"When I Pray"
Todd Rundgren
From the album "Faithful" (1976)
Transcribed by Brian Canfield on 9/22/05

I've been meaning to figure this one out for a couple of months; I finally got
around to it today. This is played more as a lighthearted jam (and whats with
Todd's weird accent?), but you can try it out solo too I suppose.

Again, this is keyboard oriented tab, as I've labeled each chord's particular
voicing. C (2nd)/A means play a C triad, inverted twice (so it's E-G-C), with
an A in the bass (which is my excessive way of labeling an Am7). It's all in
the key of C except a Bbmaj7 ( which is labeled here as Dm(2nd)/Bb )


F(2nd)/G     G(2nd)      C(1st)
      Now I lay me down to sleep

Em(2nd)/C          Dm(2nd)/Bb
I'm praying Lord my soul to keep

C(2nd)/A   Am(2nd)/F
If I die before I wake

Dm(2nd)  C(2nd)/D    G
Somebody make a big mistake

I'm only just one little man
Just usin' up the air
Still I'm askin' anyway

F/D   C(2nd)/D   G(1st)
Yah   yah       youuu! (please be there..)

C(2nd)   G(1st)/C   F(1st)
Yah       yah       youuuu


Singin' om om my god, please be there

You know I'm just like all my kind
I got a weak and confused mind
When I feel a little pain
You know how I love to complain

But I try to be strong
I try hard to lift my share
I don't expect for nothing
But Lord when I pray, please be there

(For this part, just ad lib a bunch of F, C, and G triads over a constant G bass)
Nah nah nah nah..

If you're more of a guitar player, it could be best translated as follows (using my limited guitar knowledge):


Verse:

F/G                 C
3 x 3 2 1 1       x 3 2 0 1 0
Now I lay..

Cmaj7             Bbmaj7
x 3 2 0 0 0       x 1 3 2 3 1
I'm praying..

Am7               Fmaj7
x 0 2 2 1 3       1 0 3 2 1 0
If I die..

Dm                G
x x 0 2 3 1       3 2 0 0 3 3
Somebody make..

Chorus:

F/D               C/D                G

x x 0 2 1 1       x x 0 0 1 0       3 2 0 0 3 3
Yah              yah                you

C                G/C                F

x 3 5 5 5 3     x 3 5 4 3 3        1 3 3 2 1 1
Yah              yah                 you