06_hwy61/tombstone_blues.htm

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   7 <title>Tombstone Blues</title>
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  12
  13 <h1 class="songtitle">Tombstone Blues</h1>
  14
  15
  16 <p>Words and music Bob Dylan<br />
  17 Released on <a class="recordlink" href="index.htm">Highway 61 Revisited</a>
  18 (1965), <a class="recordlink" href="../28_biograph/index.htm">Biograph</a>
  19 (1985) and <a href="../44_bs7_ndh/index.htm" class="recordlink">No
  20 direction home</a> (2005), and in live versions on <a class="recordlink"
  21 href="../26_reallive/index.htm">Real Live</a> (1984) and <em><a
  22 class="recordlink" href="../37_unplugged/index.htm">Unplugged</a></em>
  23 (1995)<br />
  24 Tabbed by Eyolf &Oslash;strem. Solo licks tabbed by Jeff Kokosinsky</p>
  25
  26 <hr />
  27
  28 <p>Capo 2nd fret (sounding key F# major)</p>
  29
  30 <hr />
  31
  32 <pre class="verse">
  33     E                          A          E
  34 The sweet pretty things are in bed now of course
  35     E                           A    E
  36 The city fathers they're trying to endorse
  37     E                A             E
  38 The reincarnation of Paul Revere's horse
  39         E           A          E
  40 But the town has no need to be nervous
  41 </pre>
  42
  43 <pre class="verse">
  44 The ghost of Belle Starr she hands down her wits
  45 To Jezebel the nun she violently knits
  46 A bald wig for Jack the Ripper who sits
  47 At the head of the chamber of commerce
  48 </pre>
  49
  50 <pre class="refrain">
  51 A
  52 Mama's in the fact'ry
  53           E
  54 She ain't got no shoes
  55 A
  56 Daddy's in the alley
  57      E
  58 He's lookin' for food
  59 A
  60 I'm in the kitchen *)
  61                    E
  62 With the tombstone blues
  63 </pre>
  64
  65 <pre class="verse">
  66 The hysterical bride in the penny arcade
  67 Screaming she moans, &quot;I've just been made&quot;
  68 Then sends out for the doctor who pulls down the shade
  69 Says, &quot;My advice is to not let the boys in&quot;
  70 </pre>
  71
  72 <pre class="verse">
  73 Now the medicine man comes and he shuffles inside
  74 He walks with a swagger and he says to the bride
  75 &quot;Stop all this weeping, swallow your pride
  76 You will not die, it's not poison&quot;
  77 </pre>
  78
  79 <pre class="refrain">
  80 Mama's in the fact'ry
  81 She ain't got no shoes
  82 Daddy's in the alley
  83 He's lookin' for food
  84 I'm in the kitchen
  85 With the tombstone blues
  86 </pre>
  87
  88 <pre class="verse">
  89 Well, John the Baptist after torturing a thief
  90 Looks up at his hero the Commander-in-Chief
  91 Saying, &quot;Tell me great hero, but please make it brief
  92 Is there a hole for me to get sick in?&quot;
  93 </pre>
  94
  95 <pre class="verse">
  96 The Commander-in-Chief answers him while chasing a fly
  97 Saying, &quot;Death to all those who would whimper and cry&quot;
  98 And dropping a bar bell he points to the sky
  99 Saying, &quot;The sun's not yellow it's chicken&quot;
 100 </pre>
 101
 102 <pre class="refrain">
 103 Mama's in the fact'ry
 104 She ain't got no shoes
 105 Daddy's in the alley
 106 He's lookin' for food
 107 I'm in the kitchen
 108 With the tombstone blues
 109 </pre>
 110
 111 <pre class="verse">
 112 The king of the Philistines his soldiers to save
 113 Puts jawbones on their tombstones and flatters their graves
 114 Puts the pied pipers in prison and fattens the slaves
 115 Then sends them out to the jungle
 116 </pre>
 117
 118 <pre class="verse">
 119 Gypsy Davey with a blowtorch he burns out their camps
 120 With his faithful slave Pedro behind him he tramps
 121 With a fantastic collection of stamps
 122 To win friends and influence his uncle
 123 </pre>
 124
 125 <pre class="refrain">
 126 Mama's in the fact'ry
 127 She ain't got no shoes
 128 Daddy's in the alley
 129 He's lookin' for food
 130 I'm in trouble
 131 With the tombstone blues
 132 </pre>
 133
 134 <pre class="verse">
 135 The geometry of innocent flesh on the bone
 136 Causes Galileo's math book to get thrown
 137 At Delilah who's sitting worthlessly alone
 138 But the tears on her cheeks are from laughter
 139 </pre>
 140
 141 <pre class="verse">
 142 Now I wish I could give Brother Bill his great thrill
 143 I would set him in chains at the top of the hill
