Entre Nous

Background and Commentary

“The lyrics in Ente Nous (“Between Us”) are about recognizing that we can transcend individual differences between ourselves and others. The music uses a technique called text-painting, in which musical gestures imitate the meaning of a word or phrase. The differences described in the lyrics are reflected by the vocal pauses in the chorus after ‘just between us,’ ‘time for us to recognize,’ ‘spaces in between,’ and ‘leave room,’ which represent points of separation. The larger message of the song, about overcoming such differences, is expressed by musical elements that create unity: the verse and chorus are in closely related keys (D and G), and the guitar and synthesizer play together in the bridge but there is no individual solo.”—Nicole Biamonte, “Contre Nous,” in Rush and Philosophy

“The title comes from Ayn Rand’s The Fountainhead, meaning ‘between us’ in French and captures the sense of rapport Neil feels with members of the audience. In some foreign pressings, the label included the English translation.”—Robert Telleria, Merely Players

“When the lights come on behind us and I look out at the audience and see all those little circles, [I sense that] each of those circles is a person. Each person is a story. They have circumstances surrounding their lives that can never be repeated. All those people have a whole novel about their lives, the time they were born, how they grew up, what they did, and what they wanted to do, their relationships with other people, their romances and marriages. And they are individuals. That’s what I respond to. They’re not a mob. They’re not a crowd. . . . I’m always playing for an individual. I don’t play for the crowd, for some faceless ideal of commerciality of some lowest common denominator. It’s a person up there every night, who knows everything I’m supposed to do. If I don’t do it, that person knows it.” (Modern Drummer)—Neil in Merely Players

Lyrics

We are secrets to each other
Each one’s life a novel
No one else has read
Even joined in bonds of love
We’re linked to one another
By such slender threads

We are planets to each other
Drifting in our orbits
To a brief eclipse
Each of us a world apart
Alone and yet together
Like two passing ships

Chorus:
Just between us
I think it’s time for us to recognize
The differences we sometimes fear to show
Just between us
I think it’s time for us to realize
The spaces in between
Leave room for you and I to grow

We are strangers to each other
Full of sliding panels
An illusion show
Acting well rehearsed routines
Or playing from the heart?
It’s hard for one to know

Chorus

We are islands to each other
Building hopeful bridges
On a troubled sea
Some are burned or swept away
Some we would not choose
But we’re not always free

Chorus

Tablature

By J-Punk

Excerpted from Fretplay.

RIFFS
Riff 1
e:—————–|—————–|
B:-2—–4—–5—|—4—–4-2—–|
G:—2—–2—–2-|—–2——-2—|
D:—–2—–2—–|-2—–2——-2-|

Riff 2
e:—————–|—————–|
B:-4—–5—–7—|—5—–5-4—–|
G:—4—–4—–4-|—–4——-4—|
D:—–4—–4—–|-4—–4——-4-|

Riff 3
e:—————–|-4—————|
B:-4—–5—–7—|—–7—5-4—–|
G:—4—–4—–4-|—4———4—|
D:—–4—–4—–|——-4——-4-|

Riff 4
e:-5—–7—–8—|
B:—————–|
G:—7—–7—–7-|
D:—–7—–7—–|

CHORDS
A X0222X D XX423X E XXX100
G XX5433 C XX2010 Csus2 X35533
Dsus2 XX0230

RYTHYMS
Rythym 1
|A |D |E |A |D |E |D |E |A |D |A G D|(D)|

Fill 1
|A G D|(D)|

SONG STRUCTURE
–>Play Riff 1 x2
–>Play Riff 2 x2
–>Play Riff 1 x2
–>Play Riff 2 x1
–>Play Riff 3 x1
–>Play Rythym 1 x2 over:
We are secrets to …
–>Play Rythym 2+3 x1 over:
Just between us,….
–>Play Riff 1 x2
–>Play Rythym 1 x1 over:
We are strangers to ….
–>Play Rythym 2+3 x1 over:
Just between us,…

For complete tab, go to Fretplay.