Girl from the North Country

Written by 
Bob Dylan
Released on 
The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan (1963), Nashville Skyline (1969), Real Live (1984), The Bootleg Series, Vol. 9: The Witmark Demos: 1962-1964 (2010) and Live 1962-1966 — Rare Performances From The Copyright Collections (2018)
Tabbed by 
Eyolf Østrem

The song is inspired by Martin Carthy’s arrangement of the traditional Scarborough Fair. 
The theoretically inclined may note the interesting change that the first chord after the intro has undergone over the years, mainly because of the change in what follows. 054030 is an ambiguous chord: since it’s simply a C shape that is moved two frets up, it can function as a D, which, when followed by C in most live versions, works well in the key of G. But when it’s followed by D, it doesn’t make sense to interpret it as another D, and so the other character of the chord comes into play: as an Em with added d and f#, in other words Em9.
The chords are the same as for Boots of Spanish Leather.

Chords 
(Freewheelin' version):
G      320003
C/g    3x2013
Em9    05403x
D7/f#  20021x
Em     022000

(Nashville Skyline version):
G      320003
Bm     224432
C      x32010

(Real Live and most other live renditions):
G      320003
C/g    3x2013
"D"    x54030
C      x32010
Em     022000

 

Freewheelin’ version

Capo 3rd fret (sounding key Bb major)
More or less standard fingerpicking with this basic pattern:

  :   .   .   .
|-----------------|
|-----0---------0-|
|-----------0-----|
|-----0-------0---|
|-----------------|
|-3-------3-------|

Intro:

  G       C/g               G         C/g     G         C/g     G
  :   .   .   .     :   .   .   .     :   .   .   .     :   .   .   .
|-----3-----------|---------------3-|---------------3-|---------------3-|
|-----0---------1-|-----1-----------|-----1-----------|-----1-----------|
|-----------0-----|-----------0-----|-----------0-----|-----------0-----|
|-----0-------2---|-----0h2-----0---|-----2-------0---|-----2-------0---|
|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|
|-3-------3-------|-3-------3-------|-3-------3-------|-3-------3-------|

  C/g     G
  :   .   .   .     :   .   .   .     :   .   .   .
|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------||
|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------||
|-----------0-----|-----------0-----|-----------0-----||
|-----2-------0---|-----0-------0---|-----0-------0---||
|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------||
|-3-------3-------|-3-------3-------|-3-------3-------||

Verse:

     Em9                                 D7/f#
     :   .   .   .     :   .   .   .     :   .   .   .
||-------------------|-----------------|-----------------|
||-*-----3-----------|-----3-----------|-----1-----------|
||-------------0-----|-----------0-----|-----------2-----|
||-------4-------4---|-----4-------0---|-----0-------0---|
||-*-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|
||---0-------0-------|-0-------0-------|-2-------2-------|
         If    you're  travelin' in the  north   country

  G       C/g               G
  :   .   .   .     :   .   .   .     :   .   .   .
|-----------------|-----------------|-------------------||
|-----0---------1-|-----1---------0-|-----0-----------*-||
|-----------0-----|-----------0-----|-----------0-------|| x2
|-----0-------2---|-----2-------0---|-----0-------0-----||
|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------*-||
|-3-------3-------|-3-------3-------|-3-------3---------||
  fair

  Em                                  C/g
  :   .   .   .     :   .   .   .     :   .   .   .
|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|
|-----0-----------|-----0---------1-|-----1---------0-|
|-----------0-----|-----------0-----|-----------0-----|
|-----2-------2---|-----2-------0---|-----2-------2---|
|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|
|-0-------0-------|-0-------0-------|-3-------3-------|
(Re)member          me        to      one     who lives

  G       C/g               G
  :   .   .   .     :   .   .   .     :   .   .   .
|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|
|-----0---------1-|-----1---------0-|-----0-----------|
|-----------0-----|-----------0-----|-----------0-----|
|-----0-------2---|-----2-------0---|-----0-------0---|
|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|
|-3-------3-------|-3-------3-------|-3-------3-------|    D.C.
  there

Em9                         D7/f#         G
 If you're travelin' in the north country fair,
          Em9                   D7/f#    G
Where the winds hit heavy on the borderline,
  Em           C             G
Remember me to one who lives there.
Em9            D7/f#        G
She once was a true love of mine.

Well, if you go when the snowflakes storm,
When the rivers freeze and summer ends,
Please see if she's wearing a coat so warm,
To keep her from the howlin' winds.

Please see for me if her hair hangs long,
If it rolls and flows all down her breast.
Please see for me if her hair hangs long,
That's the way I remember her best.

I'm a-wonderin' if she remembers me at all.
Many times I've often prayed
In the darkness of my night,
In the brightness of my day.

So if you're travelin' in the north country fair,
Where the winds hit heavy on the borderline,
Remember me to one who lives there.
She once was a true love of mine.

Nashville Skyline version

G          Bm       C                     G
 If you're travelin' in the north country fair,
G                    Bm   C             G
 Where the winds hit heavy on the borderline,
G        Bm    C             G
Remember me to one who lives there.
G        Bm  C               G
She once was  a true love of mine.

