St. James Infirmary - Louis Armstrong
Notes:
All riffs by me.
Key: F sharp
Tempo: moderate blues, don't rush it!
This 8 bar blues riff repeat throughout the entire song.
Verse 1
[Am] [E] [Am]
e|------------------------------------------------------------------|
B|--0h1-------1---------1---------------------1--1~-----1---1---1---|
G|------2-----2------2-----2---1--------1-----2--2~-----2---2---2---|
D|--------2---2---2------------2------2---2---2--2~-----2---2---2---|
A|-----------------------------2---2------------------0---0---0-----|
E|------------------------------------------------------------------|
It was down in Old Joe's bar-room,
[F] [E] [Am] [E7]
e|--1---1--1--1--1--1--1--1--1--1--1----------------------------------|
B|--1---1--1--1--1--1--1--1--1--1--1---------------1------------------|
G|--2---2--2--2--2--2--2--2--2--2--2--1---1--1--1--2------------1~~---|
D|--3---3--3--3--3--3--3--3--3--3--3--2---2--2--2--2----------0-------|
A|------------------------------------2---2--2--2-----------2---------|
E|-------------------------------------------------------0------------|
on the corner by the square,
[Am] [E] [Am]
e|----------------------------------------------------------------|
B|--0h1------1---------1--------------------1--1~-----1---1---1---|
G|------2----2------2----2---1--------1-----2--2~-----2---2---2---|
D|--------2--2---2-----------2------2---2---2--2~-----2---2---2---|
A|---------------------------2---2------------------0---0---0-----|
E|----------------------------------------------------------------|
the usual crowd was assembled
[F] [E] [Am]
e|--1---1--1--1--1--1--1--1--1--1--1---------------------|
B|--1---1--1--1--1--1--1--1--1--1--1---------------1~~---|
G|--2---2--2--2--2--2--2--2--2--2--2--1---1--1--1--1~~---|
D|--3---3--3--3--3--3--3--3--3--3--3--2---2--2--2--2~~---|
A|------------------------------------2---2--2--2--------|
E|-------------------------------------------------------|
and big Joe Mckenny was there.
Solo
e|-------------------------------|-------------------------------------------------|
B|----3/7~---14h15----14\12------|-------------------------------------------------|
G|--4--------------15-------11~--|-----------11--11h12p11--9-----------------------|
D|-------------------------------|--9--11h12-----------------11--11h12p11--9--9~~--|
A|-------------------------------|-------------------------------------------------|
E|-------------------------------|-------------------------------------------------|
e|-----------------------------------|----------------------------------------|
B|----3/7~---14h15----14\12----------|----------------------------------------|
G|--4--------------15-------11--11~--|-----------11---------------------------|
D|-----------------------------------|--9--11h12----12--11h12p11-----9--9~~---|
A|-----------------------------------|----------------------------12----------|
E|-----------------------------------|----------------------------------------|
e|-----------------------------------|--------------------------------------------------|
B|----3/7~---14h15----14\12-----10~--|-----10--9--8--6h7~--5--7--6--5h6p5--3--3---------|
G|--4--------------15-------11-------|--11--------------------------------------4--4~~--|
D|-----------------------------------|--------------------------------------------------|
A|-----------------------------------|--------------------------------------------------|
E|-----------------------------------|--------------------------------------------------|
e|----------------------9\7-7---9\7-7------|--------------------------------------------------|
B|----6/7---6/7---6/7--------7-------7-7~--|--7--6--5--5h6p5-3-5n6p5-3-5h6p5-3-----------1~~--|
G|--4-----4-----4--------------------------|------------------------------------4--4~----2~~--|
D|-----------------------------------------|---------------------------------------------2~~--|
A|-----------------------------------------|-------------------------------------------0------|
E|-----------------------------------------|--------------------------------------------------|
[lyrics]
St. James Infirmary Irving Mills
Verse 1
[Am] [E] [Am]
It was down in Old Joe's bar-room,
[F] [E] [Am] [E7]
on the corner by the square,
[Am] [E] [Am]
the usual crowd was assembled
[F] [E] [Am]
and big Joe Mckenny was there.
Verse 2
[Am] [E] [Am]
He was standing at my shoulder,
[F] [E] [Am] [E7]
his eyes were bloodshot red,
[Am] [E] [Am]
he turned to the crowd around him
[F] [E] [Am]
these are the very words he said.
Verse 3
[Am] [E] [Am]
I went down to the St. James Infirmary,
[F] [E] [Am] [E7]
I saw my baby there,
[Am] [E] [Am]
she was layed out on a cold white table,
[F] [E] [Am]
so cold, so white, so fair.
Chorus
[Am] [E] [Am]
Let her go, let her go, God bless her,
[F] [E] [Am] [E7]
wherever she may be,
[Am] [E] [Am]
she may search this wide world over,
[F] [E] [Am]
she'll never find a sweet man like me.
Verse 4
[Am] [E] [Am]
When I die, bury me,
[F] [E] [Am] [E7]
in a high top Stetson hat,
[Am] [E] [Am]
put a 20 dollar goldpiece on my watch chain,
[F] [E] [Am]
so God knows I died standing pat.
Verse 5
[Am] [E] [Am]
I want 6 crapshooters for pallbearers,
[F] [E] [Am] [E7]
chorus gonna sing me a song,
[Am] [E] [Am]
put a jazz band on my hearse wagon,
[F] [E] [Am]
raise hell, as I roll along.
Chorus
[Am] [E] [Am]
Let her go, let her go, God bless her,
[F] [E] [Am] [E7]
wherever she may be,
[Am] [E] [Am]
she may search this wide world over,
[F] [E] [Am]
she'll never find a better man than me.
Solo
Verse 6
[Am] [E] [Am]
Roll out your rubber tired carriage,
[F] [E] [Am] [E7]
roll out your old time hack,
[Am] [E] [Am]
12 men going to the graveyard,
[F] [E] [Am]
and 11 coming back.
Verse 7
[Am] [E] [Am]
Now that I've told my story,
[F] [E] [Am] [E7]
I'll take another shot of booze,
[Am] [E] [Am]
and if anyone should happen to ask me,
[F] [E] [Am]
I got those gambler's blues.
*******************************
Legend
~ hold note with vibrato
h hammer on
p pull off
\ slide down
/ slide up
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