Summertime Blues

Background and Commentary

The piece, a teenager’s lament about having to work before getting a chance to play, was written in the late 1950s by Eddie Cochran and his manager Jerry Capehart. Originally a single B-side, it peaked at #8 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1958 and #18 on the U.K. Singles Chart. Rolling Stone ranks it 73rd among all-time top rock songs. The Beach Boys picked it up in 1962, The Who in 1967, and Blue Cheer in 1968.

Neil says in the liner notes on the Feedback album that his pre-Rush band Mumblin’ Sumpthin’ played the Blue Cheer version.

Lyrics

Eddie Cochran

Well, I’m gonna raise a fuss
I’m gonna raise a holler
About a working all summer
Just to try to earn a dollar
Well, time I called my baby
Try to get a date
My boss says, no dice son
You gotta work late
Sometimes I wonder
What I’m a gonna do
But there ain’t no cure
For the summertime blues

Oh, well my Mom and Poppa told me, son
You gotta make some money
If you want to use the car
To go ridin’ next Sunday
Well I didn’t go to work
Told the boss I was sick
Well you can’t use the car
Cause you didn’t work a lick
Sometimes I wonder
What I’m a gonna do
But there ain’t no cure
For the summertime blues

I’m gonna take two weeks
Gonna have a fine vacation
I’m gonna take my problem
To the United Nations
Well I called my congressman
And he said, whoa
I’d like to help you son
But you’re too young to vote
Sometimes I wonder
What I’m a gonna do
But there ain’t no cure
For the summertime blues

Tablature

By Mitzel the Bear

Excerpted from Ultimate Guitar.

A D5 E
x 0 2 2 2 x x x 0 2 3 x 0 2 2 1 0 x

Gtr I (E A D G B E) – ‘Distorted Guitar 1’
Gtr II (E A D G B E) – ‘Distorted Guitar 2’
Gtr III (E A D G B E) – ‘Overdriven Guitar 1’
Gtr IV (E A D G B E) – ‘Overdriven Guitar 2’
Gtr V (E A D G B E) – ‘Overdriven Guitar 3’
Gtr VI (E A D G B E) – ‘Overdriven Guitar 4’

Intro
Q=98
N.C.
4/4
Gtrs I, II, III, IV, V
~~~~~~ ~ ~~~~~~ ~
Wx3 H Q Q E E E +S S E E E +E E E E +S S E E Q
|————|————–||————————|——————–|
|————|————–||————————|——————–|
|————|————–||————————|——————–|
|————|————–||—————–5-(5)\-|—–3-(3)-3——–|
|————|————–||—–5-(5)-5-7-7——–|-5-5————-3–|
|————|———12\–||-7-7——————–|————-5-5—-|

C
~~~~~~ ~ ~~~~~~
E E E +S S E E E +E E E E +S S E E Q
|————————|——————–||
|————————|——————–||
|————————|—————–0–||
|—————–5-(5)\-|—–3-(3)-3—–2–||
|—–5-(5)-5-7-7——–|-5-5————-3–||
|-7-7——————–|————-5-5—-||

Pre-Verse
Q=128
C A
7/4 4/4
Gtrs I, III, IV
PM| PM——| PM——| PM——|
+W. Q E E E S S S S E E S S E E E S S S S E E E
|——————–|———————–|———————-|
|——————–|———————–|———————-|
|-(0)—————-|—–2———–2—–|—–2———–2-2–|
|-(2)—————-|—–2———–2—–|—–2———–2-2–|
|-(3)—————-|-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-|-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0–|
|—————-8\–|———————–|———————-|
|
| Gtrs II, V, VI
| PM| PM——| PM——| PM——|
| W E E E S S S S E E S S E E E S S S S E E E
|——————–|———————–|———————-|
|——————–|———————–|———————-|
|——————–|———————–|———————-|
|——————–|—–7———–7—–|—–7———–7-7–|
|——————–|—–7———–7—–|—–7———–7-7–|
|——————–|-5-5-5-5-5-5-5-5-5-5-5-|-5-5-5-5-5-5-5-5-5-5–|

