One Brown Mouse

Tabbed by: MrMelody
Tuning: DADGAD, capo 1st fret
Note: This it the new version that Ian Anderson recorded for Jethro Tull's
"The Best Of Acoustic" album in 2007. Compared to the original version from
"Heavy Horses" (1978), it's half a step lower (probably for vocal reasons).
Although the song is allegedly played in Open E tuning (song announcement on
"Bursting Out", 1978) I chose the DADGAD tuning since I think it's easier to
play.
Use a pick and listen to the song to get the strumming pattern. The single notes
in the tab merge with the surrounding chords most of the time, just practice to
figure it out.
I'm still not sure about the G based chord in the Verse section, if anyone knows
the correct chord, please leave a comment or email me!

1. Spoken introduction
(Excerpt from "To a mouse" by Robert Burns (1759-1796))
"Wee, sleekit, cowrin, tim'rous beastie,
O, what a panic's in thy breastie!
Thou need na start awa sae hasty
Wi bickering brattle!"
... but a mouse is a mouse, for all that.
2. Instrumental introduction

3. Verse
     ^ v ^ v ^ v ^ v ^ v ^ v ^  v  ^ v   ^ v ^ v ^ v ^ v ^ v ^ v ^ v ^ v
D||--2---2-0---0---2-2-----2-2---------|-0---0-0---------2---2-0---2-2-0-|
A||--0---0-0-4-0---0-0-----0-0---------|-0---0-0---------0---0-0---0-0-0-|
G||*-2---2-2-2-2---2-2-----2-2-------0-|-2---2-2-0-------2---2-2---2-2-2-|
D||*-2---2-2-2-2---2-2-----2-2-(0)-4---|-0---0-0---4-2-0-2---2-2---2-2-2-|
A||--0---------------0-----------------|-----------------0---------------|
D||------------------------------------|---------------------------------|

Smile your little smile take some tea with me awhile.
Brush away that black cloud from your shoulder.
Twitch your whiskers. Feel that you're really real.
Another tea-time another day older.
Puff warm breath on your tiny hands.
You wish you were a man
who every day can turn another page.
Behind your glass you sit and look
at my ever-open book:
One brown mouse sitting in a cage.
4. Interlude

E5               D5          A5             Asus4 A5
   Do you wonder if I really care for you,
E5               D5          A5             Asus4 A5
   Am I just the company you keep?
F5              G5                  D5       A5
   Which one of us exercises on the old treadmill,
E5               G/B
   Who hides his head, pretending to
   sleep?

5. One step up (this is nasty! tip: leave your index finger barre
over all strings on the 2nd fret)
B5 Bsus4 B5 E5 B5 A/C# E5 B5 Bsus4 2x
6. Verse
(play the verse riff 4 times and repeat last line another 2 times)
Smile your little smile take some tea with me awhile.
Brush away that black cloud from your shoulder.
Twitch your whiskers. Feel that you're really real.
Another tea-time another day older.
Smile your little smile take some tea with me awhile.
And every day we'll turn another page.
Behind our glass we'll sit and look
at our ever-open book:
One brown mouse sitting in a cage.
One brown mouse sitting in a cage.
One brown mouse sitting in a cage.
7. Outro

************************************
| ^   pickstroke down
| v   pickstroke up
| /   slide up
| \   slide down
| h   hammer-on
| p   pull-off
| <>  natural harmonic
| ()  ghost note
| x   Mute note