Take a Message to Mary

Felice Bryant, Boudleaux Bryant
Released by Bob Dylan on Self Portrait (1970)
Tabbed by Eyolf Østrem

C

                         Em
These are the words of a frontier lad
    Am                 G 
Who lost his love when he turned bad.

C . G . |F . C . |Am . . . |. . . . |C . G . |C . . .

C            
 Take a message to Mary
    F              G       C
But don't tell her where I am
    
Take a message to Mary
    F             G       C 
But don't say I'm in a jam.

        Am                     Em
You can tell her that I had to see the world
Am               D        G
Tell her that my ship set sail
        C         G          F        C
You can say she'd better not wait for me
    Am                 /g Am
But don't tell her I'm in jail
   C              G      C
Oh don't tell her I'm in jail.

Take a message to Mary
But don't tell her what I've done
Please don't mention the stagecoach
An' the shot from a careless gun.

You can tell her that I changed my plans
An' cancel out the weddin' day
But don't mention my lonely cell
Where I'm gonna pine away
Until my dyin' day.

Take a message to Mary
But don't tell all you know
My heart is achin' for Mary
Lord knows I miss her so.

Just tell her that I went to Timbuktu
Tell that I'm searchin' for gold
You can say she'd better find someone new
To cherish an' to hold
Oh Lord, this cell is cold.