From: Paul D 

TAB: "Runaround" by Van Halen

Okay, here's my second posting of a rather difficult Van Halen tune (the
first being that "Poundcake" monster).  The first thing you gotta do if you
wanna sound like the record is tune down 1/2 step.  The signature riff
(which is also the chorus part) is quite difficult to play.  Try to find
as many actual chord-shapes as possible; that way you won't have to make a
million changes in hand position.  There's some bits of lyric here and there
to help you keep up...
A few notes on my tab:  "p.m...." means palm-mute;
                        "a.h...." means artificial harmonics
                        "b" means bend
                        "b&r" means bend the notes up to pitch and
                                then release the bend to the original
                                pitch.
                        "bf" means bend full


                                 Runaround
                                by Van Halen
                               tab by Paul D.
                            s3bz@music.transy.edu



|---||---------------0-|--------------|-----------------|------------------
|---||-------------3---|-3------------|---------------3-|------------------
|---||-----2-----2-----|---2----------|-----2-------0---|------------------
|---||---2-----0-------|--------------|---2-------------|------------------
|---||-0-----3---------|----------0-3-|-0-----3---------|------------------
|-3-||-----------------|-----3~~~-----|---------3~------|------------------



--------------|---------------0-|--------------|-------------3-|-----------
1-0-----0-----|-------------3---|-3------------|-------------3-|-----------
------2---2---|-----2-----2-----|---2----------|-----2-------0-|-----------
----0---------|---2-----0-------|--------------|---2---------0-|-----------
--------------|-0-----3---------|----------0-3-|-0-----3-------|-----------
------------3-|-----------------|-----3~~~-----|---------3~----|-----------



3-3-3-2---2-2-0-|------------|------------|------------|-------------------
3-3-3-3---3-3-3-|-------15---|-------14---|-------13---|-------------------
0-0-0-2---2-2-2-|----12------|----12------|----10------|-------------------
0-0-0-0---0-0-0-|-14---------|-14---------|-12---------|-------------------
----------------|------------|------------|------------|-------------------
----------------|------------|------------|------------|-------------------



-------------------|------------|------------|----------|------------------
12-12-10h12-10-----|-------15---|-------14---|-------13-|------------------
10-10-10----10-----|----12------|----12------|----10----|------------------
10-10-10----10-----|-14---------|-14---------|-12-------|------------------
-----------------0-|------------|------------|----------|------------------
-------------------|------------|------------|----------|------------------


                                             b
--------------14---12\--||----------|--------------|----------|------------
12-12-12-10---12---12\--||----------|--------------|----------|------------
10-10-10-10---12--------||----------|--------------|----------|------------
10-10-10-10-----------2-||-2--------|------------2-|-2--------|------------
----------------------0-||-0--------|-----5------0-|-0--------|------------
------------------------||-------12\|-2------2-----|-------12\|------------
                              "She don't like it..."     "And don't like..."

       b                          b
--------------|----------|--------------|---------------|------------------
--------------|----------|--------------|-----------5-7-|------------------
--------------|----------|--------------|-------5---5-7-|------------------
----7-------2-|-2--------|------------2-|-2-2/7---7-----|------------------
4------4~~~-0-|-0--------|-----5------0-|-0-0-----------|------------------
--------------|-------12\|-2------2-----|---------------|------------------
                                             "She ain't about to give..."

b&r
---------------|------------|------------|----------|----------------------
-7-------------|-------15---|-------14---|-------13-|----------------------
-7------p5-----|----12------|----12------|----10----|----------------------
-----------7-7-|-14---------|-14---------|-12-------|----------------------
-------------0-|------------|------------|----------|----------------------
---------------|------------|------------|----------|----------------------


                              b                      b
--------------14---12\--||----------------|----------------|----------|----
12-12-12-10---12---12\--||----------------|----------------|----------|----
10-10-10-10---12--------||--------2---x-x-|----------------|----------|----
10-10-10-10-----------2-||-2------2---x-x-|--------------2-|-2--------|----
----------------------0-||-0--3-------x-x-|-------5------0-|-0--------|----
------------------------||----------------|-2--------2-----|-------12\|----
                                 "She can take me..."

     a.h.......                             b
--------------------|-------------|--------------|---------------|---------
--------------------|-------------|--------------|-----------5-7-|---------
--------------------|-------2-----|--------------|-------5---5-7-|---------
-----7------------2-|-2-----2-----|------------2-|-2-2/7---7-----|---------
4------4---4-4~~~-0-|-0-3-----x-x-|-----5------0-|-0-0-----------|---------
--------------------|-------------|-2------2-----|---------------|---------
"...drives me home..."

b&r                p.m...
---------------||------------------|---------------------|-----------------
-7-------------||--------5-----7---|-----10---9h10p9-----|-----------------
-7------p5-----||------6-----------|-9---------------9---|-----------------
-----------7-7-||----6-------7---9-|---9---------------9-|-----------------
-------------0-||--4-------5-----7-|---------------------|-----------------
---------------||----------------0-|---------------------|-----------------
                  "I'd walk, but I want it..."


