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#This file is the author's own work and represents their interpretation of the#
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Author/Artist: Dave Matthews Band
Title: Don't Drink the Water
Album: Before These Crowded Streets
Transcribed by: Adam Strachn
Email: [email protected]

Listen to the song for the rhythm. It's not too difficult a song.
I don’t know which is the bridge and which is the chorus so I just put
The chorus as the first transition.
I tabbed this from the album and the Listener Supported DVD.
This is on Drop D tuning.


Intro – strum rhythmically!!!
------------------------------------------------------|
------------------------------------------------------|
--------7--7----------7--7-----------7--7------7-7-7--|
--------7--7----------7--7-----------7--7------7-7-7--|
--------5--5----------5--5-----------5--5------5-5-5--|
-0--0---0--0---0--0---0--0----0--0---0--0---0--0-0-0--| 

The verse is basically the intro

Chorus - 
"Say you will lay your arms down"                                           
--------------------------------|-------------------------------------------|
--------------------------------|-------------------------------------------|
-7---7---7---7---7---7---7---7--|---------7--7----------7--7----------7--7--|
-5---5---5---5---5---5---5---5--|---------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--|--0--0---0--0---0--0---0--0---0--0---0--0--|

Then the verse 

Chorus -  
"And here I will spread my wings"                                                  
--------------------------------|-------------------------------------------|
--------------------------------|-------------------------------------------|
-7---7---7---7---7---7---7---7--|---------7--7----------7--7----------7--7--|
-5---5---5---5---5---5---5---5--|---------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--|--0--0---0--0---0--0---0--0---0--0---0--0--|


Bridge - 
"What's this you say?"                                                       
----------------------| 
-3--------------------|
-4-----------------7--|
-4-----------------5--|Strum those two chords (listen for the change)
-2-----------------5--|
-3-----------------5--|

Then go to the verse (the “yea yea yea” part on the listener supported version)

Then the bridge

Then play the verse 
                                

Bridge -
"Spread my wings . . ."                                                              
-----------------|
-3---------------|
-4------------7--|Just strum these chords again
-4------------5--|
-2------------5--|
-3------------5--|

Then the verse again - 
--------------|
--------------|
--------7--7--|
--------7--7--|
--------5--5--|
-0--0---0--0--|

Bridge - 
"I have no time to justify to you fool your blind"                           
-------------------------------|
-3-----------------------------|
-4--------------------------7--|
-4--------------------------5--|
-2--------------------------5--|
-3--------------------------5--|

Then the bridge chords again . . . “All I can say . . .”

Interlude - 
"As I rest my  feet  by  this  fire"                                             
------------------------------------------|
------------------------------------------|
-7--7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7---7--7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7--|
-5--5-5-5-5-5-5-5-5---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--5-5-5-5-5-5-5-5---0--0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0--|

"Upon these poor souls    all in heaven say .  . ."                          
--------------------------------------------|
-3--3-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-------------------------|
-4--4-4-4-4-4-4-4-4---------7--7-7-7-7-7-7--|
-4--4-4-4-4-4-4-4-4---------5--5-5-5-5-5-5--|
-2--2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2---------5--5-5-5-5-5-5--|
-3--3-3-3-3-3-3-3-3---------5--5-5-5-5-5-5--|


Short Verse riff  -
"Where ya go-------ing now?"                                                        
----------------------------|
----------------------------|
-7--7--7--7--7-7-7-7-7-7-7--|
-7--7--7--7--7-7-7-7-7-7-7--|
-5--5--5--5--5-5-5-5-5-5-5--|
-0--0--0--0--0-0-0-0-0-0-0--|
 

Interlude 2 - 
"And I live with my justice . . . "                                          
---------------------|
---------------------|
-3--3--3---7--7-7-7--|
-3--3--3---7--7-7-7--|
-1--1--1---5--5-5-5--|
-0--0--0---0--0-0-0--|


Breakdown – Here the band breaks down and Dave just messes around with muting and sliding. I just laid out a little of what he plays.
"Don't drink the water"                                                      
----------------------------------------------------------|
----------------------------------------------------------|
----------------------------------------------------------|
-x--x-------x-x------x-x-x---x-x-----x-x--5^--5^--x--x-x--|
-x--x-------x-x------x-x-x---x-x--0--x-x--5^--5^--x--x-x--|
-x--x-12---x-x--/5--x-x-x---x-x--0--x-x--5^--5^--x--x-x--|
 

When the band comes back in - 
"Don't drink the water"                               
----------------------------|
----------------------------|
-3--3-3-3-3-----7--7-7-7-7--|
-3--3-3-3-3-----7--7-7-7-7--|
-1--1-1-1-1-----5--5-5-5-5--|
-0—-0-0-0-0-----0--0-0—0-0--|
                                                                              

Outro – Mix up the two below riffs
--------------------------------------------------|
--------------------------------------------------|
--------------------------------7--7-7-7---7-7-7--|
-0--0--0---0--0--0---0--0--0----7--7-7-7---8-8-8--|
-0--0--0---0--0--0---0--0--0----5--5-5-5---5-5-5--|
-0--0--0---0--0--0---0--0--0----------------------|                                                                
--------------------------------------------------|
--------------------------------3--3-3-3----------|
--------------------------------2--2-2-2---3-3-3--|
-0--0--0---0--0--0---0--0--0----0--0-0-0---3-3-3--|
-0--0--0---0--0--0---0--0--0----0--0-0-0---1-1-1--|
-0--0--0---0--0--0---0--0--0----0--0-0-0---0-0-0--|

That’s it for now. I don’t think I could be any more clear on this song.