The Art Of Shreddin'

Guitar Tabs

Southbound Pachyderm - Primus

Intro:(distortion)
bass starts out and then:

e----------------------------------------------|
b-------------5=-5/4==-------------------------|
g-------------5=-5/4==-------------------------|
d-------------5=-5/4==-------------------------|
a-----0/2-3=------------0/2-3-2p0--------------|
e----------------------------------3/5---------|

e----------------------------------------------|
b------------5/4----5p4------------------------|
g------------5/4---4---4==---------------------|
d------------5/4--4----------------------------|
a----0/2-3------------------0/2-3-2p0----------|
e-------------------------------------3/5------|

e--------------------------------------------|
b-------9========----------------------------|
g-------9========----------------------------|
d--------------------------------------------|
a--------------------------------------------|
e--------------------------------------------|

e---------------------------------------------------------------------|
b---------------------------------------------------------------------|
g----4----------8-----7777-8-9----------------7777-8-9----------------|
d------5---5/7--------7777-8-9----------------7777-8-9----------------|
a--------7------------5555-6-7----------------5555-6-7----------------|
e---------------------------------------------------------------------|


verses:
the bass has most of the melody here. the guitar only plays muted 8th notes like so:
[ Tab from: https://www.guitartabs.cc/tabs/p/primus/southbound_pachyderm_tab.html ]
e---------------------------------------------------------------------|
b---------------------------------------------------------------------|
gxxxxx-14-14-14-14-14-14-14-14-14-14-14-14-14-------------------------|
d---------------------------------------------------------------------|
a---------------------------------------------------------------------|
e---------------------------------------------------------------------|

chorus:

e---------------------------------------------------------------------|
b---------------------------------------------------------------------|
g--------4--------8===-----7777-8-9--------------------------7777-8-9-|
d----------5---7-----------7777-8-9--------------------------7777-8-9-|
a-----7------7-------------5555-6-7--------------------------5555-6-7-|
e---------------------------------------------------------------------|
they take to the skys                  southbound pachyderm
repeat that.

lyrics & solo

what an ingenious device
bordem encompasses my time
I don't know what I should do_______

Indulging a moment of your time
seldom the breeder of lies
you won't believe that it's true

Chorus:
they take to the sky
southbound pachyderm

s-s-s-s southbound pachyderm

southbound pachyderm_____________________

1st solo:


e-------------------------------------------------------------|
b----/10-10-10--------------8-8-8-----------------------------|
g--------------10-9-9-9-----------7-5-5-5-7-------------------|
d-------------------------------------------------------------|
a--------------------------------------------5-5-5-7-3--------|
e-------------------------------------------------------------|

e-----------------------------------|
b-----------------------------------|
g--------5--------------------------|
d-------5-5-------------------------|
a----3-3---3-5^7=====---------------|
e-----------------------------------|

pinholes through cardboard at the sun
passing the bucks by one by one
leaving nothing in return

watching the majest blow past
speculating which will be the last
and now there is no reprise

Chorus:

they're filling the sky
southbound pachyderm
southbound pachyderm
southbound pachyderm
southbound pachyderm
 
main riff variant

G-|--25t---------25t-------------25t---25t---25t---------|-
D-|*-24t---------24t-------------24t---24t---24t--------*|-
A-|*----------------------------------------------19h\--*|-
E-|------16h-15h-----18h-17h-16h------------------19h\---|-

Note: about 99.9% of the basses in existance do not have a 25th fret.
My fretless has only 24, but I hit the G-string at the very end of the
fingerboard, which sounds about right. You could raise your G-string
to a G# if you wanted to.
 
Ahh yes, the chorus.  This section requires slapping and strumming.
It also requires some big ol' distortion.  All of the pedals that I
have tried gives me the sound that Cliff Burton got on "Anestasia,
Pulling Teeth".  But I still have no clue to get the "motorcycle" tone
that Claypool gets.  Any suggestions? E-mail me or post anything that
might help all of us Primus fans.  I know that he has an ADA bass
preamp, that runs about $600.  There has to be a less-expensive
solution.  Back to the chorus, it requires that you play a low D
during one part.  I guess that if you had a Hipshot detuner, you could
change the string down to a D, and back up.  I just play a low E and
hope that I don't offend anybody.  I will write the D on a B string as
if you were playing a five string bass.  I will write down the
variants, listen to the tape to figure out the order that you play
them.

main chorus riff
                                           V  ^  V
G-|---------------------------------------17-18-20--|-
D-|*--------------------------------------17-18-20--|-
A-|*------------------------------------------------|-
E-|--0S-3S-2p-0p-0S-5S-3p-2p-0p--0S---0S------------|-

variant one
                                       V  ^  V  ^  V  ^
G-|-----------------------------------20-20-20-20-20-20\---|-
D-|*----------------------------------20-20-20-20-20-20\--*|-
A-|*------------------------------------------------------*|-
E-|--0S-3S-2p-0p-0S-5S-3p-2p-0p--0S------------------------|-
 
variant two

G-|----------------------------------------------|-
D-|*--------------------------------------------*|-
A-|*--------------------------------------------*|-
E-|--0S-3S-2p-0p-0S-5S-3p-2p-0p--0S--------------|-
B-|------------------------------------3S-4S-----|-

For the interlude at the end between two of the chorus sections, you
could just tap anywhere on the fretboard (hitting at least two of the
strings) for three measures, do some swooping slides, and then do the
final chorus, or you could make up your own part.