(D-A-d-g-b-d, i.e. tune the 1st and the 6th strings down one whole step).
Capo 1st fret (sounding key Eb minor)
Intro (same strumming pattern throughout the song):
: . . . : . . . |---0--keep--------|-----------------| |---3-strumming----|-----------------| |---2--------------|-----------------| |---------0------3-|-0-------0-----3-|etc. |-------3----------|-------3---------| |-0----------------|-----------------|
Dm
Hollis Brown
/c Dm
He lived on the outside of town
Hollis Brown
/c Dm
He lived on the outside of town
With his wife and five children
And his cabin broken down
. . :
|---0---0-|---0---
|---3---3-|---3---
|---2---0-|---2---
|---------|-------
|-3---2---|-------
|---------|-0-----
cabin broken down
You looked for work and money And you walked a rugged mile You looked for work and money And you walked a rugged mile Your children are so hungry That they don't know how to smile Your baby's eyes look crazy They're a-tuggin' at your sleeve Your baby's eyes look crazy They're a-tuggin' at your sleeve You walk the floor and wonder why With every breath you breathe
[Additional verse in the Gaslight version: There's bedbugs on your baby's bed There's chinches on your wife There's bedbugs on your baby's bed There's chinches on your wife Gangerene snuck in your side, It's a-cuttin' you like a knife.]
The rats have got your flour Bad blood it got your mare The rats have got your flour Bad blood it got your mare If there's anyone that knows Is there anyone that cares? You prayed to the Lord above Oh please send you a friend You prayed to the Lord above Oh please send you a friend Your empty pockets tell yuh That you ain't a-got no friend Your babies are crying louder now It's pounding on your brain Your babies are crying louder now It's pounding on your brain Your wife's screams are stabbin' you like the dirty drivin' rain Your grass it is turning black There's no water in your well Your grass is turning black There's no water in your well You spent your last lone dollar On seven shotgun shells Way out in the wilderness A cold coyote calls Way out in the wilderness A cold coyote calls Your eyes fix on the shotgun That's hangin' on the wall Your brain is a-bleedin' And your legs can't seem to stand Your brain is a-bleedin' And your legs can't seem to stand Your eyes fix on the shotgun That you're holdin' in your hand There's seven breezes a-blowin' All around the cabin door There's seven breezes a-blowin' All around the cabin door Seven shots ring out Like the ocean's pounding roar There's seven people dead On a South Dakota farm There's seven people dead On a South Dakota farm Somewhere in the distance There's seven new people born.
The Gaslight II version (late oct 1962) is basically the same as the above (with the extra verse), only not as persistently regular (the bass pattern changes more, and more unpredictably), and with the capo on the 5th fret.