THE BALLARD OF SPIDER JOHN - Willis Alan Ramsey



Am (x02210@1)                 C (x32010@1)  Spider John is my name friends
    D (xx0232@1)                                       AmI'm (x02210@1)in between freights and sure would be obliged
           C (x32010@1)              GCadd9 GIf (320003@1)I could share your compa-ny
    Am (x02210@1)         C (x32010@1)             D (xx0232@1)             GI'm (320003@1)on my way to nowhere... Been runnin' from my past
Am (x02210@1)             C (x32010@1)              G (320003@1) Cadd9G
Runnin' from the things I used to beeee-ee-ee

Am (x02210@1)                CNow, (x32010@1)I know my words sound strange to you
           D (xx0232@1)                                       AmBut (x02210@1)if you wait till my song is sung and the story's told
          C (x32010@1)           G (320003@1)  Cadd9G
You might come to under-stand
        Am (x02210@1)             C (x32010@1)              D (xx0232@1)            GWhy (320003@1)I'm old and bent and Devil spent, and runnin' out of time
         Am (x02210@1)              C (x32010@1)               DWhen (xx0232@1)not long ago I held a Royal Flush in my hand

CHORUS
        Em (022000@1)        Em7
I was a supermarket fool
        A7 (x02020@1)                      Em (022000@1)Em7             A7I (x02020@1)was a motor bank stool pidgeon,     robbin' my home-town
  Em (022000@1)                Em7           A7I (x02020@1)thought I'd lost my blues. Yes, I thought I'd paid my dues
  F (133211@1)                 C (x32010@1)             Em (022000@1)  Em7 
I thought I'd found a life to suit my style
        G (320003@1)              F (133211@1)         C (x32010@1)               AmAnd (x02210@1)old Spider John, the robber man... long, tall, and handsome
         G (320003@1)                F (133211@1)          C (x32010@1)      AmYes, (x02210@1)old Spider John with a loaded hand,   takin' ransom

Am (x02210@1)                  C (x32010@1)  Then one day I met Diamond Lil
DShe (xx0232@1)was the sweetest thing, I declare,
         Am (x02210@1)            C (x32010@1)           G (320003@1)Cadd9G
That the summer wind had ever blown my way
Am (x02210@1)            C (x32010@1)           D (xx0232@1)            GLil, (320003@1)she had no idea of my il-lustrious occu-pation
    Am (x02210@1)                         C (x32010@1)           G (320003@1)   Cadd9G
She thought I was a saint, not a sinner gone a-straaay-aaay

Am (x02210@1)                 C (x32010@1)               DSpider, (xx0232@1)he loved his Lilly so much, he could not confess his sins
                  Am (x02210@1)           C (x32010@1)             G (320003@1)  Cadd9G
For he knew if he did, she would surely take her leave
                      Am (x02210@1)                CBut (x32010@1)you know that the word got around and Lilly left town
       D (xx0232@1)             GAnd (320003@1)he never saw her a-gain
Am (x02210@1)                 C (x32010@1)                  DTossin' (xx0232@1)and turnin', causin' his heart to grieve

[REPEAT CHORUS]

Am (x02210@1)              C (x32010@1)  That is all my story
     D (xx0232@1)                                         AmIt's (x02210@1)been these thirty years since I took to the road
           C (x32010@1)            G (320003@1)Cadd9G
To find my precious jewel one
Am (x02210@1)          C (x32010@1)              D (xx0232@1)            GIf (320003@1)you see my Lilly, won't you give her my re-gards?
             Am (x02210@1)                      C (x32010@1)               G (320003@1)Tell her ol' Spider got tangled in the black web that he spun
                     Am (x02210@1)                      C (x32010@1)               G (320003@1) Cadd9G
You can tell her ol' Spider got tangled in the black web that he spun