Real Live version

The following figure is played at the end of each line:

  G         C/g       G
  |   .   .   .     |   .   .   .
|-3---------333333|-3-3-------------
|-0---------111111|-1-0-------------
|-0---------000000|-0-0--etc--------
|-0---------222222|-2-0-------------
|-2---------xxxxxx|-x-2-------------
|-3---------333333|-3-3-------------
..fair

"D"                        C             G
If you're travelin' in the north country fair,
"D"                              C     G
Where the winds hit heavy on the borderline,
Em             C             G
Remember me to one who lives there.
"D"            C            G
She once was a true love of mine.

30th Anniversary Celebration version (1991)

As the Real Live version (with the same emphatical C/g-G at the end of lines). In some verses the Em is played xx5450.

Ends with the following scale figure (the a in parentheses is accidental…):

  C/g                      G

|-3-33333----------------|-3--------
|-1-11111----------------|-3--------
|-0-00000----------------|-4--------
|-2-22222----------0-2-4-|-5--------
|----------0-2-3--(0)----|-5--------
|-3-33333----------------|-3--------

Dusseldorf, Nov 8, 2003

New version, which is a cross between Ring Them Bells and Friend of the Devil (and, for that matter, One Too Many Mornings)

Capo 1st fret

As so often: what is actually played by all the individual instruments would be impossible to put into a single guitar. What is important in this version is the bass and the chord sequence. An outline of these is presented below. Some of the chords might be played differently, such as the E/g#, which is more correctly played 420100 (instead of 420000, which gives a much more muddy sound), and the last line, which could be played:

C Am Dm/f . | C/e C/g  C . |

  C   G/b Am  C/g   F   C/e Gsus4 G   C   G/b Am  C/e   F   C/e G   E/g#
  :   .   .   .     :   .   .   .     :   .   .   .     :   .   .   .
|---------0-------|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|
|-1---3---1---1---|-1---1---1---0---|-1---0---1---1---|-1---1---0---0---|
|-0---0---2---0---|-2---0---0---0---|-0---0---2---0---|-2---0---0---0---|
|-2---0---2---2---|-3---2---0---0---|-2---0---2---2---|-3---2---0---0---|
|-3---2---0---3---|-3---3---2---2---|-3---2---0---3---|-3---3---2---2---|
|-------------3---|-1---0---3---3---|-------------3---|-1---0---3---4---|

  Am  C/g F   C/e  F  D7/f# G   E/g#  Am  G   C   G/b D7/f#     F
  :   .   .   .     :   .   .   .     :   .   .   .     :   .   .   .
|-----------------|-----------------|---------0---3---|-2-------1-------|
|-1---1---1---1---|-1---1---0---0---|-1---3---1---3---|-1-------1-------|
|-2---0---2---0---|-2---2---0---1---|-2---0---0---0---|-2-------2-------|
|-2---2---3---2---|-3---0---0---0---|-2---0---2---0---|-0-------3-------|
|-0---3---3---3---|-3---0---2---2---|-0---2---3---2---|-0-------3-------|
|-----3---1---0---|-1---2---3---4---|-----3-----------|-2-------1-------|

  C(6)    Dm/f    C/e Gsus4 C
  :   .   .   .     :   .   .   .
|---------1-------|-0---0---0-------|
|-1-------3-------|-1---1---1-------|
|-0---2---2---2---|-0---0---0-------|
|-2-------3-------|-2---3---2-------|
|-3---------------|-3-------3-------|
|-----------------|-0---3-----------|

St Louis, March 3, 2004

In principle the same as the above, with some minor differences, and with a more detailed tab.

  C   G/b Am  G     F   C/e G11 G7    C   G/d C         Dm  C   G   E/g#
  :   .   .   .     :   .   .   .     :   .   .   .     :   .   .   .
|-0---------------|-----------------|-0-----------0---|-1---0-----------|
|-----3---1---0---|---1-0-1-----3---|-----3---1-----1-|---3-----3---0---|
|-----------------|-2-------2-------|-----------------|-----------------|
|---2---0---2---0-|-----------3---3-|---2---0---2-----|-0-----2---0---2-|
|-3---2---0-------|--------------(2)|-3---2---3---3---|-----3-----------|
|-------------3---|-1---0---3---3---|-----------------|---------3---4---|

  C   G   F   C/e   F   D7  G   G#o   Am  G/b C         D       F
  :   .   .   .     :   .   .   .     :   .   .   .     :   .   .   .
|-----------------|-----------------|---------0---3---|-2-----2-1-----1-|
|-1---0-----1---1-|---1---1-0-----3-|-1---3--(1)------|-----3-------1---|
|---------2---0---|-2---2---0---1---|--------(0)----0-|---2-------2-----|
|---2---0-3---2---|-3---4-----0-3---|---2---0---2-----|-0---------------|
|-0---------------|-----------------|-0---2---3-------|-----------------|
|-----3-----------|-----------------|-----------------|---------1-------|

  Am      Dm       C(/e /g  /c)
  :   .   .   .     :   .   .   .
|-8-------10------|-12--12--12------|                 |-12--12--12------|
|-----10------10--|-----------------|  last measure   |-----------------|
|-9-------10------|-12--12--12------|  can be played  |-12--12--12------|
|-----10------12--|-10--10--10------|  like this:     |-10--10--10------|
|-----------------|-----------------|                 |-----10----------|
|-----------------|-----------------|                 |-12-----(8)------|

Contact

Corrections, additions, questions? Contact me