Chords for Blind Willie McTell: The Dying Crapshooter's Blues
Tempo:
154.3 bpm
Chords used:
Gm
D
C
G
Am
Tuning:Standard Tuning (EADGBE)Capo:+0fret
Start Jamming...
[Bbm] [Am] [Bbm] [Am] [Gm]
[D]
[G] [Gm] Little Jesse was a gambler, [D] night and day.
He used crooked [G] cards and [Gm] dice.
Sinful guy, good-hearted, [D] but had no soul.
Heart was [G] hard and cold [Gm] like ice.
Jesse was a wild reckless [D] gambler, one of a gang of genes.
Although many gamblers are, [G] he led in [Gm] pain.
Begin to spend and lose his money, begin to be blue.
[D] Sad and all alone, his heart and even turned [Gm]
stone.
What broke Jesse's heart [D] while he was blue and all alone?
Sweet Lorine had packed [G] up and [Gm] gone.
Police walked [C] up and [D] shot my friend Jesse down.
Boy, the guy that [Gm] died today, [Em] he had a gang of [Db] crapshooters and gamblers at his bedside.
Here are the words [Am] he had [Gm] to say.
[Bbm] Yes, I ought to know.
He [Am] liked the higher I [Gm] would want to go.
How you want to go, Jesse?
Eight crapshooters would be my pallbearers.
[Bm] Let them be veiled down [Gm] in black.
I want nine men going to the graveyard, Bubba, [Bm] and eight men [Gm] coming back.
I want [E] a gang of gamblers [A] gathered around my coven side.
Crooked card [C] printed on my [Gm] hearse.
[Em] Don't say the [A] crapshooters will never rave over me.
My life's been a doggone curse.
[C] [G] Send [Gm] poker players to the graveyard.
[D] Dig my grave with the [Gm] ace of spades.
I want twelve police in my funeral [C] march.
I shall [Bm] have playing blackjack [Gm] lead the parade.
[Em] I want the [Db] judges to list who jailed me fourteen times.
Put a pair of dice [Cm] [Gm] in my shoes.
Then what?
[C] [Bb]
Let a deck of cards be my tombstone.
[F] I got the dying [Bb] crapshooters blue.
[A] [Gm]
Sixteen real good crapshooters.
Sixteen [C]
[D] bootleggers to sing a song.
[Gm] Sixteen racket men gambling.
[Am] A [D] couple of tens bought while I'm [Gm] rolling along.
He wanted twenty-two women down at the Hampton Hotel.
Twenty [C]-six off [D] a side bill.
[Gm] Twenty-nine women out of North Atlanta.
No, little [D] Jesse didn't pass [Gm] out so swell.
His head was aching.
Heart was thumping.
Little Jesse went to hell, bouncing and jumping.
Folks don't be [C] standing [D] around old Jesse crying.
[G] He wants everybody to do [C] the Charleston [Gm] while he dies.
One foot up, toenail dragging.
Throw my [Bb] buddy Jesse in the hoodoo wagon.
Come here mama with that [A] can [G] of booze.
The [Fm] dying [Gm] crapshooters leaving the world.
[Cm] The dying [F]
crapshooters [Bb] [A] going [G] down [Gm] slow.
[C] With the dying [F] crapshooter [Bb] blues.
[D]
[G] [Gm] Little Jesse was a gambler, [D] night and day.
He used crooked [G] cards and [Gm] dice.
Sinful guy, good-hearted, [D] but had no soul.
Heart was [G] hard and cold [Gm] like ice.
Jesse was a wild reckless [D] gambler, one of a gang of genes.
Although many gamblers are, [G] he led in [Gm] pain.
Begin to spend and lose his money, begin to be blue.
[D] Sad and all alone, his heart and even turned [Gm]
stone.
What broke Jesse's heart [D] while he was blue and all alone?
Sweet Lorine had packed [G] up and [Gm] gone.
Police walked [C] up and [D] shot my friend Jesse down.
Boy, the guy that [Gm] died today, [Em] he had a gang of [Db] crapshooters and gamblers at his bedside.
Here are the words [Am] he had [Gm] to say.
[Bbm] Yes, I ought to know.
He [Am] liked the higher I [Gm] would want to go.
How you want to go, Jesse?
Eight crapshooters would be my pallbearers.
