World Before Columbus tab by Suzanne Vega

"World Before Colombus" is a rather simple song. The chord
progression is easy, and the fingerpicking is simple as
well. I have included the lyrics with the basic chords,
and then the tablature below that.

Chords:
Em=022000   Dsus2/E=0x0230   Cmaj7=x32000  G=320033
Amsus=x02210  D/F#=2x0230     F=133211    Bm=x24400
C=x32010

Lyrics and chords:

Dsus2/E
[intro]
Em    Cmaj7      Bm   Cmaj7
If your love were taken from me
Em  Cmaj7      Bm    Cmaj7
Every color would be black and white.
G    D/F#       Em      Amsus
It would be as flat as the world before Colombus.
G     D/F#      Em   F    Dsus2/E
That's the day that I lose half my sight.
Em   Cmaj7      Bm   Cmaj7
If your life were taken from me
Em   Cmaj7         Bm    Cmaj7
All the trees would freeze in this cold ground.
G     D/F#       Em     Amsus
It would be as cold as the world before Colombus.
G  D/F#       Em   F
Sail to the edge and I'll be there, looking
Dsus2/E
Down.
G   D/F#       Em      C         G
Those men who lust for land and for riches strange and new,
     D/F#     Em        C       G
All those trinkets of desire, but they never will have you.
      D/F#      Em      C       G
And they'll never know the gold or the copper in your hair,
   D/F#        F        Dsus2/E
How could they weigh the worth of you so rare.
Em    Cmaj7     Bm   Cmaj7
If your love were taken from me
Em  Cmaj7           Bm    Cmaj7
Every light that's bright would soon grow dim.

G     D/F#       Em      Amsus
It would be as dark as the world before Colombus.
G     D/F#     Em    F
Down the waterfall and I'd swim over the
Dsus2/E
Brim.
G   D/F#       Em      C        G
Those men who lust for land and for riches strange and new,
     D/F#     Em       C        G
All those trinkets of desire, oh they never will have you.
      D/F#      Em      C       G
And they'll never know the gold or the copper in your hair,
   D/F#        F        Dsus2/E
How could they weigh the worth of you so rare.
Dsus2/E
[outro]

TAB notation:
P: pull off
h: hammer on


(intro riff)
 Dsus2/E
E-------------------------------0-|------------------------B-------------3-------3-------3---|-----3-------3-------3--G---------2-----4---0-----2h4-----|---------2-----4---0----D---------------------------------|------------------------A---------------------------------|------------------------E-0-------------------------------|-0----------------------
 + . ^ . + . ^ . + . ^ . + . ^ .  + . ^ . + . ^ . + . ^ .


-------0-|-------------------------------0-|--------------------3---|-----3-------3-------3-------3---|-----3-------3--2h4-----|---------2-----4---0-----2h4-----|---------2--------------|---------------------------------|------------------------|---------------------------------|------------------------|-0-------------------------------|-0-------------
 + . ^ .  + . ^ . + . ^ . + . ^ . + . ^ .  + . ^ . + . ^


-----------------0-||
-------3-------3---||
-4---0-----2h4-----||
-------------------||
-------------------||
-------------------||
 . + . ^ . + . ^ .


(verse)
 Em       Cmaj7       Bm       Cmaj7
---------------------------------|--------------------------------0-------0-------0-------0-|-------0-----0---------0--------------0---------------0---|-----------0------------------2-----2---------2-----2-----|-----4---4-----------2--------------------3---------------|-2---------------3--------0-------------------------------|-------------------------
 + . ^ . + . ^ . + . ^ . + . ^ .  + . ^ . + . ^ . + . ^ .
  If your love were taken...
  If your life were taken...

     Em       Cmaj7       Bm
-------|---------------------------------|----------------------0-|-------0-------0-------0-------0-|-------0-----0------0---|-------------0---------------0---|-----------0------2-----|-----2-----2---------2-----2-----|-----4---4--------------|-----------------3---------------|-2----------------------|-0-------------------------------|-----------------
 . ^ .  + . ^ . + . ^ . + . ^ . + . ^ .  + . ^ . + . ^ .


