My Iron Lung

by Radiohead

Tab intermediate Tuning: E A D G B E

Version:

v7 v1 v2 v3 v4 v5 v6

Transpose

Capo

None

Size

100%

For this tab I'll include the lead guitar, it might not be exactly the same, but if you're playing along with

just one guitar, then this is a good guide.

Another quick note, effects-wise, I like to play it with a little bit of reverb, as it souds good and is used

in the song. I'm pretty sure they also use a one-octave-up pedal as well, but I don't have the luxury of that,

maybe use some other cool sounding pedals of your own if you're stuck. Also, you should use an overdrive pedal

for the chorus, just to distinguish it form the verse, in the song they really let loose and use quite a bit

of gain.

  The intro is the main riff and is played once before the rest of the band comes in.
e|-------------------------------|------------------------------|
B|-----3-0-----0-------1---------|-----3-0-----0-------1-3-3^-1-|
G|---0-------0---0---0---0--2^-0-|---0-------0---0---0----------|
D|---------3-------1-------------|---------3-------1------------|
A|-------------------------------|------------------------------|
E|-3-----------------------------|-3----------------------------|

  It then repeats that main riff again with the rest of the band.
  the first time the singing comes in, play this, this is the 2nd riff you'll need, it is used in all
the verses
e|------------------------------|----------------------|--------------------------------------------|
B|------------------------------|----------------------|-------0-----------------1----------------3-|
G|------------------------------|----------------------|-----0-----------------0----------------0---|
D|------------------------------|----------------------|---0-----------------0----------------0-----|
A|------------------------------|----------------------|--------------------------------------------|
E|------------------------------|----------------------|-3-----------------3----------------3-------|
Faith, you're driving me away   You do it every day,          you don't mean it, but it hurts like

e|-----------------|
B|-4-3-4-3-4-3-4-3-|
G|-----------------|
D|-----------------|
A|-----------------|
E|-----------------|
hell.........

  The 2nd time that section repeats, straight after, play this before the 2nd riff.
e|-----------------------------------|-----------3------|
B|-----------------------------------|-------------4----|
G|-----------------------------------|------------------|
D|-----------------------------------|------------------|
A|-----------------------------------|------------------|
E|-----------------------------------|------------------|
My brain, says I'm receiving pain    A lack of oxygen

The 2nd riff is then repeated whilst Thom sings "from my life support, my iron lung...."

There is then a bresk in the verse, where the main riff fromt the start is plsyed once. It then goes back to

the verse sections.

  The 3rd of those sections, play this before playing the 2nd riff.
e|--------------------3-----------|----------3----------|
B|-------------------------4-3----|-------------4-------|
G|--------------------------------|---------------------|
D|--------------------------------|---------------------|
A|--------------------------------|---------------------|
E|--------------------------------|---------------------|
We're, too young to fall asleep   too cynical to speak

2nd riff is then repeated.

  The final time this section is played, is with chords at the beginning before the 2nd riff.
e|-----------------------------------|---------------------------|
B|-----------------------4-----------|-------------4-------------|
G|---------4----4--------5-----------|-4-4---------5-------------|
D|---------5----5--------5-----------|-5-5---------5-------------|
A|---------5----5--------3-----------|-5-5---------3-------------|
E|---------3----3--------------------|-3-3-----------------------|
Scratch          our eternal itch        A 20th century b*tch

The 2nd riff is again repeated. It then goes back into the main riff which is cut short by a sudden chorus.

e|------------------------------|-------------------|
B|-----3-0-----0-------1--------|-----3-0-----0-----|
G|---0-------0---0---0---0-2^-0-|---0-------0---0---|
D|---------3-------1------------|---------3---------|
A|------------------------------|-------------------|
E|-3----------------------------|-3-----------------|

  Here's where the chorus bursts in very suddenly, if you are using an overdrive pedal, put it on now
e|-3-2-1-0------|-------------------------3-2-1-0------|
B|---------4-3--|---------------------------------4-3--|
G|--------------|---3---3---3---3---3---3--------------|
D|--------------|--------------------------------------|
A|--------------|---------3---3------------------------|
E|--------------|-3---3-----------0---0----------------|

It then repeats itself once, before going back to the main riff once more, unaccompanied.

  The next time the verse is played, it goes like this before the 2nd riff
e|-------------------3-------------|----------3--------------|
B|----------------------4----3^----|-3--1-----------4----3---|
G|---------------------------------|-------------------------|
D|---------------------------------|-------------------------|
A|---------------------------------|-------------------------|
E|---------------------------------|-------------------------|
Suck, suck you're teenage thumb    Toilet trained and dumb

You'll play the 2nd riff after that as well.

The last verse section is the same as the 4th section of the 1st verse, with the chords. Try and make them

have an impact, they should sound like stab chords.

  THe 2nd riff is then repeated, but is cut off part way through by the chorus.
e|--------------------------------------------|
B|-------0-----------------1----------------3-|
G|-----0-----------------0----------------0---|
D|---0-----------------0----------------0-----|
A|--------------------------------------------|
E|-3-----------------3----------------3-------|

The chorus then comes in, the exact same as before..

After playing the chorus riff twice, turn the overdrive pedal off(it should've been off for the verse as well

You then play this bridge section.

e|--------------------------------------------------------------------|-----------------------|
B|-3--------------5----------------------6--------------------8-------|-10-----------------8--|
G|--------------------------------------------------------------------|-----------------------|
D|--------------------------------------------------------------------|-----------------------|
A|--------------------------------------------------------------------|-----------------------|
E|--------------------------------------------------------------------|-----------------------|

   if you're frightened, you can be frightened, you can be, it's OK      and if you're frightened, you can be
---------------------------|
-6-------------------------|
---------------------------|
---------------------------|
---------------------------|
---------------------------|
frightened, you can be

You then play the chorus (complete with the chorus intro to join those two sections together)twice on its own
The chorus is then played twice, you cna either play the regular chorus riff, or a second riff that I find
works well, in the real song I'm pretty sure they played almost the same riff, whilst the 2nd guitar is now
playing the regular chorus riff.
e|-------6-------6-------9-12-14-8-6-----------------|
B|-6-7-8---6-7-8---6-7-8-------------8-8-8-8-8-8-8-6-|
G|---------------------------------------------------|
D|---------------------------------------------------|
A|---------------------------------------------------|
E|---------------------------------------------------|

You'd then repeat this once for the final time, before coming to an abrupt halt for the song's end.