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They Killed John Henry by Justin Townes Earle
They Killed John Henry
Tuning:E A D G B E
Capo:7th fret
[Intro]
G D G x2
[Verse 1]
G
Well, when John Henry died he lay lookin' at the sun
D G
He said Lord, take me now my work is done, Lord, Lord
D G
Lord take me now my work is done
G
Yeah, but when they laid him out in that box of pine, boy
D G
They laid that hammer by his side, Lord, Lord
D G
Laid that hammer by his side
[Instrumental]
G D G
[Verse 2]
G
Yeah, and Joe Hill he worked any job he could find, boy
D G
He'd rake your leaves and pick your vine, Lord, Lord
D G
Rake your leaves and pick your vine
G
Yeah, and they killed Joe Hill, put a bullet to his name
D G
But that bullet made a martyr of the slain, Lord, Lord
D G
Bullet made a martyr of the slain
[Instrumental]
G D G
[Verse 3]
G
Yeah, and my grand daddy worked his whole damn life
D G
Well, he never saved a nickel though he tried, Lord, Lord
D G
Never saved a nickel though he tried
G
And he died in Tennessee but he couldn't find no rest
D G
With that long road to Texas lyin' ahead, Lord Lord
D G
Long road to Texas lyin' ahead
[Instrumental]
G D G x2
[Verse 4]
G
Yes sir, I ain't no great man and Lord I expect to see
D G
A long life, a workin' in your debt, Lord, Lord
D G
A long life, a workin' in your debt
[Outro]
G
They killed John Henry, they killed John Henry
D G
They killed John Henry but they won't kill me
G
Lord, they killed John Henry, they killed John Henry
D G
They killed John Henry but they won't kill me
------------------
version 2
Capo:7th fret
This song is played with a capo on the 7th fret.
The song is essentially a continual repeating
of the picking pattern shown below, between 2
chords (D and A7/C#, although you play these
by forming the "G" and "D7/F#" chord shapes
relative to the capo).
It's up to you how you choose to pick the
pattern, although I've watched Justin play
this and for the G chord he frets the top
string with his ring finger, using his pinkie
to fret the notes on the bottom 3 strings
when he needs to. This makes it easy to
change into the second chord. When he
changes into the second chord, he places
his middle finger on the second fret of
the top string and uses index and ring
finger to do the other fretting on the
2nd and 3rd strings.
As for your right hand, alternately pick
the bass notes (i.e. the repeating "E"
and "d" strings) with your thumb and pick
the rest with either your index finger or
a combination of fingers. Whatever feels
comfortable!
This is quite a difficult song to master
at first, especially if you haven't
practised much independent finger picking
before. But once you can play it, it's
really fun and sounds great!
"G" (D)
e ----------------|
b ----------------|
g ----------------|
d --0---0---0---0-|
a ----------------|
E 3---3---3---3---|
"G" (D)
e 3-3---3-0-----0-3p0-------------|
b ------------3---------0-----0---|
g --------------------3---0-------|
d --0---0---0---0---0---0---0---0-|
a --------------------------------|
E 3---3---3---3---3---3---3---3---|
"D7/F#" (A7/C#) "G" (D)
e --------------------------------|
b ----1---0-----0-----------------|
g 2-----------2---0---------------|
d --0---0---0---0---0---0---0---0-|
a --------------------------------|
e 2---2---2---2---3---3---3---3---|
(repeat this section once before starting again with the previous section)
Well, when John Henry died he lay lookin' at the sun
He said Lord, take me now my work is done, Lord, Lord
Lord take me now my work is done
Yeah, but when they laid him out in that box of pine, boy
They laid that hammer by his side, Lord, Lord
Laid that hammer by his side
Yeah, and Joe Hill he worked any job he could find, boy
He'd rake your leaves and pick your vine, Lord, Lord
Rake your leaves and pick your vine
Yeah, and they killed Joe Hill, put a bullet to his name
But that bullet made a martyr of the same, Lord, Lord
Bullet made a martyr of the same
Yeah, and my grand daddy worked his whole damn life
Well, he never saved a nickel though he tried, Lord, Lord
Never saved a nickel though he tried
And he died in Tennessee but he couldn't find no rest
With that long road to Texas lyin' ahead, Lord Lord
Long road to Texas lyin' ahead
Yes sir, I ain't no great man and Lord I expect to see
A long life, a workin' and you're dead, Lord, Lord
A long life, a workin' and you're dead
They killed John Henry, they killed John Henry
They killed John Henry but they won't kill me
Lord, they killed John Henry, they killed John Henry
They killed John Henry but they won't kill me
------------------
version 3
Capo:no capo
This tablature attempts to establish the picking pattern used in the
beginning of the recorded song. The fretted hand position alternates
between a G chord and a D chord, however using non-standard fingerings.
The bass notes are played in a Travis picking pattern with the thumb,
while the index plucks the melody, the notes of which are fretted by
the pinky in the first position and the index in the second. While JTE
varies the melody pattern throughout the song, this should serve as a
reliable foundation for figuring out the rest.