[Bm] Let them be veiled down [Gm] in black.
I want nine men going to the graveyard, Bubba, [Bm] and eight men [Gm] coming back.
I want [E] a gang of gamblers [A] gathered around my coven side.
Crooked card [C] printed on my [Gm] hearse.
[Em] Don't say the [A] crapshooters will never rave over me.
My life's been a doggone curse.
[C] [G] Send [Gm] poker players to the graveyard.
[D] Dig my grave with the [Gm] ace of spades.
I want twelve police in my funeral [C] march.
I shall [Bm] have playing blackjack [Gm] lead the parade.
[Em] I want the [Db] judges to list who jailed me fourteen times.
Put a pair of dice [Cm] [Gm] in my shoes.
Then what?
[C] [Bb]
Let a deck of cards be my tombstone.
[F] I got the dying [Bb] crapshooters blue.
[A] [Gm]
Sixteen real good crapshooters.
Sixteen [C]
[D] bootleggers to sing a song.
[Gm] Sixteen racket men gambling.
[Am] A [D] couple of tens bought while I'm [Gm] rolling along.
He wanted twenty-two women down at the Hampton Hotel.
Twenty [C]-six off [D] a side bill.
[Gm] Twenty-nine women out of North Atlanta.
No, little [D] Jesse didn't pass [Gm] out so swell.
His head was aching.
Heart was thumping.
Little Jesse went to hell, bouncing and jumping.
Folks don't be [C] standing [D] around old Jesse crying.
[G] He wants everybody to do [C] the Charleston [Gm] while he dies.
One foot up, toenail dragging.
Throw my [Bb] buddy Jesse in the hoodoo wagon.
Come here mama with that [A] can [G] of booze.
The [Fm] dying [Gm] crapshooters leaving the world.
[Cm] The dying [F]
crapshooters [Bb] [A] going [G] down [Gm] slow.
[C] With the dying [F] crapshooter [Bb] blues.
Key:
Gm
D
C
G
Am
Gm
D
C
[Bbm] _ _ _ [Am] _ _ [Bbm] _ [Am] _ [Gm] _
_ _ [D] _ _ _ _ _ _
[G] _ _ [Gm] _ _ _ Little Jesse was a gambler, _ [D] night and day. _ _
He used crooked [G] cards and [Gm] dice.
_ _ Sinful guy, good-hearted, [D] but had no soul.
_ Heart was [G] hard and cold [Gm] like ice.
_ _ Jesse was a wild reckless [D] gambler, one of a gang of genes.
_ Although many gamblers are, [G] he led in [Gm] pain.
_ _ Begin to spend and lose his money, begin to be blue.
_ [D] Sad and all alone, his heart and even turned [Gm]
stone.
_ What broke Jesse's heart [D] while he was blue and all alone?
_ Sweet Lorine had packed [G] up and [Gm] gone.
_ _ Police walked [C] up and [D] shot my friend Jesse down.
_ Boy, the guy that [Gm] died today, _ [Em] he had a gang of [Db] crapshooters and gamblers at his bedside.
_ Here are the words [Am] he had [Gm] to say.
_ _ [Bbm] Yes, I ought to know.
He [Am] liked the higher I [Gm] would want to go.
How you want to go, Jesse?
_ Eight crapshooters would be my _ pallbearers.
[Bm] Let them be veiled down [Gm] in black.
I want nine men going to the graveyard, Bubba, [Bm] and eight men [Gm] coming back.
I want [E] a gang of gamblers [A] gathered around my coven side.
Crooked card [C] printed on my [Gm] hearse.
_ [Em] Don't say the [A] crapshooters will never rave over me.
My life's been a doggone curse.
_ _ [C] _ [G] Send [Gm] poker players to the graveyard.
_ [D] Dig my grave with the [Gm] ace of spades.
I want twelve police in my funeral [C] march.
I shall [Bm] have playing blackjack [Gm] lead the parade.
_ [Em] I want the [Db] judges to list who jailed me fourteen times.
Put a pair of dice [Cm] [Gm] in my shoes.
Then what?
[C] _ [Bb]
Let a deck of cards be my tombstone.
[F] I got the dying [Bb] crapshooters blue.
_ [A] _ _ [Gm] _
_ _ _ _ _ _ Sixteen real good crapshooters.
_ _ Sixteen [C]
[D] bootleggers to sing a song.
