Ballad Of Spider John Chords by Willis Alan Ramsey
Tempo:
128.4 bpm
Chords used:
C
G
Am
D
Em
Tuning:Standard Tuning (EADGBE)Capo:+0fret
Start Jamming...
Sparrow [C] John is my name, friends.
[D] In between [D] freight signs, sure would be [Am] a blast.
I could [C] share your [G] company.
[Am] I'm on my way [C] to nowhere.
I've [D] been running from [G] my past.
[Em] Running [Am] [C] from the things I used [G] to be.
[C] [G] Now I [Am] know my words [C] sound strange to you.
But [D] if we tell them song is song and story is told.
They'd [C] come to [G] understand.
[C]
[G] [Am] I'm old and [C] bent and devil's spin [D] and running out [G] of time.
[Am] A night long ago [C] I held a raw flush [D] in my hand.
I was a [Em] super monkey fool.
I [E] was a motor bank stupid.
[Em] I [E] buried my hometown.
Thought I had lost my blues.
Just thought I'd paid my dues.
And [C] I thought I'd found a [C] life to suit [Em] my style.
And there [G] was Sparrow [D] John the robber man.
Long, [G] tall and [Am]
handsome.
Yes, I [G] was a Sparrow John with a [G] loaded [C] hand.
[G] Taking [Am] ransom.
Then one [Am] day I met Diamond Lips.
[D] She was the sweetest thing I'd ever clapped.
[Am] I said summer winds had [C] ever blown my way.
[G]
And Lil' she had no [C]
idea [D] of my illustrious [G] occupation.
She [Am] thought I was [E] a saint.
Now the sinner gone [G] astray.
Yeah.
[A]
Sparrow he loved [C] his lady so much.
[D] He could not confess his sins for a [A] view if he did.
[C] Lady would surely take [G] her leave.
[C]
[G] But you know [Am] that the word got around [C] and he nearly left [D] town.
And he never saw [G] her again.
Sparrow John [Am] tossing and turning [C] causing his heart to [D] grieve.
Oh I was [Em] a supermarket fool.
I [E] was a motor bank stooge.
Rubbing my hometown.
Thought I had lost my blues.
Just thought I'd paid my dues.
And [C] I thought I'd found [C] a life to suit my [E] style.
[G]
And I [G] was a Sparrow [D] John, a robber man.
[C] [G] Long, tall and [Am] handsome.
Yes, I [G] was a Sparrow John with [D] a loaded [C] hand.
[G] Taking [Am] ransom.
And that is all my story.
[A] It's been these 30 years since [Am] I took to the road.
To find my [C] precious jewel.
[G]
[A] And if you see [C]
my lily, won't [D] you give her my [G]
regards.
That [Am] old spider got tangled in the black web that [Em] he spawned.
You can tell her [Am] the spider got [Em] tangled [C] in the black web that he [G] spawned.
[N]
[D] In between [D] freight signs, sure would be [Am] a blast.
I could [C] share your [G] company.
[Am] I'm on my way [C] to nowhere.
I've [D] been running from [G] my past.
[Em] Running [Am] [C] from the things I used [G] to be.
[C] [G] Now I [Am] know my words [C] sound strange to you.
But [D] if we tell them song is song and story is told.
They'd [C] come to [G] understand.
[C]
[G] [Am] I'm old and [C] bent and devil's spin [D] and running out [G] of time.
[Am] A night long ago [C] I held a raw flush [D] in my hand.
I was a [Em] super monkey fool.
I [E] was a motor bank stupid.
[Em] I [E] buried my hometown.
Thought I had lost my blues.
Just thought I'd paid my dues.
And [C] I thought I'd found a [C] life to suit [Em] my style.
And there [G] was Sparrow [D] John the robber man.
Long, [G] tall and [Am]
handsome.
Yes, I [G] was a Sparrow John with a [G] loaded [C] hand.
[G] Taking [Am] ransom.
