the Mountain Goats Wiki

Bluejays & Cardinals
-tabbed by mike/howardfinkel483

tuning
roughly -1/2 step down

Riff for Dsus2 strumming
   d d  dudu d d d d
e-------------------
B--3-3--3323-5-3-2-3--
G--2-2--2222-2-2-2-2--
D--0-0--0000-0-0-0-0--
A-------------------
E-------------------

Riff for G strumming
   d d dudu d d d d ud 
e--5-5-5555-3-2-2-0-20-
B----------------------
G--0-0-0000-0-0-0-0-00-
D--0-0-0000-0-0-0-0-00-
A----------------------
E--3-3-3333-3-3-3-3-33-

Intro:
Dsus2 Em (barre chord/Dsus2 shape 2nd fret) G   (repeat)

Em (power chord/D-shape 2nd fret)
bluejays and cardinals all come out to play
G                                    Dsus2 (riff) Dsus2 (riff)
highway traffic gets out of your way
Em
skies clear up if they're overcast.
G                                        Dsus2 (riff) Dsus2 (riff)
pit bulls are gentle when you come past.

Em
stars come out of hiding for you
G                
and i would too.
Dsus2
cause this world couldn't hold you
               G
you slipped free
           Dsus2
yeah this world couldn't hold you
             G    A
you slipped free
            Dsus2
without me.

Dsus2 G (riff)
Dsus2 G (riff)
Dsus2 G (riff)
Dsus2 G (riff)
Dsus2 G (riff)

new sheen all over everything
when you open up your mouth to sing.
baseballs travel further when you watch them fly.
apples fatten on the trees when you walk by.
you bring something unreplaceble to each and every day.
or you used to anyway.
but this world couldn't hold you
and you slipped free
yeah this world couldn't hold you
and you slipped free
without me.



Bluejays and Cardinals, version 2

I think this is pretty close to the album version.

Tuning is Db-Ab-Db-Gb-Ab-Db

Chords are:

Db:    000200
Eb:    222422
Gb:    550000
Gb/Ab: 500000
Ab:    770000

DbRiff:
----0----0----0--0----2--0--0-----0
----0----0----4--0----0--0--4h0---0
----2----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--0-----0

GbRiff:

----7----7--7-7-7--5----4----2----2----4--2--0
----7----7--7-7-7--5----4----2----2----4--2--0
----0----0--0-0-0--0----0----0----0----0--0--0
----0----0--0-0-0--0----0----0----0----0--0--0
----------------------------------------------
----------------------------------------------

Intro:
Db Eb Gb  Gb/Ab
Db DbRiff
Db DbRiff

Eb
Bluejays and cardinals all come out to play
Gb                                   DbRiff DbRiff
Highway traffic gets out of your way
Eb
Skies clear up if they're overcast
Gb                                   DbRiff DbRiff 
Pitbulls are gentle when you come past
Eb
Stars come out of hiding for you
Gb
And I would too

         Db
But this world couldn't hold you
            Gb  
You slipped free
           Db
Yeah, this world couldn't hold you
            Gb    Ab
You slipped free
        Db
Without me

GbRiff
DbRiff GbRiff
DbRiff GbRiff
DbRiff GbRiff Db

Eb
New sheen all over everything
Gb                                   Db
When you open up your mouth to sing
Eb
Baseballs travel further when you watch them fly
Gb                                           DbRiff DbRiff
Apples fatten on the trees when you walk by
          Eb
You bring something unreplaceable to each and every day
Gb
Or you used to, anyway

         Db
But this world couldn't hold you
            Gb 
You slipped free
           Db
Yeah, this world couldn't hold you
            Gb    Ab
You slipped free
        Db
Without me

GbRiff
DbRiff GbRiff
DbRiff GbRiff
DbRiff GbRiff
Db

 

------BLUEJAYS AND CARDINALS VERSION 3------

when this site was down for a few days, I really wanted to learn this song, so I set down to learn it myself. 
I came up with something, and me and my friend both agree that it sounds just like the album version.

instrumental demonstration of this tab: http://www.box.net/shared/l0lc3nlkyz
I play the intro + verse a couple of times, and at 00:51 I switch to the chorus.

tuning: CGCCGC. the two middle Cs are the same tone. 
capo on 1st fret
additionally, the guitar on the album version is a bit sharp.

NOTE: for every chord, I provide notes for all six strings, but as he strums very loosely, 
it is possible that he sometimes only plays the higher three or four strings and not all six 
(especially during the riffs.) listen to the record or figure out how you like to do it.

Intro/Verse (listen for strumming pattern, it's pretty hectic)
C--0-----2-----0------0-0--0-0-0-0-0-0------------
G--0-----2-----0------5-5--4-5-7-5-4-5-----------
C--0-----2-----0------0-0--0-0-0-0-0-0----------
C--0-----2-----x------0-0--0-0-0-0-0-0----------
G--0-----2-----5------0-0--0-0-0-0-0-0-------
C--0-----2-----5------0-0--0-0-0-0-0-0--------
   C5*   D5    F  **  C (w/ riff)***
*only during intro
**during the F chord in the intro, he plays a riff which goes roughly:

C--0-----------------------0-
G--0-----------------------5-
C--0-----------------------0-
C--x-----------------------0-
G--5-----555-555-5-55-5-5--0-
C--5-----555-444-2-22-2-2--0-
   F                       C5

***keep in mind that there are times when he strums the C chord, all strings open, instead of doing this riff.

Chorus

C--0-----0-----0-----0--0---0-
G--0-----0-----0-----0--0---0-
C--0-----0-----0-----0--0---0-
C--0-----x-----0-----x--x---0-
G--0-----5-----0-----5--7---0-
C--0-----5-----0-----5--7---0-
   C5*   F     C5    F  G   C5

*he jumps straight from the F in the verse to this C5

C--7-----5-4-2-444-2-0-------0-
G--7-----5-4-2-444-2-0-------0-
C--0-----0-0-0-000-0-0-------0-
C--0-----0-0-0-000-0-0-------0-
G--0-----0-0-0-000-0-0-------0-
C--0-----0-0-0-000-0-0-------0-
   C5                        C5**

(LISTEN FOR TIMING)

**he sometimes the C5 riff from the verse here

pretty sure that's everything. enjoy!