Date:    Mon, 26 Jun 95 21:05:56 PDT
From: pf%rm763b (at) Riem dot Com
Subject: Knuckle Down
Message-Id: <950626210556.f96 (at) Riem dot Com>

Well this isn't perfect.  As I write, I have neither the music itself
nor a guitar in front of me, so I may, for example, not have gotten the
chords lined up exactly right over the words.  But I think you've got
everything you need here to put the song together.  Maybe I'll be more
scrupulous next time ...

This is the opening figure.  Reappears several times between verses.

  D                                                      F6/C
|-------------------------------------------------------------------------|
|-10-10-9-9-7-7---------10-10-9-9-7-7---------10-10-9-9--666-666-666-666--|
|--7--7-7-7-7-7-7-9-7-9--7--7-7-7-7-7-7-9-7-9--7--7-7-7--777-777-777-777--|
|--7--7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7--7--7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7--7--7-7-7--777-777-777-777--|
|-------------------------------------------------------------------------|
|--------------------------------------------------------888-888-888-888--|

This is the "lead" figure that repeats over-and-over on top of the verses.

|-------------------------------------------------------------------|
|-13----13----13----------------------------------------------------|
|-10-12-10-12-10-12-------------------------------------------------|
|-10----10----10----------------------------------------------------|
|-------------------------------------------------------------------|
|-------------------------------------------------------------------|

Here are the postions in which I play the chords for the verses.  This is
basically the order in which they appear in the verses, with an ommission or
two where you have the repeat the chord in the form in which it previously
appeared.  All clear?  This is all played in a kind of chunk-a-lunk style.
You play a bit of the bass, then the whole chord letting off with the left
hand shortly after having struck the full chord.  XTC seems to like using the
guitar with great percussive effect.

  F Gm Am  D  Bb Cm Gm Ab Db  Db Gb  C Gm Bb  F
|-1--3--5--5---6--8--3--4--4---4--2--3--3--1--1-----------------------------|
|-1--3--5--7---6--8--3--4--6---6--2--5--3--3--1-----------------------------|
|-2--3--5--7---7--8--3--5--6---6--3--5--3--3--2-----------------------------|
|-3--5--7--7---8-10--5--6--6---6--4--5--5--3--3-----------------------------|
|-3--5--7--5---8-10--5--6--4---4--4--3--5--1--3-----------------------------|
|-1--3--5------6--8--3--4---------2-----3-----1-----------------------------|

F
Knuckle down, love his skin, it doesn't matter what colour skin he's locked
           Gm            Am                 D      F
in knuckle down, knuckle down and love that skin.  Knuckle down, love his
                                                    Gm           Am
race, it doesn't matter if you win or lose a little face knuckle down and
          D      Bb         Cm                      Gm
love that race.  One bright morning the world might end with a big bang and
Bb           Cm                   Ab     Db
you'll never get yourself another chance.
Bb            Cm                                  Gm
Put aside the hoodoo and some of the voodoo 'bout people being different.
Db               Gb                 Db                    Gb
Take them by the arm and run to the street, take a little drum to supply the
Db                   Gb                        C                  Gm
beat, soon the whole world  will be up on it's feet and dancing.  For my sake
          Bb                F            Gm                    Bb
won't you put your knuckles down, boys?  For my sake won't you put your
         F
knuckles down?
F
Knuckle down, love her skin, it doesn't matter what colour skin she's locked
           Gm            Am                 D      F
in knuckle down, knuckle down and love that skin.  Knuckle down, love her
                                                    Gm           Am
race, it doesn't matter if you win or lose a little face knuckle down and
          D      Bb         Cm                     Gm
love that race.  One bright morning you just might wake when the coin drops,
Bb                          Cm                   Ab    Db
even though, you think that love is such a corny thing.
Bb                Cm                                    Gm
You can burst the bubble full up with trouble says that people always got to
                             Db                Gb                   Db
be fighting (not right!) and take them  by the arm  and run to  the fields,
             Gb                 Db                     Gb
blow on your horn until jericho yields, soon the whole world will lay down
           C                    Gm                    Bb                F
swords and shield for singing.  For my sake won't you put your knuckles down,
       Gm                    Bb                D
boys?  For my sake won't you put your knuckles down?

                        pat flaherty