Artist: Bernard Cribbins
Song: The hole in the ground
Tabbed by: DJ
22nd April 2013

A novelty UK hit from 1962 for popular comedy actor Bernard Cribbins,
and produced by George Martin (The Beatles producer).
Cribbins switches between a working class Cockney accent,
and a middle-class accent for the gentleman in the bowler hat.

Tuning: Standard
CAPO: 2nd fret (Sounds in key of E)

*******************************************************************

    D     A7aug         D     A7aug   A7aug
||: /   /__/   /  /  |  /   /__/    /__/  /  :|| (Twice)
    ^      ^            ^      ^       ^

 D6     A7aug       D6         A7aug
There I was... a - digging this hole,
  D          F#7       Bm7                 E7
Hole in the ground, so big, and sought of round it was,
     A7      Em7    A7   G   D
And there was I, digging it deep,
       C#7                                F#    F#
It was flat at the bottom, and the sides were steep!
        ^                                 ^     ^

            F#m7       F#m7       E7
When, along...   comes...  this bloke in a bowler,
             ^          ^         ^
           A7                            D       A7
Which he lifted, and scratched his head,    woh,
                                         ^       ^
     D6            A7aug   D6            B7
He looked down the hole,  poor demented soul, and he said...

Em7                           A7
          "Do  you mind if I make a sug - gestion?
 ^   ^ ^    ^    ^ ^          ^        e|------------------|
                                       B|------------------|
                                       G|------------------|
                                       D|------------------|
                                       A|---0--------------|
                                       E|--------3--2--0---|

  D       A7aug    D            A7aug
Don't dig there!  Dig it else - where!
        D6        A7aug          D            D7
You're digging it round, and it ought to be square,
      G                       F#7
The shape of it's wrong, it's much too long,
F7       E7                     A7aug A7aug       D     A7aug
And you can't put a hole where a hole don't be - long!"
 ^       ^                        ^     ^          ^      ^

   D               A7aug  A7aug
I ask you! What a liberty, eh?
   ^                 ^     ^
          D                      A7aug      D     A7aug  A7aug
'Nearly bashed him right in the bowler!  |  /   /__/   /__/  / |
          ^                       ^         ^      ^      ^ 

        D6     A7aug       D6         A7aug
Well, there was I...  a - stood in my hole,
    D      F#7        Bm7             E7
Shovelling earth, for all that I was worth, I was,
     A7       Em7    A7     G    D
And there was him, standing up there,
    C#7                               F#      F#
So grand, and official, with his nose in the air!
     ^                                 ^      ^

          F#m7      F#m7     E7
So I gave...   him...     a look, sort of side-ways,
           ^         ^        ^
         A7                            D       A7
And I leaned on my shovel, and sighed,    woh,
                                       ^        ^
  D6      A7aug       D6           B7             Em7       A7
I lit me a fag, and having took a drag, I replied-------------...
                                                  ^  ^^ ^^   ^

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

     D           A7aug       D             A7aug
"I just couldn't bare... to dig it else - where,
      D6       A7aug            D             D7 
I'm digging it round, 'cause I don't want it square,
              G                  F#7
And if you disagree, it doesn't bother me,
F7    E7                       A7aug  A7aug  D   A7aug  D     A7aug  A7aug
    That's the place where the hole's gonna be!"      | /   /__/   /__/  / |
 ^    ^                         ^      ^     ^     ^    ^     ^      ^

  D     A7aug        D     A7aug   A7aug
| /   /__/   /  /  | /   /__/    /__/  / |
  ^      ^           ^      ^       ^

        D6     A7aug         D6         A7aug
Well, there we were, dis - cussing this hole,
 D           F#7       Bm7                 E7
Hole in the ground, so big, and sought of round, it was,
     A7                   C7          B7
It's not there now, the ground's all flat,
          Em7                         Dm7    A7  D  A7aug      G/B     D
And be - neath it is the bloke in the bowl - er hat,       and that's that!
           ^                           ^      ^  ^               ^     ^

**************************************************************************
Fret positions are relative to the capo:

^     = emphasise the beat

D     =  xx0232    Bm7  =  x24232    F7   = 131211    C7  = x32310
A7aug =  xx3223    E7   =  020100    F#   = 244322    B7  = x21202
D6    =  xx0202    A7   =  x02020    F#m7 = 242222    G7  = 320001
F#7   =  242322    Em7  =  022030    D7   = xx0212
Em7   =  022030    G    =  320033