The Cure
A Letter To Elise 
Transcribed by: Daniel B. Case

Fingerpicked intro

E--0-0-0-0-------------------
B----------2-2-2-0h2-2-------
G----------------------------     (Do this three times)
D----------------------------   (then play the next line)
A----------------------------
E----------------------------

E----------------------------
B-0h2-3-3--3-3-3-3s2-----0---
G--------------------2-2-----
D----------------------------
A----------------------------
E----------------------------


A                                    E
Oh Elise it doesn't matter what you say
                                F#m
I just can't stay here every yesterday
                     D
Like keep on acting out the same the way we act out
A                               E
Every way to smile, forget, and make-believe we never needed
F#m                  D
Any more than this, any more than this

Oh Elise it doesn't matter what you do
I know I'll never really get inside of you
To make your eyes catch fire the way they should
The way the blue could pull me in
If they only would, if they only would
At least I'd lose this sense of sensing something else
That hides away

>From me and you there're worlds to part
With aching looks and breaking hearts
And all the prayers your hands can make
Oh I just take as much as you can throw
And then throw it all away
Oh I throw it all away
Like throwing faces at the sky                                        
                            E
Like throwing arms round yesterday I stood and stared
   F#m
Wide-eyed in front of you
        E
And the face I saw looked back
          F#m
The way I wanted to
       E                             F#m
But I just can't hold my tears away the way you do


  G                     F#m
Elise believe I never wanted this

I thought this time I'd keep all of my promises

I thought you were the girl always dreamed about

But I let the dream go, and the promises broke

And the make-believe ran out...

...

     /=slide        h=hammeron
b(x)r=bend till it sounds like fret x and then release

Intro

Bass
---------------------------------|----------------------------------------|
---------------------------4-4-4-|--2--2-22-2---2-2--2-2-2-2/7-7-7--------|
---0--0-0-0--0-0--0-0-0-0--------|----------------------------------------|
---------------------------------|----------------------------------------|


---------------------------------|----------------------------------------|
---------------------------------|----------------------------------------|
--4---4-4-4---4-4--4-4-4-4-4-7-7-|--0--0-00-0---0-0---0-0-0-0-0--4-4------|
---------------------------------|----------------------------------------|

Acoustic twelve-string guitar
(since this is all on the A string, I will save space by not typing out a
full tab)

A---2-4-4-2-4-4-2-4---2-4---------|-------------%-------------|

A---2-4-4-2-4-4-2-4---2-4---2-4-4-|-5--5-5-5--5-5--4--2--0--2-|

Play these two parts once, then repeat and add these next two parts on top

Guitar
E--5------------------5--|--------------------------|
B-----------5------5-----|-5------------5--------5--|
G--------4------4--------|---------4--4-----4--4----|

E-2------------------2---|-----------------------------|
B----5-------5-----5-----|--5--5-------5-------5-----3-|
G-------4--4-----4-------|--------4--4----4--4----4----|

Xylophone sound (for guitar)
E--0-0-0-0-----------------|---------------------------|
B----------2--2-2--0-2--2--|-------------%-------------|
G--------------------------|---------------------------|

E--0-0-0-0---------------------|----------------------------------|
B----------2--2-2--0-2--2--0-2-|---3---3-3-3--3-3-3-2-----------0-|
G------------------------------|-------------------------2---2----|

Play all four patterns twice through; on the end of the second begin the
vocals ("Oh Elise it doesn't matter...")

Under the vocals, play the intro twelve-string pattern and this bass part:

---------------------------------|---------------------------------------|
-----------------------------4-4|-6--6-6-66----6-6---6-6-6-6-6-7-|
--0--0-0-0---0-0--0-0-0-0-0|---------------------------------------|
---------------------------------|---------------------------------------|

--------------------------------|-----------------------------------|
--4--4-4-4---4-4--4-4-4-4-4-7---|---0--0-00-0---0-0--0-0-0-0-0-4-4--|
--------------------------------|-----------------------------------|
--------------------------------|-----------------------------------|

Repeat these, then do the four intro patterns again twice through; then do
the second verse with only the second bass part. Go straight into the third
verse ("From me and you..."), adding the intro electric pattern on top.

Bridge

At "Yesterday I stood and stared...", begin these two patterns:

Bass
(one string only)

D--2--2-2-2--2-2---2-2-2-2/7-7-7---|--4--4-4-4--4-4--4-4-4-4-4-7-7--|

Guitar (with echo)
(two strings only)

G--4----------4-4----4----4----|---4/6------2-2----------------------|
D------------------------------|------------------4---4---4-4--------|

Repeat these two patterns three times, then go to these patterns
at "Elise, believe I never wanted this..."

Bass

D--5--5-5-5---5--5--5-5-5-5-5-5-5-|--4--4-4-4---4-4---4-4-4-4-4-7-7--|

Guitar

G--------2----2---2-----2-|--------2---------2-----2-|
D--5--5-----5--------5----|--4--4------4--4------4---|

Repeat these four times; then begin the guitar solo

Solo

(continue playing the bridge bass line underneath 2 1/2 times through, then
last measure of intro bass pattern, followed by three times through intro
bass pattern, then 1 1/2 times through first verse bass pattern)
(add xylophone sound aprt over last four measures)

(tabbed using only the necessary strings)

G----6/7--7--6-7--9-----9-----7-6--|--6/7--7--6-7--7------9--9---|
D------9--9-------9-----9----------|----------------------9--9---|

G----6/7--7/9--9-9--9/11--11-11--11/13--13-13---|
D--------------9-9--------12-12---------14-14---|

G----13/14-14--14--14-14/11--11--11/6--6-6-----|
D----------16--16--16-16-----------------------|

G---6/7-7--7/9---9-----9-9-9/11--11-11-11----|

G--13/14-14--14---14--14/11---11-11-11-11-11-|

G---11/13--13-13-13/14-14-14-14/16-16-16-16/14-14-|

B---------------12/14-14-14-14/15----14-14--|
G---14/16-16-16-----------------------------|

B---12/14-14-14-14--12-14-(12)-14-14------14-14-|

B---14/15-15-15-15--15-15-15-14-----14-----12-12-12-|

B---12/14-14---14---14-14---14--14/12/10--10-10-|

B---10/9-9--9/7-7-7-----7--7--5--|--5/7-7-7-7/5-5-5/3--3/2-2-2-|

B---0h2-3---3--3-3---2--0------0---|------------------------------|
G---------------------------2------|---4-4-6---6---4-6-------4-4--|

G----4-4-6----6---4--6-------6--|--4--6--6b(7)r--6---6--|

G----6/7-7-7-7/9-9-9-9/11-11-11---11-11-|

Coda

Go into the fourth verse right at the end of the solo. Play all four intro
patterns underneath. After the verse is over continue with them twice more,
and end like this:

Acoustic twelve-string                  (hold for whole measure)
------------------------------------|--0---------------------------|
------------------------------------|------------------------------|
--------------------------2---------|------------------------------|
-----------4------------------------|------------------------------|
-----5------------------------------|------------------------------|
------------------------------------|------------------------------|