On www.homestarrunner.com
On Shorts, if you scroll down, there's one called, "The Ballad of the Sneak." This is
a song sung by a barbershop quartet, and its about The Sneak (the Cheat as called in
the
black and white toons). This is a very fun song to play. Just get four of your best
friends
together and sing along, and have a regular Grand Ol'e time..

Lyrics:

I know a lively fellow,
Who is really quite unique.
He's small and smart and yellow,
With a rouda like Physique.
He doesn't play the shallow,
and he never gains to speak.
He's the Strongbad's Limparello.
And they just call him the Sneak.

If you've got a caper then you know who to call,
It's the sneak, its the sneak.

Who's that jeffer swindler out of Tammany hall?
Bobe e lone e a doh, its the sneak.

That jolly little whats it who's the strongman's greatest pal
Its the sneak, its the sneak.

Who did the hully gully on the Panama Canal?
Doo wak a doo wak a doo, its the sneak.

Who's the Chargy Jackadape with moxy and Pizzazz?
Its the sneak, Yes sir, its the sneak.

Who's been drinking bootleg, hooch and listening to the Jazz?
Bobe a lone e a do, its the sneak.

Who Capture's all the Clever girl's affections?
Who made off with my Fluffy Puff Confections?

He's dasterdly
He's most contrasterdly
His schemes are masterly
Sixteen and half past three

That sneakyty sneak a sneak all over town.

Who dropped the homestar runner from his flying machine?
He's the sneak, its the sneak.
Who put a Bengal tiger in the Kaisers latrene?
Auch du lieba.
Its the sneak, you know its the sneak, he'll sneak a de sneak all day long..

What?

Now for the bass tab..

G—————————————————————————————5—————————————— repeat this until it gets to the li
D—3—————3—2—3—4—5—————5—————5————3————3—2—0—— lines, about who captured all
A————3—————————————5——————3————————3—————————3 the clever girl's affections.
E—————————————————————————————————————————————

At, "he's dasterdly," you play this:

G————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————
D————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————
A—3—3—3——3——3——3——4—4—4———4——4——4———5—5—5———5——5——5———6—6—6———6——77—66—77—66——33——3—5—6—7
E————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————

Then back to

G—————————————————————————————5—————————————————— peat till end.
D—————3—————3—2—3—4—5—————5—————5————3————3—2—0——
A—3——————3—————————————5——————3————————3—————————3
E—————————————————————————————————————————————————

Took me a while to play through the song a lot, to get all the lyrics, but I hope you
like
it.

About Strong Bad

Matt and Mike ChapmanCraig ZobelVoiced byMatt ChapmanInformationFamilyStrong Sad (brother), Strong Mad (brother)

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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Strong Bad — The Ballad Of The Sneak bass tabs