U2 — Mysterious ways (Popmart! live version)
 
Graham Maskill — [email protected]
(Sorry—I made a cock—up in the last transcription with Verse 1, not with the tab but with 
the typing)
 
If you're playing along to the tape/video of popmart! don't forget to tune down 1/2 a 
step.
 
Intro/main riff
G ] ——————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————
D ] ——————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————
A ] ——————————5————7——7——5————————————————————5————7——7——5——————————————————————————————————————————————————————
E ] ——7——7—————————————————————7——5————7——7————————————————————7——5—————————————————————————————————————————————
 
Verse 1— bass starts just after "let her pale light in to fill up your room."  
G ] ——————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————
D ] ——————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————
A ] —————————————————————————5——7—————————————————————————————7——9—————————————————————————————————————————————————
E ] ——0————5——7——————5———————————————0————5——7——————7———————————————————————————————————————————————————————————
Main riff plays through chorus ("she's slippy etc...)
 
Pre—2nd Verse break
G ] ———————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————
D ] ———————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————
A ] ———————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————
E ] ——7s——————0————5——7——————5——7——————7s—————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————
 
Verse 2 as verse 1, bass starts after "talk about the things you can't explain."
Then chorus as before.
After "lift up my days, light up my nights" & during following guitar break, play this:
G ] ———————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————
D ] ———————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————
A ] ———————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————
E ] ——0——2——0——2——————0——2————}This repeats 5 times——————————————————————————————————————————————————————
 
Followed by:
"One day you'll look back, and you'll see, where you were held, high by this love"
G ] ———————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————
D ] ———————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————
A ] ——————————————————————————7—7—7——777——777——5—5—5——555——555———————————————————————————————————————————
E ] ——7—7—7——777——777——————————————————————————————————————————————————5—5—5——555——555———————————————————
 
Back into main riff & into solo.  Main riff plays 8 times from the solo's start, then it 
changes to this (when Edge hits the high notes):
G ] ———————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————
D ] ———————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————
A ] ———————————————————————5——7—7—7————5—7————5—7—7————5—5—5————3—5————3—5—5—————————————————————————————
E ] 7—7—7——77——77——7—————————————7———————7—————————————————————5——————5——————————5—5—5——0—3—5——0—3—5—5
 
G ] ———————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————
D ] ———————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————
A ] ——2—2—2———————2———————2—2——7—7—7————5—7————5—7—7—————5—5—5————3—5————3—5—5—————————————————————————
E ] ———————————3—5————3—5———————————————7———————7——————————————————————5———————5——————————5—5—5——0—3—5——0—3
 
G ] ———————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————
D ] ———————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————
A ] ———————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————
E ] —5—5——————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————
Back into main riff & play out, ending on high B, sliding up an octave.
Any comments or chat, don't hesitate to contact me at the above address.

About U2

U2 are a rock band from Dublin, Ireland. The group consists of Bono (vocals and guitar), The Edge (guitar, keyboards, and vocals), Adam Clayton (bass guitar), and Larry Mullen, Jr. (drums and percussion).

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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U2 — Mysterious Ways bass tabs