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Copperhead Road by Steve Earle
Copperhead Road
This is a typical country/bluegrass recording that uses open chords almost
exclusively. The driving force of this song is delivered by a mandolin riff.
This tab is written for a single unaccompanied six string guitar. The driving
mandolin melody is simulated in Riffs 1 to 4. I have heard a couple of live,
acoustic versions of this song with different backing musicians and they each
use variations of the riffs shown here. I guess it comes down to personal taste
as to which riffs you use. You will need to listen to the song to get the
rythym of the melody since it is difficult to show it using this format.
(Riffs 1 through to 4 are used extensively in the first 2 verses)
(Riff 1) (Riff 2)
(D) (C) (G) (D)
|----------------------------|------|---------------------------------|
|--3-3--3-3--3-3---3-3-3--3--|-----0h1-1-1-1-0-------0h3-3-3-3---3-3--|
|--0h2--2-2--0-2-4-2-0-2--2--|-----0|0-0-0-0-0-2-0-0-0h2-2-0-2---2-2--|
|--0-0--0-0--0-0-0-0-0-0--0--|------|--------------0-0-0-0-0-0---0-0--|
|----------------------------|------|---------------------------------|
|----------------------------|------|---------------------------------|
(Riff 3) (Riff 4)
(D) (G) (C) (G)
|--------------------------------|----3-3-3--3-3-3-3-3-3-3--3-3--------|
|--3-3--3-3--3-0-1-0-0h3--3--3-0-|----0-0-0--0-0-1-1-1-1-0--0-0--------|
|--0h2--2-2--2-0-0-0-0h2--2--2-0-|----0-0-0--0-0-0-0-0-0-0--0-0--------|
|--0-0--0-0--0-0-0-0-0-0--0--0-0-|-----------------------0--0-0--------|
|--------------------------------|-----------------------X--X-X--------|
|--------------------------------|--3--------------------3--3-3--------|
(Riffs 5 to 9 are used in the instrumental solo and the last verse. They are
played over the top of Riffs 1 to 4. They sound like they were done on an
electric guitar and some of them are a bit tough to play on an accoustic
steel string - but they can be adapted to sound pretty close.
These are just a guide.)
(Riff 5) (Riff 6)
(D) . .
|--2-2-2-|-2-2--X-2-2--2-2-2-2--|----|------------------------------------|
|--3-3-3-|-3-3--X-3-3--3-3-3-3--|----|------------------------------------|
|--0-2-0-|-2-2--X-2-2--4-2-0-2--|---1/2-2-2--------------1h2p1h2----------|
|--0-0-0-|-0-0--X-0-0--0-0-0-0--|----|-------3/4-4-3h4-----------3h4p3h4--|
|--------|----------------------|----|------------------------------------|
|--------|----------------------|----|------------------------------------|
(Riff 7) (Riff 8)
(D) (D) (G) (C)(D)
|----------------------|--------------------------------------|
|----------------------|--0h1-3p1p0---------------------------|
|----------------------|-------------2-4p0-----------2--2-2---|
|--------------4-------|--------------------4p0------0--0-0---|
|--3b5-3b5-------5\0---|--------------------------3-----------|
|----------------------|--------------------------------------|
(Riff 9) (Riff 10)
(C) (G) (D)
---|---3---3-----------------2--2-2-2--2-2-|--2|2--2-2--2-2--2--2------------2-------|
--0h1----1---0h1p0-------0-3-3--3-3-3--3-3-|--3|3--3-3--3-3--3--3--0h1p0-----3-------|
---|----------------2-0--0h2-2--2-0-2--2-2-|--0h2--0h2--0h2--0--2--0-----2-0-2-------|
---|----------------0-0--0-0-0--0-0-0--0-0-|--0|0--0-0--0-0--0--0--------0-0-0-------|
---|---------------------------------------|---|-------------------------------------|
---|---------------------------------------|---|-------------------------------------|
************************************************************************
**********************(Actual Song - Studio Version)********************
************************************************************************
(Brief organ Solo)
-Intro Proper
--------------|--------------|-------------------|---------------|
--------------|--------------|-------------------|---------------|
---(Riff 1)---|---(Riff 2)---|---(Riff 1 or 3)---|---(Riff 2)----|
--------------|--------------|-------------------|---------------|
--------------|--------------|-------------------|---------------|
--------------|--------------|-------------------|---------------|
Well.....
