Empty Chairs at Empty Tables (The Cafe Song)

by Claude-Michel Shönberg · posted by Kocot

How hard is it?

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How to read this tab — notation key

+: Blow note
−: Draw note
b or ': Half-step bend
bb or '': Two half-step bend
bbb or ''': Three half-step bend
(###): Chord — relevant hole numbers in parentheses
< or *: Push the button in (chromatic harmonica)

Full reference and posting tips in the tab guide.

Tab

To play this song all the way through, you will actually require TWO harmonicas: one diatonic in the Key of C, and one diatonic in the Key of E.

This is the first tabulature I'm posting, and I already know some notes are slightly incorrect. Tabbed directly from sheet music.

Key of C

  -6   -6  -7   -6     6   -5 -5  5
There's a grief that can't be spoken.

 -6    -6  -7   -6   6 -5  56
There's a pain goes on and on.

 6 6    -6   6  -5 5   5 -4
Empty chairs at empty tables,

 5  -5    5     5   -3   4   5
now my friends are dead and gone.

 -6   -6    -7   -6  6 -5 -5  5
Here they talked of rev-o-lu-tion.

 -6  -6 -7   -6   6  -5   5 6
Here it was they lit the flame.

  6    6   -6  6 -5   5 5 -4
Here they sang about tomorrow,

 5  -5 5  5  -3 4   -3'
and tomorrow never came.


 4    4   4 4  -4  4   4 -3'
From the table in the corner

 4     -4   5 -5   6   -5 -5-4
they could see a world re-born

-4   5    -5   6   -6  6    6  5
and they rose with voices ringing.

 4  4 -8   -8   -8   7
And I can hear them now.

 7  -8 8  -9    8    -8   -6   -5
The very words that they had sung

-9  9   -9    8   -8 -6 -5
became their last communion

 7  7  -8  7  -7 -6 -6  6   -6
on the lonely barricade at dawn.


-6 -6   -7     -6    6    -5  -5  5
Oh my friends, my friends forgive me

 -6 -6  -7  -6   6  -5   5 6
that I live and you are gone.

   6    6  -6    6    -5   5   5 -4
There's a grief that can't be spoken.

   5   -5  5    5   -3 -3   5
There's a pain goes on and on.


Key Change C->E

 -6 -6  -7-6  6  -5  -5  5
Phantom faces at the window,

 -6 -6  -7 -6   6  -5   5 6
Phantom shadows on the floor.

 6 6    -6   6  -5 5   5 -4
Empty chairs at empty tables

  5   -5    5     5    -3  4   5
where my friends will meet no more.


-6 -6   -7     -6    7     -7   -7  5
Oh my friends, my friends don't ask me

 -6   -6  -7 -6 6   -5  5 6
what your sacrifice was for.

 6 6    -6   6  -5 5   5 -4
Empty chairs at empty tables

  5   -5    5      5   -3  4  -3'
where my friends will sing no more.

Play on a harmonica— watch which holes to blow & draw, with sound