Dead kennedys
Cesspools in eden.
Tabbed (reasonably well) by James Huntley.
[email protected] for corrections 
and general applause.

Rate this tab.

Standard bass tuning: G,D,A,E.

everyone who knows the DK's knows that
they were at their best with anti pollution
songs, chemicle warfare, moon over marin,
they dont dissapoint with this kickass tune.
This song Has the stompinest bassline ever
and combined with EB Ray's surf guitar,
it just rocks.

guitar intro...
followed by this beasting bass line

(Verse.)

(First time) X 1

G|—5———————————————————————————
D|———3—3—0—3—3—3——0—0—0———0—0—0
A|———————————————3——————3——————
E|—————————————————————————————

(main Riff for verse)

G|—————————————————————————————
D|—5—3—3—0—3—3—3——0—0—0———0—0—0
A|———————————————3——————3——————
E|—————————————————————————————

Repeat main riff untill next...

(during high part in Ray's guitar intro)

G|—5—5—5—5—5—5—5—————————————————
D|——————————————————0—0—0———0—0—0
A|————————————————3——————3———————
E|———————————————————————————————

(little showing off from Klaus)

G|—5———————————————————————————
D|———3—3—0—3—3—3——0—0—0———6—5—4
A|———————————————3——————3——————
E|—————————————————————————————

Then back to main...

Play main verse until, "Whats making
our eyes so itchy?"

This part goes...

(Bridge!)

G|————————————————————————————————
D|————————————————————————————————  X 2
A|1—1—1—1—1—1—1—1—————————————————
E|————————————————3—3—3—3—3—3—3—3—

(oh, oh oh oh)

G|————————————————————————————————
D|————————————————————————————————
A|————————————————————————————————
E|1—1—1—1—1—1—1—1—0—0—0—0—0—0—0—0—

(its the big waste dump)

(Chorus!)

G|————————————————————————————————
D|————————————————————————————————
A|————————————5—5—6—6—6—6—6—6—6—6—
E|3—3—3—3—3—3—————————————————————

G|————————————————————————————————
D|————————————————————————————————
A|————————————7—7—4—4—4—4—4—4—4—4—
E|3—3—3—3—3—3—————————————————————

(CESSPOOLS! IN EDEN)

G|————————————————————————————————
D|————————————————————————————————
A|————5—5—4—4—3—3—————3—2———2—2—2—
E|3—3—————————————1—1—————————————

(OOZING AWAY!)

G|—————————————————
D|—————————————————
A|—————————————————
E|3————3————5—6—5—4

Back to the main riff for the verse...

Then the bridge...

Then Chorus... But After oozing away
comes a guitar bit, this goes...

G|—————————————————————————————
D|—————————————————————————————
A|—3(—hold—)——2(—hold—)———————— X 2
E|—————————————————————————————

G|————————————————————————————————
D|————————————————————————————————
A|—3—3—3—3—3—3—3—3—2—2—2—2—2—2—2—2
E|————————————————————————————————

G|————————————————————————————————
D|————————————————————————————————
A|—3—3—3—3—3—3—3—3————————————————
E|—————————————————3—3—3—3—3—3—3—3

Then

G|——————————————————————
D|——————————————————————
A|1———1111———1———1111———
E|——3——————3———3——————3—

Complicated bit...

G|————————————————————————————————
D|—————7—7—6—6——————————7—6——666——
A|—5—5—————————8—7——5—5———————————
E|————————————————————————————————

G|——————————————————————
D|——————————————————————
A|1———1111———1———1111———
E|——3——————3———3——————3—

G|————————————————————————————————
D|—————7—7—6—6——————————7—6——666——
A|—5—5—————————8—7——5—5———————————
E|————————————————————————————————

G|——————————————————————
D|——————————————————————
A|1———1111———1———1111———
E|——3——————3———3——————3—

G|————————————————————————————————
D|—————7—7—6—6——————————7—6——666——
A|—5—5—————————8—7——5—5———————————
E|————————————————————————————————

Cesspools!

G|——————————————————————————————
D|—————————————————————————————— x 2
A|—————————————10—8————8————————
E|—10—10—10—10——————10————8—8—8—

G|——————————————————————————————————————————
D|——————————————————————————————————————————
A|—————————8—6———6——————————————————————————
E|—8—8—8—8—————8————6—6—6—8—8—8—8—8—8—9—9—10

HUGE SLIDE UP AND DOWN THE E STRING!