--------------|-------------------|------------------------|
--------------|-------------------|------------------------|
---(Riff 4)---|---(Riff 1 or 3)---|---(Riff 1 or 3)--------|
--------------|-------------------|------------------------|
--------------|-------------------|------------------------|
--------------|-------------------|------------------------|
(1st Verse)
(D)
...my name's John Lee Pettimore.....(Riff 1 or 3)
(D)
Same as my daddy and his daddy before.....(Riff 1 or 3)
(D)
You hardly ever saw Grandaddy down here.....(Riff 1 or 3)
(D)
He only come to town about twice a year.....(Riff 1 or 3)
(D)
He'd buy a hundred pounds of yeast and some copper line.....(Riff 1 or 3)
(D)
Everybody knew that he made moonshine.....(Riff 1 or 3)
(G) (C) (G)
Now the revenue man wanted Grandaddy bad.
(D)
He headed up the holler with everything he had.
(G) (C) (G)
It's before my time but I've been told.
.
(D)-(No Chord)
He never come back from Copperhead Road.
|--------------|--------------|-------------------|---------------|
|--------------|--------------|-------------------|---------------|
|---(Riff 1)---|---(Riff 2)---|---(Riff 1 or 3)---|---(Riff 2)----|
|--------------|--------------|-------------------|---------------|
|--------------|--------------|-------------------|---------------|
|--------------|--------------|-------------------|---------------|
(2nd Verse)
(D)
Now Daddy ran the whiskey in a big block dodge.....(Riff 1 or 3)
(D)
Bought it at an auction at the Mason's Lodge.....(Riff 1 or 3)
(D)
Johnson County Sheriff painted on the side.....(Riff 1 or 3)
(D)
Just shot a coat of primer and they looked inside.....(Riff 1 or 3)
(D)
Well him and my uncle tore that engine down.....(Riff 1 or 3)
(D)
I still remember that rumblin' sound.....(Riff 1 or 3)
(G) (C) (G)
Well the sheriff came around in the middle of the night.
(D)
Heard Mama cryin' knew somethin wasn't right.
(G) (C) (G)
He was headed down to Knoxville with the weekly load.
(D - Let Ring)
You could smell the whiskey burnin' down Copperhead Road.
. . .
(D) (D) (D) (D) (D) (D)
|---2-2-2-2--2-----2-2-2-2--2--|---2-2-2-2--2-----2-2-2-2--2---2-2---|
|---3-3-3-3--3-----3-3-3-3--3--|---3-3-3-3--3-----3-3-3-3--3---3-3---|
|---2-2-2-2--2-----2-2-2-2--2--|---2-2-2-2--2-----2-2-2-2--2---2-2---|
|---0-0-0-0--0-----0-0-0-0--0--|---0-0-0-0--0-----0-0-0-0--0---0-0---|
|---0-0-0-0--0-----0-0-0-0--0--|---0-0-0-0--0-----0-0-0-0--0---0-0---|
|------------------------------|-------------------------------------|
(Instrumental Solo)
(D) (C) (G) (D)
|--------------------------------|--3---3-------------------------------|
|--3-3--3-3--3-3---3-3-3-3------0h1---1---1-0-------3-3-3--3-3-3--3-3---|
|--0h2--2-2--0-2-4-2-0h2-2-------|--------0-0--2-0--0h2-2--2-0-2--2-2---|
|--0-0--0-0--0-0-0-0-0-0-0-------|-------------0-0--0-0-0--0-0-0--0-0---|
|--------------------------------|--------------------------------------|
|--------------------------------|--------------------------------------|
(D)
|----------------------------------|----------------------|
|--3-3--3-3--3-3--1p0-------3-3----|----------------------|
|--0h2--2-2--0-2--0-0--2p0--2-2----|-----(Riff 9)---------|
|--0-0--0-0--0-0-------0-0--0-0----|----------------------|
|----------------------------------|----------------------|
|----------------------------------|----------------------|
(G) (C) (G)
|--3-3-3-3----------------------|----------------------|
