Tombstone Blues Chords

Lyrics & chords

[Intro 1]
[E][E]
[E][E][E][E]
[E][E][E][E]

[Verse 1]
The [E]sweet pretty things
are in [A]bed now, of [E]course
The city fathers they're trying
[A]to end[E]orse
The reincarnation of [A]Paul Revere's [E]horse
But the town has no [A]need to be [E]nervous
[E][E][E]

[Verse 2]
The [E]ghost of Belle Starr,
she [A]hands down her [E]wits
To Jezebel the nun, she [A]violently [E]knits
A bald wig for Jack the ripper,
[A]who sit[E]s
At the head of the [A]Chamber
of [E]Commerce

[Chorus 1]
[A]Mama's in the factory
She ain't [E]got no shoes
[A]Daddy's in the alley
He's [E]lookin' for food
[A]I'm in the kitchen with the tombstone blues

[Solo 1]
[E][E][E][E]
[E][E][E][E]

[Verse 3]
The hys[E]terical bride in the [A]penny [E]arcade
Screaming, she moans,
"I've [A]just been [E]made"
Then sends out for the doctor,
who [A]pulls down the [E]shade
And says, my advice
is to [A]not let the [E]boys in
[E][E][E][E]

[Verse 4]
Now, the [E]medicine man comes
and he [A]shuffles [E]inside
He walks with a swagger,
and he [A]says to the [E]bride
"Stop all this weeping,
swal[A]low your [E]pride
You will not [A]die, it's not [E]poison"

[Chorus 2]
[A]Mama's in the factory
She ain't [E]got no shoes
[A]Daddy's in the alley
He's [E]lookin' for food
[A]I'm in the kitchen with the tombstone blues

[Solo 2]
[E][E][E][E]
[E][E][E][E]
[E][E][E][E]

[Verse 5]
Well, [E]John the Baptist,
after [A]torturing a [E]thief
Looks up at his hero,
the Com[A]mander-in-Chief[E]
Saying, "Tell me, great hero,
but [A]please, make it [E]brief
Is there a hole for [A]me to get sick [E]in?"
[E][E]

[Verse 6]
The Comman[E]der-in-Chief answers him
while [A]chasing a [E]fly
Saying, "Death to all those
who would [A]whimper and [E]cry"
And dropping a barbell,
he [A]points to the [E]sky
Saying, "The sun's not yel[A]low, it's [E]chicken"

[Chorus 3]
[A]Mama's in the factory
She ain't [E]got no shoes
[A]Daddy's in the alley
He's [E]lookin' for food
[A]I'm in the kitchen with the tombstone blues

[Solo 3]
[E][E][E][E]
[E][E][E][E]

[Verse 7]
[E]The king of the Philistines,
his [A]soldiers to [E]save
Puts jawbones on their tombstones
and [A]flatters their [E]graves
Puts the pied pipers in prison
and [A]fattens the [E]slaves
Then sends them [A]out to the jun[E]gle
[E][E][E][E]

[Verse 8]
Gypsy [E]Davey, with a blowtorch,
he [A]burns out their [E]camps
With his faithful slave, Pedro,
be[A]hind him, he [E]tramps
With a fantastic col[A]lections of [E]stamps
To win friends and [A]influence his [E]uncle
[E][E]

[Chorus 4]
[A]Mama's in the factory
She ain't [E]got no shoes
[A]Daddy's in the alley
He's [E]lookin' for food
[A]I'm in trouble with the tombstone

[Solo 4]
[E](blues)[E][E][E]
[E][E][E][E]
[E][E][E][E]
[E][E]

[Verse 9]
The ge[E]ometry of innocent
[A]flesh on the [E]bone
Causes Galileo’s [A]math book to get [E]thrown
At Delilah who's sitting [A]worthlessly [E]alone
But the tears on her [A]cheeks are from [E]laughter
[E][E][E][E][E]

[Verse 10]
I [E]wish I could give
Brother [A]Bill his great [E]thrill
I would set him in chains
at the [A]top of the [E]hill
Then send out for some pillars
and [A]Cecil B. De[E]Mille
He could die happily [A]ever af[E]ter

[Chorus 5]
[A]Mama's in the factory
She ain't [E]got no shoes
[A]Daddy's in the alley
He's [E]lookin' for food
[A]I'm in the kitchen with the tombstone blues

[Solo 5]
[E][E][E][E]
[E][E][E][E]
[E][E][E][E]
[E][E][E][E]
[E][E][E][E][E]

[Verse 11]
Where Ma [E]Rainey and Beethoven
once un[A]wrapped their [E]bedroll
Tuba players now rehearse
around [A]the [E]flagpole
And the National Bank, at a profit,
sells [A]road maps for the [E]soul
To the old folks [A]home and the col[E]lege
[E][E][E][E]

[Verse 12]
Now I [E]wish I could write you
a [A]melody so [E]plain
That could hold you, dear lady,
from [A]going [E]insane
That could ease you, and cool you,
and [A]cease the [E]pain
Of your useless and [A]pointless know[E]ledge

[Chorus 6]
[A]Mama's in the factory
She ain't [E]got no shoes
[A]Daddy's in the alley
He's [E]lookin' for food
[A]I'm in the kitchen with the tombstone blues

[Outro 1]
[E]Alr[E]igh[E]t![E]
[E][E][E][E]
[E][E][E][E]
[E][E][E][E]
[Fade out]