San Francisco Mabel Joy

Drop D tuning

(D) Lord, his daddy was an honest man, (G) just a red dirt Georgia (D) farmer
His momma lived her short life having kids and baling (A) hay
(D) He had fifteen years (G) and he ached inside to wander
He jumped a freight in Waycross (A) wound up in (D) L.A.

Well the cold nights had no pity on that (G) Waycross Georgia (D) farm boy
Most days he went hungry, then the summer (A) came
(D) He met a girl known on the strip (G) as San Francisco's (D) Mabel Joy
Destitution's child born of an (A) L.A. street called (D) Shame

     (G) Growing up came quietly in the arms of Mabel (D) Joy
     Laughter found their mornings, it brought a meaning to his (A) life
     Lord on the (G) night before she left, sleep came and left that Waycross (D) country boy
     With dreams of Georgia cotton (A) and a California (D) wife

     (G) Sunday morning found him standing 'neath the red light at her (D) door
     A right across sent him reeling, put him face down on the floor (C) (C/b) (A)
     (G) In place of his Mabel Joy he found a merchant mad (D) marine
     Who growled, "Your Georgia neck is red but (C) Sonny, (C/b) you're still (A) green"

(D) He turned twenty-one (G) in a gray rock federal prison
The old judge had no mercy for that Waycross Georgia (A) boy
(D) Staring at those four gray walls in (G) silence Lord he just (D) listened
To that midnight freight he knew could take him (C) back (C/b) to Mabel (A) Joy

     (G) Sunday morning found him lying 'neath the red light at her (D) door
     With a bullet in his side he cried, "Have (C) you (C/b) seen Mabel (A) Joy?"
     (A) Stunned and shaken someone said, "Son, she don't live here (D) no more
     No she left this house four years today, (C) they say she's (C/b) looking (A) for
     Some Georgia (Bm) farm boy" (Bm/a) (G) (G/f#) (Em) (Asus4) (A) (D)

The 33rd of August

Drop D Tuning

(D) Lord today there is no salvation

(G) The band packed up and gone

(A) Left me standing with my penny in my (D) hand

(D) There’s a big crowd at the station

Where the (G) blind man sings his songs

(A)He can see what they can’t understand.

It’s the (G) thirty-third of August

And I’m finally touching (D) down

(G) Eight days from (Em) Sunday

Finds me (A) Saturday (D) bound

(D) Once I stumbled through the darkness

(G) Tumbled to my knees

(A) A thousand voices screaming in my (D) brain

(D) Woke up in a squad car

Busted (G) down for vagrancy

(A) Outside my cell as sure as hell it looked like (D) rain

(D) But now I’ve put my dangerous feelings

(G) Under lock and chain

(A) Yes I killed my violent nature with a (D) smile

(D) Though the demons danced and sung their songs

(G) Within my fevered brain

(A) Not all my God-like thoughts Lord were (D) defiled

It’s the (G) thirty-third of August

And I’m finally touching (D) down

(G) Eight days from (Em) Sunday

Finds me (A) Saturday (D) bound

She Even Woke Me Up to Say Goodbye

Drop D Tuning

(D) Well, morning's come (G) and Lord, my mind is (D) aching
The sunshine standing (G) quietly at my (A) door
(D) Just like the dawn my (G) heart is silently (D) breaking
And with my (G) tears it goes tumbling (A) to the floor

(D) Once again the (G) old town will be (D) talking
Yes Lord, I've seen the (G) pity that's in their (A) eyes
'Cause they could (D) never understand (G) it's her sorrow, it's not her man
(A) Well no matter what they say, we know (D) she tried

(G) Baby's packed her soft things and she's (D) left me
I just know she didn't (G) mean to make me (A) cry
It's not her (D) heart, Lord, it's her mind
She didn't (G) mean (G/f#) to be (Em) unkind
(A) Why she even woke me up to say (D) goodbye

(D) It's not her heart, Lord, it's her mind
She just didn't (G) mean (G/f#) to be (Em) unkind
(A) Why she even woke me up to say (G) goodbye (D)

I Don't Think Much About Her No More

You know I don't think much about her no more
And seldom if ever does she cross my mind
Yesterday's gone, Lord, it's better forgotten
Like the poison red berries to die on the vine

This mornin' at dawn, Lord, I pulled in town
Had some coffee and talked with some old friends of mine
Laughing at the good times they remembered
Then I remembered a time

Lord, I can still see the bright lights back in Dallas
As yesterday moves like a dream through my mind
I didn't suppose that I'd ever forget her
And you know it took such a long time

But I don't think much about her no more
Seldom if ever does she cross my mind
Yesterday's gone and it's better forgotten
It's like a poison red berry that clings to the mind

Looks Like Baby's Gone

Drop D

I don't know if the V chord (A) at the end of the first verse is intentionally left out.

