Stories I Tell Chords

KeyC#m CapoNone TuningStandard Difficulty Plays422

Stories I Tell by Toad the Wet Sprocket is a more advanced guitar song played in the key of C#m. It uses the chords C#m, A, Asus2, B, D, G, F#m and G#m. Use the transpose and diagram tools on this page to change the key, see each shape, or simplify the chords.

Transpose
C#m
Text
16
Speed
  			Stories I Tell 
	(words and music by Glen Phillips, Todd Nichols, and Toad) 
 
 
The basic structure for the verse is: 
 
   C#m     A       C#m     A       C#m     A        C#m       Asus2 
 
E ---------------|---------------|----------------|-----------7---|| 
B ---4h5p4-------|---4h5p4----5--|---4h5p4--------|---4h5p4---5---|| 
G ------------6--|---------------|-------------6--|-----------6---|| 
D ---------------|---------------|-----------7----|-----------7---|| 
A -4-------------|-4-------------|-4--------------|-4-------------|| 
E ---------5-----|---------5-----|---------5------|---------------|| 
 
 
I suggest that you fret the fourth fret with your pointer finger and let all 
the other fingers do the stretching.  Also, make sure that you sustain that  
A note on the low E string and play the rest with the other fingers.  For 
example, when you play measure three, you should be barreing the fourth fret 
with your pointer, hammer on and pull off that fifth fret on the B string  
with your middle finger; then hit the fifth fret of the low E string (the A 
note) with your middle finger; next hit the seventh fret of the D string with 
your pinky and finally hit the sixth fret on the G string with your ring 
finger.  I know it requires a lot of painful stretching, but you should get 
used to it.  Anyway, here are the lyrics with everything else: 
 
 
C#m           A         C#m        A     C#m    A    C#m    Asus2 
Don~t give me answers or I would refuse 
C#m      A             C#m        A     C#m    A    C#m    Asus2 
Yes is a word for which I have no use 
C#m          A           C#m       A     C#m    A    C#m    Asus2 
And I wasn~t looking for heaven or hell 
     F#m        C#m       G#m     A  
Just someone to listen to stories I tell 
 
C#m    A    C#m    A    C#m    A    C#m    Asus2 
 
C#m       A          C#m       A 
What is a blessing?  What is a dream? 
C#m            A             C#m            Asus2 
Caught between portraits and none~s what it seems 
    C#m       A            C#m            A 
And why is it some would expect there~s a change 
       C#m        A           C#m           Asus2    F#m  
When I feel I~m a part of something I can~t see 
      C#m  G#m   A  
And I feel the same 
 
C#m    A    C#m    A    C#m    A    C#m    Asus2 
 
C#m          A           C#m       A     C#m    A    C#m    Asus2 
Don~t ask me questions or I will retreat 
C#m       A          C#m  A        C#m    A    C#m    Asus2 
Fame is a cancer and ego its seed 
   C#m       A           C#m      A      C#m    A    C#m    Asus2 
Now I wasn~t looking for heaven or hell 
     F#m        C#m       G#m      A  
Just someone to listen to stories I tell 
 
 
Instrumental:  C#m    A    C#m    A    C#m    A    C#m    A 
               C#m    A    C#m    A    C#m    A    C#m    A 
 
B              A 
Do you ever wonder? 
F#m          G#m               B 
Did you ever care to stories I tell 
        A       C#m 
Stories I tell 
C#m   A   C#m A  C#m    A    C#m    Asus2  STOP 
Sto......ries  I...  tell..... 
 
 
a bass interlude comes in which plays the standard C#m to A chord change,  
for those interested, the bass is simply played: 
 
   C#m   A                          C#m   A 
 
G -------------|------------------|-------------|| 
D -------------|------------------|-------------|| 
A -4-4-4-----2-|-(repeat 7 times)-|-4-2---------|| 
E -------5-5---|------------------|-----4-5-5-7-|| 
 
 
C#m       A         C#m       A 
Subtle salvation in poems and pros 
C#m        A          C#m       A 
Hiding our heads in a shadow of home 
C#m       A          C#m             A 
I wasn~t looking for wreaths or for bells 
     C#m        A         C#m       A 
Just someone to listen to stories I tell 
     C#m  A     C#m   A... 
Stories I tell 
 
 
Basically, the song plays the C#m to A chord progression until it ends. 
The chords with the asteriks are played like this: 
 
   F#m    C#m   G#m    A  
 
E --9--||-4--||-11--||-12--|| 
B -10--||-5--||-12--||-14--|| 
G -11--||-6--||-13--||-14--|| 
D -----||----||-----||-----|| 
A -----||----||-----||-----|| 
E -----||----||-----||-----|| 
 
 
And that is basically all you need to know for the song.  Bye-bye... 
 

    	

Chord diagrams

Guitar tuner

--
Start the tuner and play a string

Reference tones

Standard tuning, lowest to highest. Click a string to play it; the string the mic hears is highlighted.

Click Start tuner and allow microphone access. The needle centers and turns green when a string is in tune (within 5 cents).
No microphone? You can still tap any string above to hear its exact reference pitch.

Metronome

100 BPM Andante