_ _ [Gm] Sixteen racket men gambling.
[Am] A [D] couple of tens bought while I'm [Gm] rolling along.
_ He wanted twenty-two women down at the Hampton Hotel.
_ Twenty [C]-six off [D] a side bill.
_ _ [Gm] Twenty-nine women out of North Atlanta.
No, little [D] Jesse didn't pass [Gm] out so swell.
_ His head was aching.
_ Heart was thumping.
_ Little Jesse went to hell, bouncing and jumping.
Folks don't be [C] standing [D] around old Jesse crying.
[G] He wants everybody to do [C] the Charleston [Gm] while he dies.
One foot up, _ toenail dragging.
Throw my [Bb] buddy Jesse in the hoodoo wagon.
Come here mama with that [A] can [G] of booze.
The [Fm] dying [Gm] crapshooters leaving the world.
[Cm] The dying [F]
crapshooters [Bb] [A] going [G] down [Gm] slow.
[C] With the dying _ [F] crapshooter [Bb] blues.
_ _ [D] _ _ _ _ _ _
[G] _ _ [Gm] _ _ _ Little Jesse was a gambler, _ [D] night and day. _ _
He used crooked [G] cards and [Gm] dice.
_ _ Sinful guy, good-hearted, [D] but had no soul.
_ Heart was [G] hard and cold [Gm] like ice.
_ _ Jesse was a wild reckless [D] gambler, one of a gang of genes.
_ Although many gamblers are, [G] he led in [Gm] pain.
_ _ Begin to spend and lose his money, begin to be blue.
_ [D] Sad and all alone, his heart and even turned [Gm]
stone.
_ What broke Jesse's heart [D] while he was blue and all alone?
_ Sweet Lorine had packed [G] up and [Gm] gone.
_ _ Police walked [C] up and [D] shot my friend Jesse down.
_ Boy, the guy that [Gm] died today, _ [Em] he had a gang of [Db] crapshooters and gamblers at his bedside.
_ Here are the words [Am] he had [Gm] to say.
_ _ [Bbm] Yes, I ought to know.
He [Am] liked the higher I [Gm] would want to go.
How you want to go, Jesse?
_ Eight crapshooters would be my _ pallbearers.
[Bm] Let them be veiled down [Gm] in black.
I want nine men going to the graveyard, Bubba, [Bm] and eight men [Gm] coming back.
I want [E] a gang of gamblers [A] gathered around my coven side.
Crooked card [C] printed on my [Gm] hearse.
_ [Em] Don't say the [A] crapshooters will never rave over me.
My life's been a doggone curse.
_ _ [C] _ [G] Send [Gm] poker players to the graveyard.
_ [D] Dig my grave with the [Gm] ace of spades.
I want twelve police in my funeral [C] march.
I shall [Bm] have playing blackjack [Gm] lead the parade.
_ [Em] I want the [Db] judges to list who jailed me fourteen times.
Put a pair of dice [Cm] [Gm] in my shoes.
Then what?
[C] _ [Bb]
Let a deck of cards be my tombstone.
[F] I got the dying [Bb] crapshooters blue.
_ [A] _ _ [Gm] _
_ _ _ _ _ _ Sixteen real good crapshooters.
_ _ Sixteen [C]
[D] bootleggers to sing a song.
_ _ [Gm] Sixteen racket men gambling.
[Am] A [D] couple of tens bought while I'm [Gm] rolling along.
_ He wanted twenty-two women down at the Hampton Hotel.
_ Twenty [C]-six off [D] a side bill.
_ _ [Gm] Twenty-nine women out of North Atlanta.
No, little [D] Jesse didn't pass [Gm] out so swell.
_ His head was aching.
_ Heart was thumping.
_ Little Jesse went to hell, bouncing and jumping.
Folks don't be [C] standing [D] around old Jesse crying.
[G] He wants everybody to do [C] the Charleston [Gm] while he dies.
One foot up, _ toenail dragging.
Throw my [Bb] buddy Jesse in the hoodoo wagon.
Come here mama with that [A] can [G] of booze.
The [Fm] dying [Gm] crapshooters leaving the world.
[Cm] The dying [F]
crapshooters [Bb] [A] going [G] down [Gm] slow.
[C] With the dying _ [F] crapshooter [Bb] blues.