• Song:

    The Donor Blues

  • Artist:

    Shakey Graves

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d=downstroke u=upstroke. Listen to the song and you’ll get the rhythm.
Intro/Verse
Every other time he goes through this riff he puts heavy emphasis on the high notes of 
the G.
    D      C    G
E||-2-2-2--0-0--3--3-3--3-3--3-3--3----------------------|
B||-3-3-3--1-1--0--0-0--0-0--0-0--0----------------------|
G||-2-2-2--0-0--0--0-0--0-0--0-0--0----------------------|
D||-0-0-0--2-2--0--0-0--0-0--0-0--0----------------------|
A||-x-x-x--3-3--2--2-2--2-2--2-2--2----------------------|
E||-x-x-x--x-x--3--3-3--3-3--3-3--3----------------------|
    D D u  D u  D  u D  u D  u D  u

Riff: He leads into the chorus with this.

E||---------------|
B||---------------|
G||---------------|
D||---------------|
A||---------0-----|
E||-0-2-3-4-------|

And in case you didnt know:

Am: x02210
F#: 244xxx

Verse

D        C       G                             D  C  G
Found my fingers up north in the forest of the fern

D                 C     G                D  C  G
Yeah I blame them words for all Ive learned

D                 C    G                            D  C  G
Well I watched my wits walk west where the money is earned

D                C     G             D  C  G
Just to strut my stuff and wait my turn


Riff then Chorus

                 (Am)               G
And I have often thought that these old bones

            D
Should just go on ahead and break if they gonna

Am    G                     D
These old teeth should just go on and give out

Am      G                D          C     G
They're running the jail for profit these days

D          C    G
Thats what they say


Verse 2
D       C     G                            D  C  G
Lost my lungs long ago in the belly of the beast

D             C    G                    D  C  G
Yeah I got my gall from the boys back east

D                 C     G                               D  C  G
Yeah I sing sweet songs with the throat that belongs to her

D                 C     G               D  C  G
Yeah she wears my heart and wears my words


Pre-Chorus/Interlude Part?

F#
Got these lips from the girl next door

         G                               D  C  G   D  C  G
The only problem is they only beg for more

F#
Sold my skin for some fancy clothes

             G                                        D  C  G   D  C  G
I thought Id get a better deal but thats the way it goes


Riff then Chorus

                 (Am)               G
And I have often thought that these old bones

            D
Should just go on ahead and break if they gonna

Am    G                     D
These old teeth should just go on and give out

Am      G                D          C     G
They're running the jail for profit these days

D          C    G       D  D  D  D
Thats what they say


Outro

F#
Put all the rest in a hollow tree

     G                                D  C  G   D  C  G
Yeah fill it with cement and let me be

Note: Before those last D’s in the outro he plays the E string on the 2nd fret and 
then he plays the high E string open. I like to screw around plucking the strings in a 
different pattern for that last part instead of just strumming.
His still sounds a lot better and he screws with the rhythms and plucking little notes 
and stuff. But you can still use this to play and sing the barest form of the song
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