(D) Lord tell that robin at my window
Not to sing to me no songs (D7)
'Cause it's (G) not the time for (D) singing
It's the (G) time to be (D) alone.

Chase that sunshine from my window
Tell them to pack up his dawn (D7)
Let them (G) sad guitars keep (D) strummin'
'Cause it (G) looks (A) like baby's (D) gone.

I just can't stand to face the morning (D7)
Oh Lord, (G) even when I'm (D) stoned
Yes, it (G) looks like I was (D) born
Where men were (E7) born to be (A7) alone.

So won't you (D) wake me when it's over
When it's over I'll go home (D7)
But for (G) now please leave my tired mind sleeping
Lord, it (G) looks (A) like baby's (D) gone.

When The Baby In My Lady Gets The Blues

This one is again in drop D tuning and mostly follows a standard doo-wop cadence (I-ii-IV-V). In D: D-(Bm-)G-A. The Bm chord is left out in the first few verses. The real highlight of the song of course, is Newbury's exquisite vocalizing after the final verse.

She's my baby, once in a while she's a lady
But the lady don't smile too much lately
Now the lady's got the blues.

Lord, I need her when she's not around
But I'll see her the next time she's down
And the baby in my lady get's her blues

(G) When the baby in my (E7) lady (Asus4) remembers someone 
Who's (Bm) waiting just to (Bm/a) hold her
Not to (G) scold (G/f#) her for (Em) what she has (A7) done

I need her when she's not around
But I'll see her the next time she's down 
When the baby in my lady gets the blues

Yes if she needs me, how could I mind 
When she leaves me, Lord, it's so fine 
When she needs me, when my lady's got the blues

She's my baby, once in a while she's a lady
But the lady don't smile too much lately
Now the lady's got the blues

T. Total Tommy

Capo on I

Intro: G Em Am D7 (2X) G Am 

To the sad-eyed misinterpreted (Am) hung-up child of clay
(D7) So the drunken poet's pretty words (G) didn't help you find your way
Was it your mistake for thinkin' he was (Am) born before his time
(D7) Or was it his for thinkin' he might save you with his (G) flimsy rhyme 

T. Total Tommy took a toke of tea, black cats backin' up a big oak tree
(Am) Tick tocks tickin' out a tune on time, last words lookin' for a line to rhyme  
(D7) Saw fish swimming in the sea-saw-sea but me 
Well I'm only lookin' (G) (Em) (Am) (D7)

(G) I see so many with no place tonight (Am) their sleepy heads to lay 
(D7) With pen in hand I take a stand (G) I got nothin' deep to say 
Some words are better left to whisper (Am) only to the wind 
(D7) Some men kill with bullets Lord (G) others use a pen 

Sidewalks singin' of a troubled time, small talks marchin' to a nursery rhyme 
(Am) Day trippers trippin' on a mornin' high stop watch watchin' for a chance to die 
(D7) Bad dogs barkin' up an empty tree but me 
Well I'm only cryin' (G) (Em) (Am) (D7)

Write A Song A Song/Angeline

(A7) Hum a tune, a tune, hum a tune, you (D) miss her
Words that wouldn't rhyme, wouldn't rhyme... it's (Em9) over (A7)
Start another line, start a line (D) anew

 (Dm) She's the kinda girl, a man, Lord (F) remembers
(A7) Remembers, (D) remembers
(Dm) She's the kinda girl you just got to (F) love her
 (A7)If you know her and I (D) knew her

(G) Sitting in the dark in the (G/f) darkness (C) of my room,  
I wonder why I (F) look the sky, 
Look the sky begins to softly (D) cry

Morning new (G) running through the grass through (G/f) the sweet green (C) morning dew, Clinging to her (F) golden hair, 
I had to (D) leave her

(G) Yesterdays (G/f#) newspaper (G/e) forecast (G/d) no rain for (Am)
(D7) Yesterdays news was old news the skies are all (G) grey (G/f#) (G/e) (D)
(G) Winter is in (G/f#) labor and (G/e) soon give birth to the (Am) Spring
(D7) And sprinkle the meadow with flowers for my (G) Angeline (G/f#) (G/e) (G/d)

Heartache and sorrow and sadness, unendlingly find
Wings on her memory with them, she flies to my mind
She stretched her arms for a moment then went back to sleep
While morning stood watching ever so silently weep

She opened her eyes, Lord, the minute my feet touched the floor
The cold hardwood creaked with each step that I made to the door
There I turned to her gently and said, 'Hun, just look, it's spring'
Knowing outside the window the winter looked for Angeline
But yesterday's newspaper forcast no rain for today

(G) Sitting in the dark in the (G/f) darkness (C) of my room,  
I wonder why I (F) look the sky, 
Look the sky begins to softly (D) cry

Morning new (G) running through the grass through (G/f) the sweet green (C) morning dew, Clinging to her (F) golden hair, 
I had to (D) leave her