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Cowboy Song – Thin Lizzy
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Tabbed by: maguri
Tuning: One half step down (Eb-Ab-Db-Gb-Bb-eb)
Thin Lizzy
Cowboy Song (1976)
(Brian Downey/Phil Lynott)
From: "Jailbreak"
This is not easy to transcribe because there are no clear chords in the
chorus: the guitars play melody/harmony-lines that together only suggest a
certain chord but do not define it explicitly. The second "chord" in the
chorus is a good example: the bass plays the note c# and the guitars put c#
and e on top of that. This may be an A/C# on the one hand or (adding an
imaginary g#) a C#m. The nature of the chords in the closing riff of the
chorus (bass plays B – A- F# - E – A) is similarly undefined.
Anyway, for this chord version I imagined someone who wants to provide a
basic accompaniment on an acoustic guitar for a singer (maybe in a starry
night by the campfire light ...). For the sake of playability I made some
decisions that may of course be interpreted differently – to me they sound
fine. I went for a C#m (which might as well be an A/C#, of course) and hints
of "acoustic power chords" for the closing riff in the chorus. Enjoy!
Suggestions and comments are highly welcome!
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CHORUS
D C#m Bm A5 F#5 E5 A
1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + 1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + 1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + 1 + 2 + 3 + 4 +
eb|----------------|----------------|----------------|----------------|
Bb|3---------------|----------------|----------------|----------------|
Gb|2---------------|1---------------|4---------------|2---------------|
Db|0---------------|2---------------|4-----2---------|2---------------|
Ab|----------------|4---------------|2-----0---4---2-|0---------------|
Eb|----------------|----------------|----------2---0-|----------------|
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CHORDS
e a d g b e
C#m7/G# 4-4-6-4-5-4
C#m/G# 4-4-6-6-5-4
A/C# x-4-2-2-2(0)
D/F# 2-x-0-2-3(2)
E/G# 4-x-2-1-0-0
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INTRO VERSE
A E F#m7 E D
I am just a cowboy lonesome on the trail
A C#m7/G# F#m7 E D
A starry night, a campfire light
A E F#m7 E D
The coyote call, the howling winds wail
A C#m7/G# F#m7 E D
So I ride out to the old sundown
INTRO CHORUS (instrumental)
| D | C#m | Bm A5 F#5 E5 | A |
| D | C#m | Bm A5 F#5 E5 | A |
VERSE
A E F#m E D
I am just a cowboy lonesome on the trail
A C#m/G# F#m E D
Lord, I'm just thinking about a certain female
A E F#m E D
The nights we spent together riding on the range
A C#m/G# F#m E D
Looking back it seems so strange
CHORUS
D C#m
Roll me over and turn me around
Bm A5 F#5 E5 A
Let me keep spinning till I hit the ground
D C#m
Roll me over and let me go
Bm A5 F#5 E5 A
Riding in the rodeo
VERSE
A E F#m E D
I was took in Texas I did not know her name
A C#m/G# F#m E D
Lord, all these southern girls seem the same
A E F#m E D
Down below the border in a town in Mexico
A C#m/G# F#m E D
I got my job busting broncs for the rodeo
CHORUS
D C#m
Roll me over and turn me around
Bm A5 F#5 E5 A
Let me keep spinning till I hit the ground
D C#m
Roll me over and let me go
Bm A5 F#5 E5 A
Running free with the buffalo
SOLO (= verse + chorus)
| A | E | F#m E | D |
| A | C#m/G# | F#m E | D |
| A | E | F#m E | D |
| A | C#m/G# | F#m E | D |
| D | C#m | Bm A5 F#5 E5 | A |
| D | C#m | Bm A5 F#5 E5 | A |
CHORUS (variation)
D C#m Bm A5 F#5 E5 | A | [D]
Roll me over ... and I’ll turn around
D C#m Bm A5 F#5 E5 | A |
D C#m Bm A5 F#5 E5 | A |
And I move my fingers ... up and down
D C#m Bm A5 F#5 E5 | A |
up and down
NTERLUDE (Chorus variation)
| D | C#m | Bm | A [break]|
| D | C#m | Bm | A [break]|
D C#m Bm A5 F#5 E5 | A |
It’s okay amigo ... just let me go
D C#m Bm A5 F#5 E5 A
Riding in the rodeo
INTERLUDE (Chorus variation)
| D | C#m | Bm | A [break]|
| D | C#m | Bm | A [break]|
SOLO (= verse)
| A | E | F#m E | D |
| A | C#m/G# | F#m E | D |
| A | E | F#m E | D |
| A | C#m/G# | F#m E | D |
CHORUS
D C#m
Roll me over and turn me around
Bm A5 F#5 E5 A
Let me keep spinning till I hit the ground
D C#m
Roll me over and let me go
Bm A5 F#5 E5 A
Riding in the rodeo
CODA
D C#m
Roll me over and set me free
Bm A/C# D/F# E/G# [break] A
The cowboy's life is the life for me
