Tom Petty - Strangered In The Night Tabs

Strangered in the Night
Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers
Questions/ Corrections: drop me a line!
Key of E

For all the true Heartbreaker fans!

(FYI): At the beginning,
[pianist] Benmont Tench says: “Ron, wanna play?”
Ron (bass) hits E for a second,
and Stan Lynch counts off with his sticks
while Mike Campbell (guitar) tunes. Then:

E|------12---12\\---|   Then a long pick scr*pe up and down the neck.
B|------12---12\\---|
G|------------------|
D|------------------|
A|------------------|
E|------------------|

Main lick:              D    A
E|----------------------2----0--------|
B|----------------------3----2--------|
G|----------------------2----2--------| 8x
D|----------------------0----2--------|
A|-----------2-4-------------0--------|
E|--0-0--3-4-----3-0------------------|

This is repeated for 17 measures.

“Well it was dark at midnight
There was hardly any moon
And no one really saw much
No one was really sure”

Then, the rhythm moves up a string. (More or less)
                        G    D
E|----------------------3----2--------|
B|----------------------0----3--------|
G|----------------------0----2--------|
D|-----------2-4--------0----0--------|
A|--0-0--3-4-----3-0----2-------------|
E|----------------------3-------------|

“But something didn’t seem right
Things seemed kinda queer”

(Now back to main lick)

The roar turned into whispers
Everyone stood there”

CHORUS
“The sound just split the night- like hiding from the light- like strangers in the night 
in the night)”
    G    A    E                  D    G
E|--3----0-----------------------2----0--------|
B|--0----2----0------------------3----2--------|
G|--0----2----1------------------2----2--------|
D|--0----2----2------------------0----2--------|
A|--2----0----2-------2-4-------------0--------|
E|--3---------0---3-4-----3-0------------------|

Repeat all of this for Verse 2:

“Well I didn’t see those shotguns
And I didn’t see no knife
But I saw this crazy black guy
With a demon in his eye

And I Heard him say, “White man!”
I’ve seen that silver cue!
You don’t remember me but
I remember you

The sound just split the night
Like hiding from the light
Like strangers in the night
(Strangers in the night)


E|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
B|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
G|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
D|---------2-4-----------2-4-----------2-4--------------------------2-4----------2-4-|
A|--0--3-4------0-0--3-4------0-0--3-4----------------2-4--0-0--3-4-----0-0--3-4-----|
E|-----------------------------------------0-0--3-4----------------------------------|

E|----------------------|
B|----------------------|
G|----------------------|
D|-----------2-4--------|
A|--0-0--3-4------------|
E|----------------------|

Then play the main lick twice before starting the 3rd verse.

Well the knife just left his fingers
As the black guy took his aim
The white guy’s head exploded
The black guy howled in pain

And then everybody scattered
I heard some woman scream
God damn that old black bastard
Well you’ve blown away my dreams

CHORUS

After that, a solo is played over the main lick until it fades out.
The middle solo, fills, and outro will be added later.
I tabbed this without a top E-string on my guitar, so the solos are forthcoming after I re-string.
 Thanks for looking up great music!