00_misc/barbara_allen.htm

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   7 <title>Barbara Allen</title>
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  12
  13 <h1 class="songtitle">Barbara Allen</h1>
  14
  15
  16 <p>traditional<br />
  17 Performed by Bob Dylan in his early years, found on the third Gaslight
  18 tape (late 1962), and in the early years of the Never-Ending Tour.
  19 See also Mike Elliott's analysis of this song: <a class="url" href="http://www.mikeelliott.citymax.com/page/page/349396.htm">http://www.mikeelliott.citymax.com/page/page/349396.htm</a><br />
  20 Tabbed by Eyolf &Oslash;strem</p>
  21
  22 <hr />
  23
  24 <h2 class="songversion">Gaslight III version</h2>
  25
  26 <p>Dropped D tuning (D-A-d-g-b-e')</p>
  27
  28 <p>Chords:</p>
  29 <pre class="chords">
  30 D    000232
  31 G    5x000x
  32 A/e  2x2220
  33 </pre>
  34
  35 <p>The following figure appears here and there, between verses and where
  36 there is a long held D chord.</p>
  37
  38 <pre class="tab">
  39   D                     Dsus4         D
  40   :   .   .   .     :   .   .   .     :   .   .   .
  41 |---------------0-|h2-----3-------2-|-----------------|
  42 |-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|
  43 |-----------2-----|---2-------2-----|-----------2-----| repeat
  44 |-----0-------0---|-----0-------0---|-----0-------0---| ad lib
  45 |-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|
  46 |-0-------0-------|-0-------0-------|-0-------0-------|
  47 </pre>
  48 <pre class="verse">
  49              D
  50 In Charlotte town, not far from here,
  51       G     A         D
  52 There was a fair maid dwellin.'
  53       G        A          D
  54 Had a name was known both far and near,
  55                  A/e     D
  56 An' her name was Barb'ry Allen.
  57
  58 'Twas in the merry month of May,
  59 Green buds they were swellin',
  60 Poor William on his death-bed lay,
  61 For the love of Barb'ry Allen.
  62
  63 He sent his man down to town
  64 To the place that she was dwellin'
  65 Sayin', &quot;Master bids your company,
  66 If your name is Barb'ry Allen.&quot;
  67
  68 Oh slowly, slowly she got up
  69 To the place where he was lyin',
  70 And when she pulled the curtain back,
  71 Said, &quot;Young man, I b'lieve you're dying!&quot;
  72
  73 &quot;Oh yes, oh yes, I'm very sick
  74 And I shall never get better
  75 Unless I have the love of one,
  76 The love of Bar'bry Allen.&quot;
  77
  78 &quot;Don't you remember not long ago,
  79 The day down in the tavern?
  80 You toasted all the ladies there,
  81 But you slighted Barb'ry Allen.&quot;
  82
  83 &quot;Oh yes, oh yes, I remember well
  84 That day down in the tavern.
  85 I toasted all the ladies there,
  86 But I gave my heart to Barb'ry Allen.&quot;
  87
  88 She looked to the East, she looked to the West,
  89 She saw his pale corpse a-comin',
  90 Cryin', &quot;Put him down and leave him there
  91 So I might gaze upon him.&quot;
  92
  93 The more she gazed, the more she mourned,
  94 Until she burst out cryin';
  95 Sayin', &quot;I beg you come and take him away,
  96 For my heart now too is dyin'!&quot;
  97
  98 &quot;Oh, father, father, come dig my grave,
  99 Dig it wide an' narrow.
 100 Poor William died for me today;
 101 I'll die for him tomorrow.&quot;
 102
 103 They buried him in the old churchyard,
 104 They buried her beside him,
 105 And from his heart grew a red, red rose,
 106 And from her heart a briar.
 107
 108 They grew, they grew so awful high
 109 Till they could grow no higher,
 110 An' 'twas there they tied a lover's knot,
 111 The red rose and the briar.
 112
 113 In Charlotte town, not far from here,
