Brad's Paul Simon Guitar Tablature Page (www.bradpriddy.com/paul_simon)
........................... A Most Peculiar Man ...........................
Copyright © 1965 Paul Simon
From the Sounds of Silence album.
Transcribed by Rich Kent (r.kent@virgin.net)
Paul wrote this song after reading the obituary of a man who had
committed suicide while he was living in England.
This is a nice tab that Rich Kent has done to match the version of this
song on the Sounds of Silence album. It is also very close to what is
played on the Paul Simon Songbook.
Tune all strings down about 1/4 tone to match the recording (see section
on Paul Simon's tuning on the main page).
No capo
Verse 1
D
e:|---5---------5---|---0---------0---|---5---------5---|---0---------0---|
B:|---------3-------|---------3-------|---------3-------|---------3-------|
G:|-----0-----0---0-|-----0-----0---0-|-----0-----0---0-|-----0-----0---0-|
D:|-------4---------|-------4---------|-------4---------|-------4---------|
A:|-5-----------5---|-5-----------5---|-5-----------5---|-5-----------5---|
E:|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|
He was a
D
h p
e:|---5---------5---|---0---------0---|---------2---020-|---------0-------|
B:|---------3-------|---------3-------|---3-------------|-3-----------3---|
G:|-----0-----0---0-|-----0-----0---0-|-----2-----2-----|-----2-----2---2-|
D:|-------4---------|-------4---------|-0-----------0---|-0-----------0---|
A:|-5-----------5---|-5-----------5---|-------0---------|-------0---------|
E:|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|
most peculiar man
Em A
e:|---0---------0---|---0---------0---|---0---------0---|---0---------0---|
B:|---------0-------|---------0-------|---------0-------|---------2-------|
G:|-----0-----0---0-|-----0-----0---0-|-----0-----0---0-|-----2-----2---2-|
D:|-------2---------|-------2---------|-------2---------|-------2---------|
A:|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|-0-----------0---|
E:|-0-----------0---|-0-----------0---|-0-----------0---|-----------------|
That's what Mrs Reirdon said and she should know she lived up
D G A
E:|---2-----2-------|---2---------2---|---3---------3---|-------------0---|
B:|-----3-------3---|-----3---3-------|---------0-------|---2-----3-------|
G:|-----------2---2-|-----------2---2-|-----0-----0---0-|-----2-----2---2-|
D:|-0-----------0---|-0-----------0---|-------0---------|-------2---------|
A:|-------0---------|-------0---------|-----------------|-0---------------|
E:|-----------------|-----------------|-3-----------3---|-----------------|
stairs from him she said he was a most peculiar
Verse 2
D
e:|---5---------5---|---0---------0---|---5---------5---|---0---------0---|
B:|---------3-------|---------3-------|---------3-------|---------3-------|
G:|-----0-----0---0-|-----0-----0---0-|-----0-----0---0-|-----0-----0---0-|
D:|-------4---------|-------4---------|-------4---------|-------4---------|
A:|-5-----------5---|-5-----------5---|-5-----------5---|-5-----------5---|
E:|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|
man He was a
D
e:|---5---------5---|---0---------0---|-------------020-|---------0-------|
B:|---------3-------|---------3-------|---3-----3-------|-3-----------3---|
G:|-----0-----0---0-|-----0-----0---0-|-----2-----2-----|-----2-----2---2-|
D:|-------4---------|-------4---------|-0-----------0---|-0-----------0---|
A:|-5-----------5---|-5-----------5---|-------0---------|-------0---------|
E:|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|
most peculiar man
Em
e:|---0---------0---|---0---------0---|---0---------0---|---0---------0---|
B:|---------0-------|---------0-------|---------0-------|---------0-------|
G:|-----0-----0---0-|-----0-----0---0-|-----0-----0---0-|-----0-----0---0-|
D:|-------2---------|-------2---------|-------2---------|-------2---------|
A:|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|
E:|-0-----------0---|-0-----------0---|-0-----------0---|-0-----------0---|
He lived all alone within a house within a room
A D G A
e:|---------------0-|---2---------2---|---3---------3---|-------------0---|
B:|---2-----2--3----|-----3---3-------|---------0-------|---2-----3-------|
G:|-----2---------0-|-------2---2---2-|-----0-----0---0-|-----2-----2---2-|
D:|-------2-2--4----|-0-----------0---|-------0---------|-------2---------|
A:|-0---------------|-----------------|-----------------|-0---------------|
E:|-----------------|-----------------|-3-----------3---|-----------------|
within himself a most peculiar..
