PROPS GO TO: Chris Ballard

DISPOSABLE HEROES
Metallica
From the 1986 album "Master of Puppets"

Transcription by Chris Ballard (c_ballard@hotmail.com)

NOTE: This transcription doesn't always correctly reference all the backing riffs and rhythm figures, and the repeat numbers may not be perfect, but if you've listened to the song all the riffs should be transcribed and quite accurate.
 _________________________________________
| KEY:                                    |
| =     - hold note(s)                    |
| h	- hammer on                       |
| p	- pull off                        |
| PM 	- palm mute                       |
| ^     - accented note                   |
| .     - staccato note                   |
| /  \  - slide up or down (shorter)      |
| // \\ - slide up or down (longer)       |
| u d   - up and down right hand picking  |
|_________attacks_________________________|

Intro:
  e|-d-d-d-d-d-d--d---d---d--|-d-d-d-d-d-d--d------d--|
6 B|-------------------------|------------------------|
_ G|.------------------------|------------------------|
  D|.-------------4---5---4--|--------------5/-7---4--|
4 A|--------------4---5---4--|--------------5/-7---4--|
  E|-0-0-0-0-0-0--2---3---2--|-0-0-0-0-0-0--3/-5---2--|
   PM.........               PM..........

                                                   4x
e|-d-d-d-d-d-d--d---d---d---|-d-d-d-d-d-d-d-d-d-d----|
B|--------------------------|------------------------|
G|--------------------------|-------------------9===.|
D|--------------4---5---4---|-------------------9===.|
A|--------------4---5---4---|-------------------7====|
E|-0-0-0-0-0-0--2---3---2---|-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0------|
   PM.........               PM..........

Lead (over intro):   w/wah wah
e|----------------------------|-------------------------|
B|----------------------------|-------------------------|
G|.=9=============11/-12--11--|-9===========12/-14--11--|
D|.=9=============11/-12--11--|-9===========12/-14--11--|
A|-=7============= 9/-10--9---|-7===========10/-12--9---|
E|----------------------------|-------------------------|

                            _________________________ _________________________
                           | 1                       | 2
e|-------------------------|-------------------------|-------------------------|
B|-------------------------|-------------------------|-------------------------|
G|-9===========11/-12--11--|-9======================.|-------------------------|
D|-9===========11/-12--11--|-9======================.|-------------------2=====|
A|-7===========-9/-10--9---|-7=======================|-------------------2=====|
E|-------------------------|-------------------------|-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0=====|

 (in 4/4)     Repeat
e|---d---d-u-d---d---d---d---d-u-d-u-|
B|-----------------------------------|
G|.---------------------------------.|
D|.---------------------------------.|
A|---^-------^---^---^---^-----------|
E|---0---0-0-0---0---0---0---0-0-0-0-|
     PM      PM.....................


Lead over (wah off)
e|------------|----------|----------|-----------|
B|-------- ^^ |----------|----------|-----------|
G|.-12=====14\|11=====14\|10=====12\|9=========.|
D|.-12=====14\|11=====14\|10=====12\|9=========.|
A|--10=====12\|-9=====12\|-8=====10\|7==========|
E|------------|----------|----------|-----------|

                         x6
e|---------------------------------|
B|--^----------------^-------------|
G|.(6)--------------(6)-----------.|
D|.-6----------------6------------.|
A|--4--4-4-4-4-4-4---4-4-4-4-4-4-4-|
E|---------------------------------|
       PM.........     PM.........


