----------------------------------------------------|
|-----------------------------------------------------|
|--9-11--(12)-----12-14-14b16b14-(12)-----11\---------|
during the intro, for each note in parenthesis, the
second guitar is playing either 
D MajorD --14-- or D MajorD --11--
E MajorE --12-- E MajorE ---9--
whether you play one of
these or alternate or whatever, the sound is so
subtle that it's basically your preference, but
they're definitely being played. In my opinion,
it goes like this:
E MajorE E E MajorE E E MajorE 
DbDb E MajorE DbDb
then the lyrics begin...
(Main Riff)
Ab5Ab5 
F#5F#5 
Db5Db5
|-----------------------------------------------------|
|-----------------------------------------------------|
o-----------------------------------------------------o x4*
o-----------------------------------------------------o
|--6---6-6-6\4---4-4-4/11---11--11--11-11--11-11-11---|
|--4---4-4-4\2---2-2-2/-9----9---9---9--9---9--9--9---|
* |---------------------------------| I will
the third time |---------------------------------| call this
play this >> |---------------------------------| "MR alt"
instead of |---------------------------------|
Db5Db5 |--14---14--14--14-14--14-14-14---|
|--12---12--12--12-12--12-12-12---|
(of course, you can play these as triad power
chords, but in my opinion, it sounds better this way)
|--------------------------------------------------------|
|--------------------------------------------------------|
|--------------------------------------------------------|
|--------------------------------------------------------|
|--(11)-------------(11)---------------(6)---------------|
|--(9)--9h11b12b11-(9)--9-11-12--11--(4)--4-6-7~--6~/--|
"and all I ask and..."
|---------------------------------------------------------|
|---------------------------------------------------------|
|---------------------------------------------------------|
|---------------------------------------------------------|
|--(11)-----------------6--6-6-6\4--4-4--4-4--4-4-4--4-4--|
|--(9)--9-11-12~--11\--4--4-4-4\2--2-2--2-2--2-2-2--2-2--|
|--------------------------------------|
|--------------------------------------|
|--------------------------------------|
|--------------------------------------|
|--4/14--14--14-14\(13)-----(11)-------|
|--2/12--12--12-12\(11)-----(9)-------|
|--------------------------------------|
|--------------------------------------|
|--------------------------------------|
|--------------------------------------|
|--6--6--6-6\4--4--4/(14)--------------|
|--4--4--4-4\2--2--2/(12)--------------|
Now back to the Main Riff x2, then...
|------------------------------------------------|
|------------------------------------------------|
|------------------------------------------------|
|------------------------------------------------|
|--6--6--6-6\4--4--4/14--14--14-14\(13)----(11)--|
|--4--4--4-4\2--2--2/12--12--12-12\(11)----(9)--|
Back to Main Riff x1, then...
"and when I lie, with you tonight..."
|------------------------------------------------------|
|------------------------------------------------------|
|------------------------------------------------------|
|------------------------------------------------------|
|--11--11--11-11-11--11-11\6--6--6-6-6--6-6/11--11-----|
|---9---9---9--9--9---9--9\4--4--4-4-4--4-4/-9---9-----|
|------------------------------------------------------|
|------------------------------------------------------|
|------------------------------------------------------|
|------------------------------------------------------|
|--11-11-11--11-11\6--6-6-6\4--4-4-4--4-4-4-4--4/11----|
|---9--9--9---9--9\4--4-4-4\2--2-2-2--2-2-2-2--2/-9----|
"the last rose of summer is gone..."
|--------------------------------------------------------|
|--------------------------------------------------------|
|--------------------------------------------------------|
|--------------------------------------------------------|
|--11-11/(13)--------13/(14)-----6--6-6-6\4--4-4-4/(14)--|
|---9--9/(11)--------11/(12)-----4--4-4-4\2--2-2-2/(12)--|
Now keep strumming D MajorD --14-- while solo begins...
E MajorE --12--
solo
|------------------------------------------------------------|
|------------------------------------------------------------|
|------------------------------------------------------------|
|--14-16-16b17b16-14-----------------------------------------|
|------------------------------------------------------------|
|------------------------12-14-14b16b14---12-14-14b16b14-12--|
|------------------|
|------------------|
|------------------|
|------------------|
|------------------|
|--12-14-14b16b14--|
Both Guitars
|--------------------------|
|--------------------------|
|--------------------------|
|--------------------------|
|--6--6-6-6\4--4-4-4/(14)--|
|--4--4-4-4\2--2-2-2/(12)--|
Guitar 1
|----------------------------------------------------------|
|----------------------------------------------------------|
|----------------------------------------------------------|
|----------------------------------------------------------|
|----------------------------------------------------------|
|--12~-------11-12-11-12-11~-------9~-------/12--12-14b16--|
Guitar 2
|----------------------------------------------------------|
|----------------------------------------------------------|
|----------------------------------------------------------|
|----------------------------------------------------------|
|--(14)-----------------(11)----------------(14)-----------|
|--(12)-----------------(9)----------------(12)-----------|
Both Guitars Main Riff x1
MR alt x1
for the rest of the song, this is played behind the solo
|-----------------|
|-----------------|
o-----------------o
o-----------------o
|--(14)-----(11)--|
|--(12)-----(9)--|
I can only hear parts of the solo, so if I tabbed it,
I'd only get about half of what's actually there. If
anyone else can hear what's going on and wants to do
it, please do.
The song ends like this (when lyrics end about a
minute later)
Guitar 1
|-----------------------------------------------------|
|-----------------------------------------------------|
|-----------------------------------------------------|
|-----------------------------------------------------|
|-----------------------------------------------------|
|--12-11-12-11-9-11-9~---7-9-7-9-(7)------------------|
Guitar 2
|-----------------------------------------------------|
|-----------------------------------------------------|
|-----------------------------------------------------|
|-----------------------------------------------------|
|--(11)-------------------------(14)------------------|
|--(9)-------------------------(12)------------------|
Guitar 1
|-----------------------------------------------------|
|-----------------------------------------------------|
|-----------------------------------------------------|
|-----------------------------------------------------|
|-----------------------------------------------------|
|---(9)-----------------------11\(7)-------------11\--|
Guitar 2
|-----------------------------------------------------|
|-----------------------------------------------------|
|-----------------------------------------------------|
|-----------------------------------------------------|
|--(11)--------------------------(14)-----------------|
|--(9)--------------------------(12)-----------------|
Guitar 1
|-------------------------
|-------------------------
|-------------------------?
|-------------------------?
|-------------------------
|--(9)--------------------
Guitar 2
|------------------------------------------------/----|
|-----------------------------------------------------|
|-----------------------------------------------------|
|--------------------------------(6)--------\---------|
|--(11)--------------------------(6)--------\---------|
|--(9)--------------------------(4)--------\---------|
I'm not really sure what that last note on guitar 1 is.
It seems like it might be on the 26th fret of the
D MajorD string, or probably a little higher. the guitar's
got an effect on it similar to the effect they use on
'Stand Inside Your Love'. The endings of the two songs
are very similar in terms of that style. If someone
could let me in on that little secret, that'd be nice.
So that's the entire song, minus some typical pumpkin effects
here and there. Plus the spacing and rythm is not entirely
accurate, but I tried to do it as best I could. You can just
listen to the song to get the flow, it's not that hard. I
tabbed it all cronologically, so it shouldn't be very difficult
to see what's going on.
Please send questions and comments to:
[email protected]
Other versions of Speed Kills
Alternative guitar chords and tabs for Speed Kills by The Smashing Pumpkins
