Chords for John Prine - You Never Even Call Me by My Name (1987)
Tempo:
127.2 bpm
Chords used:
Ab
Eb
Db
Bb
Bbm
Tuning:Standard Tuning (EADGBE)Capo:+0fret
Start Jamming...
It's interesting that Steve recorded a number of your songs, including Blue Umbrellas, which we heard earlier.
But actually only wrote one song together, is that right?
No, we've written, Steve and I wrote, jeez, we wrote, actually we wrote five, six, seven songs throughout the years.
We'd write songs sometimes and then forget about Steve, I have perfect memory.
And it would be him to remind me years later, he'd go, well I'm going to record that song we wrote.
And I'd say, what's that?
And he'd [Eb] say, how much tequila did we drink last night?
And I [Em] said, I don't know, we wasn't even together.
And he goes, no, that's the name of the song, [N] Brian.
And I said, jeez, I don't even remember writing it.
And this song here we're getting ready to do is the first song Steve Blibben and I ever wrote together.
It was just after we hit the Big Apple for the first time.
And within 24 hours we had recording contracts and we went home with money in our pockets.
And we were returning heroes in the folk scene in Chicago.
Like it was actually, two kids could go to New York in 24 hours and get a record contract and come home.
If they could have thrown a ticket, they'd take it for 8.4,. they would have. So anyway, me and Goodman come back the second time about two weeks after we got the record contract. And we're finalizing everything and meeting people and they're taking us around town. At the time, Paul Anka and Al Panetta were managing Steve and I. And Paul was playing at the Waldorf Astoria. And they gave Paul, they give him this grand suite that everybody that plays there gets the best suite at the Waldorf for a dressing room. So Paul doesn't need it because he resided in New York City at the time. And he says, hey, why don't you and Stevie use it if you guys want to write or something. So we go up there and we're going to write and I figure I want to go down to the village for a while. And then I went over to JP's on First Avenue for a while. And then I hit a couple other bars and just burned some jazz. And about one, I come back in and Goodman's actually writing. You know, I look over his shoulder and he's got two lines down. It says, it was all that I could do to keep from crying. Sometimes it seemed so useless to remain. And I felt kind of goofy. So I got up and jumped up and down on the bed and started playing an imaginary fiddle. Like, I said, oh, Stevie, you're writing a real weeper. And I started getting on his case. So he started laughing. And because it was a dressing room for Paul Anka, they had a full bar set up. So me and Goodman took a bunch of different liquors and poured them in the sink with a plug in the sink. And we mixed a special cocktail punch. Just everything, a little bit of everything. A little bit of Dom Perignon, a little bit of brandy, a little bit of Jack Daniels, quite a bit of wild turkeys, a vodka and gin, and some fun tune seven up. And we put ice cubes in it and started drinking it. And Stevie, I said, you can't write. I said, we've got to make up a funny song. [Db] I said, you [Bb] don't have to call me darling, darling, but you never even called me by my name. [Eb] Stevie always did his best. I never, [B] I wouldn't let [Eb] Stevie put my name on a song because I thought it was just a [B] goofy song. We were just [N] having fun with our cocktail punch. And it turned out to be his first number one hit. And he asked me then, he says, hey Brian, now do you want your name on it? Now it's a hit. And I said, no, I told you I didn't want my name on it. I said, next day he showed up at my house with a [C] 1942 Worlitzer, all [Ab] wooden, ripped through my old jukebox and said, here you go. You got to [Dbm] take this for part of the royalty. [F] He said, you never even called me by my name. And if it hadn't been for this last verse that Guggenrub did, it would have [Bb] never been a [Eb] hit. [Gb] [Ab]
