This tab (esp the stretching certain lines, and compressing others) is based on a live 
performance recorded by Joan Baez and Dar Williams, with a couple minor variations of my 
own. There are different ways to count this out, but it's important to note that the  
lines are not balanced with the same number of beats for each phrase and that's part of what 
makes this song so beautiful. The overall pattern goes: 

Intro: 6 beats in the first 3 lines then 8 beats in the 4th line 

Verse: 6 beats in the first 3 lines then 8 beats in the next 4 lines 

Chorus (similar to intro but slightly different): 6 beats in the first 2 lines, then 1 
line of 4 beats, and then then 8 beats in the last 2 lines 

To help make this easier to follow, I've entered the chord names below for every beat. 

Tuning: standard 

If you choose to use Travis picking, the rhythm would essentially to start with a 
quarter note on 1 and then accent the 'ands' of 2, 3, and 4. So the rolling rhythm of  
each bar 
sounds like 1(&2)&(3)&(4)&. 


Each chord letter is one beat (and rhythm switches between 6/4 and 8/4 with one measure  
of 4/4) 

INTRO 
                   (In this line, travis rhythm starts here when it switches to D) 

e|---------------------------2----0h2--------2---------------------------------| 
B|-------1-------1-------3-------3-------3-------x-----------------------------| 
G|-----0-------0-------2-------2-------2-------2-------------------------------| 
D|-------------------------0-------0-------0-----------------------------------| 
A|-3-------2-------0-----------------------------------------------------------| 
E|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
   C       G       D       D       D       D 

                   (In this line, travis rhythm starts here when it switches to D) 
e|---------------------------2----3h2--------2---------------------------------| 
B|-------1-------1-------3-------3-------3-------x-----------------------------| 
G|-----0-------0-------2-------2-------2-------2-------------------------------| 
D|-------------------------0-------0-------0-----------------------------------| 
A|-3-------2-------0-----------------------------------------------------------| 
E|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
   C       G       D       D       D       D 

                   (In this line, travis rhythm starts here when it switches to D) 
e|---------------------------0-----------------0--------------------------------| 
B|-------1-------1-------1-------1---0h1---1-------x----------------------------| 
G|-----0-------0-------2-------2---------2-------2------------------------------| 
D|-------------------------2----------2------2----------------------------------| 
A|-3-------2-------0------------------------------------------------------------| 
E|------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
   C       G       Am      Am        Am      Am 

Travis rhythm for this whole line. 
e|----------3---------------3------------------0---------------0-------------| 
B|-------0------0-------0-------0--------0---------0-------0-------0---------| 
G|-----0------0-------0-------0--------0---------0-------0-------0-----------| 
D|--------0------0h2-------2------2h4------4--------4p2------2---------------| 
A|---------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
E|-3-------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
   G      G       Em       Em     Em       Em       Em       Em 


Travis rhythm for this whole line. 
e|----------3---------------3------------------0---------------0-------------| 
B|-------0------0-------0-------0--------0---------0-------0-------0---------| 
G|-----0------0-------0-------0--------0---------0-------0-------0-----------| 
D|--------0------0h2-------2------2h4------4--------4p2------2---------------| 
A|---------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
E|-3-------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
   G      G       Em       Em     Em       Em       Em       Em 

VERSE 


e|---------------------------2----0h2--------2---------------------------------| 
B|-------1-------1-------3-------3-------3-------x-----------------------------| 
G|-----0-------0-------2-------2-------2-------2-------------------------------| 
D|-------------------------0-------0-------0-----------------------------------| 
A|-3-------2-------0-----------------------------------------------------------| 
E|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
   C       G       D       D       D       D 

V1: It's a still life watercolor 
V2: You read your Emily Dickinson 
V3: And we speak of things that matter 


e|---------------------------2----3h2--------2---------------------------------| 
B|-------1-------1-------3-------3-------3-------x-----------------------------| 
G|-----0-------0-------2-------2-------2-------2-------------------------------| 
D|-------------------------0-------0-------0-----------------------------------| 
A|-3-------2-------0-----------------------------------------------------------| 
E|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
   C       G       D       D       D       D 

V1: Of a now late afternoon 
V2: And I my Robert Frost 
V3: With words that must be said 

e|---------------------------0-----------------0--------------------------------| 
B|-------1-------1-------1-------1---0h1---1-------x----------------------------| 
G|-----0-------0-------2-------2---------2-------2------------------------------| 
D|-------------------------2----------2------2----------------------------------| 
A|-3-------2-------0------------------------------------------------------------| 
E|------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
   C       G       Am      Am        Am      Am 