                      /---3---\   /---3---\
e|------------------------|--------------------------|
B|------------------------|--------------.---.-------|
G|-.---------.--^-----^-^-|--.---.-------7---6---4---|
D|--------p-------p-------|--5---4---2---7---6---4---|
A|-0---10-9--0--9-7-------|--5---4---2---5---4---2---|
E|-------------------10-9-|--3---2---0---------------|
PM..         .    .......    .....................



e|   d   d u d   d   d   d   d u d u |
B|-----------------------------------|
G|.---------------------------------.|
D|.---------------------------------.|
A|---.-------.---.---.---.-----------|
E|---0---0-0-0---0---0---0---0-0-0-0-|

1 Bodies fill the fields I see
2 Barking of machine gun fire does
3 Life planned out before my birth

e|---d---d-u-d---d---d---d---d-u-d-u-|-d---d-u-d---d---d---d---d-u-d-u-|
B|-----------------------------------|---------------------------------|
G|-----------------------------------|---------------------------------|
D|-----------------------------------|---------------------------------|
A|---.-------.---.---.---.-----------|-.-------.---.---.---.-----------|
E|---3---3-3-3---3---3---3---3-3-3-3-|-2---2-2-2---2---2---2---2-2-2-2-|
1 Hungry heroes end  2 nothing to me now   3 nothing could I say.

W/RHY FIG 2
1 No one to play soldier now
2 Sounding of the clock that ticks, get
3 Had no chance to see myself


e|---d---d-u-d---d---d---d---d-u-d-u-|
B|-----------------------------------|
G|.---------------------------------.|
D|.---------------------------------.|
A|---^-------^---^---^---^-----------|
E|---0---0-0-0---0---0---0---0-0-0-0-|
     PM      PM.....................

e|---d---d-u-d---d---d---d---d-u-d-u-|-d---d-u-d---d---d---d---d-u-d-u-|
B|-----------------------------------|---------------------------------|
G|-----------------------------------|---------------------------------|
D|-----------------------------------|---------------------------------|
A|---.-------.---.---.---.-----------|-.-------.---.---.---.-----------|
E|---3---3-3-3---3---3---3---3-3-3-3-|-7---7-7-7---7---7---7---7-7-7-7-|
1 no one to pretend 2 used to it somehow 3 molded day by day


W/RHY FIG 2
Running blind through killing fields, bred to kill them all.
                                   2x
e|---d---d-u-d---d---d---d---d-u-d-u-|
B|-----------------------------------|
G|.---------------------------------.|
D|.---------------------------------.|
A|---.-------.---.---.---.-----------|
E|---0---0-0-0---0---0---0---0-0-0-0-|
     PM      PM.....................
Victim of what said should be, a servant till I fall


       PM.........     ...........          PM.........
e|---------------------------------|R|--------------------------------|
B|--^----------------^-------------|E|-^----------------^-------------|
G|.(6)--------------(6)-----------.|P|(6)--------------(6)--4-----4--.|
D|.-6----------------6------------.|E|-6----------------6---2-----2--.|
A|--4--4-4-4-4-4-4---4-4-4-4-4-4-4-|A|-4--4-4-4-4-4-4---4---2-----2---|
E|---------------------------------|T|--------------------------------|
    Soldier boy, made of c l a y       Now an empty         c e l l
    21, only son                       Body served us       w e l l
    Bred to kill, Not to care          Blah blah blah blah  b l a h
    Blah blah blah, bringing death     We've got to get     a w a y



(4/4)                           (3/4)       (3/4)
      PM.........     PM.........        PM.........    ....
e|--------------------------------|-R-|--------------------|-----------------|
B|--------------------------------|-E-|--------------------|-^---------------|
G|.^---------------^--------------|-P-|-^---------------^--|(0)-------------.|
D|.4---------------2--------------|-E-|-4---------------4--|-0-----------^--.|
A|-2--2-2-2-2-2-2--0--2-2-2-2-2-2-|-A-|-2--2-2-2-2-2-2--2--|-2--2-2-2-2--2---|
E|--------------------------------|-T-|--------------------|-----------------|

