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St. Louis Blues

by Bessie Smith, Louis Armstrong, etc. · posted by WaltP

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How to read this tab — notation key
+
Blow note
−
Draw note
b or '
Half-step bend
bb or ''
Two half-step bend
bbb or '''
Three half-step bend
(###)
Chord — relevant hole numbers in parentheses
< or *
Push the button in (chromatic harmonica)

Full reference and posting tips in the tab guide.

Tab
Saint Louis Blues
(W.C. Handy)
Key:G

()mean a grace note
A chord symbol before a word means a rest

G7                C7                    G G7
(-3*)-4 -5  -4  3   -1*  2   3   -3* -3   3
I     hate to see that eve-nin' sun go down
C(6)          C7                    G
  2     3  -3   2   3   -3  -3* -3  3
  Hate to see that eve-nin' sun go down
D7                                   G
-2*    -3 -2*-1 -3*  -3* -3*   -3    3
'Cause my ba-by, he done lef' this town.     
G7                   C7                G G7
(-3*)-4 -5 -4  3   3   -1*2 3  -3* -3  3
Feel-  in' to-mor-row  lak ah feel to-day.     
C(6)              C7                G
  2     3  -3  -3   -1*2 3  -3* -3  3
  Feel to-mor-row   lak ah feel to-day.
D7                                 G
-2    -3  -2*  -1    -3* -3* -3*-3 3
I'll pack my trunk, make my get-a-way.
            Gm   (Am)Gm         Cm       D7     
-5   -5 -5  -5 -5      5   5  5*-5 -3*   -3
St. Lou-is wom-an,    wid her dia-mon' rings
                                     Gm
5      5   5     5   5   5* -5 -3    3 
Pulls dat man ‘round by her a-pron strings.
            Gm(Am)GM            Cm         D7 
-5      -5  -5  -5   5    5   5*-5   -4    -3
'Twant for pow-der   an' for store-bought hair,
                                Gm A7 D7 
5   5  5   5    5    5*  -5  -3  3 -3 -5
De man I love would not gone no-where.
        G (G6)     (G)
-3* -4  3  -3* -4   3    
Got de St. Lou-is blues 
(G6)     G (G6)  (G)  (G6) G
-3  -4   3 -3*-4 3-3* -4 3
jes as blue as   Ah  kin be
      C(6)
-3*-4 -3  3  2   3
Dat  man got a heart 
       (C7)             G    
-3 -3* -3   3 2 3  -3*  3
lak a rock cast in the sea.
      Am7
-3*-4 -5 -3*-4 -1   -3   -4 
Or   else he  would-n't have 
D7                 G  (D7) 
1   -3*-4 -1 -3*-4 3 
gone so  far from me.

(spoken) dog-gone-it!

Been to de Gypsy, to get ma fortune tol'
To de Gypsy, done got ma fortune tol'
'Cause I'm most wile 'bout ma Jelly Roll.
     Gypsy done tol' me, "Don't you wear no black,"
     Yes she done tol' me, "Don't you wear no black,"
     Go to St. Louis, you can win him back.
Help me to Cairo, make St. Louis by maself.
Get  to Cairo, find ma ol' friend Jeff
Gwine to pin maself close by his side
If I flag his train, Ah sho' can ride.
     I loves dat man lak a schoolboy loves his pie,
     Lak a Kentucky Cunnel loves his mint an' rye.
     I'll love my baby till the day I die.

     A black-headed woman make a freight train jump the track,
     Said a blacl-headed gal make a freight train jump the track;
     But a long tall gall makes a preacher ball the jack.

You ought to see dat stovepipe brown of mine
Lak he owns the Diamon' Joseph line;
He'd make a cross-eyed woman go stone blin'.
     Blacker than midnight, teeth lak flags of truce,
     Blackest woman in de whole St Louis;
     Blacker de berry, sweeter is de juice.
About a crap game, he knows a pow'ful lot,
But when work-time comes, he's on de dot.
Gwine to ask him for a cold ten spot,
What it takes to git it, he's cert'nly got.
     Lawd a blonde-headed woman makes a good man leave the town
     I said blonde-headed woman makes a good man leave the down
     But a red-headed woman makes a boy slap his papa down.

     Oh, ashes to ashes, and dust to dust,
     I said ashes to ashes, and dust to dust.
     If my blues don't get you, my jazzing must.

Play on a harmonica— watch which holes to blow & draw, with sound

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