Words by Bob Dylan. Music based on 'Having Myself a Time' by Leo Robin
& Ralph Rainger, sung by Billie Holiday (thanks to Trev for notifying
me)
Released on Love And Theft (2001)
Tabbed by Eyolf Østrem
For this song I believe in a capo on the 1st fret, at least in a solo acoustic tab, since the uncapoed version would be virtually unplayable. Both versions are included, though, with a list of suggested chords at the end.
A . Bbo . Bm7 . E E7
A . Bbo . Bm7 . E
Eo E7
By and by,
A . . . | . . Co
I'm breathing a lover's sigh.
. Bm7 Bbo
Well, I'm sitting on my watch
Bm7 E7
So I can be on time
A7/g D/f#
I'm singing love's praises
Dm/f E
With sugar-coated rhyme.
Eo E7
By and by,
A . . . | . . Co
On you I'm casting my eye.
. E7
I'm paintin' the town,
Swingin' my partner around
Well, I know who I can depend on,
I know who to trust
I'm watchin' the roads,
I'm studying the dust
I'm paintin' the town
A /c# Co E7/b A . G#7
Making my last go round.
. C#7 G#7
Well, I'm scuffling, and I'm shuffling
C#7 A7 G#7
And I'm walking on briars
C# G#7
I'm not even acquainted
C# G#/b# E7/b . E7
with my own desires *)
I'm roamin' slow, I'm doing all I know. I'm telling myself I've found true happiness, That I've still got a dream that hasn't been repossessed. I'm roamin' slow Going where the wild roses grow.
A Co E9
: . . . : . . . : . . .
|-----------------------5-|-7---575-------------------|-------------------------|
|-----------------5-7-----|---------7---5-------------|-------------7--------/9-|
|-------------5h6---------|---------------5/6---------|-------------------------|
|-------------------------|------------------(7)------|-------6---9-------------|
|-------------------------|---------------------6-----|---6h7-------------------|
|-------------------------|---------------------------|-------------------------|
grow
A Co
: . . . : . . . : . . .
|-------------------------|-------------------------|-------------------------|
|-------------------------|-------------------------|-------------------------|
|-----7---6h7-9-----9-----|-5/6---------------------|---5/6-------------------|
|-------------------------|-----7-------------------|-------7---------------5-|
|-------------------------|-------9---7-9---7-------|-----------9---9-7-9-----|
|-------------------------|-------------------------|-------------------------|
E9 A
: . . . : . . . : . . .
|-------------------7---7-|-7-------7-8-9-----------|-------------------------|
|-------7---5-7---5-------|-----------------5-7---5-|-----------------------5-|
|-------------------------|-------------------------|-5/6---------------5/6---|
|-6-----------------------|-------------------------|-----7-------7-----------|
|-------------------------|-------------------------|-------9---7-------------|
|-------------------------|-------------------------|-------------------------|
A G#
: . . .
|-5-----------------4-----|
|-----5-----------4-------|
|-------6-------5---------|
|-----------7-6-----------|
|-------------------------|
|-------------------------|
Well, the....
Well, the future for me Is already a thing of the past You were my first love And you will be my last.
Papa gone mad, Mama, she's feeling sad. Well, I'm gonna baptize you in fire So you can sin no more I'm gonna establish my rule Through civil war, Gonn' make you see Just how loyal and true a man can be!
[instrumental, fade out]
*) As You Like It, Act 1, Scene 1, Line 41:
If with myself I hold intelligence, Or have acquaintance with mine own desires [...]
this is spoken by Rosalind who, about twenty lines earlier says "oh how full of briers is this working-day world". she and Celia then discuss the nature of the briers and walking on paths lined with such briers for the next ten lines or so (found and submitted by Nick Dorman).
Uncapoed version:
Bb . Bo . Cm . F F7
Bb . Bo . Cm . F
Fo F7
By and by,
Bb . . . | . . C#o
I'm breathing a lover's sigh.
. Cm7 Bo
Well, I'm sitting on my watch
Cm7 F7
So I can be on time
Bb7/ab Eb/g
I'm singing love's praises
Ebm/gb F
With sugar-coated rhymes.
. . .
Bb /d C#o F7/c Bb . A7
Making my last go round.
. D7 A7
Well, I'm scuffling, and I'm shuffling
D7 Bb7 A7
And I'm walking on briars
D7 A7
I'm not even acquainted
D A/c# F7/a . F7
with my own desires
Chords:
Bbo x12020 Bo x23131 Bm7 x24232 Cm7 x35343 Eo 012020 Fo 123131 or xx3434 E7 022140 F7 131241 or xx3545 Co x34242 C#o x45353 A7/g 34222x Bb7/ab 45333x D/f# 254232 or 200232 Eb/g 365343 Dm/f 103231 Ebm/gb 2x4342 G#/b# x3114x A/c# x4225x
Here's a tab of what the bass plays during the bridge. I've written it relative to the capo of the rest of the tab, for clarity. The bass obviously doesn't use a capo, though, and the (*) denotes the tone right below the capo... (i.e. the open, lowest string).
|---------------------------------|---------------------------------| |---------------------------------|---------------------------------| |---------------------------------|---------------------------------| |---------3-----------------------|---------3---6---7-----7-6-----6-| |-4---6-------4---6---4---3-------|-4---6---------------------------| |-----------------------------4---|---------------------------------|
|---------------------------------|------------------------------ |---------------------------------|------------------------------ |---------------------------------|------------------------------ |---------------------------------|------------------------------ |-4-----------------------------3-|-4-----4-3-----3-2-----2------ |-----4---6---5---4---2---1--(*)--|-------------------------0----