|--0-0-0-0----0-1-3-1---0--0-0--|----------------------|
|--0-0-0-0--2---------2----0-0--|-----(Riff 8)---------|
|--0-0-0-0-----------------0-0--|----------------------|
|--X----------------------------|----------------------|
|--3----------------------------|----------------------|
(G) (C) (G)
|--3-3-3-3---------------------|----------------------|
|--0-0-0-0----0-1-0---0---0-0--|----------------------|
|--0-0-0-0--2-0-0-0-2-0---0-0--|------(Riff 8)--------|
|--0-0-0-0--0-------0-----0-0--|----------------------|
|--X---------------------------|----------------------|
|--3---------------------------|----------------------|
(D) (G) (C)(D)
|------------------------------|
|--------------------------3---|
|------2p0-----------------2---|
|--0h4-----4p0---0--2p0----0---|
|--------------3---------3-----|
|------------------------------|
(3rd Verse)
(D)
I volunteered for the army on my birthday.....(Riff 5)
(D)
They draft the white trash first, 'round here anyway.....(Riff 7)
(D)
I done two tours of duty in Vietnam.....(Riff 8)
(D)
And I came home with a brand new plan.....(Riff 5)
(D)
I take the seed from Columbia and Mexico.....(Riff 6)
(D)
I plant it up the holler down Copperhead Road.....(Riff 7)
(G) (C)
Well the D.E.A.'s got a chopper in the air.
(D)
I wake up screamin' like I'm back over there.
(G) (C)
I learned a thing or two from Charlie don't you know.
(D)
You better stay away from Copperhead Road.
. . .
(D) (D) (D) (D) (D) (D)
|---2-2-2-2--2--X-X--2-2-2-2--2--X-X-|---2-2-2-2--2--X-X-X----2-2-2-2--2---2-2---|
|---3-3-3-3--3--X-X--3-3-3-3--3--X-X-|---3-3-3-3--3--X-X-X----3-3-3-3--3---3-3---|
|---2-2-2-2--2--X-X--2-2-2-2--2--X-X-|---2-2-2-2--2--X-X-X----2-2-2-2--2---2-2---|
|---0-0-0-0--0--X-X--0-0-0-0--0--X-X-|---0-0-0-0--0--X-X-X----0-0-0-0--0---0-0---|
|---0-0-0-0--0--X-X--0-0-0-0--0--X-X-|---0-0-0-0--0--X-X-X----0-0-0-0--0---0-0---|
|------------------------------------|-------------------------------------------|
__________
(Riff 10) - (Riff 9) ---|Repeat 3|
Copperhead Road ---| times |
---|________|
Well my name's John Lee Pettimore
Same as my daddy and his daddy before
You hardly ever saw Grandaddy down here
He only came to town about twice a year
He'd buy a hundred pounds of yeast and some copper line
Everybody knew that he made moonshine
Now the revenue man wanted Grandaddy bad
He headed up the holler with everything he had
It's before my time but I've been told
He never came back from Copperhead Road
Now Daddy ran the whiskey in a big block Dodge
Bought it at an auction at the Mason's Lodge
Johnson County Sheriff painted on the side
Just shot a coat of primer then he looked inside
Well him and my uncle tore that engine down
I still remember that rumblin' sound
Well the sheriff came around in the middle of the night
Heard mama cryin', knew something wasn't right
He was headed down to Knoxville with the weekly load
You could smell the whiskey burnin' down Copperhead Road
I volunteered for the Army on my birthday
They draft the white trash first,'round here anyway
I done two tours of duty in Vietnam
And I came home with a brand new plan
I take the seed from Colombia and Mexico
I plant it up the holler down Copperhead Road
Well the D.E.A.'s got a chopper in the air
I wake up screaming like I'm back over there
I learned a thing or two from ol' Charlie don't you know
You better stay away from Copperhead Road
Copperhead Road
Copperhead Road
Copperhead Road
---------------