First Position (G) Second Position (D)
E|---|---|-c-| E|---|---|---|
B|---|---|---| B|---|---|---|
G|---|---|---| G|---|-a-|---|
D|---|---|---| D|---|---|---|
A|---|-m-|---| A|---|---|---|
E|---|---|-a-| E|---|-m-|---|
p=thumb i=index m=middle a=ring c=pinky
Tuning: Standard
Capo on 7th fret
E|-3-----3--------3--------0--------------0--------|
B|----------------------------------3--------------|
G|-------------------------------------------------|
D|-------0-----------0-----------0-----------0-----|
A|-------------------------------------------------|
E|-3-----------3-----------3-----------3-----------|
E|-3p0---------------------------------------------|
B|-------------------0-----------------------0-----|
G|-------------3-----------0-----------------------|
D|-------0-----------0-----------0-----------0-----|
A|-------------------------------------------------|
E|-3-----------3-----------3-----------3-----------|
E|-------------------------------------------------|
B|-------------1-----------0-----------------0-----|
G|-2-----------------------------------2-----------|
D|-------0-----------0-----------0-----------0-----|
A|-------------------------------------0-----------|
E|-2-----------2-----------2-----------------------|
E|-------------------------------------------------|
B|-------------------------------------------0-----|
G|-0-----------------2-----0-----------------------|
D|-------0-----------0-----------0-----------0-----|
A|-------------------------------------------------|
E|-3-----------3-----------3-----------3-----------|
E|-3-----------------------3-----------0-----------|
B|-------------------------------------------------|
G|-------------------------------------------------|
D|-------0-----------0-----------0-----------0-----|
A|-------------------------------------------------|
E|-3-----------3-----------3-----------3-----------|
E|-------------------------------------------------|
B|----------0--------0-----------------------0-----|
G|-3--------------3--------0-----------------------|
D|-------0-----------0-----------0-----------0-----|
A|-------------------------------------------------|
E|-3-----------3-----------3-----------3-----------|
E|-------------------------------------------------|
B|-------------1-----------0-----------------0-----|
G|-2-----------------------------------2-----------|
D|-------0-----------0-----------0-----------0-----|
A|-------------------------------------0-----------|
E|-2-----------2-----------2-----------------------|
E|-------------------------------------------------|
B|-------------------------------------------0-----|
G|-0-----------------2-----0-----------------------|
D|-------0-----------0-----------0-----------0-----|
A|-------------------------------------------------|
E|-3-----------3-----------3-----------3-----------|
E|-----------------------------------------------------||
B|-------------1-----------0-----------------0---------||
G|-2-----------------------------------2-----------0---||
D|-------0-----------0-----------0-----------0---------||
A|-------------------------------------0---------------||
E|-2-----------2-----------2-----------------------3---||
Well, when John Henry died he lay lookin' at the sun
He said Lord, take me now my work is done, Lord, Lord
Lord take me now my work is done
Yeah, but when they laid him out in that box of pine, boy
They laid that hammer by his side, Lord, Lord
Laid that hammer by his side
Yeah, and Joe Hill he worked any job he could find, boy
He'd rake your leaves and pick your vine, Lord, Lord
Rake your leaves and pick your vine
Yeah, and they killed Joe Hill, put a bullet to his name
But that bullet made a martyr of the same, Lord, Lord
Bullet made a martyr of the same
Yeah, and my grand daddy worked his whole damn life
Well, he never saved a nickel though he tried, Lord, Lord
Never saved a nickel though he tried
And he died in Tennessee but he couldn't find no rest
With that long road to Texas lyin' ahead, Lord Lord
Long road to Texas lyin' ahead
Yes sir, I ain't no great man and Lord I expect to see
A long life, a workin' and you're dead, Lord, Lord
A long life, a workin' and you're dead
They killed John Henry, they killed John Henry
They killed John Henry but they won't kill me
Lord, they killed John Henry, they killed John Henry
They killed John Henry but they won't kill me
------------------
version 4
Tuning:E A D G B E
Capo:7th fret
[Intro]
e|3--3-----3--0---------|3---------------------|------------------------|----------------|
B|------------------3-p0|---------0------------|--------1-----0---------|----------------|
G|----------------------|------3-----0---------|-2------------------2---|0---------------|
D|---0-----0-----0-----0|---0-----0-----0-----0|----0------0-----0-----0|---0-----0-----0|
A|----------------------|----------------------|------------------------|----------------|
E|3-----3-----3-----3---|3-----3-----3-----3---|-2------2-----2-----2---|3-----3-----3---|
-
Travis picking. Thumb carries the rythm. Index picks the melody. This tab is the introduction to the
album version, but JTE plays variations of this intro in between verses throughout the song. Most of the
verse is simply alternating thumb on the G voicing with the same pattern picked over D voicing.
Well, when John Henry died he lay lookin' at the sun
He said Lord, take me now my work is done, Lord, Lord
Lord take me now my work is done
Yeah, but when they laid him out in that box of pine, boy
They laid that hammer by his side, Lord, Lord
Laid that hammer by his side
Yeah, and Joe Hill he worked any job he could find, boy
He'd rake your leaves and pick your vine, Lord, Lord
Rake your leaves and pick your vine
Yeah, and they killed Joe Hill, put a bullet to his name
But that bullet made a martyr of the same, Lord, Lord
Bullet made a martyr of the same
Yeah, and my grand daddy worked his whole damn life
Well, he never saved a nickel though he tried, Lord, Lord
Never saved a nickel though he tried
And he died in Tennessee but he couldn't find no rest
With that long road to Texas lyin' ahead, Lord Lord
Long road to Texas lyin' ahead
Yes sir, I ain't no great man and Lord I expect to see
A long life, a workin' and you're dead, Lord, Lord
A long life, a workin' and you're dead
They killed John Henry, they killed John Henry
They killed John Henry but they won't kill me
Lord, they killed John Henry, they killed John Henry
They killed John Henry but they won't kill me
| x Dead note
| g Grace note
| (n) Ghost note
| h Hammer-on
| p Pull-off
| r Release
| > Accented note
| t Tapping
| b Bend
| br Bend release
| pb Pre-bend
| pbr Pre-bend release
| / Slide up
| \ Slide down
| ~ Vibrato
| s Slap
| P Pop
| PM Palm mute
| TR Trill
| N Tremolo
-----------