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From: Mathias Karlsson
Song:Black Betty
Artist:Ram Jam
x=strum muffled strings
Intro: Steady bass drum
Play with bridge pickup and nice distorsion
guitar 1 measure 1
E------------------------------------|-----------------------------------|
B------------------------------------|-------------7--9--7---------------|
G---------------------7~-------------|-------------7--9--7---------------|
D---7--9~-----7--9-9--7--------------|-7--9-9--x---7--7--7---------------|
A---7--9------7--9-9--5--------------|-7--9-9--x-------------------------|
e---5--7------5--7-7-----------------|-5--7-7--x-------------------------|
guitar 1 measure 2
E------------------------------------|-----------------------------------|
B--------------7--9--7---------------|-------------7--9--7---------------|
G--------------7--9--7---------------|-------------7--9--7---------------|
D---7--9-9--x--7--7--7---------------|-7--9-9--x---7--7--7---------------|
A---7--9-9--x------------------------|-7--9-9--x-------------------------|
e---5--7-7--x------------------------|-5--7-7--x-------------------------|
guitar 2 measure 2
E------------------------------------|-----------------------------------|
B------------------------------------|-----------------------------------|
G------------------------------------|---11-14r11-14---------------------|
D---7-7-7--7---------------------9-9-9-9---------------------------------|
A-9------9---9-7---------------------|-----------------------------------|
e----------------10-7----------------|-----------------------------------|
guitar 1 measure 3
E------------------------------------|-----------------------------------|
B--------------7--9--7---------------|-----------------------------------|
G--------------7--7--7---------------|----------------9-----------7-7----|
D---7--9-9--x--7--7--7---------------|--7--9-9--9--9--9----9-9-9--7-7----|
A---7--9-9--x------------------------|--7--9-9--9--9--7----9-9-9--5-5----|
e---5--7-7--x------------------------|--5--7-7--7--7-------7-7-7---------|
guitar 2 measure 3
E-------14-12-10---10----------------|-----------------------------------|
B----10---------14----14-10----------|-----------------------------------|
G--11-----------------------7-9-7-9-7-9b11~---b10r-b10r-b10r-b10r7------7|
D------------------------------------|-----------------------------9r7h9-|
A------------------------------------|-----------------------------------|
e------------------------------------|-----------------------------------|
guitar 1 measure 4
E------------------------------------|-----------------------------------|
B------------------------------------|-----------------------------------|
G-----------7-9-----------7~---------|--------8--------------------------|
D----9-9-9--7-9--7-9-x-x--7--7--9~---|--9-9-9-9---9----------------------|
A----9-9-9--5-7--7-9-x-x--5--7--9----|--9-9-9-9---9----------------------|
e----7-7-7-------5-7-x-x-----5--7----|--7-7-7-7---7----------------------|
guitar 2 measure 4
E------------------------------------|-----------------------------------|
B------------------------------------|-----------------------------------|
G---9---7----------------------------|-----------------------------------|
D-9---9---9-7---9-7----7-------------|---9h12-9----9~--------------------|
A-------------9----9-7---9-7----7----7/9--------12-----------------------|
e----------------------------10---10-|-----------------------------------|
Whoa-oh Black Betty Bam-a-lam, Whoa-oh Black Betty Bam-a-lam
Black betty had a child,
guitar 1 measure 5
E------------------------------------|-----------------------------------|
B------------------------------------|-----------------------------------|
G-----7------------------------------|-----------------------------------|
D-----7------------------------------|-----------------------------------|
A-----5------------------------------|-----------------------------------|
e------------------------------------|-----------------------------------|
Bam-a-lam
The damn thing gone wild,
guitar 1 measure 6
E------------------------------------|-----------------------------------|
B------------------------------------|-----------------------------------|
G-----7------------------------------|-----------------------------------|
D-----7------------------------------|-----------------------------------|
A-----5------------------------------|-----------------------------------|
e------------------------------------|-----------------------------------|
Bam-a-lam
Said one night of mine
guitar 1 measure 7
E------------------------------------|-----------------------------------|
B------------------------------------|-----------------------------------|
G-----7------------------------------|-----------------------------------|
D-----7------------------------------|-----------------------------------|
A-----5------------------------------|-----------------------------------|
e------------------------------------|-----------------------------------|
Bam-a-lam
The damn thing gone blind
guitar 1 measure 8
E------------------------------------|-----------------------------------|
B------------------------------------|-----------------------------------|
G-----7------------------------------|-----------------------------------|
D-----7------------------------------|-----------------------------------|
A-----5------------------------------|-----------------------------------|
e------------------------------------|-----------------------------------|
Bam-a-lam
Said Whoa-oh Black Betty
guitar 1 measure 9
E------------------------------------|-----------------------------------|
B------------------------------------|-----------------------------------|
G-----7------------------------------|-----------------------------------|
