Ceiling Unlimited

Background and Commentary

Ceiling unlimited is a weather and aeronautical term referring to the height of the lowest obscuring cloud layer above the ground. Pilots flying below that cloud ceiling can operate their planes using visual flight rules. On a day where the ceiling’s unlimited, you can see the world stretched out before you. It’s an inspiring sight. But people tend to restrict their gaze to what’s immediately before them even when they have the world stretched out before them. The viciousness on the street, the slack-jawed gaze, these are just the limiting vision of what we get when we hold a mirror up to our world. We can be inspired with how great our world can be if we can just move beyond the limited world immediately before us.—Rob Freedman, Rush Vault

“‘Ceiling Unlimited’ offers a playful take on Oscar Wilde’s reversal of the Victorian lament, “drink is the curse of the working class.” (Behind the Fire)—Neil in 2112.net

In the remixed version of the piece, which came out in 2013, producer David Bottrill added a lead break from Alex at about the one-minute mark that was recorded but not used in the original.

Lyrics

It’s not the heat
It’s the inhumanity
Plugged into the sweat of a summer street
Machine gun images pass
Like malice through a looking glass

The slackjaw gaze
Of true profanity
Feels more like surrender than defeat
If culture is the curse of the thinking class
If culture is the curse of the thinking class

Ceiling unlimited
World so wide
Turn and turn again

Feeling unlimited
Still unsatisfied
Changes never end

The vacant laugh
Of true insanity
Dressed up in the mask of Tragedy
Programmed for the guts and glands
Of idle minds and idle hands

I rest my case
Or at least my vanity
Dressed up in the mask of Comedy
If laughter is a straw for a drowning man
If laughter is a straw for a drowning man

Ceiling unlimited
Windows open wide
Look and look again

Feeling unlimited
Eyes on the prize
Changes never end

Winding like an ancient river
The time is now again

Hope is like an ancient river
The time is now again

Tablature

By AwakenDethklok

Excerpted from Ultimate Guitar.

Nothing very difficult about this song.

Gtr I (E A D G B E) – ‘Electric #1’
Gtr II (E A D G B E) – ‘Electric #2’
Gtr III (E A D G B E) – ‘Electric #3’
Gtr IV (E A D G B E) – ‘Electric #4’
Gtr V (E A D G B E) – ‘Electric #5’

Intro
Q=136
G Am
4/4
Gtr I
E E E E Q Q E E E E E E E E
||—————–|—————–|
||o—8-8-8-8–8—|-5-5-5-5-5-5-5—|
||—-7-7-7-7–7—|-5-5-5-5-5-5-5-0-|
||–0————–|—————–|
||o—————-|—————–|
||—————–|—————–|
|
| Gtr II
| Q Q Q E E E E E E E E E E
||—————–|—————–|
||o-8—8—8–8—|-5-5-5-5-5-5-5—|
||–7—7—7–7-0-|-5-5-5-5-5-5-5-0-|
||–0—0—0–0—|—————0-|
||o—————-|—————–|
||—————–|—————–|

Em D
E E E E Q Q E E E E E E E E
|———————|—————————||
|—15-15-15-15–15—|-12-12-12-12-12-12-12-12–o||
|—14-14-14-14–14—|-12-12-12-12-12-12-12-12—||
|-x——————-|—————————||
|———————|————————–o||
|———————|—————————||
|
| E E E E Q E E E E E E Q E E
|———————|—————————||
|—-3—————-|—–3——————–o||
|—-2–2–2–2—2-2-|—–2–2–2–2—–2–2—||
|-0—–0–0–0—0-0-|–0—–0–0–0—–0–0—||
|———————|————————–o||
|———————|—————————||

D5 G
a Q E E Q E E E E E E E E E E
|————————|————————-|
|————————|—-12-12-12-12-13-12—-|
|-12h14–14-14-14–14-14-|-14-12-12-12-12-12-12-12-|
|—–0—0–0–0—0–0-|–0–0–0–0–0–0–0–0-|
|————————|————————-|
|————————|————————-|

D5 G
a Q E E Q E E E E E E E E E E
|————————|—————————|
|————————|—-12-12-12-12-13-12——|
|-12h14–14-14-14–14-14-|-14-12-12-12-12-12-12-12—|
|—–0—0–0–0—0–0-|–0–0–0–0–0–0–0–0—|
|————————|—————————|
|————————|—————————|

For complete tab, go to Ultimate Guitar.