The Wind

Author: Leonard Latest revision: October 15, 2022
Notes: Cat quickly found out when playing ever bigger concerts that this song had the power to calm down large audiences, so he frequently used it as a set opener such as on the 1976 Majikat Earth tour. The song was recorded in the studio in a single afternoon, with just two guitars and voice. Alun provides the intro on his Epiphone guitar with a capo on the 7th fret, playing high up the neck. Then Cat’s unique fingerpicking sets in, solely using his thumb and index finger. The little wind chimes you can hear on the record are just two coins knocked together. “If you balance a large coin on the tip of each middle finger,” Paul Samwell-Smith notes, “and you then touch them together, they’ll ring. It was very quick – we didn’t even bother to book percussion, we just got some coins out of our pockets.”
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.
                 
                         "The Wind"
                       by Cat Stevens
                        
                 from the original album
                TEASER & THE FIRECAT (1970)

 
Standard tuning
(bass to treble) E-A-D-G-B-E

in 4/4 time


INTRO

    D5
E|--------5-----------5-----|--------5-----------5-----|
B|-----3-----3-----3-----3--|-----3-----3-----3-----3--|
G|--------------------------|--------------------------|
D|--0-----------0-----------|--0-----------0-----------|
A|--------------------------|--------------------------|
E|--------------------------|--------------------------|
                    
      D           D4 D  D2       G6          A4    A A4
E| |--------2-----3--2--0-----|--0--------0--------------| |
B| |-----------3-----------2--|-----0--3-----3-----2--3--| |
G|.|-----2-----------------3--|-----------------2--------|.| Play
D|.|--0-----0-----0--0--0-----|--------------------------|.| twice.
A| |--------------------------|--------------0-----0-----| |
E| |--------------------------|--3-----3-----------------| |


VERSE 1

    D           D4 D  D2       G6          A4    A A4
E|--------2-----3--2--0-----|--0--------0--------------|
B|-----------3-----------2--|-----0--3-----3-----2--3--|
G|-----2-----------------3--|-----------------2--------|
D|--0-----0-----0--0--0-----|--------------------------|
A|--------------------------|--------------0-----0-----|
E|--------------------------|--3-----3-----------------|
          I   lis-ten to the  wind, to the wind of my 

    D           D4 D  D2       G6          A4    A A4
E|--------2-----3--2--0-----|--0--------0--------------|
B|-----------3-----------2--|-----0--3-----3-----2--3--|
G|-----2-----------------3--|-----------------2--------|
D|--0-----0-----0--0--0-----|--------------------------|
A|--------------------------|--------------0-----0-----|
E|--------------------------|--3-----3-----------------|
    soul.

    D           D4 D  D2       G6          A4    A A4
E|--------2-----3--2--0-----|--0--------0--------------|
B|-----------3-----------2--|-----0--3-----3-----2--3--|
G|-----2-----------------3--|-----------------2--------|
D|--0-----0-----0--0--0-----|--------------------------|
A|--------------------------|--------------0-----0-----|
E|--------------------------|--3-----3-----------------|
    Where I'll end up, well, I think only God   real-ly

    D           D4 D  D2       G6          A4    A A2
E|--------2-----3--2--0-----|--0--------0--------------|
B|-----------3-----------2--|-----0--3-----3-----2--0--|
G|-----2-----------------3--|-----------------2--------|
D|--0-----0-----0--0--0-----|--------------------------|
A|--------------------------|--------------0-----0-----|
E|--------------------------|--3-----3-----------------|
    knows.

    G           A7sus4         G     A7sus2 D
          d  u        d  u        u     u         d  u
E|--------3--3--------3--3--|-----------3---------2--0--|
B|--------0--0--------3--3--|-----0-----0---------3--0--|
G|-----0--0--0-----2--2--2--|-----0-----2------2--2--0--|
D|--------0-----------2-----|---------------0-----0-----|
A|--------------0-----0-----|--------0------------------|
E|--3-----------------------|--3------------------------|
             I've set upon the set-  ting   sun.

