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Possum

From: Eric Berman (ericbe@microsoft.com)
From: Emil Hedaya (skjut@usa.net)
By Jeff Holdsworth (The Artist Formerly A Member of Phish)


I finally figured out exactly what Trey plays.  If this isn't it, then I don't
know what it is.  I listened to the 11/3/98 radio interview, and he was kind of
noodling the intro while he was talking, right before they played an acoustic
version of it live on the radio.  This was what he played, and it was really easy
to hear.  Enjoy.

      H-O       H-O       H-O     H-O     H-O      H-O
E-----0-0-------0-0-------0-0-----0-0-----0-0------0-0------------------------
B-----0-0---2---0-0---2---0-0-----0-0--2--0-0--2---0-0--------------------------
G-----0-1---2---------2----------------2-------2---0-1-----------------------
D-----2-2---2---5-6---2---5-6-----5-6--2--5-6--2---2-2--------------------------
A-----2-2---4---------4----------------4-------4---2-2-----------------------
E---0-----------7-7-------7-7---7-7-7-----7-7------0-0------------------------


____________________________________________________________________________________________

The Em is played for about 8th-note duration; the overall chord is an E and
the G (open G string) of the Em and the sus4 are nothing more than passing
tones.

Trey does some other stuff here, mostly noodling around on these chords,
that I'm not going to write out, but listen to any recording and he'll do
something different yet interesting; I'll just show the underlying chords
below.

Also, during the first A Chord, Trey used to pull one of these instead of
playing an A chord:
           |       |       |                |        |           |
         /S        /S    /S           /S          /S
E|----------------------------------|--------------------------------|
B|---2-----3---5-----7-----8----9---|----10-10-------10----12----10--|
G|----------------------------------|--------------------------------|
D|-2---2-4---5---5-7---7-9---10---10|-11-------10-11----12----11---12|
A|----------------------------------|--------------------------------|
E|----------------------------------|--------------------------------|
   \---/     \---/ \---/

E riff
I come from atop the mountain baby
Where the people come to pray
A
I come from atop the mountain baby
                         E
Where the people come to pray
B
Ain't no truth in action
G          A         E
Less you believe any way

(Same chords)
I was riding down the road one day
                    -- E7+9 (one octave up, slide down!!)
Someone hit a possum
I was riding down the road one day
                    -- E7+9 (one octave up, slide down!!)
Someone hit a possum
The road was his end
His end was that road
So they say

  E7+9
E-----
B--20-
G--19-
D--18-
A--19-
E-----

Chorus:
     E (hold 4 bars) E (riff)
Whoa possum...       possum
     A (hold 4 bars) E (riff)
Whoa possum...       possum
     B
Whoa possum
G    A          E
Your end is the road

Solo:

         E chord

      2         |     |           |
     /
E|-15---|-12----------------------------------|
B|------|----15-14-13-12----------------------|
G|------|----------------14-13-12-13----------|
D|------|----------------------------14-12----|
A|------|----------------------------------14-|
E|------|-------------------------------------|


               |        |           |

E|-------------------------------------|
B|-------------------------------------|
G|-------------------------------------|
D|-14----------12----------------------|
A|----14-13-14----14----13-12----------|
E|-------------------12-------15-12-12-|
                                 \--/

         |       |       |               |       |       |

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

   A chord

           |       |       |                |        |           |
         /S        /S    /S           /S          /S
E|----------------------------------|--------------------------------|
B|---2-----3---5-----7-----8----9---|----10-10-------10----12----10--|
G|----------------------------------|--------------------------------|
D|-2---2-4---5---5-7---7-9---10---10|-11-------10-11----12----11---12|
A|----------------------------------|--------------------------------|
E|----------------------------------|--------------------------------|
   \---/     \---/ \---/


   E chord

              |           |        |
   /S
E|----12---------------------------------------|
B|------15-14-13-12----------------------------|
G|-13---------------14-13-12-14-12-14-14-12----|
D|------------------------------------------14-|
A|---------------------------------------------|
E|---------------------------------------------|


                           B7 Chord

           |        |  |         |       |       |

E|-----------------------|------------------------------|
B|-----------------------|------------------------------|
G|-14--12--11--10--------|-----------6-----6-7-8------9-|
D|---14--14--12--12-14---|---7-----7-----7-------9------|
A|-----------------------|-9---6-9-----9----------------|
E|-----------------------|------------------------------|



   G chord         A chord                  E chord
                 |   2        |              2
    3  3  3         /                       /------
E|----------------------------------------|-----|
B|-----------------12-10------------------|-----|
G|-11-12-11-9-11-9-------11-9-------------|-----|
D|----------------------------10-11-10-11-|-7---|
A|----------------------------------------|-----|
E|----------------------------------------|-----|



                          E chord (2nd time through progression)
   |  |   |  2   | 2               |          |         |
--------+   /     /
E|--------14--12-17--15-|-------------------------------------12---|
B|----------------------|-17--16-15---15---------------------------|
G|----------------------|---16-----16---16-15-14---14---12-13----13|
D|----------------------|------------------------14--14------------|
A|----------------------|------------------------------------------|
E|----------------------|------------------------------------------|

        2        |          |  |
       /      P                 /S
E|--------------------------------------|
B|-14-14-(14)-12-14-12------------------|
G|---------------------12-13-------9----|
D|--------------------------14--11---11-|
A|--------------------------------------|
E|--------------------------------------|
   \--/\--/

         |        |          |                 |        |
                  3  3  3                               /S
E|------------------------------------|-------------------12--12---|
B|-12-11-10---------------------------|----------------------------|
G|---9--9--9-11-9-12-11-9-11-9--------|--------11--9-11-13--13---5-|
D|-----------------------------11-9---|11--9-11--11----------------|
A|----------------------------------11|--11------------------------|
E|------------------------------------|----------------------------|



   A chord
           |       |       |               |       |       |
   H
E|---5----------------------------|--------------------------------|
B|-----8-7-5----------------------|--------------------------------|
G|-6---------5-6------------------|--------------------------5-7-8-|
D|---------------7-5---7-------5--|--------------------5-6-7-------|
A|-------------------7---7-6-7----|-7--6-5-------5-6-7-------------|
E|--------------------------------|--------8-5-8-------------------|



   E chord
           |       |      |                 |       |   |
     3 3 3                                            ~
E|--------------------------------|-----------------------|
B|--------------------------------|-----------------------|
G|-9-9-8-7---7--------------------|-----------------------|
D|---------9---9-8-7----------6---|-6-7-8-9-6---------6---|
A|-------------------10-7-7-----7-|-----------7-----7---7-|
E|--------------------------------|-------------9-7-------|


   B7 chord
         |       |       |

E|-------------------------|
B|-------------------------|
G|-----------6---7-8-7-8---|
D|---7-----7-------------9-|
A|-9---6-9-----9-----------|
E|-------------------------|

(Same chords as earler verse

I was riding down the road one day
Someone hit a possum
I was riding down the road one day
Someone hit a possum
The road was his end
His end was that road
So they say

chorus:

     E (hold 8 bars) E (riff)
Whoa possum...       possum
     A (hold 8 bars) E (riff)
Whoa possum...       possum
     B      G    A          E
Whoa possum your end is the road
     B      G    A          E
Whoa possum your end is the road