This Free Will
By Ian Anderson from Jethro Tull's Roots To Branches album.
Transcription and tablature by Peter Dawson.
Thanks to Nathan Maimone for opening riff.


[F#m]She peeled from a [E]stretch black snake
[F#m]which slipped up to the [E]ho[E7]tel [F#m]door.
Darting looks from [E]piercing eyes -
[F#m]The stir of [E]memory and [E7]then no [F#m]more.
Well you know how I [E7]have to believe -
[D]She can [A]almost re[B]member [A]my [B]name.[B A B]

[C#]  [A]It's been a [G]long [Bm]time [C#]coming babe -
[A]Long time [G]loose a[Bm]mongst [C#]foreign hills -
Shaking my faith in [F#m]this [E]free [F#m]will.

Years ago in a coastal town,
mosquitos buzzed in her hair.
School dress torn and bare feet brown -
Then the rains came and she wasn't there.
Your closing your doors on me
When you had almost remembered my name.

It's been a long time coming babe -
Long time loose amongst foreign hills -
Shaking my faith in this free will.

Instrumental

Intro 4 bars only

Sharp points in an ink black sky -
Faint words collide, then are lost.
I'll follow you beneath this dome -
Win you back at any cost.
I know we were children then,
but you can almost remember my name.

It's been a long time coming babe -
Long time loose amongst foreign hills -
Well let's be children still -
Don't shake my faith in this free will.

Don't shake my faith in this free will.


This Free Will
By Ian Anderson from Jethro Tull's Roots To Branches album.
Tablature by Peter Dawson.
Thanks to Nathan Maimone for opening riff.

On the disc I think the guitar plays the chords in 5ths with the 5th often the lower note (see first bar).  I've changed this so the chord can be played in the C position to allow an octave note to be added (see third bar).  This means that the bass part of the chord now is 3rds.


 D           Eb  D   Cm  D       |   Eb  |   D   |   F   |   Eb   
|----------------------------------------------------------------|
|----------------------------------------------------------------|
|----------------------------------------------------------------|
|----------------------------------------------------3-------5---|
|5-----------6---5---3---5-----------6-------5-------3-----------|
|5-----------6---5---3---5-----------6-------5-------------------|


 D       D   Eb  D       |       |   Cm  |       |       |        
|2-------2---3---2-------3---------------------------------------|
|3-------3---4---3---4-------------------4-3-1-------------------|
|2-------2---3---2-----------------------5-3-2---3-2-0-----------|
|--------------------------------------------------------3---1---|
|--------------------------------------------------------3---1---|
|----------------------------------------------------------------|
                                         italics = triplets


 D       Eb      D   Cm  D       |   Eb  |   D   |   F   |   Eb   
|----------------------------------------------------------------|
|--------4-------3---1---3~~~~~~~~~~~4-------3-------------------|
|----------------------------------------------------------------|
|0-------5-------4-------4-----------5-------4-------3-------5---|
|0-------6-------5---3---5-----------6-------5-------3-------6---|
|----------------------------------------------------------------|


 D           Eb  D   Cm  Eb      |   Cm  |       |       |        
|----------------------------------------------------------------|
|3~~~~~~~~~~~----------------------------------------------------|
|----------------------------------------------------3---2---0---|
|4-----------------------------------1---1-----------------------|
|5-----------6---5---3---6-----------3---3-----------------------|
|------------6---5---3---6---------------------------------------|


 D           Eb  D   Cm  D       |   Eb  |   D   |   F   |   Eb   
|----------------------------------------------------------------|
|3-----------4---3---1---3-----------------------------------4---|
|----------------------------------------------------------------|
|4-----------5---4---1---4-----------5-------4-------7-------5---|
|5-----------6---5---3---5-----------6-------5-------8-------6---|
|----------------------------------------------------------------|


 D       D   Eb  D   Cm          |(flute)        |       |        
|----------------------------------------------3--35-5b6--5b6----|
|3-------3---4---3---1-----------------3-4---6-------------------|
|----------------------------------3-5---------------------------|
|4-----------5---4-----------------------------------------------|
|5-----------6---5---3-------------------------------------------|
|----------------------------------------------------------------|


 D       |  (guitar)     |       |       |       |   F   |   Eb   
|----6b5---------------------------------------------------------|
|------------------------6---------------------------6-------4---|
|----------------5---7-------8-7-5-------------------------------|
|0-----------7-8-------------------8-7-5-------------7-------5---|
|----------------------------------------8-6-5~~~~~~~8-------6---|
|----------------------------------------------------------------|


