| Author: | Leonard | Latest revision: | May 1, 2022 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Author’s Notes: | In his own words the song was meant to be Cat’s “folkie protest song”. Like so many of his other songs at Decca, it unfortunately met the regrettable fate of being overarranged under Cat’s then producer Mike Hurst. The original 1967 recording also did not include Cat playing his own guitar, as was the norm at his years at Decca. With its strong, evocative lyrics, however, this song quickly became Cat’s favorite so much so that he re-imagined it for his 2017 album, The Laughing Apple, as part of a detour to Decca no less, and with a completely new sound. We completely retranscribed the song as per the new version. | ||
| Each guitar tab is the author’s own work and represents his or her own interpretation of the song. Visitors may use the guitar tabs offered here only for private study, scholarship, or research. |
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"Blackness of the Night"
by Cat Stevens / Yusuf Islam
from the original albums
NEW MASTERS (1967)
and
THE LAUGHING APPLE (2017)
The version transcribed here follows more
closely the 2017 version of the song.
Standard tuning
(low to high) E-A-D-G-B-E
in 4/4 time
INTRO
C
/ . / . / . / . / . / . / . / .
u u u u u u u u
E|-----------------|-----------------|
B|---1---1---1---1-|---1---1---1---1-| Note: When playing fingerstyle like Cat
G|---0---0---0---0-|---0---0---0---0-| with the thumb and index only, the
D|-----------------|-----------------| upstroke with the index hits both
A|-3---3---3---3---|-3---3---3---3---| treble strings at the same time.
E|-----------------|-----------------|
VERSE 1
C F/C G C
In the blackness of the night I seem to wander endless-ly
(C) F/C G4 G
With a hope burning out deep in-side
F/C G C C/B Am
I'm a fugitive, com-munity has driven me out
F F/D F/C G/B C C/B Am!
For this bad, bad world I'm be-ginning to doubt
C F/C G4 G
I'm a-lone and there is no-one by my side
VERSE 2
C F/C G C
In the blackness of the night I see a shadow passing by
(C) F/C G4 G
From the heels of an old soldier boy
F/C G C C/B Am
There's no compromising and his eyes are black as the sky
F F/D F/C G/B C C/B Am!
For this bad, bad world he is going to die
C F/C G4 G
He's a-lone and there is no-one by his side
VERSE 3
C F/C G C
In the blackness of the night I see a sparkle of a star
(C) F/C G4 G
From the sweet silver tear of a child
F/C G C C/B Am
And she's clutching at a photograph of long, long a-go
F F/D F/C G/B C C/B Am!
When her pa-rents were happy, she was too young to know
C F/C G4 G
She's a-lone and there is no-one by her side
INTERLUDE
C F/C G C F/C G4 G
/ . / . / . / . / . / . / . / . / . / . / . / . / . / . / . / .
u u u u u u u u u u u u u u u u
E|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|
B|---1---1---1---1-|---0---0---1---1-|---1---1---1---1-|---1---1---0---0-|
G|---0---0---2---2-|---0---0---0---0-|---0---0---2---2-|---0---0---0---0-|
D|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|
A|-3---3---3---3---|---------3---3---|-3---3---3---3---|-----------------|
E|-----------------|-3---3-----------|-----------------|-3---3---3---3---|
F/C G C /B Am F /D /C G/B C /B Am !
/ . / . / . / . / . / . / . / . / . / . / . / . / . / . / . / .
u u u u u u u u u u u d u d
E|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|-------------0-0-0---|
B|---1---1---0---0-|---1-------1---1-|---1-------0---0-|---1---------1-1-1---|
G|---2---2---0---0-|---0-------2---2-|---2-------0---0-|---0---------2-2-2---|
D|-----------------|-----------------|-3---0-----------|-------------2---2---|
A|-3---3-----------|-3---3-2-0---0---|-------3-2---2---|-3---3-2-0---0---0---|
E|---------3---3---|-----------------|-----------------|---------------------|
C F/C G4 G
E|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|
B|---1---1---1---1-|---1---1---1---1-|---0---0---0---0-|
G|---0---0---2---2-|---0---0---0---0-|---0---0---0---0-|
D|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|
A|-3---3---3---3---|-----------------|-----------------|
E|-----------------|-3---3---3---3---|-3---3---3---3---|
REPEAT VERSE 1.
OUTRO
C Ab/Eb F/C Am D
| / / / / | / / / / | / / / / ||
CHORDS (in order of appearance)
======
C F/C G G4 C/B Am
x32013 x33211 3x0003 3x0013 x20013 x02210
-RM-IL -RLMII R----L R---IL -M--IL --MRI-
F F/D G/B Ab/Eb D
x33211 xx0211 x20003 x66544 xx0232
-RLMII ---MII -M---L -RLMII ---IRM
Chord fingering: T = thumb
I = index finger
M = middle finger
R = ring finger
L = little finger
Tablature notation: h = hammer-on
p = pull-off
~ = vibrato
[ ] = natural harmonic (Harm.)
/ = legato slide (gliss) up the fret
\ = legato slide (gliss) down the fret
! = accentuate chord with great intensity
d = downward stroke
u = upward stroke
Playing Cat Stevens 