 144 Then send out for some pillars and Cecil B. DeMille
 145 He could die happily ever after
 146 </pre>
 147
 148 <pre class="refrain">
 149 Mama's in the fact'ry
 150 She ain't got no shoes
 151 Daddy's in the alley
 152 He's lookin' for food
 153 I'm in the kitchen
 154 With the tombstone blues
 155 </pre>
 156
 157 <pre class="verse">
 158 Where Ma Raney and Beethoven once unwrapped their bed roll
 159 Tuba players now rehearse around the flagpole
 160 And the National Bank at a profit sells road maps for the soul
 161 To the old folks home and the college
 162 </pre>
 163
 164 <pre class="verse">
 165 Now I wish I could write you a melody so plain
 166 That could hold you dear lady from going insane
 167 That could ease you and cool you and cease the pain
 168 Of your useless and pointless knowledge
 169 </pre>
 170
 171 <pre class="refrain">
 172 Mama's in the fact'ry
 173 She ain't got no shoes
 174 Daddy's in the alley
 175 He's lookin' for the fuse
 176 I'm in the streets
 177 With the tombstone blues
 178 </pre>
 179
 180 <hr />
 181
 182 <p>*) The copyrighted version has &ldquo;looking for the fuse / I am in the streets&rdquo;</p>
 183
 184
 185 <p>Solo licks:</p>
 186 <pre class="tab">
 187 Main Riff Throughout        w/ the Tombstone Blues...
 188 ||--2-----------------|-||-------------------------------|
 189 ||----5----2----2-----|-||-------17^----17^--------------|
 190 ||*-----4^---4^---2---|-||*---16-----16-----16-16^-14----|
 191 ||*-----------------4-|-||*---------------------------16-|
 192 ||--------------------|-||-------------------------------|
 193 ||--------------------|-||-------------------------------|
 194 </pre>
 195
 196 <pre class="tab">
 197 ||------12-----------------------------------|
 198 ||--12^----12-12-12-12-10---12^--------------|
 199 ||*-----------------------------11-----------|
 200 ||*------------------------------------------|
 201 ||---------------------------------14-14^----|
 202 ||----------------------------------------14-|
 203 </pre>
 204
 205 <hr />
 206
 207 <h2 class="songversion"><em>Real Live</em> version</h2>
 208 <pre class="verse">
 209     B
 210 The sweet pretty things are in bed now of course
 211
 212 The city fathers they're trying to endorse
 213
 214 The reincarnation of Paul Revere's horse
 215         A                      B
 216 But the town has no need to be nervous
 217
 218 . . .
 219 </pre>
 220
 221 <pre class="refrain">
 222 E
 223 Mama's in the fact'ry
 224           B
 225 She ain't got no shoes
 226 E
 227 Daddy's in the alley
 228      B
 229 He's lookin' for food
 230 E
 231 I'm in the kitchen
 232                    B
 233 With the tombstone blues
 234 </pre>
 235
 236 <hr />
 237
 238 <h2 class="songversion"><em><a class="recordlink" href="../37_unplugged/index.htm">Unplugged</a></em> version</h2>
 239
 240 <p>(recorded nov 1994)</p>
 241
 242 <p>The G is a bluesy mix of G major and minor (exactly the same used in <a href="../00_misc/viola_lee_blues.htm" class="songlink">Viola Lee Blues</a>.</p>
 243
 244 <p>The following riff is played by one of the guitars throughout the
 245 song, where there's a line with G.</p>
 246 <pre class="tab">
 247   G
 248   :     .     .     .       :     .     .     .
 249 |-------------------------|---------------1---------|-
 250 |-------------------------|------------23--3--------|-
 251 |--- 3----0---------3--0--|----3----0---------3--0--|-
 252 |-------------------------|-------------------------|-
 253 |-------------------------|-------------------------|-
 254 |-------------------------|-------------------------|-
 255 </pre>
 256
 257 <pre class="verse">
 258     G
 259 The sweet pretty things they're in bed now of course
 260
 261 The city fathers they're trying to endorse
 262
 263 The reincarnation of Paul Revere's horse
 264         Bb          C          G
 265 But the town has no need to be nervous
 266 </pre>
 267
 268 <pre class="verse">
 269 The ghost of Belle Starr she hands down her wits
 270 To Jezebel the nun she violently knits
 271 A bald wig for Jack the Ripper who sits
 272 At the head of the chamber of commerce
 273 </pre>
 274
 275 <pre class="refrain">
 276 C
 277 Mama's in the fact'ry
 278           G
 279 She ain't got no shoes
 280 C
 281 Daddy's in the hallway
 282 G
 283 lookin' for the fuse
 284 C
 285 I'm in the kitchen with the
 286 C   Bb    G
 287 tombstone blues
 288 </pre>
 289 </body></html>