Ramblin' Jack Elliott - Cocaine

COCAINE - Ramblin’ Jack Elliot Album: Jack takes the floor (1958) Tabbed by: Robert Saunders Email: rhsaunders [at] gmail dot com Tuning: Standard with capo on 2nd fret Key: D (C relative to capo) Tempo: Speeds up from about 110bpm at beginning to about 140bpm at the end. Chords (relative to capo): C/G: 3X2013 Fmaj7: 1X3210 E7: 022130 Intro (verse part): C/G C/G Fmaj7 Fmaj7 e|3-----3-------3-|------0---------|----------------|----------------| B|--1-------1-----|--1-------3-----|----1—3p1-----1-|----1—3p1-----1-| G|----------------|----------------|----------0-h2--|----------0h2---| D|----2-------2---|----2-------2---|----3-------3---|----3-------3---| A|----------------|----------------|----------------|----------------| E|3-------3-------|3-------3-------|1-------1-------|1-------1-------| (t) C/G C/G C/G C/G e|----0---3-------|----------------|----------------|----------------| B|----------------|----------------|1---------------|1---------------| G|--------------0-|--0---0---0-----|0-----0---0-----|------0---0-----| D|----2-------2---|----2-------2---|2---2-------2---|2---2-------2---| A|----------------|----------------|----------------|----------------| E|3-------3-------|3-------3-------|3-------3-------|3-------3-------| (a) Intro (chorus part): E7 E7 Fmaj7 Fmaj7 e|0---------------|0---0-----------|----------------|----------------| B|------3-0-------|-----b3p0—-b3---|1----—3p1-------|1---1—3p1-----1-| G|----------1-----|----------1-----|----------2-----|----------0h2---| D|----2-------2---|----2-------2---|----3-------3---|----3-------3---| A|----------------|----------------|----------------|----------------| E|0-------0-------|0-------0-------|1-------1-------|1-------1-------| The last 4 bars of intro are the same as bars 5-8 above using the C/G chord. The rest of the song repeats the above pattern of chords (see "Lyrics & chords" below). ********************** h = hammer-on p = pull-off b = bend (some of the bends are very slight – more like wobbles) (t)= thumb (a)= arpeggiated chord ********************** Notes and variations: On the recording Elliot says: “I heard this from Reverend Gary Davis, blind street singer. Preaches on the street corner about 135th street in Harlem.” According to Stefan Grossman (a student of Davis) Davis learnt it from Porter Irving in 1905. After the intro the rest of the song uses the same chords and similar picking patterns, which tend to be simpler when he’s singing. If you learn to play the intro you should be able to play the rest without too much difficulty. I’ve tabbed some of the variations from the album recording below but it seems unnecessary to tab every note of the recording as the spirit of this type of music is to add spontaneous variations, playing it a bit differently every time. Other similar versions of Cocaine Blues (as it is more commonly called) differentiate between the C/G and G chords. The G chord 320003(or simply 3X000X) can be used instead of the C/G chord for the antepenultimate (sixth) bar of both the verse and chorus in the above. This gives an 8 bar blues sequence of C C F F C G C C for the verse. The first four bars of instrumental after the first verse and chorus are a bit different to the intro: C/G C/G Fmaj7 Fmaj7 |3-----3--------3|--3---0---------|----------------|----------------| |--1-------1-----|------------3---|1----—3p1-------|1---1—3p1-------| |----------------|----------------|----------2-----|----------2---2-| |----2-------2---|----2-------2---|----3-------3---|----3-------3---| |----------------|----------------|----------------|----------------| |3-------3-------|3-------3-------|1-------1-------|1-------1-------| Before going into the E7 chord to sing the chorus for the second time, Elliot adds an unusual hammer-on (as used by Davis) on one of the alternating base notes (2nd fret of the D string) at the end of the last bar of C/G: C/G e|----------------| B|1---------------| G|------0---0---0-| D|----2-------02--| A|----------------| E|3-------3-------| h When he sings the chorus he plays something like the following, with emphasis on the simultaneously plucked strings at the beginning and end of the bars: E7 E7 Fmaj7 Fmaj7 e|0---------------|----------------|----------------|----------------| B|----------------|------------3---|1----—----1-----|------------3---| G|------1---1-----|------1---------|------2---------|------2---------| D|----2-------2---|----2-------2---|----3-------3---|----3-------3---| A|----------------|----------------|----------------|----------------| E|0-------0-------|0-------0-------|1-------1-------|1-------1-------| Hey... ...quick This old... Lyrics & chords: Verse: Chorus: Second verse: Yonder come m’ baby all dressed in white. Hey baby gonna stay all night? Cocaine, all around my brain.