Kindhearted Woman Blues

Written by 
Robert Johnson
Released on 
Early Acoustic Dylan (–1965)
Tabbed by 
Eyolf Østrem

Played by Bob Dylan on the second Gaslight tape (late October 1962)

Capo 2nd fret (sounding key F# major)

A single h means a hammer-on from an open string.
Use the basic chord shapes E7=0xx430, A7=x02223 and B=22xxxx, and the licks that you'll find in the tab, and play around with those, rather than trying to follow the tab slavishly. The second and third verses follow more or less the same pattern as the first.

  A                                                   E7
  :     .     .     .       :     .     .     .       :     .     .     .
|-----3-------------------|-----3-------3------------|--------------------------|
|-----2-----2-------------|-----2-------2------------|------3---3-3---3---------|
|---------2-------23232---|---------2-------232323---|------------------3p2-0---|
|-------2-----------------|-----------2-----------0--|----0---------------------|
|-0-----------0-----------|-0-----0------------------|--------------------------|
|-----------------0-------|--------------------------|-0--------0-0---0-------0-|

                                                       B7
  :      .     .     .       :     .     .     .       :     .     .     .
|--------------------------|-------------------------|-------------------------|
|--------------------------|-------------------------|-----------------0-------|
|--------------------------|-------------------------|---------------------0---|
|----0h2-----2-0-----------|-2----h2-----------------|-----------------------0-|
|------0-----0---2-0-------|---------1-0-------1---0-|-2-----2-----------------|
|-0------0-----------3---0-|-0---0-0-----0---0-------|-2-----2---2-2---2-2-----|

  A6                        E7
  :     .     .     .       :     .      .       .       :     .     .     .
|-----2-------------------|------------------0---------|-------------------------|
|-2--(2)--2---------------|----------3-------3---------|-------------------------|
|----(2)------3-----2-----|-------2h3--3-4-----4\2-0---|-------------------------|
|-----------------------2-|-------0--------------0---2-|------h2---2-------------|
|-0---------0-0-----0-----|----------------------------|-------0---------0-2-0---|
|-------------------------|-0---0----------------------|-0---0-------0---------3-|

  :       .     .     .         :     .     .     .       :     .     .     .
|-----------------------------|-----------------0-0---0-|-------------------------|
|-----------------------------|-----------------3-3---3-|-3---3-----------3-3---3-|
|-----------------------------|-----------------4-4---4-|-----------4-------------|
|-----0h2-----2------h2-h2-h2-|-2---2-----2-------------|-------------------------|
|-----0---------------0-------|-----------0-------------|-------------------------|
|-0-----------0-0---0---------|-0---0-------0-----0---0-|-0---0-0---0-0---0-0---0-|

                                                                    A7
  :     .     .     .       :     .       :     .     .     .       :     .     .     .
|-------------------------|-------------|-------------------------|-----3-------------------|
|-3---3-------------------|-------------|-------------------0-----|-----------------------2-|
|-4---4\2-0---------------|-------------|-----------------------0-|-------------23--------2-|
|-----------2------h2---2-|-0-----------|------h2---2-2-----2-----|-------------------------|
|-------------------0-----|-----2-0-----|-------------------------|-0---0-0---0-0---0-0-----|
|-0---0-0-----0---0-------|-------0---3-|-0---0-0-----0-----------|-------------------------|

                       E
  :     .     .        :     .     .       :     .     .       :      .     .     .
|-3-----5------------|-------------------|-------------------|--------------------------|
|-----2-----2--------|-------------------|-------------------|--------------------------|
|-----------2--------|-------------------|-------------------|--------------------------|
|-------------2---h2-|------h2----p0-----|---------0-2-0-----|-------h2--h2-----2-------|
|-0---0-0---0-0------|-------0-----0---2-|-----0-2-----------|------------0-----0-------|
|--------------------|-0---0-------------|-0---------------3-|-0---0--0-----0-----0---0-|

  A                          E7
  :     .     .     .        :     .     .     .       :     .     .       .
|-------------------------||-------------------------|---------------------------|
|-------------------------||/3-----------------3---3-|---------------------------|
|-------------------------||/4-------------------4---|-------------------4\2-0---|
|-2---2-----2-------------||-------------------------|-------------------------2-|
|-0---0-----0-------------||-------------------------|---------------------------|
|-------------0-----0-----||-0-----0-----0-----0-----|-0-----0-----0-------0-----|
                  I got a    kind-hearted woman           studies evil     all the

  :     .     .     .     .     .       :     .     .     .       :     .     .     .
|-------------------------------------|-------------------------|-------------------------|
|-------------------------------------|-------------------------|-------------------------|
|-------------------------------------|-------------------------|-------------------------|
|------h2-----2-0-2-0---------0-------|------h2-----2-----------|----h2-------------------|
|-------0-----0---------2-------------|-------0---------0-2-----|-----0-------------------|
|-0---0-------------0-----0-----3---0-|-0---0-------0---------0-|-0-----0-----0-----0-----|
  time.                                                                           I got a

  A7                                                  E7
  :     .     .     .       :     .     .     .       :     .     .      .
|-----3-----------------3-|-------------------------|--------------------------|
|-----2-------------2-----|-------------------------|---------3-------3--------|
|-----2-------------------|-----------232-----2-----|------/4---4-4-----\2-0---|
|-----2-------------------|-----------------------0-|-2-----0------------0---2-|
|-0-----0-----0-----0-----|-0-----0-----0-----0-----|--------------------------|
|-------------------------|-------------------------|-0------------------------|
  kind- hearted woman           studies evil all the  time

                                                                  B
  :     .     .     .     .     .       :     .     .     .       :     .     .     .
|-------------------------------------|-------------------------|-------------------------|
|-------------------------------------|-------------------------|-------------------------|
|-------------------------------------|-------------------------|-------------------------|
|------h2-----2---2-------------------|-2----h2-----------------|-------------------------|
|-------0---------0-------0h2-0-------|-------0---0-------------|-----2-----------2-------|
|-0---0-------0-----0---0-------3---0-|-0-----------0-----0-----|-2-----2---2-2-----2---0-|
                                                        oh, she       wants to kill me just to

  A7                        E7
  :     .     .     .       :       .       .     .         :     .     .     .
|-----3-------------------|-------------------------------|-------------------------------|
|-2-----------------------|-------------3-------3---------|-------------------------------|
|-2-----------------------|-------2/4-----2/4-----4\2-0---|-------------------------------|
|----------------------h2-|---------0-------0-------0---2-|------h2-----2-----------------|
|-0-----0-----0-----------|-------------------------------|-------0-----------2-----------|
|-----------------0-0---0-|-0---0-------------------------|-0---0-----------0-----0-3---0-|
     have it on her mind

  :     .     .     .     .       :     .     .
|-------------------------------|---------------------|
|-------------------------------|---------------------|
|-------------------------------|-1-----1-------------|
|-2----h2-----------------------|-2-----2-------------|
|-------0---------0-2-----------|-2----h2-------------|
|-0---0-------0-----0---0-3---0-|-------------0-----0-|
                                                  she got a ...

           E7
She got a .32 special, built on a cross of wood
           A7                              E7
She got a .32 special, built on a cross of wood
        B     A7                        E7
I got a 38-20, man, that's twice as good.

Sometime I'm thinking, you're too good to die
Sometime I'm thinking, you're too good to die
Other times I'm a-thinking you ought to be buried alive.

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