1979 Tab by The Smashing Pumpkins

1979 tab by The Smashing Pumpkins

Guitar Tab

1979 - Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness
Transcribed by Adam Morris

1/2 step down.

INTRO/MAIN RIFF
|-------------------------------------------------------|
|-------------------------------------------------------|
|-8--8-8-8-8-9--4-4-4-4-4-4-4---------------------------|
|-------------------------------6b-7-4-2-2-2-4-6-9--9-9-| x4
|-6--6-6-6-6-7--2-2-2-2-2-2-2-0-0--0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0--0-0-|
|----0---0---0--0-0-0-0-0-0-0---------------------------|

🎸

Accuracy Rating: - Votes: -


Then this once.
|-------------------------------------------------------|
|-------------------------------------------------------|
|11--11-11-11-11-11-4--4-4--4-4-4-----------------------|
|-------------------------------------------------------|
|-9---9--9--9--9--9\2--2-2--2-2-2-----------------------|
|-------------------------------------------------------|

Then back to the main riff x 3 (I think it is 3)

Then play this.
|----------------------------------------------------|
|----------------------------------------------------|
|----------------------------------------------------|
|-4--4-4-4-4--4-9--9-9--9-9-9------------------------|
|----------------------------------------------------|
|-2--2-2-2-2--2/7--7-7--7-7-7------------------------|


Then the part that I think would be called the CHORUS
|----------------------------------------------------|
|----5--------4--4-4-5--5-5--------------------------|
|----4--4-4-4-4--4-4-4--4-4--------------------------|
|-6--6--6-6-6-6--6-6-6--6-6---6b-7-4-2-2-2-4-6-9--9-9| x 4
|-7--7--7-7-7-7--7-7-7--7-7-0-0--0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0--0-0|
|-0--0--0-0-0-0--0-0-0--0-0--------------------------|
                            *________________________*
                 Through this bit a second guitar plays the
                 higher strings of the E chord just played.

Then play this.
|----------------------------------------------------|
|----------------------------------------------------|
|----------------------------------------------------|
|-4--4-4-4-4--4-9--9-9--9-9-9------------------------|
|----------------------------------------------------|
|-2--2-2-2-2--2/7--7-7--7-7-7------------------------|

Then back to the VERSE/MAIN RIFF

Then to this.

Then play this.
|----------------------------------------------------|
|----------------------------------------------------|
|----------------------------------------------------|
|-4--4-4-4-4--4-7--7-7--7-7-7------------------------|
|----------------------------------------------------|
|-2--2-2-2-2--2/5--5-5--5-5-5------------------------|

Then back to the CHORUS

Then it changes to what I will call the BRIDGE

|----------------------------------------------------|
|----------------------------------------------------|
|----------------------------------------------------|
|-9-9-9-9-9-9-9-9-9-9-9-9-9-11-11-11-11-7-7-7-7-7-7-7|
|----------------------------------------------------|
|-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7--9--9--9--9-5-5-5-5-5-5-5|

From thereon in there is no new stuff..so that is it.

The song ends on the weird E from the CHORUS

I would like to hear some opinions about this please.

Bye
Adam
benmo@deakin.edu.au

---


Tabbed by Duncan Koerber

1979 - by Smashing Pumpkins from Mellon Collie and the
====   Infinite Sadness.  Written by Wiliam P. Corgan, Jr.

Eb tuning

MAIN RIFF (tabbed by Brian McCall
=========
|-------------------------------------------------------
|-------------------------------------------------------
|-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-9---------------------------------------
|-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-9-9-9-9-9-9-9---6hbr-4---2---4---6---9
|-6-6-6-6-6-6-6-7-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-0----0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0
|-----------------7-7-7-7-7-7-7-X-----------------------

Here's the rest, tabbed by me:

ENDING BIT BEFORE CHORUS
========================
 " you.... and i...  should meet"  later = "end to it all"
|-----------------
|-----------------
|--9-9-9----------
|--X-X-X--9-9-9---
|--7-7-7--X-X-X---
|---------7-7-7---

CHORUS
======
"and I don't even care..."
                                 during these two chords
  (open strings are a must)   there's a second guitar doing:
 (you can mute the Bb string
    if you like)
|--0-0-0-0-0--0-0-0-0-0--       |--16--14--12--9-----
|--0-0-0-0-0--0-0-0-0-0--<-Bb   |--------------------
|--9-9-9-9-9--6-6-6-6-6--       |--------------------
|--9-9-9-9-9--7-7-7-7-7--       |--------------------
|--7-7-7-7-7--7-7-7-7-7--       |--------------------
|--0-0-0-0-0--5-5-5-5-5--       |--------------------

ENDING BIT OF CHORUS
====================
"forgotten and absorbed..."
               F#                B           - back to riff 1

