Day Tripper was written by John Lennon and Paul McCartney.
Recorded: EMI Studios, London - October 16th, 1965
Released: Dec 3, 1965 in the UK, and Dec 6, 1965 in the US
Album: 1962-1966
Music: Key of E Major in 4/4 time at ~ 138 bpm (♩)
Chords: E7, E/B, A7, A/B, B6, B7, F#7, F#m/B, G#7
Day Tripper
Tab Intro Riff:
Intro:4/4 - Riff ‖ E7 ‖ x 10
E7
1. Got a good rea-son For tak-ing the ea-sy way out
A7 E7
Got a good rea-son For tak-ing the ea-sy way out now
F#7Chorus: She was a day trip-per One way tick-et, yeah
A7 G#7 C#7 B7
It took me so long to find out And I found out
Riff: ‖ E7 ‖ x 4
E7
2. She's a big tea-ser She took me half the way there
A7 E7
She's a big tea-ser She took me half the way there now
F#7Chorus: She was a day trip-per One way tick-et, yeah
A7 G#7 C#7 B7
It took me so long to find out And I found out
Riff: ‖ B7 | B7 | B7 | B7 | B7 | B7 ‖B7 E/B F#m/B B6 A/B B7
Ah _ ah _ ah _ ah _ ah _ ah
Riff: ‖ E7 ‖ x 4
E7
3. Tried to please her She only played one night stands
A7 E7
Tried to please her She only played one night stands now
F#7Chorus: She was a day trip-per Sun-day dri-ver, yeah
A7 G#7 C#7 B7
It took me so long to find out And I found out
Riff: ‖ E7 ‖ x 8
E7Outro: Day tripper _ Day tripper, yeah
E7
Day tripper _ Day tripper, yeah... (repeat and fade)
The riff played throughout the song is exactly the same pattern except one
starts on string 6 (E7), and the other starts on string 5.
When played over E7 it starts on string 6 as shown in the Intro Tab (Strings 6, 5, 4)
When played over A7 it starts on string 5 with exactly the same pattern (Strings 5, 4, 3)
E/B is played exactly like an E chord except you dont play string 6 as you are leading with a 'B' bass note which is on the 5th string.
During the choruses, it is easier to play A7 as a barre chord on the 5th fret, with an easy transition down the fretboard to G#7 and C#7 and B7 which can be played using the same shape as A7 barre except starting on the 7th fret.
The riff over the 6 bars of B7 after the second chorus starts on the 7th fret - 6th string (B note). I haven't written the tab for this. Using the same intervals and your ears, see if you can work it out.
If you don't play the riff, it sounds better to use the B7 barre on the 7th fret while playing the 6 bars here, especially if you are using a chunky down-stroke pattern.