** See the last 2 bars here as: one 4/4 bar with 1 beat cut off, and one 2/4 bar with one extra beat


W/RIFF C
     (4/4)                              (3/4)
e|--------------------|---------------------|---------------|-------|
B|-----h-p--h-----h-p-|------h-p--h-----h-p-|------h-p--h---|-------|
G|.4===5-4------4-5-4=|(4)===5-4------4-5-4=|(4)===5-4------|-4*\\\.|
D|.---------7===------|-----------7===------|-----------7===|------.|
A|--------------------|---------------------|---------------|-------|
E|--------------------|---------------------|---------------|-------|
  * - Depress bar equivalence of 1/2 step for every 1/2 beat

                                    _________________________________
                                   | This bar third time only        |
   /----3----\     /--3--\         | /----3----\     /--3--\
e|---------------------------------|---------------------------|
B|-.----.----.---------------------|-.----.----.-----------7---|
G|-4----3----4-----5===--4---------|-6----5----6-----7===--5---|
D|-4----3----4-----5===--4---------|-6----5----6-----7===--7---|
A|-2----1----2-----3===--2---------|-4----3----4-----5===--6---|
E|---------------------------------|---------------------------|
   PM..........                      PM..........

                                                          4x
e|---------------------------|--------------|--------------|-----------|
B|---------------------------|--------------|--------------|-----------|
G|---------------------------|------.-------|---------.----|-----------|
D|-----------------------5===|=(5)==8----4==|==(4)====7--3=|=(3)====5\\|
A|-.------.--.--.--.--.--5===|=(5)==8----4==|==(4)====7--3=|=(3)====5\\|
E|-0--0-0-0--0--0--0--0--3===|=(3)==6----2==|==(2)====5--1=|=(1)====3\\|
   PM     PM...........             PM               PM
Back to the front. You will do what I say, when I say.
Back to the front. You will die when I say you must die.
Back to the front. You coward, you servant, you blind man.

  e|-------------------------|    |------|    |-----------------------|
4 B|-----------------------^-|   2|------|   7|-----------------------|
_ G|-----------------------.-|   _| HALF |   _|-----------------------|
  D|-----------------------2-|    | REST |    |-----------------------|
4 A|-.------.--.--.--.--.--2-|   4|------|   8|-.------.--.--.--.--.--|
  E|-0--0-0-0--0--0--0--0--0-|    |------|    |-0--0-0-0--0--0--0--0--|

rhythm figure 2
 (4/4)
e|------------------|----------------|----------------|---------------|
B|------------------|----------------|----------------|---------------|
G|.-----------.-----|----------.-----|----------.-----|----------.---.|
D|.-2==-------p-----|----------p-----|2---------p-----|----------p---.|
A|--2==-.-.-5-7-----|5---.-.-4-7-----|2---.-.-5-7-----|5---.-.-4-7-2==|
E|--0==-0-0-----0-0-|0---0-0-----0-0-|0---0-0-----0-0-|0---0-0-----0==|
        PM.     ...      ...     ...      ...     ...      ...
Why...  am I dying?   Kill...  have no fear.
Lie...  live off lying.  Hell...  hell is here. (repeat)

                              I was born for dying....
  e|-------------------------|---------|-----------------|-----------------|
4 B|-----------------------^-|---------|-----------------|-----------------|
_ G|-----------------------.-|- WHOLE -|-----------------|-----------------|
  D|-----------------------2-|- REST  -|-----------------|-----------------|
4 A|-.------.--.--.--.--.--2-|---------|-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-|-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-|
  E|-0--0=0=0--0--0--0--0--0-|---------|-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-|-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-|
     PM     PM...........                PM...............................


PLAY RIFF A (x6?)      e|------------|--------|    PLAY RIFF A (x3)  e|------|
PLAY RIFF B            B|------------|--------|    PLAY RIFF B       B|------|
                       G|-6==6==6==6-|-6======|                      G|------|
                       D|-6==6==6==6-|-4======|                      D|-4\\--|
                       A|-4==4==4==4-|-4======|                      A|-4\\--|
                       E|----4==---4-|--------|                      E|-2\\--|