[Abm] [Eb] [Ab] It was all that [Eb] I could do to keep [Ab] from crying. Sometimes it seems [Eb] so useless [Ab] to remain. [Db] You're the one that always [Bbm] [Ab] tried to change me. [Bb] And that is why I'll always stay [Eb] the same. Yeah, [Ab] I'll [Db] hang around as long as [Ab] you will let me. Though I never [Eb] managed to stand it [Ab] in the rain. [Db] And you don't have to call me [Ab] darling, darling. But you never [Eb] even called me by [Ab] my name. OK, Johnny, remember the words. Well, I've seen my name a [Eb] few times in the [Ab] phone book. And on the neon sign above [Eb] the bar that I [Ab] used to own. [Db] There's only one thing that I'm [Ab] really sure of. [Bb] I'm going to hear it when my savior calls me [Eb] [Ab] [Eb] home. And I'll [Bbm] hang around [Db] as long as you [Ab] will let me. Though I never [Eb] managed to stand it [Ab] in the rain. [Db] And you don't have to call me [Ab] darling, darling. But you never [Eb] even called me [Ab] by my name. Now, you don't have to [Eb] call me [Ab] Waylon Jennings. No, and you don't have to call me Charlie [Eb] Pratt. And you [Db] don't have to call me [Ab] Merle Haggard anymore. Even [Bb] though you know I'm on your [Eb] party's side. Those real country things like dead dogs like Old Chef and Christmas and Mom and farms and prisons and trains and trucks. [Bbm] [Eb] So the song was already long enough. So Stevie put all these in one verse and this is what made it a hit. [Ab] Well, the dog got drunk the day that Mom got out of prison. And I drove a pickup truck [Eb] on the picker at [Ab] the end of the rain. Or something like that. By the [Db] time I got the pickup to [Ab] the railroad station, the dog got a little spooked. [Bb] She got run over by a damned [Eb] old train. [Db] And I'll hang around as long as you [Ab] will let me. Yes, I will. No, I never [Eb] mind the standards [Ab] in the rain. [Db] And you don't have to call me [Ab] darling, darling. But you never even [Eb] call me. No, [Ab] I wonder why you [Db] don't call me. [Ab] Well, you never [Eb] even call me by [Bbm] my name. [Ab]
Think about it, darling. I hope Stevie can hear [Eb] WNEW up in [Ab] heaven.
But actually only wrote one song together, is that right?
No, we've written, Steve and I wrote, jeez, we wrote, actually we wrote five, six, seven songs throughout the years.
We'd write songs sometimes and then forget about Steve, I have perfect memory.
And it would be him to remind me years later, he'd go, well I'm going to record that song we wrote.
And I'd say, what's that?
And he'd [Eb] say, how much tequila did we drink last night?
And I [Em] said, I don't know, we wasn't even together.
And he goes, no, that's the name of the song, [N] Brian.
And I said, jeez, I don't even remember writing it.
And this song here we're getting ready to do is the first song Steve Blibben and I ever wrote together.
It was just after we hit the Big Apple for the first time.
And within 24 hours we had recording contracts and we went home with money in our pockets.
And we were returning heroes in the folk scene in Chicago.
Like it was actually, two kids could go to New York in 24 hours and get a record contract and come home.
If they could have thrown a ticket, they'd take it for 8.4,. they would have. So anyway, me and Goodman come back the second time about two weeks after we got the record contract. And we're finalizing everything and meeting people and they're taking us around town. At the time, Paul Anka and Al Panetta were managing Steve and I. And Paul was playing at the Waldorf Astoria. And they gave Paul, they give him this grand suite that everybody that plays there gets the best suite at the Waldorf for a dressing room. So Paul doesn't need it because he resided in New York City at the time. And he says, hey, why don't you and Stevie use it if you guys want to write or something. So we go up there and we're going to write and I figure I want to go down to the village for a while. And then I went over to JP's on First Avenue for a while. And then I hit a couple other bars and just burned some jazz. And about one, I come back in and Goodman's actually writing. You know, I look over his shoulder and he's got two lines down. It says, it was all that I could do to keep from crying. Sometimes it seemed so useless to remain. And I felt kind of goofy. So I got up and jumped up and down on the bed and started playing an imaginary fiddle. Like, I said, oh, Stevie, you're writing a real weeper. And I started getting on his case. So he