Then one [Am] day I met Diamond Lips.
[D] She was the sweetest thing I'd ever clapped.
[Am] I said summer winds had [C] ever blown my way.
[G]
And Lil' she had no [C]
idea [D] of my illustrious [G] occupation.
She [Am] thought I was [E] a saint.
Now the sinner gone [G] astray.
Yeah.
[A]
Sparrow he loved [C] his lady so much.
[D] He could not confess his sins for a [A] view if he did.
[C] Lady would surely take [G] her leave.
[C]
[G] But you know [Am] that the word got around [C] and he nearly left [D] town.
And he never saw [G] her again.
Sparrow John [Am] tossing and turning [C] causing his heart to [D] grieve.
Oh I was [Em] a supermarket fool.
I [E] was a motor bank stooge.
Rubbing my hometown.
Thought I had lost my blues.
Just thought I'd paid my dues.
And [C] I thought I'd found [C] a life to suit my [E] style.
[G]
And I [G] was a Sparrow [D] John, a robber man.
[C] [G] Long, tall and [Am] handsome.
Yes, I [G] was a Sparrow John with [D] a loaded [C] hand.
[G] Taking [Am] ransom.
And that is all my story.
[A] It's been these 30 years since [Am] I took to the road.
To find my [C] precious jewel.
[G]
[A] And if you see [C]
my lily, won't [D] you give her my [G]
regards.
That [Am] old spider got tangled in the black web that [Em] he spawned.
You can tell her [Am] the spider got [Em] tangled [C] in the black web that he [G] spawned.
[N]
Key:
C
G
Am
D
Em
C
G
Am
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
Sparrow [C] John is my name, friends.
[D] In between [D] freight signs, sure would be [Am] a blast.
I could [C] share your [G] company. _ _
_ _ _ [Am] I'm on my way [C] to nowhere.
I've [D] been running from [G] my past.
_ [Em] Running [Am] [C] from the things I used [G] to be. _ _ _ _
_ _ [C] _ _ [G] _ Now I [Am] know my words [C] sound strange to you.
But [D] if we tell them song is song and story is told.
They'd [C] come to [G] understand.
_ [C] _
_ [G] _ _ [Am] I'm old and [C] bent and devil's spin [D] and running out [G] of time.
[Am] A night long ago [C] I held a raw flush [D] in my hand.
_ I was a [Em] super monkey fool.
I [E] was a motor bank _ stupid.
_ [Em] _ _ I [E] buried my hometown.
_ _ _ _ _ Thought I had lost my blues.
Just thought I'd paid my dues.
_ And [C] I thought I'd found a [C] life to suit [Em] my style. _
_ _ And there [G] was Sparrow [D] John the robber man.
Long, [G] tall and [Am]
handsome.
_ _ _ Yes, I [G] was a Sparrow John with a [G] loaded [C] hand.
[G] Taking [Am] ransom. _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ Then one [Am] day I met Diamond Lips.
[D] She was the sweetest thing I'd ever clapped.
[Am] I said summer winds had [C] ever blown my way.
_ [G] _
_ _ _ And Lil' she had no [C]
idea [D] of my illustrious [G] occupation. _
She [Am] thought I was [E] a saint.
Now the sinner gone [G] _ astray. _ _ _
Yeah.
_ _ _ _ _ _ [A]
Sparrow he loved [C] his lady so much.
[D] He could not confess his sins for a [A] view if he did.
[C] Lady would surely take [G] her leave.
_ [C] _
_ [G] But you know [Am] that the word got around [C] and he nearly left [D] town.
And he never saw [G] her again.
Sparrow John _ _ [Am] tossing and turning [C] causing his heart to [D] _ _ grieve. _
Oh I was [Em] a _ supermarket fool.
I [E] was a motor bank _ stooge.
_ _ _ _ Rubbing my hometown. _ _ _ _ _ _
Thought I had lost my blues.
