I Am Lost (and the moment cannot last)

[brassman2000]

I apologise, this isn't one of the songs that have been requested but I've heard this song way more times than any of the others. I've become mildly obsessed with the video, the song and hence the chord sequence. It was a lot harder than I thought it was going to be to tab this one, the piano has a way of catching me out - I think some of the songs on this album are going to prove tricky to decipher, chords sound both major and minor at the same time to me. I'm scared.

Anyway.

Code: Select all

Am        Bb   Bdim      Am         Am7
On the commute I fade from view,
F           F#dim       Em     E(major)
What now is true, I am Lost.

Am            Bb    Bdim         Am         Am7
I'm not full well, I don't need help,
F                     B7                         Em     E
My concerns have been confirmed, I am Lost.

Am          Bb    Bdim      Am         Am7
On mountain high, I say goodbye,
F                        B7                  Em     E     Am
My concerns have been confirmed, I am Lost.

Chords:

Am (x02210)
Bb (x13331)
Bdim (x20101)
Am7 (302010)
F (133211)
B7 (201202)
Em (022000)
E (022100)

"My concerns have been confirmed" has become my all time favourite lyric ever. Thanks ;D

oh, corrections both welcome and encouraged! We work as a team in these parts.
EDIT: F#dims became B7s

[gooner]

i was trying to get this one too - you're right about the piano being confusing. i was trying to play it by picking the strings. i have also become mildly obsessed with it...i keep saying my concerns have been confirmed in my head a lot...strange

it's also the right tempo to match my running, so yesterday i played it a bout 5 times in a row while out for a jog!

as for the lyrics, here they are from the booklet

on the commute
i fade from view
what now is true
i am lost

i'm not full well
but i don't need help
my concerns have been confirmed
i am lost

on mountain high
i'll say goodbye
my concerns have been confirmed
i am lost

pleased you've posted your chords, i'll have a play along later and give feedback!

[brassman2000]

Thanks for the real lyrics!

Minor correction, I think the F#dim chord on "confirmed" etc. is actually B7 (201202)

I'll wait for you guys to have a play around before I make an amended version.

[OUTERSPACE]

I am lost in this beautiful chords progression..

[ricknall]

I am lost ....cos I dont ever post in this part of the Board!!..was just passin through to see wot you tekky types get up to...and ive looked ...and saw ...and am deffo lost..I will now leave your mystical realm...oh musically gifted ones..

[brassman2000]

Hah! It's nice to see you over here! We'll still be here when you take up guitar... *hint hint*

I am lost ....cos I dont ever post in this part of the Board!!..was just passin through to see wot you tekky types get up to...and ive looked ...and saw ...and am deffo lost..I will now leave your mystical realm...oh musically gifted ones..

[ricknall]

Hah! It's nice to see you over here! We'll still be here when you take up guitar... *hint hint*

Hah! If only I had the ability, time, patience, talent and more importantly a guitar!!!!!

[quadrivium381]

I have also become obsessed with this song ever since I first heard it. Jason writes such hauntingly beautiful music, and I've been considering trying to transcribe some of it. You've given me a great jumping off point to start from here. I just saw him perform live, and noticed when he's playing he utilizes lots of creative inversions in his chord voices, and seems to occasionally use the 3rd in the bass instead of the root at times, ditto for the 5th and even the 7th to create that haunted sound to his songs.
--------------------------------------------------
(additional info posted a month later) I've been playing around with this song a lot lately, and I've come to a few conclusions -

I think rather than playing Am to Am7, it's actually Am to Am/G (Am with G in the bass) or you could play it Am to Am7/G (Am7 with a G in the bass). They both work

Instead of F#dim, I think it's a B7/A (B7 with an A in the bass)

The Em is played Em/G (Em with G in the bass)

The E chord is played E7/G# (E7 with a G# in the bass)

Some of these chords show my idea about Jason using 3rd's, 5th's, and 7th's in the bass instead of the root chord note. It adds a unique classical sounding voicing to the chord structures. Hope this helps someone struggling with this tune to understand it better. You can apply to concept to many of his other compositions as well

[brassman2000]

This all sounds pretty sensible!
I'd spotted the B7/A mistake but never changed it in the original post. I'll trust in your other suggestions because I'm a long way from a guitar and they sound right in my mind
It is interesting how pop/rock rarely strays into chord inversions.

[atiq09]

ive always played it with as the Em - F - C - G and then a modification of a G7

which looks like this:
e|--1--|
B|--o--|
G|--o--|
D|--o--|
A|--2--|
E|--o--|

where 'o' means let it ring.

listen to it here, its played a whole step down (that means get unlazy and detune them guitars, sirs)