Broken-Hearted

Originally released in non-acoustic form
on Pilgrim album (Reprise Records, 1998);
played acoustic live on Music for Montserrat
DVD; also played acoustic featuring John Mayer
on CNN's Hurricane Relief telethon in 2005.
Videos of both live performances are on Youtube.

Standard Tuning (EADGBe)

Song Structure:
B        B/G#       C#m       C#m/A
When the wind blows down this hard
B      B/G#         A         E/A
Many a bond is broken
B        B/G#       C#m       C#m/A
See the water lie on the ground
B      B/G#         A         E/A
From where the heavens opened


E      Asus2        F#m       B
Lord, how will you get through this night
E/G#   C#m          F#m        B
With your dreams departed?
B        B/G#       C#m       C#m/A
And who alone will comfort you?
B      B/G#         A         E/A
Only the broken hear-art
A    E/A
Hear-art-ed


B        B/G#       C#m       C#m/A
So you've gone beyond your means
B      B/G#         A         E/A
Every wound is open
B        B/G#       C#m       C#m/A
Your best laid plans are out of reach
B      B/G#         A         E/A
And all your fears unspoken


E      Asus2        F#m       B
Lord, how will you get through this night
E/G#   C#m          F#m        B
With your dreams departed?
B        B/G#       C#m       C#m/A
And who alone will comfort you?
B      B/G#         A         E/A
Only the broken hear-art
A    E/A
Hear-art-ed

Continues after the ad
F#     F#/E       B      B/A
Sweet revenge is spoken then
A                      C#m
In the twilight it is gone
F#     F#/E       B      B/A
To living lies with no escape
E/G#                      A    E/A   A  E/A
Lord, I would rather be alone


B        B/G#       C#m       C#m/A
I press my fingers to the wood
B      B/G#         A         E/A
To tell you of my dreaming
B        B/G#       C#m       C#m/A
To sing you songs from olden times
B      B/G#         A         E/A
To keep the love light gleaming

E      Asus2        F#m       B
'Cause there's a place where we can go
E/G#   C#m          F#m        B
Where we will not be parted
B        B/G#       C#m       C#m/A
And who alone will enter there?
B      B/G#         A         E/A
Only the broken hearted

Main riff (Clapton's way, very easy):
e---------------4--------------------------| 
B-----4---7-5-----7~~------4---7-5---4-----| 
G-4-6------------------4-6-------------6~~-| 
D------------------------------------------| 
A------------------------------------------| 
E------------------------------------------| 


Main riff (my way, very VERY easy):
e---------2-0---4-2~~-----------2-0--------| 
B-0-2-4----------------0-2-4---------4-2~~-| 
G------------------------------------------| 
D------------------------------------------| 
A------------------------------------------| 
E------------------------------------------| 


*Lower-case "v"s above the tab indicate
where Clapton mute-slaps the strings to
keep the beat.*

Acoustic Verse:

  B          B/G#       C#m      C#m/A
       v          v          v         v
e------------------------------------------| 
B---4-----------4----------5-------5-------| 
G---4-----------4----------6-------6-------| 
D------------------------------------------| 
A-2--------0------------4-------0--------0-| 
E------------4--------4--------------------| 


  B          B/G#         A       E/A
       v          v          v         v
e------------------------------------0-----| 
B---4-----------4---------2-------0--0-----| 
G---4-----------4---------2-------1--------| 
D-------------------------2-------2--------| 
A-2--------0--------------0-------0------0-| 
E------------4--------4--------------------| 

Acoustic Chorus:
  E          Asus2      F#m        B
       v          v          v         v
e----0----------0--------------------------| 
B-0--0----------0----------2---------4-----| 
G-0h1-----------2----------2---------4-----| 
D------------------------------------------| 
A------------0--------0-----------2------0-| 
E-0--------0------------2-------2----------| 


  E/G#       C#m        F#m        B
       v          v          v         v
e----4---------------------2---------------| 
B----5----------5----------2---------4-----| 
G----4----------6----------2---------4-----| 
D------------------------------------------| 
A------------4--------------------2------2-| 
E-4--------4---------4-2--------2----------| 


  B          B/G#       C#m      C#m/A
       v          v          v         v
e------------------------------------------| 
B---4-----------4----------5-------5-------| 
G---4-----------4----------6-------6-------| 
D------------------------------------------| 
A-2--------0------------4-------0--------0-| 
E------------4--------4--------------------| 


  B          B/G#         A       E/A
       v          v
e-------------------------0----------0-----| 
B---4-----------4---------2-------0--0-----| 
G---4-----------4---------2-------1--------| 
D-------------------------2-------2--------| 
A-2--------0--------------0-------0------0-| 
E------------4-----------------------------| 


  A       E/A

e------------0-----| 
B-2-------0--0-----| 
G-2-------1--------| 
D-2-------2--------| 
A-0-------0------0-| 
E------------------| 

Acoustic Bridge:
  F#        F#/E      B        B/A
       v         v         v        v
e-2----------------------------------------| 
B-2----------2--------4--------4-----------| 
G-3----------3--------4--------4-----------| 
D-4----------------------------------------| 
A-4-------------------2-2----2-0-0------0--| 
E-2-2------2-0-0----0----------------------| 

  A                   C#m
       v         v         v
e------------------------------------------| 
B-2---------2-----------5---------5--------| 
G-2---------2-----------6---------6--------| 
D------------------------------------------| 
A-0-0-----0-0-0-----0-4-------4-4----------| 
E------------------------------------------| 


  F#        F#/E      B        B/A
       v         v         v        v
e-2----------------------------------------| 
B-2----------2--------4--------4-----------| 
G-3----------3--------4--------4-----------| 
D-4----------------------------------------| 
A-4-------------------2-2----2-0-0------0--| 
E-2-2------2-0-0----0----------------------| 


  E/G#                 A       E/A
       v         v
e----------------------0--------0----------| 
B-5---------5----------2--------0----------| 
G-4---------4----------2--------1----------| 
D----------------------2--------2----------| 
A----------------------0--------0----------| 
E-4-4-----4-4-4------4---------------------| 


  A       E/A

e------------0-----| 
B-2-------0--0-----| 
G-2-------1--------| 
D-2-------2--------| 
A-0-------0------0-| 
E------------------| 


I looked all over the Internet for a decent
tab of this song, but none seemed to be
quite right. So I decided to transcribe the
tab from Clapton's own fingerwork in the
Youtube videos of Broken-Hearted. This is my
first tab, and I tried to make it as thorough
as possible without going overboard. Feedback
and corrections are welcome!
- Jaquito
Broken Hearted

Eric Clapton

Language and appearance
