-----------------------------------
| Death Letter |
| Written by Son House |
| Tabbed by Patrick Ferris |
-----------------------------------
Open G Tuning
D G D G B D
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| Tab Definitions: |
| G: x0000x |
| C: x5555x (with slide) |
| B: x3333x (with slide) |
| D: x7777x (with slide) |
| p: Pull off of note |
| b: Bend note less than a half step |
| /: Slide to note |
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
INTRO and RIFF 1: Played 4x
G
D|--------------------------
B|--------------------------
G|---------3-0--3--3-3-3-3--
D|---------0----------------
G|-0----0-------------------
D|---3b---------------------
VERSE 1:
RIFF 1
I got a letter this mornin'
RIFF 1 RIFF 1
What do ya reckon it read?
RIFF 1
It said, "The gal you love is dead"
/C C/B /C
I got a letter this mornin'
C/G
What do you reckon it read?
RIFF 2: Played 2x
D|------5-(p0)--------- the (p0) is only sometimes played
B|---------------------
G|-3-0--------0-0---0--
D|------------0-0---0--
G|------------0-0---0--
D|----------------3----
D C G
Said, "Hurry, hurry, because the gal you love is dead"
RIFF 2: Played 2x
VERSE 2:
Well, I packed up my suitcase
I took off down the road
When I got there she was
Layin' on the coolin' board
I packed up my suitcase
And I took off down the road
When I got there she was
A-layin' on the coolin' board
TURNAROUND 1:
D|-----------------------------------------------
B|--------------------------------------/7--7/0--
G|------------------------------------0-/7--7/0--
D|----5-5-----3-3------2-2------------0-/7--7/0--
G|-----------------------------1-1------/7--7/0--
D|-5-------3-------2--------1-------0------------
Well,
BREAK 1: (There is so much improvisation is this break that I won't bother tabbing all the chord timings. Each chord is
played longer than I have it shown)
RIFF 2: Played 2x
C D C B G
D|------5----------------------------------------5-------------5----------------------
B|---------0-0-3/0--3-0-3--0-3-0-/5--5--0-------------------------0-0--7--7/5--5/3-0--
G|-3-0-----0-0-3/0--3-0-3--0-3-0-/5--5--0--3-0-----3-3-0--3-0-----0-0--7--7/5--5/3-0--
D|---------0-0-3/0--3-0-3--0-3-0-/5--5--0-------------------------0-0--7--7/5--5/3-0--
G|---------0-0-3/0--3-0-3--0-3-0-/5--5--0-------------------------0-0--7--7/5--5/3-0--
D|------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
RIFF 2: Played 2x
Hey!
RIFF 1: Played 4x
VERSE 3:
It looked like ten thousand people
Standin' 'round the buryin' ground
I didn't know I loved her
'Til they began to let her down
Looked like ten thousand
People standin' 'round the buryin' ground
I didn't know that I loved her
'Til they began to let her down
VERSE 4:
You know, it's so hard to love
Someone that don't love you
Ain't no satisfaction
Don't care what you do
So hard to love
Yeah, someone that don't love you
Don't look like satisfaction, and I don't care what you do
TURNAROUND 2:
D|------------------------------------------------
B|---------------------------------------/7--7/0--
G|---------------------------------------/7--7/0--
D|----5-5-----3-3-----2-----1--1---------/7--7/0--
G|-----------------------------------0---/7--7/0--
D|-5-------3-------2-----1--------0---------------
Yeah!
BREAK 2: Same rules apply to this break
C
D|------3-3---------------3-3------------------------------------------------------------3-
B|-----------------------------3-5-3-0--3-0--3-0-3-3/2-0--3-0-3-0-3-0--/5-5--5-3-0---------
G|-3-0------0-3/2-0--3-0-------3-5-3-0--3-0--3-0-3-3/2-0--3-0-3-0-3-0--/5-5--5-3-0--3-0----
D|----------0-3/2-0------------3-5-3-0--3-0--3-0-3-3/2-0--3-0-3-0-3-0--/5-5--5-3-0---------
G|----------0-3/2-0------------3-5-3-0--3-0--3-0-3-3/2-0--3-0-3-0-3-0--/5-5--5-3-0---------
D|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Repeated 8x: |------|
D|---------------3-------------------------------------------------------5/0-
B|-0-3/5-0--3-0--3---------/7-7--7/10-10--0-3/2-0--3/2-0--3--3-0---/5-5--5/0-
G|-0-3/5-0--3-0-----0-3-0--/7-7--7/10-10--0-3/2-0--3/2-0--3--3-0---/5-5--5/0-
D|------------------0-3-0--/7-7--7/10-10--0-3/2-0--3/2-0--3--3-0---/5-5--5/0-
G|------------------0-3-0--/7-7--7/10-10--0-3/2-0--3/2-0--3--3-0---/5-5--5/0-
D|---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Hush! Thought I heard her call my name
D|------3-----------------3---------------------
B|--------------------------------/7-7--/10-10--
G|-3-0---------------3-0----------/7-7--/10-10--
D|----------------------------0---/7-7--/10-10--
G|--------0-0-0---0---------0---0-/7-7--/10-10--
D|--------------3-------------------------------
TURNAROUND 1
RIFF 1: Played 4x
VERSE 5:
Well, I got up this mornin', the break of day
Just huggin' the pillows where she used to lay
Got up this mornin', leave the break of day
Just huggin' the pillows where my baby used to lay
TURNAROUND 3:
D|-----------------------------------
B|-----------------------------------
G|-----------------------0--/7--/12--
D|-----3-----2-----1--------/7--/12--
G|-----------------------------------
D|--3-----2-----1-----0--------------