 Cmaj7       G        D/F#       Em
-----------------|---------------------------------|--------------0---------|-------3---------------3---------|------------------------|-----------0---------------2-----|------------2-----2-----|-----0---------0-----0---------0-|-----2--3-----------0---|---------------------------------|------------------------|-3---------------2---------------|-0-----
 + . ^ . + . ^ .  + . ^ . + . ^ . + . ^ . + . ^ .  + . ^


      Amsus       G        D/F#
---------------------------|--------------------------------0---------------3---------|-------3---------------3------------0---------------2-----|-----------0---------------2------------0-----2---------0-|-----0---------0-----0--------------------0---------------|----------------------------------------------------------|-3---------------2-------------
 . + . ^ . + . ^ . + . ^ .  + . ^ . + . ^ . + . ^ . + . ^

   (these two measures go with the first verse)
   Em       F
---|--------------------------------|-----------------||
---|-------0------------------------|-----------------||
---|-----------0--------------------|-----------------||
-0-|-----2---------0----------------|-----------------||
---|-----------------3--------------|-(3)-------------||
---|-0---------------1--------------|-(1)-------------||
 .  + . ^ . + . ^ . + . ^ . + . ^ .  + . ^ . + . ^ .


 (these two measures go with the second and third verses;
they replace the two measures above)
 Em       F
---------------------------------|-----------------||
-------0(3)------------1---------|-------1---------||
-----------0---------------2-----|-----------2-----||
-----2---------0-----3---------3-|-----3---------3-||
---------------------------------|-----------------||
-0---------------1---------------|-1---------------||
 + . ^ . + . ^ . + . ^ . + . ^ .  + . ^ . + . ^ .


(pre-chorus riff)
 Dsus2/E
-------------------------------0-|--------------------------------------3-------3-------3---|-----3-------3-------3------------2-----4---0-----2h4-----|---------2-----4---0--------------------------------------|----------------------------------------------------------|--------------------------0-------------------------------|-0-----------------------
 + . ^ . + . ^ . + . ^ . + . ^ .  + . ^ . + . ^ . + . ^ .
...down.
...brim.

      (chorus riff)
      G        D/F#       Em
---------|-------3-3-3-3-3-------0-0-0-0-0-|-------0-0-0-0----------|-------3-3-3-3-3-------3-3-3-3-3-|-------0-0-0-0----------|-------0-0-0-0-0-------2-2-2-2-2-|-------0-0-0-0----------|-------0-0-0-0-0-------0-0-0-0-0-|-------2-2-2-2----------|---------------------------------|----------------0---2---|-3---------------2---------------|-0-------------
 + . ^ .  + . ^ . + . ^ . + . ^ . + . ^ .  + . ^ . + . ^


  C
-0-------0-0-0-0-0-||
-0-------1-1-1-1-1-||
-0-------0-0-0-0-0-||
-2-------2-2-2-2-2-||
---3---------------||
-------------------||
 . + . ^ . + . ^ .

(repeat chorus riff 3 times; the last time, play only the
first measure, then the chorus outro)

(chorus outro)
 F
-------1-1-1-1-1-------1-1-1-1-1-|-------1-1-1-1-1-||
-------1-1-1-1-1-------1-1-1-1-1-|-------1-1-1-1-1-||
-------2-2-2-2-2-------2-2-2-2-2-|-------2-2-2-2-2-||
-------3-3-3-3-3-------3-3-3-3-3-|-------3-3-3-3-3-||
---------------------------------|-----------------||
-1---------------1---------------|-1---------------||
 + . ^ . + . ^ . + . ^ . + . ^ .  + . ^ . + . ^ .

(play intro riff 2 times; replace the last measure with the
outro riff)

(outro riff)
 Dsus2/E
-------------------------0------------------------------||
-----3-------3-------3---3------------------------------||
---------2-----4---0-----4------------------------------||
-------------------------2------------------------------||
-------------------------0------------------------------||
-0-----------------------0------------------------------||
 + . ^ . + . ^ . + . ^ . +


That's it everybody. Have fun.

transcribed by: Drew Boles (BolesGJD@aol.com)