I Want You

Written by 
Bob Dylan
Released on 
Blonde on Blonde (1966), At Budokan (1978), Biograph (1985), Unplugged (1995), Greatest Hits (1967) and The Bootleg Series Vol. 12: The Cutting Edge 1965–1966
Tabbed by 
Eyolf Østrem

Capo 5th fret (sounding key F major). I can’t guarantee that this is what he’s playing, but it’s the most convenient key, especially if you want to retain that characteristic little turn that goes through the whole song, which can be played with all the important chords in C major:

  C                 Em                Am                G
  :   .   .   .     :   .   .   .     :   .   .   .
|-0-0---0---------|-0-0---0---------|-0-0---0---------|-3--
|-1-1---1---------|-0-0---0---------|-1-1---1---------|-0--
|-0-0---0---------|-0-0---0---------|-2-2---2---------|-0--
|-2-2---2-32-0-2--|-2-2---2-32-0-2--|-2-2---2-32-0----|-0--etc
|-3-3---3---------|-2-2---2---------|-0-0---0-------3-|-2--
|-----------------|-0-0---0---------|-----------------|-3--

On the album, this lick is played one octave higher (noted relative to capo, although it can of course be played without a capo):

  C                 Em                Am                G
  :   .   .   .     :   .   .   .     :   .   .   .     :   .   .   .
|---0--0--10---0--|---0--0--10---0--|---0--0--10------|-----------------|
|------------3----|------------3----|------------3--1-|-3--10-----------|
|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|--------20-------|
|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|
|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|
|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|

  F                 G                 Am                G
  :   .   .   .     :   .   .   .     :   .   .   .     :   .   .     .
|-----------------|-----------------|---0---0-10------|------------2nd------|---
|---1--1--10----1-|---3--3--3-1-03--|------------3--1-|-3--10------guitar:--|---
|------------2----|-----------------|-----------------|--------20-----------|-0-
|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|------------------023|---
|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|---------------023---|---
|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|------------013------|---

The same guitar that plays the swoosh at the end, also plays this, at the C before the verses:

  :   .   .   .
|-----------------|---
|-----------------|---
|-----------------|---
|-----------------|---
|---------------03|~--
|-------------03--|---
    C
The guilty undertaker sighs,
    Em
The lonesome organ grinder cries,
    Am                               G
The silver saxophones say I should refuse you.
    F
The cracked bells and washed-out horns
G
Blow into my face with scorn,
         Am
But it's not that way,
                 G
I wasn't born to lose you.
  C           Em
I want you, I want you,
  Am          G
I want you so bad,
         C
Honey, I want you.

The drunken politician leaps
Upon the street where mothers weep
And the saviors who are fast asleep,
They wait for you.
And I wait for them to interrupt
Me drinkin' from my broken cup
And ask me to
Open up the gate for you.
I want you, I want you,
I want you so bad,
Honey, I want you.

    Em
Now all my fathers, they've gone down
     Am
True love they've been without it.
    Em
But all their daughters put me down
       F              G
'Cause I don't think about it.

Well, I return to the Queen of Spades
And talk with my chambermaid.
She knows that I'm not afraid
To look at her.
She is good to me
And there's nothing she doesn't see.
She knows where I'd like to be
But it doesn't matter.
I want you, I want you,
I want you so bad,
Honey, I want you.

Now your dancing child with his Chinese suit,
He spoke to me, I took his flute.
No, I wasn't very cute to him,
Was I?
But I did it, though, because he lied
Because he took you for a ride
And because time was on his side
And because I . . .
I want you, I want you,
I want you so bad,
Honey, I want you.

Budokan and Dylan & the Dead versions

The Dylan & the Dead version is a fairly straightforward version in A major (chords: A, C#m, F#m, E, D, E, F#m, E etc.).

Budokan is played slowly in E major (Chords: E, G#m, C#m, B, A, B, C#m, B etc.)

Unplugged version (outtake)

If you don’t have this one, do yourself the favor of getting it. It’s worth it, whichever price you have to pay. (Almost).

Slow and sweet.

  C                                  Em                                 Am
  :   .   .   .    :   .   .   .     :   .   .   .    :   .   .   .
|-0--------------|-----------------|-0--------------|-----------------|-0-
|-1--------------|-----------------|-0--------------|-----------------|-1-
|-0--------------|-----------------|-0--------------|-----------------|-2- etc
|-2--------------|---------023-2-0-|-2--------------|---------023-2-0-|-2-
|-3--------------|----------------3|-2--------------|----------------3|-0-
|----------------|-----------------|-0--------------|-----------------|---

C
 The guilty undertaker sighs,
                           /b
The lonesome organ grinder cries,
    Am
The silver saxophones say I
G        F         Am   G
should refuse you.
    C
The cracked bells and washed-out horns
                       /b
Blow into my face with scorn,
         Am
But it's not that way, I wasn't born
G    F            Am   G
to lose you.
  C           Em
I want you, I want you,
(E) Am          G
I   want you so bad,
         C
Honey, I want you.

. . .

    Em
Now all my fathers, they've gone down
     F
True love they've been without it.
    Em
But all their daughters put me down
       F              G
'Cause I don't think about it.

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