Roulette :: System of a Down :: Steal This Album :: 2002

Roulette is the fifteenth track on System of a Down's autumn 2002 offering, Steal this Album. It is the outlying track on the album. Instead of being another sometimes painfully similar heavy guitar, power-chord saturated song, it is one of the most beautiful they have ever created. The roster of instruments is acoustic guitar, cello, and mandolin, which all fuse together perfectly.

I immediately fell in love with this song's pace and key, it's just perfect for me. Though the overly nasal backup vocals are a little overbearing at time, and unnecessary at that, the rest compensates for this.

I have a problem that I can not explain
I have no reason why it should've been so plain
I have no questions but i sure have excuse
I lack the reason why I should be so confused

I know, how I feel when i'm around you
I don't know, how I feel when i'm around you

around you

Left a message, but it aint a bit of use
I have some pictures but what might be the deuce
Today you saw, you saw me, you explained
playing the show when running down the plane

I know, how I feel when I'm around you
I don't know, how I feel when i'm around you
I, I know, how I feel when i'm around you
I, don't know, how i feel when i'm around you

around you

I, I know, how I feel when i'm around you
I, don't know, how I feel when i'm around you
I, I know, how I feel when I'm around you
I, don't know, how I feel when I'm around you

around you
around you
around you...

around you


I also tabbed the song because I love you. I know that SOAD usually plays drop-d or CGCFAD with their guitars, and Daron even plays a baritone guitar now, but I tabbed it in standard tuning anyway. I feel this song can appeal to anyone, not just "hardcore" CGCFAD SOAD fans.

  Guitar Riff           play ad infinitum (or ad 3min 21sec)
E||------------------|------------------|------------------|
B||------------------|------------------|------------------|
G||---8-----8--------|12----------7-----|---10--------10---|
D||------------------|------------------|------------------|
A||------------------|------------------|------------------|
E||-8----88----88/11-|----11-11/6----66/|-9------9--9------|

------------------||
------------------||
--------5-------7-||
------------------||
------------------||
--9/4-4----44/6---||


  Mandolin Bridge arr. for Guitar                play twice
E||-8----8-10-11-----|-10-11-13------10-|-11-13-11-10/8-10-|
B||------------------|------------------|------------------|
G||------------------|------------------|------------------|
D||------------------|------------------|------------------|
A||------------------|------------------|------------------|
E||------------------|------------------|------------------|


-11-10-8-8--------|------------------|------------------|
-----------8-8----|-8-9-11-9-8/6-8-9-|-8-6-6------------|
------------------|------------------|-------3-3--------|
------------------|------------------|------------------|
------------------|------------------|------------------|
------------------|------------------|------------------|

----------------/8|
-4/6\4-4-3-3-1----|
-5/7\6-6-3-3-1----|
------------------|
------------------|
------------------|

Guitar ends on something like this.  (or it doesn't and my
mistake of not tabbing it in drop-d comes back to haunt me.)
E||---||
A||-0-||
D||-0-||
G||-9-||
B||-9-||
E||-7-||

The chorus is a bit different, but it follows the same pattern. Just messing with that progression for a few bars should get you there. Simple.

if you have got any corrections or that isn't even a mandolin, please msg me. thanks.