Accidentally Like A Martyr
Written by Warren Zevon
Performed by Bob Dylan during the fall tour 2002
Tabbed by Eyolf Østrem
Dylan is mostly faithful to Zevon’s version, with the exception of the first chord in the third line of the verses, which is rather played something like this:
Bb C Dm C Bb F/a
Never thought I'd have to pay so dearly
It sounds as if the most pronounced guitar in Dylan’s version plays with D-chords and a capo on the third fret. I’ve included such a version below, as well as a version capoed on the 5th fret.
The long chord sequence in the middle of the song is virtually impossible to play satisfactorily on one guitar: The chords themselves are simple enough, but you simply can’t get both the bass line and the “dut-dut-dut” figure right at the same time. I’ve tabbed out a suggestion in the version with the 5th fret capo. Perhaps surprisingly, the uncapoed and the 3rd fret capo version sound best, overall, in this respect.
Uncapoed version
Chord suggestions:
F/a x03211
C/Bb x12010
F/Bb x13211
Eb/Bb 66504x (or 668886, but that doesn't sound as good)
Db/f xx3121
Ab/db x46544
F C/e Dm F/c
The phone don't ring No, no
Gm7 F/a Bb F/Bb Bb F/Bb Bb Dm7
And the sun refused to shine : . . . :
C/Bb Dm C Bb F/a |-----------------|-1---
Never thought I'd have to pay so dearly |-1---3---1---3---|-1---
Gm F Bb F/Bb-Bb F/Bb-B |-2---3---2---3---|-2---
For what was already mine |-3-------3-------|-0---
Dm7 G7/b C |-1-------1-------|-----
For such a long, long time |-----------------|-----
F C
We made mad love, shadow love
Bb F
Random love and abandoned love
F C
Accidentally like a martyr
Eb/Bb Bb F
The hurt gets worse and the heart gets harder
[repeat chorus]
Dm F C F
F/a F C
Dm F C F
F/a F C
Db/f Ab/db Eb Ab
Db/f Ab/db Eb
Db/f Ab/db Eb Ab
Db/f Ab/db Eb F
The days slide by
Should have done, should have done, we all sigh
Never thought I'd ever be so lonely
After such a long, long time
Time out of mind
We made mad love
Shadow love
Random love
And abandoned love
Accidentally like a martyr
The hurt gets worse and the heart gets harder
Version with capo 5th fret
C G/b Am C/g
The phone don't ring No, no
Dm7 C/e F C/f F C/f F Am7
And the sun refused to shine : . . . :
G/f /g Am G F C/e -(1)-|-----------------|-0---
Never thought I'd have to pay so dearly -(1)-|-----------------|-1---
Dm C F C/f-F C/f-F Am7 -(2)-|-0---2---0---2---|-0---
For what was already mine -(3)-|-2---3---2---3---|-2---
D7/f# G -(3)-|-----------------|-0---
For such a long, long time -(1)-|-----------------|-----
C G
We made mad love, shadow love
F C
Random love and abandoned love
C G
Accidentally like a martyr
Bb/F F C
The hurt gets worse and the heart gets harder
Am C G C C/e C G
. : . . . : . . . : . . . .
||-------|-----0-0-0-------|-----3-3-3-------|-----0-0-0------------||
||*--1-1-|-1-----------3-3-|-3---1-1-1---1-1-|-1---1-1-1---3-3-3---*||
||---2-2-|-2---0-0-0---0-0-|-0-----------0-0-|-0-----------0-0-0----||
||-------|-----------------|-----------------|----------------------||
||*------|-----------------|-----------------|---------------------*||
||-------|-----------------|-----------------|----------------------||
Ab/c Eb/Ab Bb Eb Ab/c Eb/Ab Bb C
. : . . . : . . . : . . . . . : . . .
||------|-----3-3-3---1-1-|-1---6-6-6-------|-----3-3-3---1-1-1----||-3-3-|-3---------------
||*-4-4-|-4---------------|-----4-4-4---4-4-|-4-------------------*||-1-1-|-1---------------
||--1-1-|-1---3-3-3---3-3-|-3---3-3-3---1-1-|-1---3-3-3---3-3-3----||-----|-----------------
||------|-----------------|-----------------|----------------------||-----|-----------------
||*-----|-3---------------|-----------------|---------------------*||-----|-----------------
||------|-----------------|-----------------|----------------------||-----|-----------------
The...
Version with capo 3rd fret
Chords:
A/c# x42220
A/g 34222x
Bb/d xx0331
F/Bb x13211
D A/c# Bm D/a
The phone don't ring No, no
Em7 D/f# G D/g G D/g G Bm7
And the sun refused to shine : . . . :
A/g (/a) Bm A G D/f# -(3)-|-----------------|-----
Never thought I'd have to pay so dearly -(0)-|-----0-------0---|-3---
Em D G (D/g-G D/g-G) Bm7 -(0)-|-2---0---2---0---|-2---
For what was already mine -(0)-|-4-------4-------|-4---
E7/g# A -(2)-|-----------------|-2---
For such a long, long time -(3)-|-----------------|-----
D A
We made mad love, shadow love
G D
Random love and abandoned love
D A
Accidentally like a martyr
C/g G D
The hurt gets worse and the heart gets harder
Bm D A D
D/f# D A
Bm D A D
D/f# D A
Bb/d F/Bb C F
Bb/d F/Bb C
Bb/d F/Bb C F
Bb/d F/Bb C D