Manic Street Preachers
A Design for Life 



Track 2 — Everything Must Go 

 This song is played in 12/8


Riff A                                Riff B
   Cmaj7                                 Dm7/9
G—|————————————————————————————|      G—|————————————————————————————|
D—|————————————————————————————|      D—|————————————————————————————|
A—|—3—3—3—3———————3—3—3—3——————|      A—|—5—5—5—5———————5—5—5—5——————|
E—|——————————3—3———————————3—3—|      E—|——————————5—5———————————5—5—|

Riff C                                Riff D
   Gmaj7                                 Ebmaj7
G—|————————————————————————————|      G—|————————————————————————————|
D—|————————————————————————————|      D—|————————————————————————————|
A—|————————————————————————————|      A—|—6—6—6—6———————6—6—6—6——————|
E—|—3—3—3—3——0—1——3—3—3—3——0—1—|      E—|——————————5—5———————————5—5—|

Riff E
   Cmaj7                    F5 E5
G—|——————————————————————————————|
D—|——————————————————————————————|
A—|—3—3—3—3———————3—3—3—3———8—7——|
E—|——————————3—3—————————————————|


Intro

 Riff A x2

Verse 1

 | Riff A  x2 | Riff B  x2 | Riff C  x2 | Riff D | Riff B |

 | Riff A  x2 |

Verse 2

 | Riff A  x2 | Riff B  x2 | Riff C  x2 | Riff D | Riff B |

 | Riff A | Riff E |

Pre—Chorus
    We don't talk         about love
    D5                    G5               F5 E5
G—|—————————————————————|———————————————————————|—
D—|—————————————————————|———————————————————————|—
A—|—5——5—5——5—5——5—5——5—|———————————————————8—7—|—
E—|—————————————————————|—3——3—3——3—3——3—3——————|—

    We only wanna        get drunk
    D5                   G5                D5 D#5
G—|—————————————————————|———————————————————————|—
D—|—————————————————————|———————————————————————|—
A—|—5——5—5——5—5——5—5——5—|———————————————————5—6—|—
E—|—————————————————————|—3——3—3——3—3——3—3——————|—

    And we are not       allowed to spend       As we are told
    E5                   A5                     Fsus2
G—|—————————————————————|—————————————————————|—————————————————————|—
D—|—————————————————————|—————————————————————|—————————————————————|—
A—|—————————————————————|—————————————————————|—————————————————————|—
E—|—0——0—0——0—0——0—0——0—|—5——5—5——5—5—5—5—5—5—|—1——1—1——1—1——1—1——1—|—

    that this is the end
    Fsus2
G—|——————————————————————|
D—|——————————————————————|
A—|——————————————————————|
E—|—1——1—1——1—1——1—1—0—1—|


Chorus
     A design                 for life
     Am                G5 F#5 Fsus2               x2
G—||————————————————————————|——————————————————————||
D—||————————————————————————|——————————————————————||
A—||:—0——0—0——0—0——0—0——————|—————————————————————:||
E—||————————————————————3—2—|—1——1—1——1—1——1—1—0—1—||


   A design                 for life         A design for life
   Am                G5 F#5 Fsus2           Fsus2
G—|———————————————————————|———————————————|———————————————|
D—|———————————————————————|———————————————|———————————————|
A—|—0——0—0——0—0——0—0——————|———————————————|———————————————|
E—|———————————————————3—2—|—1—————(1)—————|—1—————(1)—————|


Verse 3
  The 3rd verse is almost the same as the 2nd except for the first bar where
Riff A is replaced by Riff F

Riff F
   Cmaj7
G—|———————————————————————————|
D—|———————————————————————————|
A—|—3—3—3—3—3—3——3—3—3—3——————|
E—|———————————————————————3—3—|

Pre—Chorus: Repeat Pre—Chorus

Chorus: Repeat Chorus

Instrumental Break

Riff G                                Riff H
   Cmaj7                               Dm7/9
G—|—————————————————————————|      G—|—————————————————————————|
D—|—————————————————————————|      D—|—————————————————————————|
A—|—3—3—3—3—3—3—3—3—3—3—3—3—|      A—|—5—5—5—5—5—5—5—5—5—5—5—5—|
E—|—————————————————————————|      E—|—————————————————————————|

Riff I                                Riff J
   Gmaj7                               Ebmaj7
G—|—————————————————————————|      G—|—————————————————————————|
D—|—————————————————————————|      D—|—————————————————————————|
A—|—————————————————————————|      A—|—6—6—6—6—6—6—6—6—6—6—6—6—|
E—|—3—3—3—3—3—3—3—3—3—3—3—3—|      E—|—————————————————————————|


 | Riff G  x2 | Riff H  x2 | Riff I  x2 | Riff J  | Riff H  |

 | Riff G  | Riff E  |


Pre—Chorus: Repeat Pre—Chorus

Chorus: Repeat Chorus

Outro
  Drum solo

transcribed by Kevin Brown And Chris Stevens

About Manic Street Preachers

Manic Street Preachers (often referred to as the Manics) are an alternative rock band from Blackwood, Wales, formed in 1986. They are James Dean Bradfield (vocals, guitars), Nicky Wire (bass, occasional vocals) and Sean Moore (drums, backing vocals, occasional trumpet). The band is part of the Cardiff music scene, most prominently during the 1990s.

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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Manic Street Preachers — A Design For Life bass tabs