started laughing. And because it was a dressing room for Paul Anka, they had a full bar set up. So me and Goodman took a bunch of different liquors and poured them in the sink with a plug in the sink. And we mixed a special cocktail punch. Just everything, a little bit of everything. A little bit of Dom Perignon, a little bit of brandy, a little bit of Jack Daniels, quite a bit of wild turkeys, a vodka and gin, and some fun tune seven up. And we put ice cubes in it and started drinking it. And Stevie, I said, you can't write. I said, we've got to make up a funny song. [Db] I said, you [Bb] don't have to call me darling, darling, but you never even called me by my name. [Eb] Stevie always did his best. I never, [B] I wouldn't let [Eb] Stevie put my name on a song because I thought it was just a [B] goofy song. We were just [N] having fun with our cocktail punch. And it turned out to be his first number one hit. And he asked me then, he says, hey Brian, now do you want your name on it? Now it's a hit. And I said, no, I told you I didn't want my name on it. I said, next day he showed up at my house with a [C] 1942 Worlitzer, all [Ab] wooden, ripped through my old jukebox and said, here you go. You got to [Dbm] take this for part of the royalty. [F] He said, you never even called me by my name. And if it hadn't been for this last verse that Guggenrub did, it would have [Bb] never been a [Eb] hit. [Gb] [Ab]
[Abm] [Eb] [Ab] It was all that [Eb] I could do to keep [Ab] from crying. Sometimes it seems [Eb] so useless [Ab] to remain. [Db] You're the one that always [Bbm] [Ab] tried to change me. [Bb] And that is why I'll always stay [Eb] the same. Yeah, [Ab] I'll [Db] hang around as long as [Ab] you will let me. Though I never [Eb] managed to stand it [Ab] in the rain. [Db] And you don't have to call me [Ab] darling, darling. But you never [Eb] even called me by [Ab] my name. OK, Johnny, remember the words. Well, I've seen my name a [Eb] few times in the [Ab] phone book. And on the neon sign above [Eb] the bar that I [Ab] used to own. [Db] There's only one thing that I'm [Ab] really sure of. [Bb] I'm going to hear it when my savior calls me [Eb] [Ab] [Eb] home. And I'll [Bbm] hang around [Db] as long as you [Ab] will let me. Though I never [Eb] managed to stand it [Ab] in the rain. [Db] And you don't have to call me [Ab] darling, darling. But you never [Eb] even called me [Ab] by my name. Now, you don't have to [Eb] call me [Ab] Waylon Jennings. No, and you don't have to call me Charlie [Eb] Pratt. And you [Db] don't have to call me [Ab] Merle Haggard anymore. Even [Bb] though you know I'm on your [Eb] party's side. Those real country things like dead dogs like Old Chef and Christmas and Mom and farms and prisons and trains and trucks. [Bbm] [Eb] So the song was already long enough. So Stevie put all these in one verse and this is what made it a hit. [Ab] Well, the dog got drunk the day that Mom got out of prison. And I drove a pickup truck [Eb] on the picker at [Ab] the end of the rain. Or something like that. By the [Db] time I got the pickup to [Ab] the railroad station, the dog got a little spooked. [Bb] She got run over by a damned [Eb] old train. [Db] And I'll hang around as long as you [Ab] will let me. Yes, I will. No, I never [Eb] mind the standards [Ab] in the rain. [Db] And you don't have to call me [Ab] darling, darling. But you never even [Eb] call me. No, [Ab] I wonder why you [Db] don't call me. [Ab] Well, you never [Eb] even call me by [Bbm] my name. [Ab]
Think about it, darling. I hope Stevie can hear [Eb] WNEW up in [Ab] heaven.
Key:
Ab
Eb
Db
Bb
Bbm
Ab
Eb
Db
It's interesting that Steve recorded a number of your songs, including Blue Umbrellas, which we heard earlier.
_ But actually only wrote one song together, is that right?
No, we've written, Steve and I wrote, jeez, we wrote, _ actually we wrote five, six, seven songs throughout the years.
We'd write songs sometimes and then forget about Steve, I have perfect memory.
And it would be him to remind me years later, he'd go, well I'm going to record that song we wrote.
And I'd say, what's that?
And he'd [Eb] say, how much tequila did we drink last night?
And I [Em] said, I don't know, we wasn't even together.
And he goes, no, that's the name of the song, [N] Brian.