 D       |       |       Cm       
|--------------------------------|
|3-----------4---3-1-------------|
|--------------------3---5~~~~~~~|
|4-----------------------5~~~~~~~|
|5-------------------------------|
|--------------------------------|


 |   C   |   F#m |       |       E       |       |       |   F#m  
|----------------------------------------------------------------|
|----------------------------------------------------------------|
|----------------4-------2-------1-----------1-------2---1-------|
|----5---5-------------------4---2-----------2---------------4---|
|----3---3-----------------------2-----------2---------------4---|
|----------------------------------------------------------------|
             She peeled from a stretch black snake
             Years ago     in a coastal     town|


 |       |       |       |   E   |       |       |   E7  |   F#m
|----------------------------------------------------------------|
|----------------------------------------------------3-------2---|
|----------------------------1-----------------------1-------2---|
|----------------0---3---4---2-----------------------2-------4---|
|------------4---------------2-----------------------------------|
|----x---2-------------------------------------------------------|
         which   up  to   the hotel door
             slipped



 |       |       |       |       E       |       |       |   F#m
|----------------------------------------------------------------|
|----------------------------------------------------------------|
|----------------4-------2-------1-------------------2---1-------|
|----4---4-----------------------2---------------------------4---|
|----4---4-----------------------2---------------------------4---|
|----------------------------------------------------------------|
 |       darting looks   from    piercing eyes



 |       |       |       |       E        |       |  E7   |  F#m  
|----------------------------------------------------------------|
|----------------------------------------------------3-----------|
|--------------------------------1-------------------1-------2---|
|4-------------------3-------4---2-------------------2-------4---|
|4-------------4/5---------------2---------------------------4---|
|----------------------------------------------------------------|
|          the stir of mem- or-   y   and then       no     more



 |       |       |       |       E        |       |       |       
|----------------0-----------------------------------------------|
|--------2---2-----------3---2---0-------0--0--0---------2---3---|
|--------------------------------1-------------------------------|
|--------------------------------2-------------------------------|
|--------------------------------2-------------------------------|
|----------------------------------------------------------------|
         Wellyou know   how  I   have    to be-lieve



 D       |       A       |       B        |A      B       |       
|2---------------0-----------------------------------------------|
|3-----------2-3-2-----3-----2-------------2------4----------4---|
|2---------------2---------------4------4--2------4----------4---|
|----------------2---------------4------4--2------4----------4---|
|----------------------------------------------------------------|
|----------------------------------------------------------------|
|        She can al-  most  re- mem-    ber my    name.


 |   A   B       
|----------------|
|----------------|
|----2---4-------|
|----2---4-------|
|----------------|
|----------------|


 x3
 C#      |       |       |       |   A   |       G       B
|1-------------------1-2-1---------------------------------------|
|2-----------------------------------2-----------3---------------|
|1-----------------------------------2-----------0-------4-------|
|------------------------------------2-----------0-------4-------|
|----------------------------------------------------------------|
|----------------------------------------------------------------|
                                     It's   been along   time
  comin babe                        long    time  loose among
     foreign hills                   sha-kin ma    faith



|1       |       |       |        
 F#m         E           F#m
|--------------------------------|
|--------------------------------|
|6-----------4-----------6---6---|
|4-----------2-----------4---4---|
|--------------------------------|
|--------------------------------|
   in this   free        will     |


verse 2


|2       |       |       |       |       |       |       |        
|1-------------------1-2-1---------------------------------------|
|2-----------------------------------2-----------3-------2-320---|
|1-----------------------------------2-------------------------2-|
|----------------------------------------------------------------|
|----------------------------------------------------------------|
|----------------------------------------------------------------|
 foreign hills                   sha-kin ma    faith



 C#      |   G   |       F#m     |       |       |       |        
|----------------------------------------------------------------|
|------------------------2---------------------------------------|
|------------4---------------------------------------------------|
|6---------------------------------------------------------------|
|4---4---4-------5---5-------4---4---4---4---4---4---2---4-------|
|------------3---3---3---2---2---2---2---2---2---2---0---2-------|
 in this   free        will     |


