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Joe Bean by Johnny Cash
Joe Bean
Introduction (spoken):
Well, they're hanging Joe Bean this morning for killing a
man in Arkansas. Funny thing about it is Joe Bean has
never been to Arkansas, and on top of that Joe Bean never
heard of the man. In fact, today is Joe Bean's twentieth
birthday.
Verse 1:
G
See ...
D
... stand
G C
Just twenty ......
G D G
You die .......
Verse 2:as verse 1, then
C G
Yes, they're hanging .......
G D G
That Joe Bean ......
Verse 3:
Verse 4:
End:
(tacet)
"Happy birthday, Joe Bean"
This song is all strumming. Over the spoken introduction
he strums a G chord once before speaking, and then once for
every other beat in a verse. The second-to-last strum (on
"today") is arpeggiated, and the last (after "twentieth
birthday") is done one string at a time. He's not keeping
time, but I guess if the last two chords were tabbed it
would look like this:
e|-------------------|
B|-----3-----------3-|
G|----0----------0---|
D|---0---------0-----|
A|--2--------2-------|
E|-3-------3---------|
The main body of the song is standard Johnny Cash
strumming. He plays some bass notes independent of the
chords sometimes, but there's no real picking pattern.
The first verse only consists of four lines. The rest are
all six lines long.
In the fourth verse, on "It's not up to me, but this much,
Joe Bean, I'll do," he interrupts the rhythm of his
strumming. He strums G on "not" and mutes the strings.
He plays arpeggiated chords on "me" (C chord), "much"
(G chord), "Bean" (D chord), and "do" (G chord).
The last line, "Happy birthday, Joe Bean" is sung without
the guitar, to the tune of the first line of the happy
birthday song.
Chord formations:
There is a capo on the third fret, and he mutes the high E
string through the whole song.
G C D
e|-------|
B|-3-1-3-|
G|-0-0-2-|
D|-0-2-0-|
A|-2-3-0-|
E|-3-----|
------------------
version 2
Tuning:E A D G B E
Key:C
Capo:1st fret
[Intro] (Spoken)
Strum C and G
Last time we were here at Folsom Prison
They were hanging Joe Bean
Is Joe still here... Joe Bean?
Hang the son of a bitch anyways, right?
Well, they're hanging Joe Bean this morning
For killing a man in Arkansas
Funny thing about it
Joe Bean has never been to Arkansas
On top of that, Joe Bean never heard of the man
In fact, today is Joe Bean's twentieth birthday
[Verse 1]
C
See through the prison bars
G
Joe Bean, see where the gallows stand
F C
Just twenty short years from the day you were born
G C
You died by the hangman's hand
[Verse 2]
C
Yes, they're hanging Joe Bean this morning
G7
For a shootin' that he never did
C7 F C G7 C
He killed 20 men, by the time he was 10, he was an unruly kid
F C G C
Yes, they're hanging Joe Bean for the one shootin' that Joe Bean never did
[Verse 3]
C
Well, Joe - your mother is at the Capitol
G
Asking the governor for a stay
F
And it's hard on her
C G C
Because she knows where you were, on that particular day
F C G C
You were working Joe Bean, hard working, robbing the Santa Fe
[Verse 4]
C
Well, the telegraph wires are humming
G
Hear the governor's words come through
C7 F C G7 C
He said, I can't set you free, it's not up to me, but this much, Joe Bean, I'll do
F C G C
I'll join your mother in extending birthday greetings to you
Happy Birthday, Joe Bean
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