Ruins

Author: Leonard Latest revision: June 11, 2022
Author’s Notes: Crank up the volume of the record and you hear that it is actually Cat’s deep sigh that kicks off the song. In a way this song is Cat’s commentary on the Vietnam War at the time, but it also applies universally to human-caused misery. In an interview at the time he said, “It’s as close as I’ll ever get to Vietnam—I won’t even say the word. I had to imagine London and in my mind I saw Oxford Street and the whole of my childhood, ’cause I’m trying to imagine when everything I know has been torn down.” The fingerpicking pattern is uniquely his, with the thumb on the bass string and the index finger swinging like a pendulum on a string freeform-style, and getting ever more violent the harsher decay, destruction and ruin morbidly overwhelm the scene. In a more recent concert Cat’s introduction and performance of the song (“this song’s more of a downer”) remain very much the same.
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.

                 
                        "Ruins"
                    by Cat Stevens
            
                from the original album
               CATCH BULL AT FOUR (1972)
        
  
Standard tuning
(low to high) E-A-D-G-B-E

in 4/4 time


INTRO 
 
    D/F#               G6          G2   D/F#               G6          G2 
     / . / . / . / .   / . / . / . / .   / . / . / . / .   /.  / . / . / .
                                   u u                                 u u
E| |-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------| |
B| |-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------| | Play
G|.|-------2-------2-|-------0-----2-0-|-------2-------2-|-------0-----2-0-|.| three
D|.|---0-------0-----|---0-------0-0-0-|---0-------0-----|---0-------0-0-0-|.| times.
A| |-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------| |
E| |-2---2---2---2---|-3---3---3-------|-2---2---2---2---|-3---3---3-------| |


VERSE 1

D/F#                        G6   D/F#                           G6
     It's so quiet in the ruins        walking through the old town
D/F#                    G6                 D/F#                   G6
     Stones crumbling under my feet I see smoke for miles around
D/F#                    G6            D/F#                          G6
     Oh it's enough to make you weep,      all that remains of the main street
D/F#                     G6    D/F#                          G6
     Up in the park on Sunday        dogs chasing and the children played
F/C      F2/C           C   C2   F/C                     C       A          D/F#
     Old man with his head down,      can't see nothing more a-round... no
G6                           D/F#        G6
     But he remembers how it used to be,    back in the old days

 
CHORUS 1

D                               G           Gmaj7   Em  Em*
     So nice to see you coming back in this town a-gain
                             C          C2       G               A
It's nice to see a friendly face come peeping through having tea in the afternoon
D4                              G           Gmaj7   Em  Em*
     So nice to see you coming back in this town a-gain...
   C     C2      G        A                           
|  /  /  /  /  |  /  /  /  /  |  /  /  /  /  |      Note: The transitions to G and A major
                                                          are slightly off-beat here, namely
                                                          on the up-stroke.
VERSE 2

    D/F#            G6            
|:|  /  /  /  /  |  /  /  /  /  |:| Play three times.

D/F#                          G6  D/F#                      G6
     Ah but it's all changed,           winter turned on a man
D/F#                        G6                         D/F#           G6
     Came down one day when no one was looking and it stole away the land
D/F#                           G6          D/F#                       G6
     People running scared, losing hands,       dodging shadows of falling sand
D/F#                           G6                D/F#!        G6
     Buildings standing like empty shells and no-body helping no one else
F/C         F2/C            C    C2   F/C                         C     A         D/F# 
     Young child with his hands high       ain't able to see no reason why... no
G6                           D/F#        G6
     But he remembers how it used to be    

  
CHORUS 2

D                               G           Gmaj7   Em  Em*
     So nice to see you coming back in this town a-gain
                             C          C2       G                         A
It's nice to see a friendly face come peeping through, you'd better know what you're going through now


BREAK

A*                          B/A                  D                E/D                 A*
     You came back here to find your home is a black horizon that you don't recognize
                      B/A              D                            E/D                       A*
Evil destruction has taken everything     you'd better walk on the side while you're still walking
               B/A           D                           E/D                        A*      
Just keep on walking... on down the street, keep your distance from the people you meet
                    B/A                               D                       E/D
Oh Lord, and you'd better watch your eyes 'cause if smoke gets in them, baby, you won't rise again


CHORUS 3

D4                              G           Gmaj7   Em  Em*
     So nice to see you coming back in this town a-gain
   C     C2      G        A                           
|  /  /  /  /  |  /  /  /  /  |  /  /  /  /  |     Note: The transitions to G and A major
                                                         are slightly off-beat here, namely
                                                         on the up-stroke.
VERSE 3

    D/F#            G6          
|:|  /  /  /  /  |  /  /  /  /  |:| Play 4 times.

D/F#                    G6  D/F#                   G6
     Where's it leading to,       freedom at what cost?
D/F#                 G6                    D/F#             G6
     People needing more and more and it's all getting lost
D/F#         G6   D/F#          G6
     I want back,       I want back,      
D/F#                             G6                            D/F#                     G6
     Back to the times when the earth was green, and there was  no  high walls and the sea was clean
F/C        F2/C       C       C2   F/C             C       A          
     Don't stop that sun to shine,      it's not yours or mine... no
     
     
OUTRO

  D/F#            G6             D
|  /  /  /  /  |  /  /  /  /  |  /  /  /  /  ||



CHORDS  (in order of appearance)
======

     Note:      The fingerpicking pattern over D/F# and G major
 (fingerstyle)  is a mix of fingerpicking/strumming in the 
                typical Cat Stevens style. 

                It is achieved by having the thumb pick the 
                upper bass string and the index finger swinging 
                like a pendulum freeform-style a gentle up- and 
                downstroke strumming motion at the other strings
                outlined and often hitting two or more strings 
                (here often the D and G strings) at once in the 
                upswing motion.


 D/F#     G6      G2      F/C    F2/C      C      C2     Note:  C major (and C2) can also be 
2x0232  3x0030  3x0230  x33211  x33011  x32013  x30013          played with G in the bass, 
T--IRM  R---L-  R--IL-  -RLMII  -RLMII  -RM-IL  *R--IL          see alternate fingering here.
                                        332010  330010
                                        RLM-I-  RM--I-

   A       D       G     Gmaj7    Em      Em*
x02220  xx0232  3x0003  3x0002  022000  022003
--IMR-  ---IRM  R----L  R----L  -MR---  -MR--L

  D4      A*      B/A     E/D
xx0233  x07655  x09877  xx0454
---IRL  --RMII  --RMII  ---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, or hold chord
                    [ ] = natural harmonic (Harm.)
                      / = legato slide (gliss) up the fret
                      \ = legato slide (gliss) down the fret
                      ! = accentuate part with great intensity
                      d = downward stroke
                      u = upward stroke

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