And I said, jeez, I don't even remember writing it.
And this song here we're getting ready to do is the first song Steve Blibben and I ever wrote together.
It was just after we hit the Big Apple for the first time.
And within 24 hours we had recording contracts and we went home with money in our pockets.
And we were returning heroes in the folk scene in Chicago.
Like it was actually, two kids could go to New York in 24 hours and get a record contract and come home.
If they could have thrown a ticket, they'd take it for 8.4,. they would have. So anyway, me and Goodman come back the second time about two weeks after we got the record contract. And we're finalizing everything and meeting people and they're taking us around town. At the time, Paul Anka and Al Panetta were managing Steve and I. And _ Paul was playing at the Waldorf Astoria. And they gave Paul, they give him this grand suite that everybody that plays there gets the best suite at the Waldorf for a dressing room. So Paul doesn't need it because he resided in New York City at the time. And he says, hey, why don't you and Stevie use it if you guys want to write or something. So we go up there and we're going to write and I figure I want to go down to the village for a while. And then I went over to JP's on First Avenue for a while. And then I hit a couple other bars and just burned some jazz. And about one, I come back in and Goodman's actually writing. You know, I look over his shoulder and he's got two lines down. It says, it was all that I could do to keep from crying. Sometimes it seemed so useless to remain. And I felt kind of goofy. So I got up and jumped up and down on the bed and started playing an imaginary fiddle. Like, _ I said, oh, Stevie, you're writing a real weeper. And I started getting on his case. So he started laughing. And because it was a dressing room for Paul Anka, they had a full bar set up. So me and Goodman took a bunch of different liquors and poured them in the sink with a plug in the sink. And we mixed a special cocktail punch. Just everything, a little bit of everything. A little bit of Dom Perignon, a little bit of brandy, a little bit of Jack Daniels, quite a bit of wild turkeys, a vodka and gin, and some fun tune seven up. And we put ice cubes in it and started drinking it. And Stevie, I said, you can't write. I said, we've got to make up a funny song. [Db] I said, you [Bb] don't have to call me darling, darling, but you never even called me by my name. _ [Eb] _ _ Stevie always did his best. I never, [B] I wouldn't let [Eb] Stevie put my name on a song because I thought it was just a [B] goofy song. We were just [N] having fun with our cocktail punch. And it turned out to be his first number one hit. And he asked me then, he says, hey Brian, now do you want your name on it? Now it's a hit. And I said, no, I told you I didn't want my name on it. I said, next day he showed up at my house with a [C] _ 1942 Worlitzer, all [Ab] wooden, ripped through my old jukebox and said, here you go. You got to [Dbm] take this for part of the royalty. [F] He said, you never even called me by my name. And if it hadn't been for this last verse that Guggenrub did, it would have [Bb] never been a [Eb] hit. _ _ _ [Gb] _ _ [Ab] _ _ _
_ [Abm] _ _ [Eb] _ _ _ [Ab] It was all that [Eb] I could do to keep [Ab] from crying. _ _ _ _ _ _ Sometimes it seems [Eb] so useless [Ab] to remain. _ _ _ _ _ _ [Db] You're the one that always [Bbm] [Ab] tried to change me. _ _ _ _ [Bb] And that is why I'll always stay [Eb] the same. _ _ _ Yeah, [Ab] I'll [Db] hang around as long as [Ab] you will let me. _ _ _ _ Though I never _ [Eb] managed to stand it _ [Ab] in the rain. _ _ _ _ _ [Db] And you don't have to call me [Ab] darling, darling. _ _ _ _ But you never [Eb] even called me by [Ab] my name. _ _ _ _ _ _ _ OK, _ Johnny, remember the words. _ Well, I've seen my name a [Eb] few times in the [Ab] phone book. _ _ _ _ And on the neon sign above [Eb] the bar that I [Ab] used to own. _ _ _ _ _ _ [Db] There's only one