-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Brother can you spare a dime? Jay Gorney / Yip Harburg
---------------------------------------------------------------- 1930 ---------------
Tabbed by: Mike Lydiat
E-mail: mike@docsworkshop.co.uk
Tuning:EADGBE
This arrangement owes much to that of Daddy Stovepipe - find him here:
https://www.daddystovepipe.com/
Here is Daddy Stovepipe's recording:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iZ3J95Q2IfM
And here's his tutorial for the tune:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hmf7S1s_LB0
You might also want to put your Capo at fret 5 and play along slowly to this barber shop harmony arrangement:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sMpQGsgAuJk
This arrangement has 3 different shapes for the E7 chord in different sections;
try to use the specified one each time to hear the tune behind the chords.
INTRO CHORD SHAPES
[Am9] [C6] [Dm9] [Dm] [G7] [C] [Fdim7] [B7] [E7] [G] [E7+] [E7] [Am] [E7]
e|-0---0---0---1--1--0-x-----x--0--3-4---4--5--0--|
B|-0---1---3---3--0--1-0-----0--0--0-3---3--5--0--|
G|-2---2---2---2--0--0-1-----2--1--0-4---4--5--1--|
D|-2---2---3---3--0--2-0-----1--0--0-3---2--7--0--|
A|-0---3---x---0--2--3-0-----2--2--2-x---2--7--2--|
E|-x---x---x---x--3--x-1-----x--0--3-0---0--5--0--|
VERSE CHORD SHAPES
[Am] [Am] [E7] [A7] [D7] [G7] [C] [E7] [D7] [Fmaj7] [B7] [E]
e|-0--5---4--3--2--1--0-x--x--0-----x--0--|
B|-1--5---3--2--1--0--1-3--3--1-----0--0--|
G|-2--5---4--0--2--0--0-1--2--2-----2--1--|
D|-2--x---2--2--0--0--2-0--0--3-----1--2--|
A|-0--x---2--0--x--2--3-2--0--2-----2--2--|
E|-x--x---0--x--x--3--x-x--0--1-----x--0--|
CHORUS CHORD SHAPES
[A7] [Am7] [Am] [D9] [G7] [G6] [F7] [E7]
e|-0--0---0--0--1--0--5--7--|
B|-2--1---1--1--0--3--4--5--|
G|-0--0---2--2--0--0--5--7--|
D|-2--2---2--0--0--0--3--6--|
A|-0--0---0--0--2--2--x--x--|
E|-x--x---x--2--3--3--x--x--|
INTRO
[Am9] [C6] [Dm9]
They used to tell me I was building a dream,
[Am9] [C6] [Dm] [G7]
And so I followed the mob,
[C] [Fdim7]
When there was earth to plough or guns to bear,
[B7] [E7]
I was always there, right there on the job
[Am9] [C6] [Dm9]
They used to tell me I was building a dream,
[Am] [G] [G7]
with peace and glory ahead. Why should
[C] [E7+] [E]
I be standing in line?
[Am] [E7]
just waiting for bread?
VERSE 1
[Am] [Am] [E7] [A7]
Once I built a railroad, made it run
[D7] [G7] [C] [E7]
Made it race against time
[D7] [E7] [Am] [Fmaj7]
Once I built a railroad, now it's done
[B7] [E] [Am] [E7]
Brother can you spare a dime?
VERSE 2
[Am] [Am] [E7] [A7]
Once I built a tower, up to the sun
[D7] [G7] [C] [E7]
Mortar, brick and lime
[D7] [E7] [Am] [Fmaj7]
Once I built a tower, now it's done
[B7] [E] [Am]
Brother can you spare a dime?
CHORUS
[A7] [Am7]
Once in khaki suits, gee we looked swell Full of that Yankee-Doodly-dum
[D9] [G7] [G6]
Half a million boots went slogging through Hell
[F7] [E7]
And I was the kid with the drum!
VERSE 3
[Am] [Am] [E7] [A7]
Say don't you remember? They called me Al.
[D7] [G7] [C] [E7]
It was Al all the time.
[D7] [E7] [Am] [Fmaj7]
Why don't you remember? I'm your pal.
[B7] [E] [Am]
Brother can you spare a dime?