Verse 3 is the same as verse 2.
Verse 4
D
e:|---5---------5---|---0---------0---|---5---------5---|---0---------0---|
B:|---------3-------|---------3-------|---------3-------|---------3-------|
G:|-----0-----0---0-|-----0-----0---0-|-----0-----0---0-|-----0-----0---0-|
D:|-------4---------|-------4---------|-------4---------|-------4---------|
A:|-5-----------5---|-5-----------5---|-5-----------5---|-5-----------5---|
E:|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|
He died last
D
e:|---5---------5---|---0---------0---|---------2---020-|---------0-------|
B:|---------3-------|---------3-------|---3-------------|-3-----------3---|
G:|-----0-----0---0-|-----0-----0---0-|-----2-----2-----|-----2-----2---2-|
D:|-------4---------|-------4---------|-0-----------0---|-0-----------0---|
A:|-5-----------5---|-5-----------5---|-------0---------|-------0---------|
E:|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|
Saturday
Em
e:|-------------0---|---0---------0---|---0---------0---|---0---------0---|
B:|---------0-------|---------0-------|---------0-------|---------0-------|
G:|-----0-----0---0-|-----0-----0---0-|-----0-----0---0-|-----0-----0---0-|
D:|-2-----2---------|-------2---------|-------2---------|-------2---------|
A:|-2---------------|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|
E:|-0-----------0---|-0-----------0---|-0-----------0---|-0-----------0---|
He turned on the gas with the windows closed so he'd never wake up
Em
e:|---0---------0---|---0---------0---|-------------0---|-------------0---|
B:|---------0-------|---------0-------|---------0-------|---------0-------|
G:|-----0-----0---0-|-----0-----0---0-|-----0-----0---0-|-----0-----0---0-|
D:|-------2---------|-------2---------|-2-----2---------|-2-----2---------|
A:|-----------------|-----------------|-2---------------|-2---------------|
E:|-0-----------0---|-0-----------0---|-0-----------0---|-0-----------0---|
To his silent world and his tiny room and Mrs Reirdon says he has a ...
A D
e:|---0---------0---|---0---------0---|---------2----2--|---------0-------|
B:|---------2-------|---------2-------|---3-------------|-3-----------3---|
G:|-----2-----2---2-|-----2-----2---2-|-----2-----2-----|-----2-----2---2-|
D:|-------2---------|-------2---------|-0---------------|-0-----------0---|
A:|-0-----------0---|-0-----------0---|-------0---------|-------0---------|
E:|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|
Who should be notified soon and
G A D Bm G
e:|-3-------0-------|-2-------2-------|-----------------|---3---------3---|
B:|-0-------2-------|-3-------3-------|-----------------|---------0-------|
G:|-0-------2-------|-2-------4-------|-----------------|-----0-----0---0-|
D:|-0-------2-------|-0-------4-------|-----------------|-------0---------|
A:|-2-------0-------|---------2-------|-----------------|-----------------|
E:|-3---------------|-----------------|-----------------|-3-----------3---|
all the people said "What a shame that he's dead but wasn't he a
A D
e:|-------------0---|---5---------5---|---0---------0---|---5---------5---|
B:|---2-----3-------|---------3-------|---------3-------|---------3-------|
G:|-----2-----2---2-|-----0-----0---0-|-----0-----0---0-|-----0-----0---0-|
D:|-------2---------|-------4---------|-------4---------|-------4---------|
A:|-0-----------0---|-5-----------5---|-5-----------5---|-5-----------5---|
E:|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|
most peculiar man" (fade out ...)
Lyrics:
He was a most peculiar man.
That's what Mrs. Reirdon said and she should know;
She lived upstairs from him.
She said he was a most peculiar man.
He was a most peculiar man.
He lived all alone within a house,
Within a room, within himself.
A most peculiar man.
He had no friends he seldom spoke,
And no one in turn ever spoke to him,
'Cause he wasn't friendly and he didn't care,
And he wasn't like them.
Oh, no! He was a most peculiar man
He died last Saturday.
He turned on the gas and he went to sleep,
With the windows closed so he'd never wake up,
To his silent world and his tiny room,
And Mrs. Reirdon says he has a brother somewhere,
Who should be notified soon.
And all the people said, "What a shame that he's dead,
But, wasn't he a most peculiar man?"