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Editorβs notes
In this lesson, Iβll teach you how to pick up your guitar and play βDead Flowersβ in the style of Townes Van Zandt β who plays the version you hear in the final scene of The Big Lebowski. This is originally a Rolling Stones song, but I fell in love with Van Zandtβs version and wanted to share how I play it. I cannot quite fingerpick the way way Van Zandt does, so I show a bit of a strummier version β though I do borrow some of his fun acoustic fills. Check it out and enjoy!
Video timestamps:
- 0:00 Playthrough preview
- 1:40 Lesson overview
- 2:43 Chords needed
- 3:58 Strumming pattern
- 4:31 Verse tutorial
- 5:15 Chorus tutorial
- 6:32 Intro & verse riff
- 10:46 Misc C-chord fills
- 13:18 Farewell
Lyrics with chords
INTRO (fill in strumming as you please)
E |βββ3βββ0β3β0ββ|βββββββββ0ββββ|βββββββββββββ|ββββββββββββ|β
B |βββ1ββββββββββ|ββ3ββββββββ3ββ|ββ1ββββββ1βββ|ββ1βββββββββ|β
G |βββ0ββββββββββ|ββ0βββββββββββ|ββ2ββ0h2βββββ|ββ0βββββββββ|β
D |βββ2ββββββββββ|ββ0βββββββββββ|ββ3ββββββββββ|ββ2βββββββββ|β ...repeat as
A |βββ3ββββββββββ|ββ2βββββββββββ|βββββββββββββ|ββ3βββββββββ|β desired
E |ββββββββββββββ|ββ3βββββββββββ|βββββββββββββ|ββββββββββββ|β
C G F C
VERSE
C G F C
Well now, when you're sitting there in your silk upholster chair
C G F C
Talking to some rich folks that you know
C G F C
And I hope you won't see me in my ragged company
C G F C
Oh, that you know I could never be alone
CHORUS
G C
Take me down little Susie, take me down
G C
I know you think you're the queen of the underground
F C
...Send me dead flowers every morning
F C
...Send me dead flowers by the mail
F C
...Send me dead flowers to my wedding
C G F C
And I won't forget to put roses on your grave
VERSE
C G F C
Well, when you're sitting back in your rose pink Cadillac
C G F C
Making bets on Kentucky Derby Day
C G F C
Ah, I'll be in my basement room with a needle and a spoon
C G F C
And another girl to take my pain away
CHORUS
G C
Take me down little Susie, take me down
G C
I know you think you're the queen of the underground
F C
And you can... send me dead flowers every morning
F C
...Send me dead flowers by the mail
F C
...Send me dead flowers to my wedding
C G F C
And I won't forget to put roses on your grave
[ instrumental verse ]
[ repeat chorus ]
Editorβs notes
This is originally a Rolling Stones song, but my heart belongs to the Townes Van Zandt cover of it heard in the final scene of The Big Lebowski. At the time I learned this song, the Townes Van Zandt version could only be found on YouTube β it isnβt on any of the streaming music services. I implore you to listen to his version to hear the source material Iβm trying to emulate.
Note, I cannot play the guitar in the style that Townes Van Zandt can. Heβs doing some very intricate Travis-style fingerpicking. Iβm doing a bit of a hybrid between strumming and some accented melodic picking (with my pick). So, all my tabs below are based on my attempt to play like him β though again, itβs in that very different style. I wanted to note all of this before getting to the lesson.
Chords needed
Youβll only need C, F, and G for this song. Here are the standard ways to play these chords:
E |βββ0βββ1βββ3ββββ
B |βββ1βββ1βββ0ββββ
G |βββ0βββ2βββ0ββββ
D |βββ2βββ3βββ0ββββ
A |βββ3βββ3βββ2ββββ
E |βββββββ1βββ3ββββ
C F G
For the F, you have a few additional options to simplify the chord. Do what works for you. I honestly play the Fmaj7 (xx321x) most of the time. This lets you do the main riff hammer-on a bit easier β more on that later. Play what you like.