BRIDGE
======
(I play the open strings too for added effect)
"assured to the lights and towns below..."
|-----------------------------------------               --------------
|-----------------------------------------               --------------
|--4-4--4-4-4-4-4-4-4-4-4-4-6-6-6---------               -------4-4-4--
|--4-4--4-4-4-4-4-4-4-4-4-4-6-6-6-7-7----- x 3  end with -4-4-4-4-4-4--
|--2-2--2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-4-4-4-7-7-----               -4-4-4-2-2-2--
|---------------------------------5-5-----               -2-2-2--------

---


Name    : Matthias Dehling/Marburg/Germany
e-mail  : matthia_s@hotmail.com
Homepage: http://www.bop.de/homepages/homepage106.html-ssi

Song    : 1979
Artist  : The Smashing Pumpkins

>From the album "Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness"
Written by W. P. Corgan
As performed on MTV


     Main Part (play 4 times):

     e---x-x-x-x-x-x-x--x--x-x-x-x---------------------------
     B---x-x-x-x-x-x-x--x--x-x-x-x---------------------------
     G---8-8-8-8-8-8-8--9--4-4-4-4---------------------------
     D---X-x-x-x-x-x-x--x--x-x-x-x-(6)/7\6-4-2-4-6-9--9-9----
     A---6-6-6-6-6-6-6--7--2-2-2-2---------------------------
     E---0-0-0-0-0-0-0--0--0-0-0-0---------------------------

    Lyrics:
                                   Shakedown 1979...
                                   Cool kids...
                                   On a live wire...

e-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0---0-0-0-0-0-0-0------------------------------
B-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0---0-0-0-0-0-0-0------------------------------
G-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0---0-0-0-0-0-0-0------------------------------
D-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7---9-9-9-9-9-9-9------------------------------
A-9-9-9-9-9-9-9-9---9-9-9-9-9-9-9------------------------------
E-9-9-9-9-9-9-9-9---7-7-7-7-7-7-7------------------------------


street you...

The same with lyrics:
Junebug skipping...

Chorus:
                         A (not sure)
e----0--0--0-0-0--0--0---0-0--------------------------------------
B----0--0--0-0-0--0--0---2-2--------------------------------------
G----9--9--9-9-9--9--4---2-2--------------------------------------
D----9--9--9-9-9--9--X---2-2--------------------------------------
A----7--7--7-7-7--6--2---0-0--------------------------------------
E----0--0--0-0-0--0--0---0-0--------------------------------------

And  I don´t...

e--0-0-0-0-----------0-0-0-0-------------------------------------
B--0-0-0-0-----------0-0-0-0-------------------------------------
G--0-0-0-0-----------0-0-0-0-------------------------------------
D--7-7-7-7-----------9-9-9-9-------------------------------------
A--9-9-9-9-----------9-9-9-9-------------------------------------
E--9-9-9-9-----------7-7-7-7-------------------------------------

   absorbed...

Main part (4x) with lyrics:

Double cross...

e----------------------------------------------------------------
B----------------------------------------------------------------
G----0-0-0-0-0-0--0-0-0------------------------------------------
D----4-4-4-4-4-4--7-7-7------------------------------------------
A----4-4-4-4-4-4--7-7-7------------------------------------------
E----2-2-2-2-2-2--5-5-5------------------------------------------

.... dues down to see

Bridge (you can play the e and B string open too)
e--X--X--XXX--X--XX--XXX----X--X--XXX--X-XX-XXX---------------------
B--X--X--XXX--X--XX--XXX----X--X--XXX--X-XX-XXX---------------------
G--4--4--444--4--44--444----6--6--666--X-XX-XXX---------------------
D--4--4--444--4--44--444----6--6--666--7-77-777---------------------
A--2--2--222--2--22--222----4--4--444--7-77-777---------------------
E--X--X--XXX--X--XX--XXX----X--X--XXX--X-XX-XXX---------------------

e-0--0--000--0--00-------------------------------------------------
B-0--0--000--0--00-------------------------------------------------
G-0--0--000--0--00-------------------------------------------------
D-7--7--777--9--99-------------------------------------------------
A-9--9--999--9--99-------------------------------------------------
E-9--9--999--7--77-------------------------------------------------

Main part (4x)

e-0-0-0-0-0----0-0-0-0-0---------------------------------------------
B-0-0-0-0-0----0-0-0-0-0---------------------------------------------
G-0-0-0-0-0----0-0-0-0-0---------------------------------------------
D-7-7-7-7-7----9-9-9-9-9---------------------------------------------
A-9-9-9-9-9----9-9-9-9-9---------------------------------------------
E-9-9-9-9-9----7-7-7-7-7---------------------------------------------

Refrain

Main part two times with lyrics:

the street heats...
                              E (022100)
as you can see...

I think this is pretty much close to how they play it.
Enjoy it!

P.S.: If you have got any corrections, please send me.

Last updated: July 5, 2025

The Smashing Pumpkins tabs for 1979

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