Baby Please Don't Go

Written by 
Big Joe Williams
Released on 
Early Acoustic Dylan (–1965)
Tabbed by 
Eyolf Østrem

Recorded 25 Apr, 1962 during The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan sessions.

Chords: E, E7, Em or E7-10 (or E7#9), that’s all.
The intro contains all the licks that are used throughout the rest of the song, between the sung lines. The lick at the beginning of the second line (m. 5) is everywhere, while the shapes in m. 1 (0xx430) and m. 2 (0xxx53) are used here and there between verses. All with lots of variations, of course.
The bass…, no, maybe we shouldn’t talk about the bass… Oh, ok, it’s erratic, driving, brilliant, and hopeless to put down on paper.

Intro:

 

  :   .   .   .     :   .   .   .     :   .   .   .     :   .   .   .
|-----------0-----|-------0-3-0-----|-------0---0-----|-----------------|
|----/3---3-3-----|----/5-----------|----/3--/3-------|-----------------|
|----/4-4---------|-----------------|----/4--/4-------|-----------------|
|---------------5-|-----------------|---------------2-|-----------------|
|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|
|-0-0---0-0---0-0-|---0-----0---0-0-|-0-0-0---0---0---|-0-0-0---0---0---|

  :   .   .   .     :   .   .   .     :   .   .   .     :   .   .   .
|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|---0-----0-------|
|-----------------|-----------------|----/3~~~~~~~~~~~|-------3---3-----|
|-----2---2-0---1-|-----2---2---0(1)|----/4~~~~~~~~~4-|-4-----------4-2-|
|----(2---2-0)--2-|---------------2-|-----------------|-----------------|
|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|
|-0-0---0-----0---|-0-0---0---0-----|-0---0---0---0---|-0---0---0---0---|

  :   .   .   .     :   .   .   .      :   .   .   .     :   .   .   .
|-----------------|-----------------||-----------------|-----------------|
|-----------------|-----------------||-----------------|-----------------|
|-----------2---0-|-1-----0h1-0h1-0-||h1---------------|-----2---2-0---1-|
|-----------------|-----------------||-----------------|-----------------|
|-----------------|-----------------||-----------------|-----------------|
|-0-0-0---0---0---|-0---0---0---0---||-----------------|-0-0---0-----0---|
                                           Baby please
                                                   don't go . . .

  :   .   .   .     :   .   .   .     :   .   .   .     :   .   .   .
|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|
|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|
|-----------------|-----2---2-0-----|-----------------|-----------------|
|-----------------|---------------2-|-----------------|-----------------|
|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|
|-0---0---0---0---|-0---0---0---0---|-0---0---0---0---|-0---0---0---0---|
    Baby please                           Baby please       back to
           don't go . . .                         don't go      New Orleans

  :   .   .   .     :   .   .   .     :   .   .   .
|-----------------|-----------------|------------------
|-----------------|-----------------|------------------
|-----------2---0-|h1---------------|-------harp-------
|-----------------|-----------------|------------------
|-----------------|-----------------|------------------
|-0---0---0---0---|-0---0---0---0---|-0----------------
    you know            Baby please
        it hurts me so          don't go

Baby, please don't go,
Baby, please don't go,
Baby, please don't go,
Back to New Orleans,
You know it hurts me so,
Baby, please don't go.

Turn your lamp down low
Turn your lamp down low
Turn your lamp down low
Don't drive me from your door
Baby, please don't go,
Baby, please don't leave

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