D-----7------------------------------|-----------------------------------|
A-----5------------------------------|-----------------------------------|
e------------------------------------|-----------------------------------|
Bam-a-lam, Whoa-oh Black Betty
guitar 1 measure 10
E------------------------------------|-----------------------------------|
B------------------------------------|-----------------------------------|
G-----7------------------------------|-----------------------------------|
D-----7------------------------------|-----------------------------------|
A-----5------------------------------|-----------------------------------|
e------------------------------------|-----------------------------------|
Bam-a-lam
Play measures 1-4 again then follows
Play measures 5-10 as for the lyrics above
Whoa-oh Black Betty Bam-a-lam, Whoa-oh Black Betty Bam-a-lam
She really gets me high,
(same as measure 5)
Bam-a-lam
You know that's no lie,
(same as measure 6)
Bam-a-lam
She's so Rock Steady,
(same as measure 7)
Bam-a-lam
That she's always ready,
(same as measure 8)
Bam-a-lam
Said Whoa-oh Black Betty
(same as measure 9)
Bam-a-lam, Whoa-oh Black Betty
(same as measure 10)
Bam-a-lam
guitar 1 measure 11
E------------------------------------|-----------------------------------|
B------------------------------------|-----------------------------------|
G---7-7-9--7-------------------------|-7-7-9--7--------------------------|
D---7-7-9--7------7-9----------------|-7-7-9--7------7-9-----------------|
A---5-5-7--5--7-9--------------------|-5-5-7--5--7-9---------------------|
e----------------------10-7----------|-------------------10-7------------|
Drum solo then follows measure 11 again
Another drum solo then measure 11 again
guitar 1 measure 12
E------------------------------------|------------------------7--7-10-7-10-12-|
B------------------------------------|---------9r7---7-10-7-10-10-------------|
G-----------7r6----------7h9r7-------|-----7h9----9---------------------------|
D---------------9------9------9------|-7h9------------------------------------|
A-------7h9--------7h9---------------|----------------------------------------|
e--7h10------------------------------|----------------------------------------|
guitar 1 measure 13
E-12--12--12-12h15r12h15r12h15r12h15r12----------------------------------|
B------------------------------------|-----------------------------------|
G------------------------------------|-----------------------------------|
D------------------------------------|-----------------------------------|
A------------------------------------|-----------------------------------|
e------------------------------------|-----------------------------------|
Brought to you by the GUITARMASTA - http://www.guitarmasta.net
Tab Discussion, Comments, and Critiques
|
No Picture
Fatty [eats chi Average |
#1 by Fatty [eats children] kid at Jul 10, 1976 at 3:15 PM EST |
| i agree with punk chik , definately about speed, woo this song gets me pumped to go out partyin', good cruisin' song to!!!! | |
|
No Picture
brandon Rhythm Player |
#2 by brandon q at Sep 16, 1977 at 6:59 PM EST |
| i can't believe that there is only one comment for this song! (and a short one at that, lol) no offence! this song bloody rox!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! woohoo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! | |
|
No Picture
Murders in the Average |
#3 by Murders in the Rue Morgue at Oct 15, 1981 at 11:29 PM EST |
| This is a cover song! Do you know who Leadbelly was? It is a cover of his song. It's about a lady. Well, lady might be a little much but she is female. | |
|
No Picture
Razor wrist Lead Player |
#4 by Razor wrist at Oct 3, 1987 at 11:42 AM EST |
| Okay, I found the old lyrics. Actually, these are the ones that Nick Cave used - but I have compared them to the original recording and they are similar: Wohoh, Black Betty, bam-e-lam (2x) Black Betty had a baby, bam-e-lam (2x) Damn thing was crazy, bam-e-lam (2x) Wohoh, Black Betty, bam-e-lam (2x) Oh, Betty Black Betty, bam-e-lam (2x) Black Betty had a baby, bam-e-lam (2x) Damn thing was crazy, bam-e-lam (2x) Black Betty didn't mind, bam-e-lam (2x) Damn thing was blind, bam-e-lam (2x) Wohoh, Black Betty, bam-e-lam (2x) Black Betty, Black Betty, bam-e-lam (2x) Jump steady Black Betty, bam-e-lam (2x | |
|
No Picture
jake Average |
#5 by jake battkoo at May 19, 1990 at 2:14 AM EST |
| Stop talking about speed and racism. It was written a long long time ago by LEADBELLY who is BLACK. He spent most of his life in jail and that's probably when he wrote this song. | |
|
No Picture
Tony Average |
#6 by Tony Riemer at Sep 13, 1990 at 4:32 PM EST |
| I just found that recording on LimeWire, moik. Leadbelly is freakish on the twelve-string...As much for this version of the song, it's great but it doesn't compare to stuff of legend. Did Leadbelly ever receive credit for his work? | |
|
No Picture
kevin Rhythm Player |
#7 by kevin jeung at Nov 10, 1992 at 1:52 AM EST |
| Love how this song changes rythms so much. thank you | |
|
No Picture
*Lee Average |
#8 by *Lee * at Aug 29, 2000 at 2:32 AM EST |
| Ha! It's a bit racist.. ok a lot. BUT.. it sounds pretty kick-ass | |
|
No Picture
Francesco Lead Player |
#9 by Francesco DeVito at Jun 30, 2007 at 9:09 PM EST |
| everyone thinks the song is about a girl. its about speed. thats why it is so fucking crazy and fast because it was written while he was on speed and if you pick apart the lyrics you can understand it. "she really gets me high, and thats no lie," "shes so rock steady and shes always ready" | |
|
No Picture
Rene Average |
#10 by Rene Salojärvi at Jul 21, 2007 at 8:55 PM EST |
| Huddle Ledbetter originally wrote this song. | |
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