V1: As the sun shines through the curtain lace 
V2: And we note our place with bookmarkers 
V3: Can analysis be worthwhile? 

e|----------3---------------3------------------0---------------0-------------| 
B|-------0------0-------0-------0--------0---------0-------0-------0---------| 
G|-----0------0-------0-------0--------0---------0-------0-------0-----------| 
D|--------0------0h2-------2------2h4------4--------4p2------2---------------| 
A|---------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
E|-3-------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
   G      G       Em       Em     Em       Em       Em       Em 

V1: And shadows wash the room 
V2: To measure what we've lost 
V3: Is the theater really dead? 


e|----------3---------------3------------------3---------------3-------------| 
B|-------0------0-------0-------0--------0---------0-------0-------0---------| 
G|-----0------0-------0-------0--------0---------0-------0-------0-----------| 
D|--------0----------------0---------------0-----------------0---------------| 
A|---------------0h2--------------2h3---------------3p2----------------------| 
E|-3-------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
   G      G       G         G      G       G         G       G 
V1: And we sit and drink our coffee 
V2: Like a poem poorly written 
V3: And now the room is softly fading 

e|-1--------1-----3---------1---------------0--------------0-------------------| 
B|-------1------1-------1-------1--------0------0-------0-------0--------------| 
G|-----2------2-------2-------2--------1------1-------1-------1----------------| 
D|-3------3-------3-------3---------------2--------------2---------------------| 
A|--------------------------------0h2-------------2----------------------------| 
E|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
   F      F       F       F       E       E       E      E 
V1: Cast in our indifference, like shells upon the shore. You can 
V2: We are verses out of rhythm, Couplets out of rhyme. In 
V3: I can only see your shadow. I cannot feel your hand. You're a stranger now unto 


e|-0h2------2-----3---------2-----0h2-------2------3--------2-----------------| 
B|-------3------3-------3-------3-------3-------3-------3--------3------------| 
G|-----2------2-------2-------2-------2-------2--------2-------2--------------| 
D|-0------0-------0-------0-------0-------0--------0------0-------------------| 
A|----------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
E|----------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
   D      D       D       D       D       D        D      D 
 V1:  hear the ocean roar. 
 V2: syncopated time. 
 V3: me. 


Chorus: 

e|---------------------------2----0h2--------2---------------------------------| 
B|-------1-------1-------3-------3-------3-------x-----------------------------| 
G|-----0-------0-------2-------2-------2-------2-------------------------------| 
D|-------------------------0-------0-------0-----------------------------------| 
A|-3-------2-------0-----------------------------------------------------------| 
E|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
   C       G       D       D       D       D 

Lost in a dangling conversation 

e|-3-------2-----------------0---------------0---------------------------------| 
B|-3-----3-3-----1-1-----1-------1-0h1---1-------x-----------------------------| 
G|-----0-------0-------0-------0-------0-------0-------------------------------| 
D|---------0---------------0-------0-------0-----------------------------------| 
A|-----------------0-----------------------------------------------------------| 
E|-3---------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
   G       D       C       D       D       D 

and the superficial sighs 

e|----------0---------------0---------------------------------| 
B|1-----1-------1-0h1---1-------x-----------------------------| 
G|----0-------0-------0-------0-------------------------------| 
D|--------0-------0-------0-----------------------------------| 
A|0-----------------------------------------------------------| 
E|------------------------------------------------------------| 
    C     C       C       C 
that are the borders of our 


e|----------3---------------3------------------0---------------0-------------| 
B|-------0------0-------0-------0--------0---------0-------0-------0---------| 
G|-----0------0-------0-------0--------0---------0-------0-------0-----------| 
D|--------0------0h2-------2------2h4------4--------4p2------2---------------| 
A|---------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
E|-3-------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
   G      G       Em       Em      Em      Em        Em      Em 


lives.... 

e|----------3---------------3------------------0---------------0-------------| 
B|-------0------0-------0-------0--------0---------0-------0-------0---------| 
G|-----0------0-------0-------0--------0---------0-------0-------0-----------| 
D|--------0------0h2-------2------2h4------4--------4p2------2---------------| 
A|---------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
E|-3-------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
   G      G       Em       Em      Em      Em        Em      Em 

Back to VERSE 


| /   slide up 
| \   slide down 
| h   hammer-on 
| p   pull-off 
| ~   vibrato 
| +   harmonic 
| x   Mute note 
| b   Bend 
| pb  Pre-bend 
| br  Bend release 
| pbr Pre-bend release 
| brb Bend release bend 

************************************