Yeah, I spent about an hour last night woodshedding it, and did the same this afternoon. Sometimes I can hit it just fine, other times the rhythm gets off, and I end up all over the fretboard.

FYI, the published tabs don't seem to reflect the song accurately. It's probably because of the process by which the song was written: It evolved during the recording sessions and involves many, many layers of guitar, bass, percussion, and vocal. I assume that published tabs are an just an approximation of the song. I suspect it would take three lead guitars, one or two acoustic guitars, and one bass to actually re-create what is found on the studio recording.

Anyway, you are right about the 'too young' part: I took lessons in second grade, then quit after only about two months. I bought a guitar in 1988 with noble intentions of trying again, but it has sat in my closet all this time. Now, I am serious about mastering this thing, and stubbornly, I want to learn to play my most favorite song in the world. I've been taking lessons for about eight months now, but kids & family really make practice time somewhat a rare luxury. Hmm, I didn't have those issues in 1988! 1973 neither, for that matter... Maybe that's the true source of the frustration.