G|——————————
D|——————————
A|——————————
E|—1//121—

Back to the Chorus riff and...

Then to the above riff to FINISH!

Lyrics:

poison is bubbling
beneath your dream home
buried there years before.

kid comes in crying
from playing in the garden
"mommy, i burned my hands!"

"whats making our eyes so itchy?"
"Dont rub 'em they'll swell up."

oh...oh oh oh
it's the big waste dump.

oh, yeah
we build your ticky tacky houses
on landfill soil
to cover up a gift
we left you years before
of toxic chemicles and leaking gas
just dig a little while
you'll find our acid baths.

cesspools
in eden
oozing away

groundwater's poisened
air stinks like hell
the lines for doctors grow long
over martini's
the company laughs
"we dont owe you a *** thing"

but what about all thes fainting spells?
how'd you like to lick
from my open sores?

And oh...oh oh oh
Why are our babies stillborn?

Oh, yeah
oh, yeah
a storage tanks leaking
its about to explode
why evacuate
when you can watch the fun

nothing happenes here
get out the lawn chairs
we'll drink pink lemonade
and watch Martinez burn!

cesspools
in eden
Cesspools in eden
leak by the day.

the land we sold you
is right atop our acid pits
we fill them by the truckload
in the dead of night

there's a thousand more toxic
tips of the iceberg
we pay a little bribe
or we just dont report them

and see what you get
cesspools
in eden
in eden
no accident
just a little of our  greed fueled negligence

so you've found the proof why
your cancer rate's gone up
but whatcha gonna do
when weve got all the cards

Times beach, rocky flats
Love canal and Bhopal
merry christmas hostages
from the folks that care

Cesspools
in eden
oozing away
cesspools
in eden
leak by the day
cesspools in eden
Have a nice day.

About Dead Kennedys

Dead Kennedys were an American punk rock band, formed in San Francisco, California in 1978. Pioneers of hardcore during the 1980s, the band gained a large underground following in the international punk music scene.

How to Read Bass Tabs

Bass tablature (tabs) is an easy way to learn songs without needing to read traditional sheet music. Here’s a quick guide to understanding the symbols and techniques commonly found in tabs:

1. The Basics

Strings and Frets:
Each line in a tab represents a string on your bass:
- The top line is the highest-pitched string (G on a 4-string bass).
- The bottom line is the lowest-pitched string (E on a 4-string bass).
Numbers on the lines indicate which fret to press. For example:
```
G|-------------------|

D|-------------------|

A|---3---------------|

E|-------------------|

            
```
This means you play the 3rd fret on the A string.

2. Common Techniques

Hammer-On (h):
Play the first note by picking it, then press down on a higher fret with another finger without picking again.
```
G|-------------------|

D|-------5h7---------|

            
```
Pull-Off (p):
Pluck a note and then "pull off" your finger to let a lower fret ring.
```
G|-------------------|

D|-------7p5---------|

            
```
Slide (/ or \):
Move your finger up (/) or down (\) the fretboard while maintaining pressure.
```
G|-------------------|

D|-------5/7---------|

            
```

3. Advanced Techniques

Bend (b): Push the string up or down to raise the pitch. Example: G|-------7b9---------|
Vibrato (~): Shake the string slightly after playing a note to create a vibrating sound. Example: G|-------7~----------|
Muted Notes (x): Rest your finger lightly on the string without pressing a fret and pluck for a percussive "click" sound.

4. Rhythm and Timing

Tabs don’t always indicate timing, so listen to the song while reading the tab. Wider spaces between numbers mean longer pauses, while closer numbers indicate quicker notes.

5. Slap and Pop

Slap (s): Strike the string with the side of your thumb for a percussive sound.
Pop (p): Pull the string away from the fretboard and let it snap back.

Practice Makes Perfect

Tabs are a great tool to learn songs, but mastering the techniques takes practice. Listen carefully to the original track and play along to lock in the rhythm. Don’t rush — smooth, accurate playing is more important than speed. Happy jamming! 🎸

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Dead Kennedys — Cesspools In Eden bass tabs