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Date: Mon, 25 Sep 95 15:52:37 EDT
From: Winston Campbell 
Subject: KNOCK ME DOWN by The Red Hot Chili Peppers


I was awed into dismay when I saw no trace of this song on the internet.  So
I decided to figure it out (guitar-wise).  I find that some of the lead
guitar lines are difficult to figure out so I have just transcribed the
simplest chordal parts of this song.  I am not sure that most of the minor
chords are sevenths but the song has a cool sound to it and minor sevenths
usually do that.  So examine this and write back if you find a problem or if
you want to discuss how it is possible for an object~s dimension to approach
infinity while it~s mass approaches zero while approaching the speed of
light.

The opening riff is:

E ---------------------|-------------------------|---------------------|---|
B -------------------6-|-------------------6h8p6-|-------------------6-|---|
G -------------------7-|-------------------7-----|-------------------7-|-2-|
D -------------------7-|-------------------7-----|-------------------7-|-3-|
A -----3--0-7-0-3-5----|-----3--0-7-0-3-5--------|-----3--0-7-0-3-5----|-3-|
E -3h5-----------------|-3h5---------------------|-3h5-----------------|-1-|

Of course you hold the F chord at the end then the verse appears:

Dm        Am7  Gm7
Never too soon to be through
      Dm       C        Bb
Being cool too much too soon
Dm           Am7     Gm7
Too much for me, too much for you
             A5       Bb
You~re gonna lose in time
Em7      Bm7       Am7*
Don~t be afraid to show your friends
         Em7    D       C
That you hurt inside, inside
Em7            Bm7
Pain~s part of life
           Am7*
Don~t hide behind your false pride
       B5       C
It~s a lie, you lie

       D5             C5
If you see me getting mighty
       D5             C5
If you see me getting high
         Am   Em
Knock me down
Em(?)
I~m not bigger than life
       D5             C5
If you see me getting mighty
       D5             C5
If you see me getting high
         Am   Em
Knock me down
Em(?)
I~m not bigger than life


Dm   Am7   Gm7          Dm   C   Bb

Dm           Am7     Gm7
I~m tired of being untouchable
        Dm   C    Bb
I~m not above the love
Dm          Am7            Gm7
I~m part of you and you~re part of me
            A5  Bb
Why did you go away
Em7          Bm7            Am7*
Finding what you~re looking for can end up
C#m7  G#m7   F#m7
Being such a bore
Em7        Bm7      Am7*
I pray for you most everyday, I pray for you
C#m7 G#m7  F#m7
Now  fly  away

       D5             C5
If you see me getting mighty
       D5             C5
If you see me getting high
         Am   Em
Knock me down
Em(?)
I~m not bigger than life
       D5             C5
If you see me getting mighty
       D5             C5
If you see me getting high
         Am   Em
Knock me down
Em(?)
I~m not bigger than life


(very quickly now, the guitar and bass plays:

G ---------
D ---------  When the guitar plays the 6th fret (the Bb note), it also plays
A -5p0-7---  a power chord on it and therefore from that note the guitar
E -------6-  plays a series of chords that go:

Bb5   G5  G5/Bb5   F5    C5    Bb5

Cool solo part:   A5   F    A5    F    G5    F     A

all I just did here was to write down the rhythm chords, I have and will not
do the solo (as little as it may seem).  If you listen to the album, you can
figure out how these chords come in.  The G5/Bb5 part is when the guitar
slides from G5 to Bb5.  Listen and you shall hear, my child.  Anyway, the
rest goes something like this:

       D5             C5
If you see me getting mighty
       D5             C5
If you see me getting high
         Am   Em
Knock me down
Em(?)
I~m not bigger than life
       D5             C5
If you see me getting mighty
       D5             C5
If you see me getting high
         Am   Em
Knock me down
Em(?)
I~m not bigger than life
       D5             C5
If you see me getting mighty
       D5             C5
If you see me getting high
         Am   Em
Knock me down
Em(?)
I~m not bigger than life
       D5             C5
If you see me getting mighty
       D5             C5
If you see me getting high
         Am   Em
Knock me down
Em(?)
I~m not bigger than life
       F#5            E5
If you see me getting mighty
       F#5            E5
If you see me getting high
         C#m  G#m
Knock me down
E                   B
I~m not bigger than life
       F#5            E5
If you see me getting mighty
       F#5            E5
If you see me getting high
         C#m  G#m
Knock me down
E                   B
I~m not bigger than life


C#m           E    B
C#m           E    B

C#m                                     E                 B
It~s so lonely when you don~t even know yourself, it~s so lonely
C#m                                     E                 B
It~s so lonely when you don~t even know yourself, it~s so lonely...


Please escuse all the redudancy and other things.  I shall explain the
chords now and how I play them.  Please remember that this is my best
estimate of this sad song.  If you find any errors or so on could you please
email me.  Anyway, before explaining every chords, I must explain that the
Em(?) chord does not really exist.  I am not sure if there is another chord
that ends the normal chorus so I presume that the Em chord sustains.  So my
denoting Em(?) means that I am not sure if it is the Em chord that is
playing at that time.  And also, my ways of playing these chords are not by
gospel.  Anyway, here we go:


     E  A  D  G  B  E
     ----------------
Dm   x  5  7  7  6  x
Am7  5  7  5  5  5  x
Gm7  3  5  3  3  3  x
C    x  3  5  5  5  x
Bb   x  1  3  3  3  x
A5   5  7  7  x  x  x
Em7  0  2  2  4  3  3