Wreck of the 'ol 97
Recorded by Johnny Cash
Tabbed by Matthew Eldon Verge
for Two Guitars
This is a great song, a classic that I grew up listening to
my father play on guitar. None of the versions I've found online are really
correct, at least in the way that if you play it with the song it won't be in
the same key. Also, nobody has bothered to tab the intro, solo, or bass. The
lead parts, played (and probably written by) Luther Perkins, are what make this
song so catchy. This is made for two guitars, which I've named Luther and Johnny.
Luther is electric and Johnny is acoustic. This is how the song was meant to be
performed, along with bass and drums. It's also meant to sound like a train.
The drums have a clackity sound and Luther, when Johnny is singing, has a rythm
that can't be mistaken for anything but a locomotive. You'll have to listen to
the song to really understand what I'm talking about. The whole energy of the
band pushes home the idea of a runaway train. This version is recorded live . .
I think at San Quentin.
Johnny: Acoustic, Capo on 3rd fret
Luther: Electric, Capo on 1st Fret, palm-muted during the singing (If you want to
make this song a lot easier to play, remove the capo fromLuther and move Johnny's
to the second. The tab is relative to the capo so it will still work).
Luther Intro:
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
---4--5--7-7-7--5--4--5-5-5--4--2--0---------------------------------------------|
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
Johnny Verse Rythm:
G C
Well, they gave him his orders at Monroe, Virginia
G D
Said, "Steve you're way behind time
G C
This is not Thirty-Eight this is old Ninety-Seven
G D G
Put her into Spencer on time."
Luther Verse: (This part is played -very- fast, with up-down stroke picking)
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
---------------------------------2--2-2-2-2-2-2--2--2-2-2-2-2-2------------------|
-2--2-2-2-2-2-2--2--2-2-2-2-2-2--0--0-0-4-4-4-4--0--0-0-4-4-4-4------------------|
-0--0-0-4-4-4-4--0--0-0-4-4-4-4--------------------------------------------------|
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
PM...............................................................................
Well they gave him his orders in M o n r o e, V i r g i n i a, said
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
-2--2-2-2-2-2-2--2--2-2-2-2-2-2--------------------------------------------------|
-0--0-0-4-4-4-4--0--0-0-4-4-4-4--2--2-2-2-2-2-2--2--2-2-2-2-2-2------------------|
---------------------------------0--0-0-4-4-4-4--0--0-0-4-4-4-4------------------|
PM...............................................................................
Steve you're way behind time This is
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
---------------------------------2--2-2-2-2-2-2--2--2-2-2-2-2-2------------------|
-2--2-2-2-2-2-2--2--2-2-2-2-2-2--0--0-0-4-4-4-4--0--0-0-4-4-4-4------------------|
-0--0-0-4-4-4-4--0--0-0-4-4-4-4--------------------------------------------------|
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
PM...............................................................................
not Thirty - Eight this is old Ninety-Seven
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
-2--2-2-2-2-2-2------------------2--2-2-2-2-2-2----------------------------------|
-0--0-0-4-4-4-4--2--2-2-2-2-2-2--0--0-0-4-4-4-4----------------------------------|
-----------------0--0-0-4-4-4-4--------------------------------------------------|
PM...............................................................................
put her into Spencer on time."
Luther Solo: (I hate to say there is one part in here, where he slides, I've yet to
figure out exactly as he plays. Everything else is correct, and when I figure that
part out I'll fix it. He plays this part twice during the song and it's exactly the
same each time. Throughout the solo, Johnny plays the same thing that he does during
the verse).
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
------------------------------------------------------------------2--5--5--5-----|
----------------------------------------------2----------------2-----------------|
-----------------------------0-0-0-0-0-0-4-4-----4--2-2-2-2-2--------------------|
---0-2--4-4-4-4--2-0--0-2--4-----------------------------------------------------|
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
--3-2-0--------------------------------------------------------------------------|
---------2-2-2-2-2----------------------2----------------------------------------|
-------------------2--------0-0-0-0-0-4---4--2-2-2-2-2---------------------------|
----------------------2--4------------------------------4-4-2--0-----------------|
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
That's really the whole song, as far as guitar is concerned. The bass is pretty
easy to figure out by ear, and, even without the use of this tab, should be
pretty easy for most bassists.
