Devil By The Tail Bass Tabs - Overkill @ BigBassTabs.com


Artist: OverKill
Song:   Devil By The Tail
Album:  KillBox 13
Tabbed by: Josh/Scallywag
Tuning: C# F# B# E#

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Riff A (Play 10 times, guitars and drums enter 3rd time):

E#|————————————————|————————————————||
B#|————————————————|————————————————||
F#|————————————————|————————————————||
C#|2——02—0—22—02———|2——02—0—22—03—0—||

Then, after the first solo, there is a part which is mainly guitar 
work, but it has some instrumental support though

Fill 1:
                                  2x
|————————————————|————————————————||
|————————————————|————————————————||
|————————————————|————————————————||
|2———————————————|2——2————2——2————||

|————————————————|————————————————||
|————————————————|————————————————||
|————————————————|————————————————||
|2———————————————|————————————————||

The verses aren't that hard to play either:

Riff B:
                                                                    2x
|————————————————|————————————————|————————————————|————————————————||
|————————————————|————————————————|————————————————|————————————————||
|————————————————|————————————————|————————————————|————————————————||
|2——22—0—2—2—0———|2——22—0—2—2—0———|2——22—0—2—2—0———|2——22—0—22—02—0—||

|————————————————|————————————————|————————————————|————————————————|
|————————————————|————————————————|————————————————|————————————————|
|————————————————|————————————————|————————————————|————————————————|
|6———6———6———5———|6———6———6———5———|22222—0—2—2—2—0—|22222—0—2—2—2—0—|

|————————————————|————————————————|————————————————|————————————————|
|————————————————|————————————————|————————————————|————————————————|
|————————————————|————————————————|————————————————|————————————————|
|6———6———6———5———|6———6———6———5———|2222555544443333|2222555544443333||

 (1st verse)
  Oh to be the fire, I am just a man
  Oh to walk the wire, believing that I can
  And reach on down your throat to tear it out
  Find out what the beatings all about

Now the Chorus:

Riff C:

|————————————————|————————————————|————————————————|————————————————|
|————————————————|————————————————|————————————————|————————————————|
|————————————————|————————3———————|————————————————|————————————————|
|2—2—0—2———2—0—2—|——2—0—2—————3———|2—2—0—2———2—0—2—|——2—0—2—5——6——7—|
 Justify   my   envy               Jealousy  to  fail             in

|————————————————|————————————————|————————————————|————————————————||
|————————————————|————————————————|————————————————|————————————————||
|————————————————|————————3———————|————————————————|————————————————||
|2—2—0—2———2—0—2—|——2—0—2—————3———|2—2—0—2———2—0—2—|——2—0—2—————————||
 Perfect, deadly  harmony hold the Devil  by the tail

Fill 2:

|————————————————|————————————————|————————————————|————————————————||
|————————————————|————————————————|————————————————|————————————————||
|————————————————|————————————————|————————————————|————————————————||
|2—2—0—2———2—0—2—|——2—0—2———2—0—2—|——2—0—2———2—0—2—|————————————————||
 Devil                     by the  tail

Then play Riff A 4 times, followed by this:

Fill 3:

|————————————————|————————————————|————————————————||
|————————————————|————————————————|————————————————||
|————————————————|————————————————|————————————————||
|2———————————————|2———2———2———2———|2———2———2———————||

For the 2nd verse, play Riff B and Riff C again, after that, repeat 
Fill 2 and instead of the last D#, hold a D (lowest 

string, 1st fret)

 (2nd verse)
  Oh to slay the liar, he speaks for me, a man
  Oh to try, conspire, believing that I can
  And reach into your heart to pull it out
  Find out what the beating's all about

 (Chorus)
  Justify my envy
  Jealousy to fail
  In perfect, deadly harmony
  Hold the Devil by the tail
  Devil by the tail

Then we enter the faster part, first, the guitar plays for 8 measures, 
when the bass and drums enter, the bass plays this 

easy riff,
during the bridge as well:

Riff D (Play 8 times, vocals enter 5th time):

|————————————————|————————————————|————————————————|————————————————||
|————————————————|————————————————|————————————————|————————————————||
|————————————————|————————————————|————————————————|————————————————||
|0—0—0—0—0—0—0—0—|0—0—0—0—0—0—0—0—|0—0—0—0—0—0—0—0—|0—0—0—0—0—0—0—0—||

 (Bridge)
  Run your Devil up the pole
  Into my domain
  The forgotten drool, like rabid dogs
  By any other name
  They growl, they bark, they gnaw at me
  I still hear them wail
  Play to hold what I hold
  A Devil by the tail

During the "DEVIL...by the TAIL"—part, the bass plays this

Riff E:

|————————————————|————————————————|————————————————|————————————————||
|————————————————|————————————————|————————————————|————————————————||
|————————————————|————————————————|————————————————|————————————————||
|0—2—2—2—2—2—2—2—|2—3———3———3———3—|0—2—2—2—2—2—2—2—|2—3———3———3———3—||
 Devil                      by the tail

Then repeat riff D once

 (Bridge)
  Run your devil out your soul
  By any other name

The second "DEVIL...by the TAIL"—part is pretty much the same 
as the first one, except for the last measure

Fill 4:

|————————————————|————————————————|————————————————|————————————————||
|————————————————|————————————————|————————————————|————————————————||
|————————————————|————————————————|————————————————|————————————————||
|0—2—2—2—2—2—2—2—|2—3———3———3———3—|0—2—2—2—2—2—2—2—|2—3———5—6———————||
 Devil                      by the tail

Then repeat Riff D once and play Riff E twice. After that, repeat 
Riff D 4 times.

 (Bridge)
  Devil, devil, devil, devil

  Hey mr. Lucifer, do you have my pay?
  I'm done with working here as of today
  Hey mr. Savior, to you ever seem to fail?
  And got what I got, a Devil by the tail

The finishing riff is repeated until the end of the song

Riff F (Repeat and fade):

|————————————————|————————————————||
|————————————————|————————————————||
|————————————————|————————————————||
|0—0—0—0—0—0—0—0—|0—3———3———3———1—||

 (Bridge)
  Devil, devil, devil, devil

  Devil by the tail (Repeat and fade)

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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Overkill — Devil By The Tail bass tabs