POLICEDOG BLUES
By Blind Blake
This is Blake's only song in open E tuning
Ry Cooder does a faithful rendition on his eponymous album, and
Jorma Kaukonen does a good version on "Splashdown" and "Quah". Cephas
and Wiggins do an interesting interpretation on "Guitar Man" and
Stephan Grossman has a few versions out.
Open E tuning: EBEG#BE (open D also works)
These are the main chords:
E A E/C# E/C B
-----0----------0----------------------------------------------------------|
-----0----------2----------------------------------------------------------|
-----0----------1----------4-------------3-----------2---------------------|
-----0----------0----------3-------------2-----------1---------------------|
-----0----------2----------------------------------------------------------|
-----0---------------------------------------------------------------------|
harm.
-(12)-------------(12)--------------|--------2-----------------------------|
-----(12)-------------(12)----------|-----0-----3-(4)---0------------------|
---------(12)-------------(12)------|---------------------------------1----|
-------------(12)-------------(12)--|--------------------------------------|
---------------------------------------|--0--------------------0--1--2-----|
---------------------------------------|-----------------------------------|
(2X) Verse: All my life I've been a travelin man
--0----------------------------||---0-------0---------------------------------
---
-----3--2---0-----------------||--------0------------2------------------------
-
-----------------------0-------||--------------------------1------------------
----
--------------0----3------0---||------0------0-----------------0--------0-----
--------------------------------||-------------------2--------2---------------
----
--------------------------------||--0-------0------------------------0--------
---
All my life I've been a travelin
--0--------------------0--------0-----------------------------------------|
-----3--2--0-------------3-(4)-----2---------2--------2-------------------|
--------------------0----------------------1--------1----------1----------|
------------0---3------0---------------0--------0---------0---------------|
----------------------------------2---------2--------2---------2----------|
--------------------------------------------------------------------------|
man * Stayin' alone and doin' the best I can
---|-0-------------------------------------------------------------------------|
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
---|----3--2--0----------------------------------------------------------------|
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
---|-------------------0------2----3-------4----------------------3----------2-|
------0------------------------------------------------------------------------|
---|------------0--3----0---1-----2-------3----------------------2----------1--|
-----0-------------------------------------------------------------------------|
---|---------------------------------------------------------------------------|
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
0--|---------------------------------------------------------------------------|
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
1st break (2X) harm.
--------7---------------9--||----------(12)-----------------(12)------|
-8-(9)---------8-(9)-----||----------------(12)-----------------------|
----------------------------||---------------------(12)---------------|
-----------0----------------||-0------------------------(12)----------|
-----------------------------||---------------------------------------|
-0----------------------0---||----0-----------------------------------|
p
--------------------0----3-(4)--0------3-2--0-------0-------------------|
-(12)---------------2--2------------------------2-------0---------------|
-----(12)--------1-------------------1-----------------------0----------|
----------0-----------------------0-------------0----------3----0-------|
------------1--2---------2-------------2----------------0---------------|
------------------------------------------------------------------------|
return to *
2nd break
-----------------------||-----------------------------------------------------|
-----------------------||-----------------------------------------------------|
--0--1---2---3---0-||----0-1--2--3--0---1--2--3--0--0---0---etc.--------------|
0----2---3---4---0-||--0---2--3--4--0---2--3--4--0--0---0---------------------|
-----------------------||-----------------------------------------------------|
-----------------------||-----------------------------------------------------|
3rd break
-------------------------------------------------0----------------------|
-----------------------------------------------------3--2--0------------|
------------------------------------------------------------------0-----|etc.
---------------------------------------------------------------3--------|
---0----0----0----0----0----0----0-----0------0-------------------------|
-0----2----3----4----0----2----3----4------0----------------------------|
4th break (4X)
-(12)-----------------||----------0------3---0-------3-2--0----0-----------|
------(12)------------||------------------------------------2--------------|
-----------(12)-------||-------1--1---1-----------1------------------------|
-----------------(12)-||------------------------0-----------0--------------|
------------------------||-1--2------------2-------------------------------|
------------------------||-------------------------------------------------|
-------------------0---------------------------------------------------|
--0-------------------3--2--0------------------------------------------|
-------0---------------------------0------you get the idea-------------|
-----3--------------------------3--------------------------------------|
--0-------0-----------------0------------------------------------------|
---------------0-------------------------------------------------------|
I shipped my trunks down to Tennessee (2X)
Hard to tell about a man like me
I met a little gal couldn't get her off my mind (2X)
She passed me up said she didn't like my kind
I'm scared to bark around her house at night (2X)
She's got a police dog that's cravin' for a fight
His name is Rambler and when he gets the chance (2X)
He leaves his mark on everybody's pants
I guess I'm gonna travel now guess I'll let her be (2X)
Before she sicks that police dog on me
It's a fun song once you get the breaks tight. Play along with the
CD "Ragtimes Foremost Fingerpicker" to get the phrasing right. Any