thing that I'm [Ab] really sure of. _ _ _ _ [Bb] I'm going to hear it when my savior _ calls me [Eb] _ _ [Ab] _ [Eb] home. _ And I'll [Bbm] hang around [Db] as long as you [Ab] will let me. _ _ _ _ Though I never [Eb] managed to stand it [Ab] in the rain. _ _ _ _ _ [Db] And you don't have to call me [Ab] darling, darling. _ _ But _ you never [Eb] even called me [Ab] by my name. _ _ _ _ Now, you don't have to [Eb] call me [Ab] Waylon Jennings. _ _ _ _ _ No, and you don't have to call me Charlie [Eb] Pratt. _ _ _ And you [Db] don't have to call me [Ab] Merle Haggard _ anymore. _ Even [Bb] though you know I'm on your [Eb] party's side. _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ Those real country things like dead dogs like Old Chef and Christmas and Mom and farms and prisons and trains and trucks. [Bbm] _ [Eb] So the song was already long enough. So Stevie put all these in one verse and this is what made it a hit. _ _ _ [Ab] Well, the dog got drunk the day that Mom got out of prison. _ _ _ _ _ And I drove a pickup truck [Eb] on the picker at [Ab] the end of the rain. Or something like that. _ _ By the [Db] time I got the pickup to [Ab] the railroad station, the dog got a little spooked. _ _ [Bb] She got run _ over by a damned [Eb] old train. _ _ _ _ [Db] And I'll hang around as long as you [Ab] will let me. Yes, I will. No, I never _ [Eb] mind the standards [Ab] in the rain. _ _ _ _ _ [Db] And you don't have to call me [Ab] darling, darling. _ _ _ _ But you never even [Eb] call me. No, [Ab] I wonder why you [Db] don't call me. [Ab] Well, you never _ [Eb] even call me by [Bbm] my name. _ _ _ _ _ _ [Ab] _ _ _ _ _
_ _ Think about it, darling. I hope Stevie can hear [Eb] WNEW up in [Ab] heaven. _ _ _ _ _
_ But actually only wrote one song together, is that right?
No, we've written, Steve and I wrote, jeez, we wrote, _ actually we wrote five, six, seven songs throughout the years.
We'd write songs sometimes and then forget about Steve, I have perfect memory.
And it would be him to remind me years later, he'd go, well I'm going to record that song we wrote.
And I'd say, what's that?
And he'd [Eb] say, how much tequila did we drink last night?
And I [Em] said, I don't know, we wasn't even together.
And he goes, no, that's the name of the song, [N] Brian.
And I said, jeez, I don't even remember writing it.
And this song here we're getting ready to do is the first song Steve Blibben and I ever wrote together.
It was just after we hit the Big Apple for the first time.
And within 24 hours we had recording contracts and we went home with money in our pockets.
And we were returning heroes in the folk scene in Chicago.
Like it was actually, two kids could go to New York in 24 hours and get a record contract and come home.
If they could have thrown a ticket, they'd take it for 8.4,. they would have. So anyway, me and Goodman come back the second time about two weeks after we got the record contract. And we're finalizing everything and meeting people and they're taking us around town. At the time, Paul Anka and Al Panetta were managing Steve and I. And _ Paul was playing at the Waldorf Astoria. And they gave Paul, they give him this grand suite that everybody that plays there gets the best suite at the Waldorf for a dressing room. So Paul doesn't need it because he resided in New York City at the time. And he says, hey, why don't you and Stevie use it if you guys want to write or something. So we go up there and we're going to write and I figure I want to go down to the village for a while. And then I went over to JP's on First Avenue for a while. And then I hit a couple other bars and just burned some jazz. And about one, I come back in and Goodman's actually writing. You know, I look over his shoulder and he's got two lines down. It says, it was all that I could do to keep from crying. Sometimes it seemed so useless to remain. And I felt kind of goofy. So I got up and jumped up and down on the bed and started playing an imaginary fiddle. Like, _ I said, oh, Stevie, you're