Bessie Smith - Backwater blues
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Tuning: E A D G B E
Title: Backwater Blues
Artist: Bessie Smith, https://youtu.be/4gXShOJVwaM
Author and Copyright: MississippiHans (arr.+tab.)
Capo: 2; optionally
Time: 4/4, Tempo Q=110, eighths are marked '+'.
The chord names above the tab lines indicate the left-hand position. Use thumb-fretting.
[Intro]
G + + + +
E|---------------------------------|
B|---------------------3-----------|
G|-----0-------0---------------0---|
D|---------0---------------0-------|
A|-----------------2---------------|
E|-3-------------------------------|
[Verse]
G + + + + + + + + + + + + G7 + + + +
E|-3-----1-----------------|-3-----1-----------------|-------------------------|-------------------------|
B|----------3-----0--------|----------3-----0-----0--|-------------------------|-------------------------|
G|----0-----------------0--|----0--------------------|----0-----0-----0-----0--|----0-----0-----0-----0--|
D|-------0-----------0-----|-------0-----------0-----|-------0-----------0-----|-------3-----------3-----|
A|-------------2-----------|-------------2-----------|-------------2-----------|-------------2-----------|
E|-3-----------------------|-3-----------------------|-3-----------------------|-3-----------------------|
C7 + + + + + + + + G + + + + G7 + + + +
E|-------------------------|-------------------------|-------------------------|-------------------------|
B|-3----p1-----------------|-3----p1-----------------|-------------------------|----------------------0--|
G|----0-----3-----0-----0--|----0-----3-----0-----0--|----0-----0-----0-----0--|----0-----0-----0--------|
D|-------2-----------2-----|-------2-----------2-----|-------0-----------0-----|-------3-----------3-----|
A|-3-----------------------|-3-----------------------|-------------2-----------|-------------2-----------|
E|-------------0-----------|-------------0-----------|-3-----------------------|-3-----------------------|
D7 + + + + C7 + + G + + G7 + + + +
E|-------------------------|---------------------|---------------------|-------------------------|
B|-1-p0--1-p0--1--3--------|----3-----3-p1-------|---------------------|----------------3--------|
G|----------------------2--|-----------------3---|-0----------0-----0--|----0-----0-----------0--|
D|-------0-----------0-----|-------2---------2---|-----0---------0-----|-------3-----------0-----|
A|-0-----------0-----------|-3-------------------|---------2-----------|-------------2-----------|
E|-------------------------|-------------0-------|-3-------------------|-3-----------------------|
A + + + +
E|---------------------0-----------|
B|---------------------------------|
G|-----2-------2---------------2---|
D|---------2---------------2-------|
A|-0-------------------------------|
E|-----------------0---------------|
[StepUp]
A + + + + + + + + + + + + A7 + + + +
E|/5-----3-p0--------------|/5-----3-p0--------------|-------------------------|----------------0--------|
B|----------------2--------|----------------2-----2--|-------------------------|-------------------------|
G|----0-----------2-----2--|----0-----------2-----2--|----2-----2-----2-----2--|----0-----0-----------0--|
D|-------0-----------2-----|-------0-----------2-----|-------2-----------2-----|-------2-----------2-----|
A|-0-----------------------|-0-----------------------|-0-----------------------|-0-----------------------|
E|-------------0-----------|-------------0-----------|-------------0-----------|-------------0-----------|
D7 + + + + + + + + A + + + + + + + +
E|-0-----------------------|-0-----------------------|-------------------------|----------------0--------|
B|-1-----3-p1--------------|-1-----3-p1-----------2--|-------------------------|----------------------2--|
G|----2-----------2-----2--|----2-----------2-----2--|----2-----2-----2-----2--|----0-----0--------------|
D|-------0-----------0-----|-------0-----------0-----|-------2-----------2-----|-------2-----------2-----|
A|-0-----------------------|-0-----------------------|-0-----------------------|-0-----------------------|
E|-------------2-----------|-------------2-----------|-------------0-----------|-------------0-----------|
E7 + + + + D7 + + + A + + + E7 + + + +
E|----------------0--------|----0-----0------------|-----------------------|----------------0--------|
B|-3-\2--3-\2--3-----------|-------------3-p1--1---|-2---------------------|-------------------------|
G|----------------------1--|-------------------2---|-2------2-----2-----2--|----1-----1-----------1--|
D|-------0-----------2-----|-------0-----------0---|-----2-----------2-----|-------0-----------0-----|
A|-2-----------2-----------|-0---------------------|-0---------------------|-------------2-----------|
E|-------------------------|-------------2---------|-----------0-----------|-0-----------------------|
[Lyrics]
|: When it rains five days and the skies turn dark as night :|
Then trouble's takin' place in the lowlands at night
|: I woke up this mornin', can't even get out of my door :|
There's been enough trouble to make a poor girl wonder where she want to go
|: Then they rowed a little boat about five miles 'cross the pond :|
I packed all my clothes, throwed them in and they rowed me along
|: When it thunders and lightnin' and when the wind begins to blow :|
There's thousands of people ain't got no place to go
|: Then I went and stood upon some high old lonesome hill :|
Then looked down on the house were I used to live
|: Backwater blues done call me to pack my things and go :|
'Cause my house fell down and I can't live there no more
|: Mmm, I can't move no more, Mmm, I can't move no more :|
There ain't no place for a poor old girl to go.
************************************
| p Pull-off
| / Slide up
| \ Slide down
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