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Packin Trunk by Leadbelly
Packin Trunk
Tuning: D G D G B D
"King of the 12-String Guitar". Leadbelly uses a 12-string guitar for this one, but it sounds good
on a 6-string, too. I've written the tab in the key of G, although the actually recording seems to be a
half-step higher. If you want to play with the recording, just tune to open G and put a capo on 1st fret.
The whole song is played with a slide, except the strumming part between the verses and the end where
Leadbelly uses harmonics to imitate a piano.
[Intro] (same as verse)
"Sitting down here wondering, will a matchbox hold my clothes?
d|-/12----------------|-/12\11------------------|--/12\11--------/12\11----------|-----12------------------|
B|-/12----------------|-(12)----12--------------|----------12------------12------|-------------------------|
G|--------------------|--------(12)---12--------|----------------------------12--|-------------------------|
D|--------------------|-------------------------|--------------------------------|-------------------------|
G|--12---12---12---12-|--12-----12----12----12--|---12-----12-----12-----12------|--12-----12----12----12--|
D|--------------------|-------------------------|--------------------------------|-------------------------|
d|--/12\11--------/12\11----------|-----12------------------|
B|----------12------------12------|-------------------------|
G|----------------------------12--|-------------------------|
D|--------------------------------|-------------------------|
G|---12-----12-----12-----12------|--12-----12----12----12--|
D|--------------------------------|-------------------------|
Sittin down here wondering, will a matchbox hold my clothes?
d|------5--------------------|------5---------------------|-------0--0------0--|-------0--0------0--|
B|-/5-------5----------------|-/5-------5\----------------|-------0--0------0--|-------0--0------0--|
G|--------------5------------|-----------------/3---(/3)--|--0----0--0------0--|--0----0--0------0--|
D|----------5------------5---|----------5------/3---(/3)--|--0----0--0------0--|--0----0--0------0--|
G|--5---------------5--------|--5-------------------------|--0-----------------|--0-----------------|
D|---------------------------|----------------------------|-------------0------|-------------0------|
Sittin down here wondering will a matchbox hold my clothes."
d|------7--------------------|------5---------------------|-------0--0------0--|-------0--0------0--|
B|-/7-------7----------------|-/5-------5\----------------|-------0--0------0--|-------0--0------0--|
G|--------------7------------|-----------------/3---(/3)--|--0----0--0------0--|--0----0--0------0--|
D|----------7------------7---|----------5------/3---(/3)--|--0----0--0------0--|--0----0--0------0--|
G|--7---------------7--------|--5-------------------------|--0-----------------|--0-----------------|
D|---------------------------|----------------------------|-------------0------|-------------0------|
After the intro and each verse, Leadbelly does a sort of spoken part.
At these times, he just keeps strumming the strings open like this:
"This song was made about a man and a woman, this man wanted to marry the woman, she didn't want him" etc.
d|-------0--0------0--|-------0--0------0--|-------0--0------0--|-------0--0------0--|
B|-------0--0------0--|-------0--0------0--|-------0--0------0--|-------0--0------0--|
G|--0----0--0------0--|--0----0--0------0--|--0----0--0------0--|--0----0--0------0--|
D|--0----0--0------0--|--0----0--0------0--|--0----0--0------0--|--0----0--0------0--|
G|--0-----------------|--0-----------------|--0-----------------|--0-----------------|
D|-------------0------|-------------0------|-------------0------|-------------0------|
1 2 & 3 4
Then, at the end of the song, Leadbelly, says something like, "little girl jumped on and played the piano",
and he plays this part that sort of sounds like piano, using harmonics:
+ + + + + + + + + + + + + +
d|--12-------------------12----------|--12-------------------12----------|
B|---------12--------------------12--|---------12--------------------12--|
G|-------------12--------------------|-------------12--------------------|
D|-----------------------------------|-----------------------------------|
G|--12-----12-------12-------12------|--12-----12-------12-------12------|
D|-----------------------------------|-----------------------------------|
+ + + + + + + + + + + + + +
d|--7------------------7---------|--7------------------7----------|
B|--------7-------------------7--|--------7--------------------7--|
G|------------7------------------|------------7-------------------|
D|-------------------------------|--------------------------------|
G|--7-----7-------7--------7-----|--7-----7--------7--------7-----|
D|-------------------------------|--------------------------------|
+ + + + + + + + + + + + + +
d|--12-------------------12----------|--12-------------------12----------|
B|---------12--------------------12--|---------12--------------------12--|
G|-------------12--------------------|-------------12--------------------|
D|-----------------------------------|-----------------------------------|
G|--12-----12-------12-------12------|--12-----12-------12-------12------|
D|-----------------------------------|-----------------------------------|
+ + + + + + + + + +
d|--7------------------7---------|--12----------12--|
B|--------7-------------------7--|--------12----12--|
G|------------7------------------|--------------12--|
D|-------------------------------|--------------12--|
G|--7-----7-------7--------7-----|--12----12----12--|
D|-------------------------------|------------------|
This song was made about a man and a woman. This man he married a woman, she didn't want him. But she married him anyhow. For the money that he had. And she thought that she got every dollar that he had. But she was mistaken. But she got him pretty well bent. He sat there with his head hung down. She walked by and she said: "Daddy", she said, "what's the matter with you?" He looked at her and here's what he said to her:
"I'm sitting down here wondering, would a matchbox hold my clothes.
I'm sitting down here wondering, would a matchbox hold my clothes.
I'm sitting down here wondering, would a matchbox hold my clothes."
She asked him, she said: "Papa," she said, "What's the matter with you?"
"I don't want to be bothered with no suitcase on my road.
I don't want to be bothered with no suitcase on my road.
I don't want to be bothered with no suitcase on my road."
He said: "I'm going to see my friend, and see what he would do when his wife's packing up her trunk."
"Now what would you do when your baby picking up her trunk?
What would you do when your baby picking up her trunk?
Now what would you do when your baby picking up her trunk?"
He looked at him and here's what he told him:
"You get half a gallon of whiskey, you get on your big drunk.
You get half a gallon of whiskey, you get on your big drunk.
You get half a gallon of whiskey, you get on your big drunk."
She said: "Ghost, go and play the piano a piece for me a little piece." This Ghost jumped down and commenced playing the piano.
| / slide up
| \ slide down
| + harmonic
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