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Mudfootball

Jack Johnson

from the album Brushfire Fairytales released in 2001

jump to: lyrics / notes & tabs / chord progressions / song info

Lyrics

Intro

    G ... D7 ... (x2)


Verse

    G 
    Saturday morning and it's time to go
    One of these could be the day but who coulda known
    D7 
    Loadin' in the back of a pick-up truck
    Ridin' with the boys and pushin' the luck

    Singin' songs loud on the way to the game
    Wishin' everything could still be the same
    China's homeruns over the backstop
    Ke-kua on the barb and soda-pop, well


Chorus

        Em         Am 
        We used to laugh a lot
            C
        But only because we thought
             G               D7             G     D7 
        That everything good always would remain
        G                             D7            G      D7 
        Nothing gonna change, there's no need to complain

    (intro chords)

    Sunday morning and it's time to go
    Been raining all night so everybody knows
    Over to the field for tackle football
    Big hits, big hats, yeah give me the ball

    Rain is pourin', touchdown scorin'
    Keep on rollin', never borin'
    Karma, karma, karma chameleon
    We're talking kinda funny from helium, well

        We used to laugh a lot
        But only because we thought
        That everything good always would remain
        Nothing gonna change, there's no need to complain

          (breakdown riff, see below for tab)

    Monday morning and it's time to go
    Wet trunks and schoolbooks and sand on my toes
    Do anything you can to dodge the bus stop blues
    They're drivin' a padiddle with a burnt out fuse

    Well, my best friend Kenny wants to go with you
    So meet him by the sugar mill after school
    My best friend Kenny wants to go with you
    So meet him by the sugar mill after school, well

        We used to laugh a lot
        But only because we thought
        That everything good always would remain

        Em         Am 
        We used to laugh a lot
            C
        But only because we thought
             A 
        That everything good always would 
        C                              G     D7    G    D7  
        Everything good always would remain... hmmmm
    
    (intro chords to end)

Notes & Tabs

Chords Used

This song uses the following chords. Most notably, pay attention to the way the G and D7 are played -- this is very handy (nigh, essential!) for playing the intro riff exactly like the album. With this said, I've included a few variations of each chord (some open, and others barred). Put these together as you see fit. Jack Johnson tends to bar everything he plays, if you're interested in sounding like him.

How Jack plays the chords (barred)
e-|---------------------5--------------
B-|----3----3-----8-----5--------------
G-|----4----5-----9-----5-----9----6---
D-|----5----4-----9-----7----10----7---
A-|----5----5-----7-----7----10----7---
E-|---------------------5-----8----5---
       G    D7    Em    Am    C    A
Easy way to play the chords (open)
e-|----3----2-----0-----0-----0----0---
B-|----0----1-----0-----1-----1----2---
G-|----0----2-----0-----2-----0----2---
D-|----0----0-----2-----2-----2----2---
A-|----2----------2-----0-----3----0---
E-|----3----------0--------------------
       G    D7    Em    Am    C    A

Intro Strumming Riff

The G and D7 played in the intro are played as follows. Note the strumming pattern -- every third strum you'll play the chord, with the two strums in between being muted. The result is you'll be alternating between up- and down-strums when playing the actual chords.

e-|-----------------------------------|-----------------------------------|-
B-|--3-x-x-3-x-x-3-x-x-3-x-x-3-x-x-x--|--3-x-x-3-x-x-3-x-x-3-x-x-3-x-x-x--|-
G-|--4-x-x-4-x-x-4-x-x-4-x-x-4-x-x-x--|--4-x-x-4-x-x-4-x-x-4-x-x-4-x-x-x--|-
D-|--5-x-x-5-x-x-5-x-x-5-x-x-5-x-x-x--|--5-x-x-5-x-x-5-x-x-5-x-x-5-x-x-x--|-
A-|--5-x-x-5-x-x-5-x-x-5-x-x-5-x-x-x--|--5-x-x-5-x-x-5-x-x-5-x-x-5-x-x-x--|-
E-|-----------------------------------|-----------------------------------|-
     v ^ v ^ v ^ v ^ v ^ v ^ v ^ v ^     v ^ v ^ v ^ v ^ v ^ v ^ v ^ v ^
     G                                   G 

 -|-----------------------------------|-----------------------------------|-
 -|--3-x-x-3-x-x-3-x-x-3-x-x-3-x-x-x--|--3-x-x-3-x-x-3-x-x-3-x-x-3-x-x-x--|-
 -|--5-x-x-5-x-x-5-x-x-5-x-x-5-x-x-x--|--5-x-x-5-x-x-5-x-x-5-x-x-5-x-x-x--|-
 -|--4-x-x-4-x-x-4-x-x-4-x-x-4-x-x-x--|--4-x-x-4-x-x-4-x-x-4-x-x-4-x-x-x--|-
 -|--5-x-x-5-x-x-5-x-x-5-x-x-5-x-x-x--|--5-x-x-5-x-x-5-x-x-5-x-x-5-x-x-x--|-
 -|-----------------------------------|-----------------------------------|-
     v ^ v ^ v ^ v ^ v ^ v ^ v ^ v ^     v ^ v ^ v ^ v ^ v ^ v ^ v ^ v ^
     D7                                  D7

Breakdown Riff

Before the final verse, there is a breakdown riff that is played as follows. Listen along for the exact strumming pattern -- it is somewhat similar (but not identical) to the intro riff. As with the intro, you'll want to mute the other strings as best you can so you can strum rather furiously for added rhythmic effect.

e-|-------------------------|--------------------------|-----------
B-|-------------------------|--------------------------|-----------
G-|--10---9---7---10--9--7--|--10---9---7----10--9--7--|--7/---7/--
D-|---x---x---x----x--x--x--|---x---x---x-----x--x--x--|--x----x---  x2
A-|---8---7---5----8--7--5--|---8---7---5-----8--7--5--|--5/---5/--
E-|-------------------------|--------------------------|-----------

Chord Progressions

Intro

| G . . . | . . . . | D7 . . . | . . . . | (x2)

Verse

"Monday morning, and it's time to go..."
| G . . . | . . . . | D7 . . . | . . . . | (repeat)

Chorus

"We used to laugh a lot..."
| Em . . . | Am . . . | C . . . | .  . . . |
| G  . . . | D7 . . . | G . . . | D7 . . . |
| G  . . . | D7 . . . | G . . . | D7 . . . |

Song Info

Song: Mudfootball
Artist: Jack Johnson
Album: Brushfire Fairytales
Year: 2001
Label: Everloving

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About

My name is David Potsiadlo, and I created Songnotes to share my collection of guitar tabs, chords, and lyrics for my favorite songs.

Since I started playing guitar over 10 years ago, I've often been frustrated by the preponderance of mediocre and incomplete song tabs littered across the internet. To combat this, I started keeping my own collection of notes for each song I learn -- always taking the extra time to make sure accuracy and completeness are never compromised. Years later, my collection grew to the point where I knew I had to share it online with fellow aspiring musicians.

In December 2012, I began designing & developing a website that became Songnotes. Here, I share my personal collection of hand-crafted music notation with all those online. I hope you enjoy.

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