E |βββ1βββββββββββ0βββββ
B |βββ1βββββ1βββββ1βββββ
G |βββ2βββββ2βββββ2βββββ
D |βββ3βββββ3βββββ3βββββ
A |βββββββββ3βββββββββββ
E |βββββββββββββββββββββ
F F Fmaj7
For the G, youβll want to be familiar with this position, where the high E string is left open while the B string has a finger pressing the third fret down. Again, more on this later β but in summary, itβll help you with the main riff.
E |βββ0βββ
B |βββ3βββ
G |βββ0βββ
D |βββ0βββ
A |βββ2βββ
E |βββ3βββ
G
Chord progressions
Verse:
"When you're sitting there..."
C . . . G . . . F . . . C . . . x4
Chorus:
"Take me down little Susie..."
G . . . G . . . C . . . C . . . x2
"Send me dead flowers..."
F . . . F . . . C . . . C . . . x3
"And I wont forget to put flowers..."
C . . . G . . . F . . . C . . . x1
Main riff
Hereβs the very distinctive riff youβll hear in the intro of this song. This shows the chords youβll need to play, in addition to the key melody notes youβll want to integrate into your strumming / plucking / picking. Note, I didnβt learn this as a proper Travis-picking style song (which is how Townes plays it), so had to make do with this simplified arrangement. See my video lesson for reference!
E |βββ3βββ0β3β0ββ|βββββββββ0ββββ|βββββββββββββ|ββββββββββββββ||
B |βββ1ββββββββββ|ββ3ββββββββ3ββ|ββ1ββββββ1βββ|ββ1βββββββββββ||
G |βββ0ββββββββββ|ββ0βββββββββββ|ββ2ββ0h2βββββ|ββ0βββββββββββ||
D |βββ2ββββββββββ|ββ0βββββββββββ|ββ3ββββββββββ|ββ2βββββββββββ||
A |βββ3ββββββββββ|ββ2βββββββββββ|βββββββββββββ|ββ3βββββββββββ||
E |ββββββββββββββ|ββ3βββββββββββ|βββββββββββββ|ββββββββββββββ||
C G F C
Other riffs
There are many of these little flourish riffs heard in the Townes Van Zandt recording of this song β far too many for me to include here. Many of them are clearly improvised and not planned. Below, there are three of the more distinct riffs that Iβve cherry picked and used when I play the song. These can be heard in my video lesson. All of these riffs are played during the chorus, when youβre on C for two full measures and have some time to kill before going back to F (just before each βSend me dead flowersβ¦β lyric).
Transition riff #1
First, you have this one, which is quite circular in sound:
E |βββββββββ0βββββββββββ0βββββββββββ0βββββββββ1βββ
B |βββ1ββ3βββββ3ββ1ββ3βββββ3ββ1ββ3βββββ3ββ1βββ1βββ
G |βββ0βββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββ2βββ
D |βββ2βββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββ3βββ
A |βββ3βββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββ3βββ
E |βββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββ1βββ
C F
Transition riff #2
Second, you have this one which is basically a quick jump to a F/C, before going back to the C (and then resolving to a full proper F):
E |βββ0βββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββ1βββ
B |βββ1ββββββββ1βββ1βββ1ββββββββββββββββββ1βββ1βββ
G |βββ0ββββββββ0βββ2βββ0ββββββββββββββββββ0βββ2βββ
D |βββ2ββββββββ2βββ3βββ2ββββββββββββββββββ2βββ3βββ
A |βββ3ββββββββ3βββ3βββ3ββββββββββββββββββ3βββ3βββ
E |βββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββ1βββ
C F
Transition riff #3
Third, you have this one, which has a nice walk-down descending sound:
E |βββ0βββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββ1βββ
B |βββ1βββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββ1βββ
G |βββ0βββββββββββββ2ββ0ββββββββββββββββββββββ2βββ
D |βββ2βββββββββββββββββββ2ββ0ββββββββββββββββ3βββ
A |βββ3βββββββββββββββββββββββββ3ββ0βββββ0ββββ3βββ
E |βββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββ3βββββββ1βββ
C F
Good luck!
I hope this lesson helped. I had a lot of fun learning this song, and hope you do too.
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