Dyin’ Crapshooter's Blues
Blind Willie McTell (capo 2. band)
tab by Torbjørn Nymo (metonymo @ mail . ru)
(H7-5#9 H7)*
Little Jesse was a gambler, night and day
Well, he used crooked cards and dice
(H7-5#9 H7)
A sinful guy, good hearted, but had no soul
Heart was hard and cold like ice
Jesse was a wild reckless gambler, won a gang of change
Although' a many gambler's heart he left in pain
When he began to spend a-loose his money, he began to be blue and all alone
But boy, this heart had even turned to stone
What broke Jesse's heart, while he was blue and all alone
Sweet Lorena packed up and gone
Police walked up and shot my friend Jesse down
(He said) boy, I got to die today
He had a gang of crapshooters and gamblers at his bedside
Here are the words he had to say:
Em (H7)
I guess I ought to know
- - Em
Exactly how I want to go (How you wanna go, Jesse?)
Eight crapshooters to be my pallbearers, let them be veiled down in black
H7/f#**
I want nine men going to the graveyard, buddy, and eight men comin' back
I want a gang of gamblers gathered 'round my coffin-side
Crooked card printed on my hearse
H7 - - - H7 -
Don't say the crapshooters will never grieve over me
- - H7***
My life been a doggone curse
Send poker players to the graveyard, dig my grave with the ace of spades
H7/f#
I want twelve polices in my funeral march, high sheriff playin' blackjack, lead the parade
I want the judge and solicitor who jailed me fourteen times
put a pair of dice in my shoes (then what else?)
Let a deck of cards be my tombstone, buddy
(A7 G)****
I got the dyin’ crapshooter's blues
Sixteen real good crapshooters, sixteen bootleggers to sing a song
H7/f#
Sixteen racket men gamblin', couple tend bar while I'm rollin' along
He wanted 22 womens out of the Hampton Hotel, 26 off-a South Bell
H7/f#
29 women out of North Atlanta, know little Jesse didn't pass out so swell
His head was achin', heart was thumpin'
Little Jesse went down bouncin' and jumpin' […went to hell bouncin’…]
Folks, don't be standin' 'round ol' Jesse cryin'
He wants everybody to do the Charleston whiles he's dyin’
One foot up, and a toenail dragging
Throw my friend Jesse in the hoodoo wagon
(g - f# - e)*****
Come here mama with that can of booze
The dyin’ crapshooter's, blues, I mean
The dyin’ crapshooter's blues...
----------
coda from another version
The Dyin Crapshooter's, leavin' the world
The Dyin' Crapshooter's, goin' down slow
With the Dyin' Crapshooter's Blues
----------
Em 022000/075000
Asus2 x02200
Am x02210
H7 x21202/x24242
H7-5#9 x2123x
H7/f# 2x1202
F#7 242322
G 320003
G/f# 220003/20xxxx
E7 020100/020130
A7 x02020
D7 200212/x00212
Dyin’ Crapshooter's Blues
(from "Atlanta Twelve String", capo 2. fret)
Intro (/ = slide):
H7/d# /-5#9 ...
: . . . : . . . : . . . : . . .
--2/--3-3-3-3-3---2---------------0---------------2---2---------------0-----|
--0---0-0-0-0-0---0---------------0-------0-------0---0---3---3-------0-----|
--2/--3-3-3-3-3---2---0-----------0---0---0---2---2-------2---2-------0-----|
--1/--2-2-2-2-2---1-------2-------2---2---2---1---------------1---2---2-----|
------------------------------2-------2-------2-------------------2---------|
------------------------------0-----------------------------------0---------|
Embellishments:
* **
H7/f#
--2--------------(2)--- --2----2------2---0---|
--0-------3-------0---- --0----0---0--0---0---|
--2-------2-------2---- --2----2---2--2---0---|
--1------(1)-----(1)--- --1----1---1------2---|
--2------(2)-----(2)--- --2----x---x------2---|
----------------------- -------2--------------|
(x = mute)
*** *****
g f# e
--2-------(2)--(0)--- -(3)-----------------(0)--0--|
---0------(0)--(0)--- -(0)-----------------(0)--0--|
----2------2----0---- --0-------------------1---1--|
-----1-----1----2---- --0-------------------0---0--|
------2----2----2---- --2-------------------2---2--|
-------0--------0---- --3----3----2----0----0------|
...that can of booze...
****
Descending bass (replaces A7 D7 G) (x = mute):
E7 e d c h a g g f# f e Em ...
. . : . . . : . . . : .
--0---------------------------------------------------------------------0-0------|
--0-----------------------------------------------------------------0---0-0------|
--1-----------------------------------------x-----x-----x-----x-----0---0-0------|
--0-----------x-----x-----x-----x-----------5-----4-----3-----2-----2---2--------|
--2-----------5-----3-----2-----0-----------------------------------2------------|
--------0-----------------------------3------------------------------------------|
I got the dyin’ crapshooter's blues...