Yo La Tengo - By The Time It Gets Dark

yo la tengo
“by the time it gets dark”
i can hear the heart beating as one [ deluxe edition ] ( 1997 ) & prisoners of love : A
of senescent songs ( 2005 )
tabbed by : manguero

one of my favorite songs ever!

this is a cover of a wonderful song by sandy denny ( of fairport convention ) . however ,
deserves to be tabbed in its own right , because yo la tengo

doesn’t play it as a straight cover; the chords in their version have a more droning
whereas sandy’s change around a lot . listen to the two

recordings to hear what i mean .

for the verses , you’ll keep your fingers in the same position , except that your middle
will walk up a bass line ( E – F# – A ) . you can even do the

quick step up to B when switch back to Eadd9 if you want . listen to the recording to
how it goes . as for the chorus , i’m not sure if it’s exactly

right ( sounds a little weird played along with the recording ) , but i think it sounds
good .

just to be clear , here’s how i play these chords :
Eadd9 : 022102
Eadd9/F# : 2×2102
Eadd9/A : x02102

intro :
Eadd9 Eadd9/F# EaddD9/A Eadd9

Eadd9 Eadd9/F# Eadd9/A Eadd9
baby , every cloud has a silver lining
Eadd9/F# Eadd9/A Eadd9
baby every dog really has his day
Eadd9/F# Eadd9/A Eadd9
and it matters to me to see you smiling
Eadd9/F# Eadd9/A Eadd9
why don’t we blow all your cares away?

Eadd9/F# Eadd9/A Eadd9
yesterday is gone and will be forgotten
Eadd9/F# Eadd9/A Eadd9
and today is where every new day starts
Eadd9/F# Eadd9/A Eadd9
got to be free like the leaves in autumn
Eadd9/F# Eadd9/A Eadd9
you may be sad but it never lasts .

Eadd9

chorus :
C#m B A E
and maybe , by the evening we’ll be laughing
C#m
just wait and see
B
all the changes there’ll be
A E Eadd9
by the time it gets dark .

Eadd9 Eadd9/F# Eadd9/A Eadd9
we could go walking out in the sunshine
Eadd9/F# Eadd9/A Eadd9
look at all the people out in the street
Eadd9/F# Eadd9/A Eadd9
hurrying away to A business luncheon
Eadd9/F# Eadd9/A Eadd9
waiting for a taxi for aching feet .

Eadd9/F# Eadd9/A Eadd9
light up your face , baby , let’s get going
Eadd9/F# Eadd9/A Eadd9
want to see a change in those weary eyes
Eadd9/F# Eadd9/A Eadd9
we’ll have some fun , take a boat out rowing
Eadd9/F# Eadd9/A Eadd9
why on earth should life be so serious?

Eadd9

[ chorus ] x2

Eadd9/F# Eadd9/A Eadd9
by the time it gets dark .
Eadd9/F# Eadd9/A Eadd9
by the time it gets dark .
Eadd9/F# Eadd9/A Eadd9
by the time it gets dark .