Dangling Conversation

This tab (esp the stretching certain lines, and compressing others) is based on a live performance recorded by Joan Baez and Dar Williams, with a couple minor variations of my own. There are different ways to count this out, but it's important to note that the lines are not balanced with the same number of beats for each phrase and that's part of what makes this song so beautiful. The overall pattern goes: Intro: 6 beats in the first 3 lines then 8 beats in the 4th line Verse: 6 beats in the first 3 lines then 8 beats in the next 4 lines Chorus (similar to intro but slightly different): 6 beats in the first 2 lines, then 1 line of 4 beats, and then then 8 beats in the last 2 lines To help make this easier to follow, I've entered the chord names below for every beat. Tuning: standard If you choose to use Travis picking, the rhythm would essentially to start with a quarter note on 1 and then accent the 'ands' of 2, 3, and 4. So the rolling rhythm of each bar sounds like 1(&2)&(3)&(4)&. Each chord letter is one beat (and rhythm switches between 6/4 and 8/4 with one measure of 4/4) INTRO (In this line, travis rhythm starts here when it switches to ) e|---------------------------2----0h2--------2---------------------------------| B|-------1-------1-------3-------3-------3-------x-----------------------------| G|-----0-------0-------2-------2-------2-------2-------------------------------| D|-------------------------0-------0-------0-----------------------------------| A|-3-------2-------0-----------------------------------------------------------| E|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------| (In this line, travis rhythm starts here when it switches to ) e|---------------------------2----3h2--------2---------------------------------| B|-------1-------1-------3-------3-------3-------x-----------------------------| G|-----0-------0-------2-------2-------2-------2-------------------------------| D|-------------------------0-------0-------0-----------------------------------| A|-3-------2-------0-----------------------------------------------------------| E|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------| (In this line, travis rhythm starts here when it switches to ) e|---------------------------0-----------------0--------------------------------| B|-------1-------1-------1-------1---0h1---1-------x----------------------------| G|-----0-------0-------2-------2---------2-------2------------------------------| D|-------------------------2----------2------2----------------------------------| A|-3-------2-------0------------------------------------------------------------| E|------------------------------------------------------------------------------| Travis rhythm for this whole line. e|----------3---------------3------------------0---------------0-------------| B|-------0------0-------0-------0--------0---------0-------0-------0---------| G|-----0------0-------0-------0--------0---------0-------0-------0-----------| D|--------0------0h2-------2------2h4------4--------4p2------2---------------| A|---------------------------------------------------------------------------| E|-3-------------------------------------------------------------------------| Travis rhythm for this whole line. e|----------3---------------3------------------0---------------0-------------| B|-------0------0-------0-------0--------0---------0-------0-------0---------| G|-----0------0-------0-------0--------0---------0-------0-------0-----------| D|--------0------0h2-------2------2h4------4--------4p2------2---------------| A|---------------------------------------------------------------------------| E|-3-------------------------------------------------------------------------| VERSE e|---------------------------2----0h2--------2---------------------------------| B|-------1-------1-------3-------3-------3-------x-----------------------------| G|-----0-------0-------2-------2-------2-------2-------------------------------| D|-------------------------0-------0-------0-----------------------------------| A|-3-------2-------0-----------------------------------------------------------| E|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------| V1: It's a still life watercolor V2: You read your Emily Dickinson V3: And we speak of things that matter e|---------------------------2----3h2--------2---------------------------------| B|-------1-------1-------3-------3-------3-------x-----------------------------| G|-----0-------0-------2-------2-------2-------2-------------------------------| D|-------------------------0-------0-------0-----------------------------------| A|-3-------2-------0-----------------------------------------------------------| E|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------| V1: Of a now late afternoon V2: And I my Robert Frost V3: With words that must be said e|---------------------------0-----------------0--------------------------------| B|-------1-------1-------1-------1---0h1---1-------x----------------------------| G|-----0-------0-------2-------2---------2-------2------------------------------| D|-------------------------2----------2------2----------------------------------| A|-3-------2-------0------------------------------------------------------------| E|------------------------------------------------------------------------------| V1: As the sun shines through the curtain lace V2: And we note our place with bookmarkers V3: Can analysis be worthwhile? e|----------3---------------3------------------0---------------0-------------| B|-------0------0-------0-------0--------0---------0-------0-------0---------| G|-----0------0-------0-------0--------0---------0-------0-------0-----------| D|--------0------0h2-------2------2h4------4--------4p2------2---------------| A|---------------------------------------------------------------------------| E|-3-------------------------------------------------------------------------| V1: And shadows wash the room V2: To measure what we've lost V3: Is the theater really dead? e|----------3---------------3------------------3---------------3-------------| B|-------0------0-------0-------0--------0---------0-------0-------0---------| G|-----0------0-------0-------0--------0---------0-------0-------0-----------| D|--------0----------------0---------------0-----------------0---------------| A|---------------0h2--------------2h3---------------3p2----------------------| E|-3-------------------------------------------------------------------------| V1: And we sit and drink our coffee V2: Like a poem poorly written V3: And now the room is softly fading e|-1--------1-----3---------1---------------0--------------0-------------------| B|-------1------1-------1-------1--------0------0-------0-------0--------------| G|-----2------2-------2-------2--------1------1-------1-------1----------------| D|-3------3-------3-------3---------------2--------------2---------------------| A|--------------------------------0h2-------------2----------------------------| E|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------| V1: Cast in our indifference, like shells upon the shore. You can V2: We are verses out of rhythm, Couplets out of rhyme. In V3: I can only see your shadow. I cannot feel your hand. You're a stranger now unto e|-0h2------2-----3---------2-----0h2-------2------3--------2-----------------| B|-------3------3-------3-------3-------3-------3-------3--------3------------| G|-----2------2-------2-------2-------2-------2--------2-------2--------------| D|-0------0-------0-------0-------0-------0--------0------0-------------------| A|----------------------------------------------------------------------------| E|----------------------------------------------------------------------------| V1: hear the ocean roar. V2: syncopated time. V3: me. Chorus: