Is It Safe?

By: Bob Morgano (morgano@ici.net)
Song: "Is It Safe?" by "Our Lady Peace"
Album: "Naveed"(1994)

Time:4/4

Riff #1A: (Intro Riffs/Verse Riffs)     Riff #1B:
           ___                                   ___     ___    ____
     |    |   |    |                       |    |   |   |   |  |_|  |
Eb|--|----|---|----|--------|        Eb |--|----|---|---|---|--|-|--|--|
Bb|--|----|---|----|--------|        Bb |--|----|---|---|---|--|-|--|--|
Gb|--|----|---|----|--------|        Gb |--|----|---|---|---|--|-|--|--|
Db|--7___(7)-10__(10)-------|        Db |-12__(12)--9__(9)-10-10p9--|--|
Ab|--0___(0)--0___(0)-------|        Ab |--0___(0)--0__(0)---------10--|
Db|-------------------------|        Db |------------------------------|

     1    2        3    4                  1    2       3      4

Riff #1C:
      __          __    ____
     |  |     |\ |  |  |    |
Eb|--|--|-----|--|--|--|----|--|
Bb|--|--|-----|--|--|--|----|--|
Gb|--|--|-----|--|--|--|----|--|
Db|--|-12\sl--|--9--|-10\sl\9--|
Ab|--0--------0-----0----------|
Db|----------------------------|

     1     2     3     4

(This riff changes slightly a few times when it appears in the song. For
the sake of space, it has only been tabbed out once.)

Riff #2: (Verse Riff #2) *
            __         __       ________           __
        |\ |  |  |    |  |     |  |  |  |   |     |  |
Eb|-----|--|--|--|----3--|--|--|--|--|--|---|-----|--|--|
Bb|-----|--1--|--3-------|--|--|--|--1--|---3-----3--1__|
Gb|-----2-----0----------2__|_(2)-2-----0---0-----0--0__|
Db|-------------------------|---------------------------|
Ab|-------------------------|---------------------------|
Db|-------------------------|---------------------------|

     1     2     3    4        1     2      3     4
      ________         __       ________    ___________
     |  |  |  |  |    |  |     |  |  |  |  |     |  |  |
Eb|--|--|--|--|--|----3--|--|--|--3--|--|--|-----|--|--|--|
Bb|_(1)-|--1--|--3-------|--|--|-----|--|--|-----|--|--|--|
Gb|_(0)-2-----0----------2__|_(2)----2--0--2b(3)r2--0--2--|
Db|-------------------------|-----------------------------|
Ab|-------------------------|-----------------------------|
Db|-------------------------|-----------------------------|

     1     2     3    4        1     2     3        4

(* This riff was a bit tough.  I tabbed it out as accurately as I could.)

Riff #3A: (Pre Chorus)
           __    __    __       __    __    __    __
     |    |  |  |  |  |  |     |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
Eb|--|----|--|--|--|--|--|--|--|--|--|--|--|--|--|--|--|
Bb|--|----|--|--|--|--|--|--|--|--|--|--|--|--|--|--|--|
Gb|--5___(5)-7_(7)-7--7--8__|_(8)-8--8--7_(7)-7--7--5--|
Db|--5___(5)-7_(7)-7--7--8__|_(8)-8--8--7_(7)-7--7--5--|
Ab|-------------------------|--------------------------|
Db|-------------------------|--------------------------|

     1    2     3     4        1     2     3     4

Riff #3B:
           __    __    __       __    __    ____     _
     |    |  |  |  |  |  |     |  |  |  |  |  |_|   |_|
Eb|--|----|--|--|--|--|--|--|--|--|--|--|--|--|-|---|-|--|
Bb|--|----|--|--|--|--|--|--|--|--|--|--|--|--|-|---|-|--|
Gb|--5___(5)-7_(7)-7--7--8__|_(8)-8--8--7--|--|-|---|-|--|
Db|--5___(5)-7_(7)-7--7--8__|_(8)-8--8--7--X--X-X---X-X--|
Ab|-------------------------|--------------X--X-X---X-X--|
Db|-------------------------|--------------X--X-X---X-X--|

     1    2     3     4        1     2     3      4

Riff #4A: (Chorus)             Riff #4B:
      ____     _    __             ____
     |  |_|   |_|  |  |  |        |  |_|
Eb|--|--|-|---|-|--|--|--|----||--|--|-|----------|
Bb|--|--|-|---|-|--|--|--|----||--|--|-|----------|
Gb|--|--|-|---|-|--|--|--|----||--|--|-|----------|
Db|--|--|-|---|-|--|--|--|----||--|--|-|----------|
Ab|--7--X-7---X-0--5--4--0----||--7--X-7----------|
Db|--7--X-7---X-0--5--4--0----||--7--X-7----------|

     1      2      3     4        1       2  3  4

Riff #5: (Bridge)
      ____    ____    _____    ____
     |  |_|  |_|  |  |_|_|_|  |  |_|
Eb|--|--|-|--|-|--|--|-|-|-|--|--|-|--|
Bb|--|--|-|--|-|--|--|-|-|-|--|--|-|--|
Gb|--5--5-5--5-5--5--5-5-5-5--5--5-5--|
Db|--5--5-5--5-5--5--5-5-5-5--5--5-5--|
Ab|-----------------------------------|
Db|-----------------------------------|

     1       2       3        4
      ____    ____    _____    __
     |  |_|  |_|  |  |_|_|_|  |  |
Eb|--|--|-|--|-|--|--|-|-|-|--|--|--|
Bb|--|--|-|--|-|--|--|-|-|-|--|--|--|
Gb|--5--5-5--5-5--5--5-5-5-5--5--7--|
Db|--5--5-5--5-5--5--5-5-5-5--5--7--|
Ab|---------------------------------|
Db|---------------------------------|

     1       2       3        4

Riff #6: (Guitar Solo) (When playing the last bar of the solo, erratically
bend the note higher than what is stated in the original tab)
      ____       __     ______
     |  |_|     |__|   |______|         |
Eb|--|--|-|-----|--|---|------|---------|-------|
Bb|--|--|-|----11-11--11b(13)11b(13)---11b(13)--|
Gb|--|--|-|-------------------------------------|
Db|--|--|-|-------------------------------------|
Ab|--7--X-7-------------------------------------|
Db|--7--X-7-------------------------------------|

     1       2         3                4
      ____       __     ______
     |  |_|     |__|   |______|         |
Eb|--|--|-|-----|--|---|------|---------|-------|
Bb|--|--|-|----13-13--13b(15)13b(15)---13b(15)--|
Gb|--|--|-|-------------------------------------|
Db|--|--|-|-------------------------------------|
Ab|--7--X-7-------------------------------------|
Db|--7--X-7-------------------------------------|

     1       2         3                4

Riff #7A: (Outro Riff) *
      _____        _    _      _         _____       _
     |_|_|_|      |_|  |_|    |_|       |_|_|_|     |_|     |    |
Eb|--|-|-|-|------|-|--|-|----|-|----|--|-|-|-|-----|-|-----|----|----|
Bb|--|-|-|-|------|-|--|-|----|-|----|--|-|-|-|-----|-|-----|----|----|
Gb|--5-5-X-5------5-5--X-5----5-5----|--5-5-X-5-----5-5--sl/8----7----|
Db|--5-5-X-5------5-5--X-5----5-5----|--5-5-X-5-----5-5--sl/8----7----|
Ab|----------------------------------|--------------------------------|
Db|----------------------------------|--------------------------------|

     1        2        3      4         1        2          3    4

Riff #7B
      _____        _    _      _         _____
     |_|_|_|      |_|  |_|    |_|       |_|_|_|     |\ |
Eb|--|-|-|-|------|-|--|-|----|-|----|--|-|-|-|-----|--|--------|
Bb|--|-|-|-|------|-|--|-|----|-|----|--|-|-|-|-----|--|--------|
Gb|--5-5-X-5------5-5--X-5----5-5----|--5-5-X-5-----|--|--------|
Db|--5-5-X-5------5-5--X-5----5-5----|--5-5-X-5-----|--|--------|
Ab|----------------------------------|--------------0--1--------|
Db|----------------------------------|--------------0--1--------|

     1        2        3      4         1        2     3    4

(* This is a close approximation of what is going on in this section of the song.  Listen to this part and inject a bit of your own feel to it.)



Arrangement:

Intro:

|Riff 1A|Riff 1B|Riff 1A|Riff 1C|

Verse 1:

|Riff 1A|Riff 1B|Riff 1A|Riff 1C|
|Riff 1A|Riff 1B|Riff 1A|Riff 1C|
Time can't fix it fast enough,
So we won't notice what is that went wrong
I saw something there much too familiar
A butterfly with a broken wing

|Riff 2|Riff 2|
She's fallen under, she's past the end
Communication is down and down and down
The scars have healed but they're back again
We've got to believe the man must bend

Pre Chorus:

|Riff 3A|Riff 3B|

Because if you could you'd try to destroy her
And there we would be with nothing at all

Chorus:

|Riff 4A|Riff 4A|Riff 4A|Riff 4A|
|Riff 4A|Riff 4A|Riff 4A|Riff 4A|

Is it safe to be a man?
When you're tired and lonely
Only the confident know where to stand

Is it safe to be a man?
When the world is loaded
Thousands can't figure out just what they did

|Riff 4B|Riff 4B|

Just what they did

|Riff 1A|Riff 1B|Riff 1A|Riff 1C|

Verse 2:

|Riff 1A|Riff 1B|Riff 1A|Riff 1C|
|Riff 1A|Riff 1B|Riff 1A|Riff 1C|

Time can't fix it fast enough, so we won't measure just how far below
You kept pushing her, you'll have to pay back all the years that you stole

|Riff 2|Riff 2|

She's walking backwards, she's spun around
Her ears are ringing loud and loud and loud
She's on her knees, please understand
It's obvious this man, he must bend

Pre Chorus:

|Riff 3A|Riff 3B|

Because if you could all you'd try and destroy her
And there we'd be with nothing at all

Chorus:

|Riff 4A|Riff 4A|Riff 4A|Riff 4A|
|Riff 4A|Riff 4A|Riff 4A|Riff 4A|

(Repeat Chorus)

Pre Solo:

|Riff 5|Riff 5|

Just what they, just what they did

Solo:

|Riff 6|Riff 6|Riff 6|Riff 6|

|Riff 3B only|

Outro/Chorus:

|Riff 4A|Riff 4A|Riff 4A|Riff 4A|
|Riff 4A|Riff 4A|Riff 4A|Riff 4A|
|Riff 4A|Riff 4A|Riff 4A|Riff 4A|
|Riff 4A|Riff 4A|Riff 4A|Riff 4A|

(Repeat Chorus)

Outro etc.

|Riff 7A|Riff 7A|Riff 7A|Riff 7B|

Bob
morgano@ici.net