 114 There was a maid a-dwellin.'
 115 Had a name was known both far and near,
 116 An' her name was Barb'ry Allen.
 117 </pre>
 118
 119 <hr />
 120
 121 <h2 class="songversion">1988 Version</h2>
 122
 123 <p>This version has a very different feel to it, an emotional drama, as
 124 opposed to the tender lyricism of the Gaslight version.<br />
 125 Keep the high g' (1st string, 3rd fret) fingered as much as possible,
 126 with the following chords in use:</p>
 127 <pre class="chords">
 128 C    x32013
 129 G    320003
 130 F    xx3211 or 133211
 131 F9   xx3213
 132 C/e  xx2013
 133 </pre>
 134
 135 <p>The C/e could be a Fsus2 133011 (w/thumb) too; it sounds like that in
 136 some verses.</p>
 137
 138 <pre class="verse">
 139 C
 140
 141 C
 142 In Scarlet Town where I was born
 143                       G            C/g G
 144 there was a fair maid dwelling,
 145         F(9) C/e F(9)       C   G   Am
 146 and her name was known both far and near,
 147          C          F    F9 C
 148 and they called her Barbara Allen.
 149
 150 T'was in the merry month of may
 151 the green buds they were swelling,
 152 sweet William on his death bed lay
 153 for the love of Barbara Allen.
 154
 155 He sent his man down to town
 156 to the place where she was dwelling,
 157 saying: master bids your company
 158 if your name be Barbara Allen.
 159
 160 Slowly slowly she got up
 161 to the place where he was lying,
 162 and when she pulled the curtain back,
 163 said: young man, I believe you're dying.
 164
 165 Oh yes oh yes I'm very sick
 166 and I shall not be better
 167 unless I have the love of one,
 168 the love of Barbara Allen.
 169
 170 Don't you remember that night ago
 171 that night down in the tavern,
 172 you gave a toast to all the ladies there
 173 but you slighted Barbara Allen.
 174
 175 Oh yes oh yes I remember it well
 176 that night down in the tavern.
 177 I gave a toast to the ladies there
 178 but I gave my heart to Barbara Allen.
 179
 180 As she was walking in yonder field
 181 She could hear them death-bells knellin'
 182 And every toll seemed to say:
 183 Hard-hearted Barbara Allen
 184
 185 The more they tolled the more she wept
 186 til her heart was filled with sorrow
 187 She said: &quot;sweet William died for me today,
 188 I will die for him tomorrow.&quot;
 189 </pre>
 190
 191 <p>The death bells (very free rhythm):</p>
 192 <pre class="tab">
 193 |-000--1--0--|-000--1--0--3--3--3-|-111-3--3--|-000--3--1--3-----3----
 194 |*111--1--1-*|-111--1--1--0--1--0-|-111-1--1--|-111--0--1--0-----1----
 195 |-000--2--0--|-000--2--0--0--0--0-|-222-2--2--|-000--0--2--0-----0----
 196 |-222--3--2--|-222--3--2--0--2--0-|-333-3--3--|-222--0--3--0-----2----
 197 |*333--3--3-*|-333--3--3--2-----2-|-333-3--3--|-333--2--3--2-----3----
 198 |-333--1--3--|-333--1--3--3--3--3-|-111-1--1--|-333--3--1--3-----3----
 199 </pre>
 200
 201 <pre class="verse">
 202 They buried her in the old churchyard,
 203 they buried him beside her.
 204 And from her heart grew a red red rose
 205 and from his heart a brier.
 206
 207 They grew they grew so awfully high
 208 till they could grow no higher,
 209 and there they tied a lover's knot,
 210 the red rose and the brier.
 211 </pre>
 212
 213 <p>G E Smith's tremolo strumming to the last verse:</p>
 214 <pre class="tab">
 215 |-3-/8------------7--8--9--10----
 216 |-1-/5------------8--10-11-12----
 217 |-0------------------------------
 218 |-2------------------------------
 219 |-3------------------------------
 220 |--------------------------------
 221     they grew...  higher
 222 </pre>
 223
 224 <p>Let the death bells finish off the song.</p>
 225
 226 <hr />
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