 Guitar solo
 |       |        |       |       |       |        
|------------------------------------------------|
|------------------------------------------------|
|------------------------------------------------|
|--------------4-5-------------------4-5-7-------|
|4-------2-4-5-----------4-------4-5-----7-------|
|2-----------------------2-----------------------|



 |       |       |       |        
|--------------------------------|
|----0---1-------0---4~~~~~~~~~~~|
|--------------------------------|
|----1---2-----------------------|
|----2---3-------2---2-----------|
|--------------------------------|



 |       |       |       |       |       |        
|------------------------------------------------|
|------------------------------------------------|
|----4---454-2-45--------------------------------|
|------------------7-54--2-0---------------------|
|----------------------------4-2-----------------|
|--------------------------------5---3---2~~~~~~~|



 |       |       |       |       |       |        
|------------------------------------------------|
|------------------------------------------------|
|------------------------------------------------|
|--------------4-5-------------------4-5-7-------|
|4-------2-4-5-----------4------24-5-----7-------|
|2-----------------------2-----------------------|



 |       |       |       |        |       |       |       |        
|--------------------------------|--------------------------------|
|----0-------1-------0---4~~~~~~~|--------------------------------|
|--------------------------------|4---5-4-25----------------------|
|----1-------2-------------------|2-----------4205----------------|
|----2-------3-------2---2-------|----------------4---2-----------|
|--------------------------------|------------------------5---3---|



 F#m     |       G       |   C   |       |   F#m  
|------------------------------------------------|
|------------------------------------------------|
|------------------------------------------------|
|----------------------------2---------------4---|
|--------4-------5-----------3---------------4---|
|2-------2-------3-------------------------------|



 |   E   F#m G   |       |   C   |       |   F#m  
|------------------------------------------------|
|------------------------------------------------|
|----------------------------5---5---5-----------|
|4---2---4---5---5---5-------5---5---5-------4---|
|4---2---4---5---5---5-----------------------4---|
|------------------------------------------------|



 |   E   F#m G   |       |   C   |       |        
|------------------------------------------------|
|------------------------------------------------|
|------------------------------------------------|
|4---2---4---5---5---5---5---2---2---------------|
|4---2---4---5---5---5---5---3---3---3---3-------|
|------------------------------------3---3-------|



 3.5 bars of variation on intro
 D           Eb  D   Cm  D       |   Eb  |   D   |   F   |   Eb   
|----------------------------------------------------------------|
|----------------------------------------------------------------|
|----------------------------------------------------------------|
|----------------------------------------------------3-------1---|
|5-----------6---5---3---5-----------6-------5-------3-------1---|
|5-----------6---5---3---5-----------6-------5-------------------|



 D       |   Eb  D       Cm      Eb      |       Cm      |       |        
|----------------------------------------------------------------|
|------------------------4-------3-1-----------------------------|
|--------------------------------3-2-3---2-0---------------------|
|----------------------------------------3-1-3---1-------1-3-1---|
|5-----------6---5---3---6-------------------5---3-------3-5-3---|
|5-----------6---5---3-------------------------------------------|
                                 italics = triplets


 D           Eb  D   Cm  D       |   Eb  |   D   |   F   |   Eb   
|----------------------------------------------------------------|
|----------------------------------------------------------------|
|----------------------------------------------------------------|
|----------------------------------------------------3-------1---|
|5-----------6---5---3---5-----------6-------5-------3-------1---|
|5-----------6---5---3---5-----------6-------5-------------------|



 D       |   Eb  D   Cm  |        
|--------------------------------|
|--------------------------------|
|--------------------------------|
|--------------------------------|
|5-----------6---5---3---3-------|
|5-----------6---5---3---3-------|


Verse 3

Chorus (with extra "Long time bar")

Ending
"Violin" melody also shown on upper strings
 F#m E   F#m G   |       C       |       E   F#m  
|2-----------0-----------5---3-------------------|
|----------------------------------------3---2---|
|------------------------------------------------|
|4---2---4---------------5---5---5---5---2---4---|
|4---2---4---5---5---5---3---3---3---3---2---4---|
|------------3---3---3---------------------------|



 F#m E   F#m G   |       C       |       E   F#m  
|--------2---0-----------5---3-------------------|
|----------------------------------------1---2---|
|------------------------5---5---5---5-----------|
|4---2---4---5---5---5---5---5---5---5-------4---|
|4---2---4---5---5---5-----------------------4---|
|------------------------------------------------|



 F#m E   F#m G   |       C       |       E   F#  
|------------------------5---3-------------------|
|--------3---2---------------------------0-------|
|--------------------------------------------3---|
|4---2---4---5---5---5---5---2---2---2---2---4---|
|4---2---4---5---5---5---5---3---3---3---2---4---|
|------------------------------------------------|


 F#m E   F#m G   |       C       |       E   F#m
|------------------------5---3-------------------|
|--------3---2---------------------------0---2---|
|------------------------------------------------|
|4---2---4---5---5---5---5---2---2---2---2---4---|
|4---2---4---5---5---5---5---3---3---3---2---4---|
|------------------------------------------------|