MURMUR: PERFECT CIRCLE

This song was written by Bill Berry.  It was introduced as his during the Up promotional tour and it is quite a beautiful song which is no surprise as Everybody Hurts is also attributed to him.  Berry certainly has a gift for beautiful songwriting.  On this one you'll find lyrics, guitar, and piano tab.  I still think of this song as the end of side one ...

PERFECT CIRCLE
Put your hair back, you get to leave
Eleven gallows on your sleeve
Shallow figured, winners paid
Eleven shadows way out of place

Standing too soon
Shoulders high in the room
Standing too soon
Shoulders high in the room
Standing too soon
Shoulders high in the room

Pull your dress on and stay real close
Who might leave you where I left off
A perfect circle of acquaintances and friends
Drink another, coin a phrase

Heaven assume
Shoulders high in the room
Heaven assume
Shoulders high in the room
Heaven assume
Shoulders high in the room

Try to win and suit your needs
Speak out sometimes
But try to win

Standing too soon
Shoulders high in the room
Standing too soon
Shoulders high in the room
Standing too soon
Shoulders high in the room
Standing too soon
Shoulders high in the room
Standing too soon
Shoulders high in the room


Peter Buck is at it again.  There are almost no guitar parts in this song, but they are simple to play and not so simple to figure out.  Most of what you can already find online just gives chords and that sucks because they are wrong and this song has only two strummed chords.  Even then, I think it's only played that way live.  I don't hear any strumming, but I've put the chorus chords in here.  It's fun to play, but be very active during the chorus chords and find a piano player because I've added that tab here as well ...

The verse picking only comes in in the last part of the second verse, but it could be played the whole song. If playing along with someone on piano it sounds good to just strum and let ring the D and G chords during the verse. 

PERFECT CIRCLE

Verse Fill (D7sus-D-F-G)
e|--3--3-3-2--2--2-1--1--1-1--1--1---|
B|---1--1---3--3----1--1----1--1-----|
G|-2--2--2---2--2----2--2----2--2----|
D|-----------------------------------|
A|-----------------------------------|
E|-----------------------------------|

Chorus

e|-1-1-3-1-1-1-1-0-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-|

B|-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-|

G|-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-|

D|-3-3-3-3-2-2-2-2-2-------2-3---|

A|-------------------------------|

E|-------------------------------|

This song could be played even if you don't know how to play piano.  There are no chords and it doesn't require a heck of a lot of coordination.  Just start banging along to the song and you'll be playing in no time. The following tab is piano tab.  If you want more specific instructions they are at tabnabber.com, but here are the basics:

1. L and R is Left hand Right hand
2. The numbers on the right are the octave groups. Middle c is octave 4. All octaves start on c.
3. The lowercase letters are the whole notes- white keys.
4. The uppercase (In this case only 1) is a sharp note- black key.
5. This symbol (>) means sustain the note.
6. This symbol (|) separates the measures.

Verse:

L 3|---g------|---------|---g------|---------|

L 4|--c-------|d>>>>>>>>|--c-------|d>>>>>>>>|

R 4|-f--F-g-a-|F-F-g-a-F|-f--F-g-a-|g-g-a-a-g|

Chorus: 

L 3|f-----|e-----|d-----|e-f-g-|

R 4|-f-g-f|-f-e-f|-f-g-f|-f-f-g|

L 3|f-----|e-----|d-----|e-f-g--|

R 4|-f-g-f|-f-e-f|-f-g-f|fgfgfgf|

The previous line is optional, but it is what is played on Murmur, kind of doodling on the f and g notes in the last measure, listen to the song and you'll hear it.

-BW