To Live Is To Fly Chords & Tabs
“To Live Is To Fly” by Townes Van Zandt
As played on the album Live at the Old Quarter
This is a fairly simple song that sounds great on the
acoustic; the trick is in sliding the chords and getting
the bass picking right. Townes doesn’t vary much from a
couple basic patterns outlined below; just listen to the
record for the timing on the bass notes and strumming.
I’ve tabbed out the picking/strumming pattern into three
parts; just match up the chords with the lyrics and enjoy.
Riff:
D A G D
E -------2-2--------0-0-----3----------
B -------3-3--------2-2-----3----------
G ----2--2-2--------2-2-----0----------
D --0----0-0-----2--2-2-------2-0---0--
A -------------0----0-0-----------2----
E -----------------------3-------------
Verse:
D G(2) D(2) G(2) D(2) A
E --2//7-7-------5-5--------7-7------5-5-------5\0-------
B --3//8-8-------7-7--------8-8------7-7-------7\2-------
G --2//7-7-------7-7-----7--7-7------7-7-------7\2-------
D --0---------7--7-7-—(0)---------7--7-7----7--7\2----2--
A ----------5----5-5------------5----5-5--5----5\0--0----
E --------------------------------------------------------
A G
E --0-0-----3----------
B --2-2-----3----------
G --2-2-----0----------
D --2-2-------2-0---0--
A --0-0-----------2----
E-------3--------------
Chorus:
G D G A
E -----3------------2-2-----3------------0-0--
B -----3------------3-3-----3------------2-2--
G -----0---------2--2-2-----0------------2-2--
D -------2-0---0----0-0-------2-0-----2--2-2--
A -----------2--------------------2-0----0-0--
E --3--------------------3--------------------
[ Tab from: https://www.guitartabs.cc/tabs/v/van_zandt_townes/to_live_is_to_fly_tab_ver_2.html ]
D A G D
E -------2-2--------0-0-----3----------
B -------3-3--------2-2-----3----------
G ----2--2-2--------2-2-----0----------
D --0----0-0-----2--2-2-------2-0---0--
A -------------0----0-0-----------2----
E -----------------------3-------------
Intro: riff
D A G D slide
Verse
G(2) D(2)
Won’t say I love you, babe
G(2) D(2)
Won’t say I need you, babe
D(2) slide A
But I’m gonna get you, babe
G D
And I will not do you wrong
Livin’s mostly wasting time
I waste my share of mine
But it never feels too good
So let’s don’t take too long
Chorus
G D
Well you’re soft as glass
G A
And I’m a gentleman
D A
And we got the skies to talk about
G D
And the world to lie upon
Riff
Days up and down they come
Like rain on a conga drum
Forget most, remember some
But don’t turn none away
Everything is not enough
Nothing is too much to bear
Where you’ve been is good and gone
All you keep is the gettin’ there
Well to live’s to fly
All low and high
So shake the dust off of your wings
And the sleep out of your eyes
It’s goodbye to all my friends
It’s time to go again
Just think on all the poetry
And the pickin’ down the line
I’ll miss the system here
The bottom’s low and the treble’s clear
But it don’t pay to think too much
About the things you leave behind
Well I may be gone
But it won’t be long
I’ll be a-bringing back the melodies
And the rhythm that I’ve found
We’ve all got holes to fill
Them holes are all that’s real
Some fall on you like a storm
Sometimes you dig your own
The choice is yours to make
And time is your to take
Some dive into the sea
Some toil upon the stone
Well to live’s to fly
All low and high
So shake the dust off of your wings
And the sleep out of your eyes
Yeah shake the dust off of your wings
And the tears out of your eyes
Riff; end on D
Tabbed by Brian Fonken