    Em          G              Em          G     A4    A A2
          d  u        d  u           d  u     u
E|--------0--0--------3--3--|--------0--0--------------------|
B|--------0--0--------0--0--|--------0--0-----0--3-----2--0--|
G|--------0--0--------0--0--|--------0--0-----0-----2--------|
D|----(2)-2-------(0)-0-----|----(2)-2-----------------------|
A|--------------------------|--------------------0-----0--0--|
E|--0-----------3-----------|--0-----------3-----------------|
          But never, ne-       ver,  ne-   ver,  ne-   ver,

    G            A7sus4        G     A7sus2 D        Dsus2
          d  u        d  u        u     u         
E|--------3--3--------3--3--|-----------3---------2--0--|
B|--------0--0--------3--3--|-----0-----0---------------|
G|-----0--0--0-----2--2--2--|-----0-----2------2--------|
D|--------0-----------2-----|---------------0-----0--0--|
A|--------------0-----0-----|--------0------------------|
E|--3-----------------------|--3------------------------|
            I  ne-ver want-ed  wa-  ter    once.

    Em          G    Em       A      G
          d  u    u     u     d  u      u
E|--------0--0-------------|---------------|
B|--------0--0----0-----0--|---------------|
G|--------0--0----0-----0--|-----2------0--|
D|----(2)-2-------------2--|---------------|
A|-------------------------|--0------------|
E|--0-----------3----0-----|---------3-----|
           No, ne-ver, ne-      ver, ne-
          
    D           D4 D  D2       G6          A4    
E|--------2-----3--2--0-----|--0--------0-----------------|
B|-----------3-----------2--|-----0--3-----3-----2h3p2h3--|
G|-----2-----------------3--|-----------------2-----------|
D|--0-----0-----0--0--0-----|-----------------------------|
A|--------------------------|--------------0-----0--------|
E|--------------------------|--3-----3--------------------| 
    ver.

    D           D4 D  D2       G6          A4    A A4
E|--------2-----3--2--0-----|--0--------0--------------|
B|-----------3-----------2--|-----0--3-----3-----2--3--|
G|-----2-----------------3--|-----------------2--------|
D|--0-----0-----0--0--0-----|--------------------------|
A|--------------------------|--------------0-----0-----|
E|--------------------------|--3-----3-----------------|


VERSE 2 (finger-picking pattern as VERSE 1 except where otherwise noted)

D      D4   D  D2     G6             A4   A  A4  D-RIFF
     I lis-ten to my words but they fall far be-low.
D      D4   D  D2    G6               A4     A   A4  D-RIFF
     I let my music take me where my heart wants to go.
G      A7sus4         G A7sus2  D
     I swam upon the de-vil's  lake.
Em       G           Em      G   A4  A  Asus2
     But ne-ver, ne-ver, ne-ver, ne-ver,
G         A7sus4          G   A7sus2
     I'll never make the same mis-

    D
E|--2-p0-h2--|
B|-----------|
G|--2-p0-h2--|
D|-----------|
A|-----------|
E|-----------|
    take.______

Em        G      Em  A    G   D-RIFF
     No, ne-ver, ne-ver, ne- ver.

    D     D5
E|--------5--|
B|-----3-----|
G|-----------|
D|--0--------|
A|-----------|
E|-----------|


CHORDS
======

ALUN DAVIES'S ORIGINAL INTRO (2nd GUITAR) 
- CAPO AT 7TH FRET -

    G5
E|--------------------------|--------------------------|
B|--------3-----------3-----|--------3-----------3-----|
G|-----0-----0-----0-----0--|-----0-----0-----0-----0--|
D|--5-----------5-----------|--5-----------5-----------|
A|--------------------------|--------------------------|
E|--------------------------|--------------------------|

     Note:    Cat Stevens uses solely the thumb plus index finger
              for fingerpicking this song.

  D       D4      D2      D5
xx0232  xx0233  xx0230  xx0235
---IRM  ---IRL  ---IR-  ---IRL

  G       G6      Em   
320003  320000  022000 
RM---L  RM----  -MR--- 

  A       A4      A2    A7sus4  A7sus2
x0222x  x0223x  xxxx0x  x02233  x02203
--III-  --IIR-  ------  --IMRL  --IM-L
                                x02000
                                --I---

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 part with great intensity
                      d = downward stroke
                      u = upward stroke

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