16_bott/lily_rosemary.htm

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   7 <title>Lily, Rosemary and the Jack of Hearts</title>
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  12
  13 <h1 class="songtitle">Lily, Rosemary and the Jack of Hearts</h1>
  14
  15
  16 <p>Text and Music: Bob Dylan<br />
  17 Tabbed by Eyolf &Oslash;strem </p>
  18
  19 <p>Version 1: Original New York Session, 16th September 1974<br />
  20 Version 2: Official <em>Blood on the Tracks</em> version, December 1974 </p>
  21
  22 <p>One verse was not included in the official album version, only in the
  23 early outtake version. It has been italicized in the tab below.</p>
  24
  25 <h2 class="songversion">Version 1</h2>
  26
  27 <div class="preamble">
  28 <p><a href="../roadmaps.htm#opentunings">Open D/E tuning</a> (E B E G# B E) </p>
  29
  30 <p>Chords: </p>
  31 <pre class="chords">
  32 E     054000 (or 054300, which simplifies the slide to A)
  33 A     020100 or 020120
  34 B     x02100
  35 B(ii) 042000 (or 042300)
  36 </pre>
  37
  38 </div>
  39
  40 <pre class="verse">
  41     E                      A                            E      A   E
  42 The festival was over, the boys were all plannin' for a fall,
  43     E                   A                           E          A   E
  44 The cabaret was quiet except for the drillin' in the wall -
  45     A               E              B                   E
  46 The curfew had been lifted and the gamblin' wheel shut down,
  47 A           E             B
  48 Anyone with any sense had already left town.
  49        E               B(ii)   A                                E
  50 He was standin' in the doorway looking' like the Jack of Hearts.
  51
  52 He moved across the mirrored room, &quot;Set it up for everyone,&quot; he said,
  53 Then everyone commenced to do what they were doin' before he turned their heads.
  54 Then he walked up to a stranger and he asked him with a grin,
  55 &quot;Could you kindly tell me, friend, what time the show begins?&quot;
  56 Then he moved into the corner, face down like the Jack of Hearts.
  57
  58 Backstage the girls were playin' five-card stud by the stairs,
  59 Lily had two queens, she was hopin' for a third to match her pair.
  60 Outside the streets were fillin' up, the window was open wide,
  61 A gentle breeze was blowin', you could feel it from inside.
  62 Lily called another bet and drew up the Jack of Hearts.
  63
  64 Big Jim was no one's fool, he owned the town's only diamond mine,
  65 He made his usual entrance looking' so dandy and so fine.
  66 With his bodyguards and silver cane and every hair in place,
  67 He took whatever he wanted to and he laid it all to waste.
  68 But his bodyguards and silver cane were no match for the Jack of Hearts.
  69
  70 Rosemary combed her hair and took a carriage into town,
  71 She slipped in through the side door looking' like a queen without a crown.
  72 She fluttered her false eyelashes and whispered in his ear,
  73 &quot;Sorry, darlin', that I'm late,&quot; but he didn't seem to hear.
  74 He was starin' into space over at the Jack of Hearts .
  75
  76 &quot;I know I've seen that face before,&quot; Big Jim was thinkin' to himself,
  77 &quot;Maybe down in Mexico or a picture up on somebody's shelf.&quot;
  78 But then the crowd began to stamp their feet and the house lights did dim
  79 And in the darkness of the room there was only Jim and him,
  80 Starin' at the butterfly who just drew the Jack of Hearts.
  81
  82 Lily was a princess, she was fair-skinned and precious as a child,
  83 She did whatever she had to do, she had that certain flash every time she smiled.
  84 She'd come away from a broken home, had lots of strange affairs
  85 With men in every walk of life which took her everywhere.
  86 But she'd never met anyone quite like the Jack of Hearts.
  87
  88 The hangin' judge came in unnoticed and was being wined and dined,
  89 The drillin' in the wall kept up but no one seemed to pay it any mind.
  90 It was known all around that Lily had Jim's ring
  91 And nothing would ever come between Lily and the king.
  92 No, nothin' ever would except maybe the Jack of Hearts.
  93
  94 Rosemary started drinkin' hard and seein' her reflection in the knife,
  95 She was tired of the attention, tired of playin' the role of Big Jim's wife.
  96 She had done a lot of bad things, even once tried suicide,
  97 Was looking' to do just one good deed before she died.
  98 She was gazin' to the future, riding on the Jack of Hearts.
  99
 100 Lily washed her face, took her dress off and buried it away.
 101 &quot;Has your luck run out?&quot; she laughed at him,
 102 &quot;Well, I guess you must have known it would someday.
 103 Be careful not to touch the wall, there's a brand-new coat of paint,
 104 I'm glad to see you're still alive, you're looking' like a saint.&quot;
 105 Down the hallway footsteps were comin' for the Jack of Hearts.
 106
 107 The backstage manager was pacing all around by his chair.
 108 &quot;There's something funny going on,&quot; he said, &quot;I can just feel it in the air.&quot;
 109 He went to get the hangin' judge, but the hangin' judge was drunk,
 110 As the leading actor hurried by in the costume of a monk.
 111 There was no actor anywhere better than the Jack of Hearts.
 112 <em>
 113 Lily's arms were locked around the man that she dearly loved to touch,
 114 She forgot all about the man she couldn't stand who hounded her so much.
 115 &quot;I've missed you so,&quot; she said to him, and he felt she was sincere,
 116 But just beyond the door he felt jealousy and fear.
 117 Just another night in the life of the Jack of Hearts.</em>
 118
 119 No one knew the circumstance but they say that it happened pretty quick,
 120 The door to the dressing room burst open and a cold revolver clicked.
 121 And Big Jim was standin' there, ya couldn't say surprised,
 122 Rosemary right beside him, steady in her eyes.
 123 She was with Big Jim but she was leanin' to the Jack of Hearts.
 124
 125 Two doors down the boys finally made it through the wall
 126 And cleaned out the bank safe, It's said they got off quite a haul
 127 In the darkness by the riverbed they waited on the ground
 128 For one more member who had business back in town.
 129 But they couldn't go no further without the Jack of Hearts.
 130
 131 The next day was hangin' day, the sky was overcast and black,
 132 Big Jim lay covered up, killed by a penknife in the back.
 133 And Rosemary on the gallows, she didn't even blink,
 134 The hangin' judge was sober, he hadn't had a drink.
 135 The only person on the scene missin' was the Jack of Hearts.
 136
 137 The cabaret was empty now, a sign said, &quot;Closed for repair,&quot;
 138 Lily had already taken all of the dye out of her hair.
 139 She was thinkin' 'bout her father, who she very rarely saw,
 140 Thinkin' 'bout Rosemary and thinkin' about the law.
 141 But most of all she was thinkin' 'bout the Jack of Hearts.
 142 </pre>
 143
 144 <hr />
 145
 146 <h2 class="songversion">Version 2</h2>
 147
 148 <div class="preamble">
 149     <p>Standard tuning. Could very well be played with capo on the 2nd fret
 150     with the chords C, F and G (G/b).</p>
 151
 152 </div>
 153 <pre class="verse">
 154 D                          G                            D
 155 The festival was over, the boys were all plannin' for a fall,
 156                         G                            D
 157 The cabaret was quiet except for the drillin' in the wall -
 158     G               D              A                   D
 159 The curfew had been lifted and the gamblin' wheel shut down,
 160 G           D             A
 161 Anyone with any sense had already left town.
 162        D               A/c#    G                                D
 163 He was standin' in the doorway looking' like the Jack of Hearts.
 164 </pre>
 165 </body></html>