Song For A Deckhands Daughter

 #----------------------------------PLEASE NOTE---------------------------------# 
 #This file is the author's own work and represents their interpretation of the # 
 #song. You may only use this file for private study, scholarship, or research. # 
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 Date: Thu, 22 Jan 1998 09:46:36 +1300 
 From: "Kean, John"  
  
   
 Subject: CRD: Song for a Deckhand's Daughter - James McMurtry 
  
 Song for a Deck Hand's Daughter  - James McMurtry 
 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 
 >From "Too Long in the Wasteland". 
  
 Transcribed by John Kean (keanj@agresearch.cri.nz). 
  
 Standard tuning, no capo. 
  
  
 INTRO: 
     C 
     , . , . , . , .   , . , . , . , . 
 ||------------------|------------------|| 
 ||----------------1-|---------------1--|| 
 ||*-------0---------|-----0-----------*|| 
 ||*-----2-------2---|-----2-------2---*|| 
 ||--3---------------|-3----------------|| 
 ||----------3-------|---------3--------|| 
  *use variants on this strum pattern throughout 
  
  
 VERSE 1: 
 C                            Dm 
   He'd always whistle "Jolie Blonde" 
      Fmaj7                          C 
   On his way out the back door on a Friday night 
 C                              Dm 
   So many times he just stayed gone 
       Fmaj7                           C           C/B 
   And rarely did he try to treat your Mama right 
 Am                              Em 
   Shut off the tractor with the field half mowed 
 F/C                        C 
   Set the brake and headed down the road 
 Am                               Em 
   Came home for Christmas, never said where he'd been 
           F/C 
   With no presents for the children 
        Am 
   Only stories for the men 
  
  
 CHORUS 1: 
 Am                           G(see riff at end) 
   Still your Mama called him Daddy 
                      C    C/B 
   She never told him no 
 Am                           G 
   Said she couldn't help but love him 
 F/C                            Am 
   You wondered how it could be so 
  
  
 VERSE 2: 
   He'd work two weeks out on a river barge 
   She worked in the factory, never missed a day 
   He'd spend his week off holding up the bar 
   Never took him long to drink a deck hand's pay 
   Wind off the river cut the lines on his face 
   And left him dreaming of some other place 
   Maybe Memphis town or Baton Rouge 
   When it's cold in Cape Girardeau 
   There's nothing much to do 
  
  
 CHORUS 2 (same as before) 
  
  
 SOLO: 
 Am   G   F/C   Am 
 Am   G   F/C   Am 
 Am   G   F/C   Am 
  
  
 VERSE 3: 
 Am                           Em 
   And if his suitcase wasn't standing in the hall 
 F/C                      C 
   He might not be coming home at all 
 Am                         Em 
   All the sides of him you never knew before 
            F/C 
   Would be drifting down the river 
       Am 
   To another back door 
  
  
 CHORUS 3: (chords as before) 
   Still your Mama called him Daddy 
   She couldn't tell him no 
   Said she couldn't help but love a man like that 
   You wondered how it could be so 
  
  
 OUTRO: 
   Am   C/B   C 
  
 CHORUS RIFF: 
    G 
    , . , . , . , .   , . , . , . , .   , . , . , . , .   , . , . , . , . 
  
 ||-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|| 
 ||-----0-------0---|-----0-------0---|-----0-------0---|-----0-------0---|| 
 ||-----0-------0---|-----0-------0---|-----0-------0---|-----0-------0---|| 
 ||-----0-------0---|-0h2-0---2p0-0---|-----0-------0---|-----0-------0---|| 
 ||---------0h2-----|-----------------|-0h2-------------|-0-------2-------|| 
 ||-3---------------|-----------------|---------3-------|-----------------|| 
  
 CHORDS: (bracketed notes indicate alternating bass notes) 
 C      (3)32010 
 Dm     x(0)0231 
 Fmaj7  x(3)3210 
 C/B    x22010 
 Am     (0)02210 
 Em     0(2)2000 
 F/C    x3(3)21x 
 G      320003