--------------------|-------------------|-----------------|----------------
--------10-----7/10-|-9-----------------|-----------------|----------------
-----11-------------|---9---------------|-----6-----------|----------------
--11---------7------|-----9---7h9p7\6---|---6-------------|----------------
9----------5--------|-----------------7-|-4----/7-5-5/9-7-|----------------
-----------------0--|-------------------|---------------0-|----------------
"what fool believes.."                   "I've got her in my sight..."

                      p.m...
--------------------|------------------|-------------||--------------------
-----------------10-|--------3-2-------|-0-----------||--------------------
--9-----------11----|------2-----2---1-|-2---1-------||--------------------
9----------11-------|----2-----------2-|-2---2-------||--------------------
---/11-9------------|--0-------------2-|-----2-------||--------------------
--------------------|----------------0-|-----------3-||--------------------
"But just out of..."


--------------0-|--------------|-----------------|---------------|---------
------------3---|-3------------|---------------3-|-1-0-----0-----|---------
----2-----2-----|---2----------|-----2-------0---|-------2---2---|---------
--2-----0-------|--------------|---2-------------|-----0---------|---------
0-----3---------|----------0-3-|-0-----3---------|---------------|---------
----------------|-----3~~~-----|---------3-------|-------------3-|---------
"Here we go around..."


--------------0-|--------------|-----------------|-------------||
------------3---|-3------------|---------------3-|-1-0-3---3---||
----2-----2-----|---2----------|-----2-------0---|-----2---2---||
--2-----0-------|--------------|---2-------------|-----0---0-2-||
0-----3---------|----------0-3-|-0-----3---------|-----------0-||
----------------|-----3~~~-----|---------3-------|-------------||

Then it's back to the verse, pre-chorus, and chorus parts one more time
through, then it's SOLO time.  (DON'T ASK!)  After that, there's a bit of
a "bridge":

||----------|---------|---------|-------------|----------|---------|-------
||-----10---|-----9---|-----8---|-7-7-5h7-5---|-----10---|-----9---|-------
||---7------|---7-----|---5-----|-5-5-5---5---|---7------|---7-----|-------
||-9--------|-9-------|-7-------|-5-5-5---5---|-9--------|-9-------|-------
||----------|---------|---------|-------------|----------|---------|-------
||----------|---------|---------|-----------0-|----------|---------|-------
                       "oo.   ah."             "It goes like this"

                              b              bf     pm
--------------|-----9-----||--------|-----------------|--------------------
----8-----7-7-|-7-5-7-7---||--------|-----------------|--------------------
--5-------5-5-|-5-5-7-7---||--------|-----------------|--------------------
7---------5-5-|-5-5-7-7---||--------|-----2---------2-|--------------------
--------------|---------2-||--------|---------------2-|--------------------
--------------|---------0-||--3-----|-4------4------0-|--------------------
                             "Oh man it's..."

                                           b            bf     pm
--------------------------|---9-9-9-7-|--------|-----------------|---------
--0-3h5p3p0-5p3p0---------|---7-7-7-7-|--------|-----------------|---------
------------------2h4p2p0-|---7-7-7-7-|--------|-----------------|---------
--------------------------|-----------|--------|-----2---------2-|---------
--------------------------|-----------|--------|---------------2-|---------
--------------------------|-0---------|-0--3---|-4------4------0-|---------
"And you make it harder..."               "Fill me up..."

                   b
------------|-------------------------||
------------|-------------------------||
------------|-------------------------||
----------2-|-------------------------||
----2-4---2-|-------------------------||
3h4-------0-|-----------------------3-||
Oh man she owns it."   "Here we go a-    round..."

(go to the chorus and ad lib a fade-out)

That's it.  That should be all you need to do an accurate version of
"Runaround".  If you're REALLY hurtin' for the solo, email me and be nice
and I'll give it a shot.  I might even do the outro part too.
Questions/Comments welcome (by email).

Good luck!
Paul D. s3bz@music.transy.edu