Just thought I'd paid my dues.
_ And [C] I thought I'd found [C] a life to suit my [E] style.
[G] _
_ _ And I [G] was a Sparrow [D] John, a robber man.
_ [C] [G] Long, tall and [Am] handsome.
_ _ _ _ Yes, I [G] was a Sparrow John with [D] a loaded [C] hand.
[G] Taking [Am] ransom. _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ And that is all my story.
_ [A] It's been these 30 years since [Am] I took to the road.
To find my [C] precious jewel.
[G] _ _ _
_ _ _ [A] And if you see [C]
my lily, won't [D] you give her my [G]
regards.
That [Am] old spider got tangled in the black web that [Em] he spawned. _ _
You can tell her [Am] the spider got [Em] tangled [C] in the black web that he [G] _ _ spawned. _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ [N] _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
Sparrow [C] John is my name, friends.
[D] In between [D] freight signs, sure would be [Am] a blast.
I could [C] share your [G] company. _ _
_ _ _ [Am] I'm on my way [C] to nowhere.
I've [D] been running from [G] my past.
_ [Em] Running [Am] [C] from the things I used [G] to be. _ _ _ _
_ _ [C] _ _ [G] _ Now I [Am] know my words [C] sound strange to you.
But [D] if we tell them song is song and story is told.
They'd [C] come to [G] understand.
_ [C] _
_ [G] _ _ [Am] I'm old and [C] bent and devil's spin [D] and running out [G] of time.
[Am] A night long ago [C] I held a raw flush [D] in my hand.
_ I was a [Em] super monkey fool.
I [E] was a motor bank _ stupid.
_ [Em] _ _ I [E] buried my hometown.
_ _ _ _ _ Thought I had lost my blues.
Just thought I'd paid my dues.
_ And [C] I thought I'd found a [C] life to suit [Em] my style. _
_ _ And there [G] was Sparrow [D] John the robber man.
Long, [G] tall and [Am]
handsome.
_ _ _ Yes, I [G] was a Sparrow John with a [G] loaded [C] hand.
[G] Taking [Am] ransom. _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ Then one [Am] day I met Diamond Lips.
[D] She was the sweetest thing I'd ever clapped.
[Am] I said summer winds had [C] ever blown my way.
_ [G] _
_ _ _ And Lil' she had no [C]
idea [D] of my illustrious [G] occupation. _
She [Am] thought I was [E] a saint.
Now the sinner gone [G] _ astray. _ _ _
Yeah.
_ _ _ _ _ _ [A]
Sparrow he loved [C] his lady so much.
[D] He could not confess his sins for a [A] view if he did.
[C] Lady would surely take [G] her leave.
_ [C] _
_ [G] But you know [Am] that the word got around [C] and he nearly left [D] town.
And he never saw [G] her again.
Sparrow John _ _ [Am] tossing and turning [C] causing his heart to [D] _ _ grieve. _
Oh I was [Em] a _ supermarket fool.
I [E] was a motor bank _ stooge.
_ _ _ _ Rubbing my hometown. _ _ _ _ _ _
Thought I had lost my blues.
Just thought I'd paid my dues.
_ And [C] I thought I'd found [C] a life to suit my [E] style.
[G] _
_ _ And I [G] was a Sparrow [D] John, a robber man.
_ [C] [G] Long, tall and [Am] handsome.
_ _ _ _ Yes, I [G] was a Sparrow John with [D] a loaded [C] hand.
[G] Taking [Am] ransom. _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ And that is all my story.
_ [A] It's been these 30 years since [Am] I took to the road.
To find my [C] precious jewel.
[G] _ _ _
_ _ _ [A] And if you see [C]
my lily, won't [D] you give her my [G]
regards.
That [Am] old spider got tangled in the black web that [Em] he spawned. _ _
You can tell her [Am] the spider got [Em] tangled [C] in the black web that he [G] _ _ spawned. _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ [N] _