#----------------------------------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.#
#-----------------------------------------------------------------------------#
OK, so what *is* this song about?  Jim Capaldi, in _Goldmine_ #97, explained
that he and actor Michael J. Pollard were in Morocco preparing for a movie
that was never actually made:

  Pollard and I would sit around writing lyrics all day, talking about
  Bob Dylan and the Band, thinking up ridiculous plots for the movie.
  Before I left Morocco, Pollard wrote in my book [the line] 'The Low
  Spark of High Heeled Boys.'  For me, it summed him up.  He had this
  tremendous rebel attitude.  He walked around in his cowboy boots, his
  leather jacket.  At the time he was a heavy little dude.  It seemed to
  sum up all the people of that generation who were just rebels.  [...]
  The 'Low Spark', for me, was the spirit, high-spirited.  You know,
  standing on a street corner.  The low rider.  The 'Low Spark' meaning
  that strong undercurrent at the street level.


                    "Low Spark of High Heeled Boys"
                       (S. Winwood - J. Capaldi)

Intro:

	(fade in)

	Dm7                        [repeat to 1:15; vibra-slap enters]
	 /  /  /  /    /  /  /  /

	Dm7             Em7/D      [2X] [piano r.h.: A-C-D-F, B-D-E-G]
	 /  /  /  /    /  /  /  /

Verse 1:

	              Dm7                           Em7/D
	If you see something that looks like a star
	          Dm7                          Em7/D
	And it's shooting up out of the ground
	         Dm7                  Em7/D               Dm7   Em7/D
	And your     head is spinning       from a loud guitar
	               Dm7                         Em7/D
	And you just  can't escape from the sound
	            Dm7                 Em7/D
	Don't worry too much it'll happen to you
	    Dm7               Em7/D                Dm7  Em7/D
	We were children once        playing with toys

		  D                           A
	And the thing that you're hearing is only the sound
	        C            G           F
	Of the low spark of high heeled boys

Bridge:

	(saxes arr. for guitar; doubled w/bass [2X; continue])

	D7(no3)           G/D    D7(no3)            [piano r.h: D-A-C, D-G-B]
	 v   v   v   v     v   v   v   v                    (8th-note chords)
	-----------------|-----------------|
	-----------------|-------3---------|
	-------5---------|---4-------------|
	---4-------------|-----------------|
	-----------------|-----------------|
	-----------------|-----------------|

	      D7(no3)                   G/D      D7(no3)
	The percentage you're paying is too high a price
	           D7(no3)                   G/D   D7(no3)
	While you're living beyond all your means
	      D7(no3)                     G/D        D7(no3)
	And the man in the suit has just bought a new car
	          F/C         C             G
	From the profit he's made on your dreams
	      F/C           C             G
	But today you just read that the man was shot dead
	     F/C              C         G
	By a gun that didn't make any noise
	        D                      A
	But it wasn't the bullet that laid him to rest
	         C            G           F
	Was the low spark of high heeled boys

[Instrumental break: 16-bar piano solo on Dm7]

	Dm7             Em7/D      [2X]
	 /  /  /  /    /  /  /  /

Verse 2:

	If you had just a minute to breathe
	And they granted you one final wish
	Would you ask for something like another chance
	Or something similar as this
	Don't worry too much it'll happen to you
	As sure as your sorrows are joys

	And the thing that disturbs you is only the sound
	Of the low spark of high heeled boys

[repeat chorus]

	High heeled boys

Instrumental break:

	(Piano, sax, fuzz organ solos)

	Dm7             Em7/D      [5:18 - 9:19]
	 /  /  /  /    /  /  /  /

	Dm7
	 /  /  /  /    /  /  /  /
	Dm7           D7
	 /  /  /  /    /  /  /  /
	Dm7              Em7/D     [2X]
	 /  /  /  /    /  /  /  /

Verse 3:

	If I gave you everything that I owned
	And asked for nothing in return
	Would you do the same for me as I would for you
	Or take me for a ride
	And strip me of everything including my pride
	But spirit is something that no one destroys

	And the sound that I'm hearing is only the sound
	Of the low spark of high heeled boys
	Heeled boys

[repeat chorus (instrumental)]

Coda:

	Dm7             Em7/D      [repeat to fade, w/fuzz organ]
	 /  /  /  /    /  /  /  /


-- another ace 70's tab from Andrew Rogers
Show more