The Flood - chords, tab and comments


In 2010 Katie Melua released her 4th album "The House"; her first without Mike Batt as conductor/producer/songwriter (well, he appears as co-writer on one single song) - instead she called back William Orbit from an early retirement. The result was a dramatic and exotic sound. "The Flood" was released as lead single. It's a collaboration between Guy Chambers, Lauren Christy and Melua. I don't know who did what, so I list them alfabetically with respect to the family names.

The arrangement is a masterpiece, and completely impossible to render with a single guitar. I've heard Katie solo on grand piano, and it's tough enough. Try to slide the A-chord up and down between verse/refrain/break to simulate the slight touch of Asia, and be sure to play the bassline I have stressed on the refrain.
A                          Asus4
broken people get recycled and i hope that I will
A
sometimes we’re thrown off our pathways
Asus4     A                F#m    Dm
what I thought was my way home wasn’t the place I ...
A                               Asus4
no I am not afraid of changing  I am certain nothing’s certain
A                               Asus4  A               F#m
what we own becomes our prison  my possessions will be gone
Dm                       A
back to where they came from

Dm7/A ... G/B ... F6/C
blame ... 
Em/B         Dm7/A ... G/B ... F6/C
no one is to blame
    Em/B           F        Gm
as natural as the rain that falls
      Dm        Bb     A
here comes the flood again

Tempo fortissimo, flamenco-style or thumb on bass strings:

A    D7sus2  F           G        A
wash away the weight that pulls you down
F#m      D7sus2     Dm7       G         A
ride the waves that free you from your doubts
A                                    D7sus2
don’t trust your eyes  it’s easy to believe them
Dm7                        G                   A
know with your heart that you can leave your prison
A                                       D7sus2
don’t trust your mind  it’s not always listening
Dm7                     G                 A
turn on the lights and feel the ancient rhythm
A major
A
A suspend forth
Asus4
F sharp minor
F#m
D minor
Dm
D minor seventh
Dm7
D seventh suspend second
D7sus2
E minor
Em
G major
G
G minor
Gm
F major
F
F sixth
F6
B flat major
Bb
Katie Melua