A D5 E A
E E E E +E E E +E E E E E +E E E +E
|————————-|-0–0—0——————–|
|-2–2—2–3-(3)-3-3-(3)-|-0–0—0–2-(2)–2—2–(2)-|
|-2–2—2–2-(2)-2-2-(2)-|-1–1—1–2-(2)–2—2–(2)-|
|-2–2—2–0-(0)-0-0-(0)-|-2–2—2–2-(2)–2—2–(2)-|
|-0-(0)-(0)—————|-2-(2)-(2)-0-(0)-(0)-(0)-(0)-|
|————————-|-0-(0)-(0)——————-|
|
| E E E E +E E E +E E E E E +E E E +E
|————————-|—————————–|
|————————-|-9–9—9——————–|
|-6–6—6–7-(7)-7-7-(7)-|-9–9—9–6-(6)–6—6–(6)-|
|-7–7—7–7-(7)-7-7-(7)-|-9–9—9–7-(7)–7—7–(7)-|
|-7–7—7–5-(5)-5-5-(5)-|-7-(7)-(7)-7-(7)–7—7–(7)-|
|-5–5—5—————-|———–5-(5)–5—5–(5)-|

D5 DsusD E A
E E E E +E E E +E E E E E +E +E E +E
|——————3—2–(2)-|-0–0—0——————-|
|-2–2—2–3-(3)–3—3–(3)-|-0–0—0–2-(2)-(2)-2-(2)–|
|-2–2—2–2-(2)–2—2–(2)-|-1–1—1–2-(2)-(2)-2-(2)–|
|-2–2—2–0-(0)-(0)-(0)-(0)-|-2–2—2–2-(2)-(2)-2-(2)–|
|-0-(0)-(0)——————-|-2-(2)-(2)-0-(0)-(0)-0-(0)–|
|—————————–|-0-(0)-(0)——————|
|
| E E E E +E E E +E E E E E +E +E E +E
|—————————–|———–5-(5)-(5)-5-(5)–|
|———–7-(7)–8—7–(7)-|-9–9—9–5-(5)-(5)-5-(5)–|
|-6–6—6–7-(7)–7—7–(7)-|-9–9—9–6-(6)-(6)-6-(6)–|
|-7–7—7–7-(7)–7—7–(7)-|-9–9—9–7-(7)-(7)-7-(7)–|
|-7–7—7–5-(5)-(5)-(5)-(5)-|-7-(7)-(7)-7-(7)-(7)-7-(7)–|
|-5–5—5——————–|———–5-(5)-(5)-5-(5)–|

A
PM| PM——| PM——| PM——| PM—
E E E S S S S E E S S E E E S S S S E E S S
|———————–|———————–|
|———————–|———————–|
|—–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-|
|———————–|———————–|
|
| PM| PM——| PM——| PM——| PM—
| E E E S S S S E E S S E E E S S S S E E S S
|———————–|———————–|
|———————–|———————–|
|———————–|———————–|
|—–7———–7—–|—–7———–7—–|
|—–7———–7—–|—–7———–7—–|
|-5-5-5-5-5-5-5-5-5-5-5-|-5-5-5-5-5-5-5-5-5-5-5-|

G5
—| PM–|
E E E E E E E E E Q Q Q.
|—————–|————–||
|—————–|————–||
|—–2——-2—|-0-0–0–0—-||
|—–2——-2—|-0-0–0–0—-||
|-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-|-x-x–x–x—-||
|—————–|-3-3–3–3—-||
|
|—| PM–|
| E E E E E E E E E Q Q Q.
|—————–|————–||
|—————–|————–||
|—————–|————–||
|—–7——-7—|-5-5–5–5—-||
|—–7——-7—|-5-5–5–5—-||
|-5-5-5-5-5-5-5-5-|-3-3–3–3—-||