Hard To Explain chords by The Strokes

"Hard To Explain"
                 (Julian Casablancas)
                   The Strokes
                  Is This It, 2001


Intro:

	[4 measure drum beat]

	main riff (guitar 1 (Albert, rt. channel); guitar 2 (Nick, lft.
	      channel) plays chords):

	G        Em        Am
	v  v  v  v  v  v  v  v  v  v  v  v  v  v  v  v
	----------------|----------------|----------------|----------------|
	8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-|7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-|8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-|8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-|
	----------------|----------------|----------------|----------------|
	----------------|----------------|----------------|----------------|
	----------------|----------------|----------------|----------------|
	----------------|----------------|----------------|----------------|

	C/G                D
	v  v  v  v  v  v  v  v  v  v  v  v  v  v  v  v
	----------------|----------------|----------------|----------------|
	----------------|----------------|3---1/--5-------|7-------5-------|
	5---7/--9-------|----------------|------------5---|----5-------5---|
	----------7~~---|--------5~~~----|----------------|----------------|
	----------------|----------------|----------------|----------------|
	----------------|----------------|----------------|----------------|

	                 C
	v  v  v  v  v  v  v  v  v  v  v  v  v  v  v  v
	----------------|----------------|----------------|----------------|
	3---1/--5-------|7-------5\------|----------------|----------------|
	------------5---|----------------|0-------2/------|4\----2---------|
	----------------|----------------|----------------|----------------|
	----------------|----------------|----------------|----------------|
	----------------|----------------|----------------|----------------|

	Am
	v  v  v  v  v  v  v  v
	----------------|----------------|
	----------------|----------------|
	0-------2/------|4\----2---------|
	----------------|----------------|
	----------------|----------------|
	----------------|----------------|

	link riff (bass):

	G (guitar 2: 355433 muted; guitar 1: x1111x not muted)
	                   0222
	G                  G/B
	v   v   v   v   v   v   v   v
	------------------------|------------------------|
	------------------------|------------9--9--9--9--|
	10-10-10-10-10-10-10-10-|10-10-10-10-------------|
	------------------------|------------------------|

	G                  G/A
	v   v   v   v   v   v   v   v
	------------------------|------------------------|
	------------------------|------------------------|
	10-10-10-10-10-10-10-10-|10-10-10-10-12-12-12-12-|
	------------------------|------------------------|

Verse 1:

	(w/ main riff:)

	G     Em   Am  C/G
	  Was... honest man
	D
	Asked me for...
	(D)
	Tried to...
	   C
	Oh, I don't see...
	Am
	I don't see...

	(w/ link riff:)

	G      G/B G      G/A
	/ / / / / / / / / / / / / / / /

Verse 2:

	(w/ main riff, hold final note and Am chord two extra bars:)

	We shared some...
	All obsessed...
	Says we're all...
	Oh, I don't see...
	I don't see it...

Pre-Chorus (guitar 1 plays G (x1111x) thru-out pre-chorus):
	             0222

	G       Em
	Raised... Carolina (2x only: she says)
	G/B      G/A
	   I'm... like...
	G      Em
	Trying... remind...
	G/B      G/A
	   When... go back

Chorus 1:

	chorus riff (4x, guitar 2, guitar 1 plays G (x1111x) thru-out chorus):
	                     0222

	v   v   v   v   v   v   v   v   v
	------|------------------------|------------------------|
	------|------------------------|------------------------|
	------|------------------------|------------------------|
	9--12-|---9--10----9-----9--12-|---9--10----9--------9--|
	------|------------------------|------------------10----|
	------|------------------------|------------------------|

	v   v   v   v   v   v   v   v
	------------------------|------------------------|
	------------------------|------------------------|
	------------------------|------------------------|
	---------------------9--|------------------------|
	---10-12----10----10----|---10-12----10----9--12-|
	------------------------|------------------------|
	     ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
	     full band tacet here on 4th repeat of 1st chorus
	                 ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
		 end cold here on 4th repeat of 2nd chorus

	  G
	I missed the last bus...
	  G/B          G/A
	I try, but you see...  hard to...
	  G
	I say the right things...
	  G/B           G/A
	I like it right...    I cannot...
	  G
	I watch the TV, forget...
	    G/B         G/A
	Well, I am too young... they are...
       G
	The joke is on you...
	    G/B     (full band tacet)
	You're right...  true

(Repeat intro)

Verse 3 (as per verse 2):

	Says he can't...
	Shake my head...
	Everything's just...
	Oh, I just can't...
	I just can't...

(Repeat pre-chorus)

Chorus 2:

	I say the right things...
	I like it right here...
	I watch the TV, forget...
	Well, I am too young...
	I'll make it, you see...
	Pretend to be nice so...
	I missed the last bus...
	  G/B          G/A [end cold]
	I try, but you see...  hard to explain


Questions? Comments? E-mail Alex @ springalo430@hotmail.com

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