writing a real weeper. And I started getting on his case. So he started laughing. And because it was a dressing room for Paul Anka, they had a full bar set up. So me and Goodman took a bunch of different liquors and poured them in the sink with a plug in the sink. And we mixed a special cocktail punch. Just everything, a little bit of everything. A little bit of Dom Perignon, a little bit of brandy, a little bit of Jack Daniels, quite a bit of wild turkeys, a vodka and gin, and some fun tune seven up. And we put ice cubes in it and started drinking it. And Stevie, I said, you can't write. I said, we've got to make up a funny song. [Db] I said, you [Bb] don't have to call me darling, darling, but you never even called me by my name. _ [Eb] _ _ Stevie always did his best. I never, [B] I wouldn't let [Eb] Stevie put my name on a song because I thought it was just a [B] goofy song. We were just [N] having fun with our cocktail punch. And it turned out to be his first number one hit. And he asked me then, he says, hey Brian, now do you want your name on it? Now it's a hit. And I said, no, I told you I didn't want my name on it. I said, next day he showed up at my house with a [C] _ 1942 Worlitzer, all [Ab] wooden, ripped through my old jukebox and said, here you go. You got to [Dbm] take this for part of the royalty. [F] He said, you never even called me by my name. And if it hadn't been for this last verse that Guggenrub did, it would have [Bb] never been a [Eb] hit. _ _ _ [Gb] _ _ [Ab] _ _ _
_ [Abm] _ _ [Eb] _ _ _ [Ab] It was all that [Eb] I could do to keep [Ab] from crying. _ _ _ _ _ _ Sometimes it seems [Eb] so useless [Ab] to remain. _ _ _ _ _ _ [Db] You're the one that always [Bbm] [Ab] tried to change me. _ _ _ _ [Bb] And that is why I'll always stay [Eb] the same. _ _ _ Yeah, [Ab] I'll [Db] hang around as long as [Ab] you will let me. _ _ _ _ Though I never _ [Eb] managed to stand it _ [Ab] in the rain. _ _ _ _ _ [Db] And you don't have to call me [Ab] darling, darling. _ _ _ _ But you never [Eb] even called me by [Ab] my name. _ _ _ _ _ _ _ OK, _ Johnny, remember the words. _ Well, I've seen my name a [Eb] few times in the [Ab] phone book. _ _ _ _ And on the neon sign above [Eb] the bar that I [Ab] used to own. _ _ _ _ _ _ [Db] There's only one thing that I'm [Ab] really sure of. _ _ _ _ [Bb] I'm going to hear it when my savior _ calls me [Eb] _ _ [Ab] _ [Eb] home. _ And I'll [Bbm] hang around [Db] as long as you [Ab] will let me. _ _ _ _ Though I never [Eb] managed to stand it [Ab] in the rain. _ _ _ _ _ [Db] And you don't have to call me [Ab] darling, darling. _ _ But _ you never [Eb] even called me [Ab] by my name. _ _ _ _ Now, you don't have to [Eb] call me [Ab] Waylon Jennings. _ _ _ _ _ No, and you don't have to call me Charlie [Eb] Pratt. _ _ _ And you [Db] don't have to call me [Ab] Merle Haggard _ anymore. _ Even [Bb] though you know I'm on your [Eb] party's side. _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ Those real country things like dead dogs like Old Chef and Christmas and Mom and farms and prisons and trains and trucks. [Bbm] _ [Eb] So the song was already long enough. So Stevie put all these in one verse and this is what made it a hit. _ _ _ [Ab] Well, the dog got drunk the day that Mom got out of prison. _ _ _ _ _ And I drove a pickup truck [Eb] on the picker at [Ab] the end of the rain. Or something like that. _ _ By the [Db] time I got the pickup to [Ab] the railroad station, the dog got a little spooked. _ _ [Bb] She got run _ over by a damned [Eb] old train. _ _ _ _ [Db] And I'll hang around as long as you [Ab] will let me. Yes, I will. No, I never _ [Eb] mind the standards [Ab] in the rain. _ _ _ _ _ [Db] And you don't have to call me [Ab] darling, darling. _ _ _ _ But you never even [Eb] call me. No, [Ab] I wonder why you [Db] don't call me. [Ab] Well, you never _ [Eb] even call me by [Bbm] my name. _ _ _ _ _ _ [Ab] _ _ _ _ _
_ _ Think about it, darling. I hope Stevie can hear [Eb] WNEW up in [Ab] heaven. _ _ _ _ _