Bob Dylan

Bob Dylan - Billy guitar tab

Billy

Words and music Bob Dylan

Released on the soundtrack album Pat Garret & Billy The Kid (1973)

Tabbed and transcribed by Eyolf Østrem

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Billy 1

Several verses instrumental intro

G C/g G

There's guns across the river aimin' at ya

G C/g G

Lawman on your trail, he'd like to catch ya

C G

Bounty hunters, too, they'd like to get ya

D G

Billy, they don't like you to be so free.

Campin' out all night on the berenda

Dealin' cards 'til dawn in the hacienda

Up to Boot Hill they'd like to send ya

Billy, don't you turn your back on me.

Playin' around with some sweet senorita

Into her dark hallway she will lead ya

To the shadows of the mesa she will greet ya

Billy, you're so far away from home.

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Billy 4

As above, but capo 2nd fret (sounding key A major)

There's guns across the river, like to pound you

Lawman on your trail like to surround you

Bounty hunters dancin' all around you

Billy, they don't like you to be so free.

Campin' out all night on the berenda

Walkin' the streets down by the hacienda

Up to Boot Hill they'd like to send ya

Billy, don't you turn your back on me.

There's mirrors inside the minds of crazy faces

Bullet holes and rifles in their cases

There's always one more notch and four more aces

Billy, and you're playin' all alone.

Playin' around with some sweet senorita

Into her dark chamber she will greet ya

In the shadows of the mesa she will lead ya

Billy, and you're goin' all alone.

They say that Pat Garrett's got your number

So sleep with one eye open when you wonder

If every little sound just might be thunder

Thunder from the barrel of his gun.

There's always another stranger sneakin' glances

Some trigger-happy fool willin' to take chances

And some old whore from San Pedro to make advances

Advances on your spirit and your soul.

The businessmen from Taos want you to go down

So they've hired Mister Garrett to force you to slow down.

Billy, don't it make ya feel so low-down

To be hunted by the man who was your friend?

So hang on to your woman if you got one

Remember in El Paso, once, you shot one.

Up in Santa Fe you bought one

Billy, you been runnin' for so long.

Gypsy queens will play your grand finale

Way down in some Tularosa alley,

Maybe in the Rio Pecos valley

Billy, you're so far away from home.

Billy, you're so far away from home.

Billy, you're so far away from home.

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Billy 7

Spend the night with some sweet senorita

Into her dark hallway she will lead ya

In some lonesome shadow she might greet ya

Billy, you're so doggone far away from home.

They say that Pat Garrett's got your number

Sleep with one eye open when you slumber

Every little sound just might be thunder

Thunder from the barrel of his gun.

Maybe you will find yourself tomorrow

Drinkin' in some bar to hide your sorrow

Spendin' the time that you borrow

Figuring a way to get back home.

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Outtakes:

Billy (2)

There's guns across the river aimin' at ya

Lawman on your trail, he'd like to catch ya

Bounty hunters, too, they'd like to get ya

Billy, they don't like you to be so free.

Campin' out all night on the berenda

Dealin' cards 'til dawn in the hacienda

Up to Boot Hill they'd like to send ya

Billy, don't you turn your back on me.

There's mirrors inside the minds of crazy faces

Bullet holes and rifles in their cases

There's always one more notch and four more aces

Billy, and you're playin' all alone.

Playin' around with some sweet senorita

Into her dark hallway she will lead ya

In the shadows of the mesa she will greet ya

Billy, you've been runnin' for so long.

They say that Pat Garrett's got your number

So sleep with one eye open when you wonder

If every little sound just might be thunder

Thunder from the barrel of his gun.

Gypsy queens will play your grand finale

Way down in some Tularosa alley,

Maybe in the Rio Pecos valley

In the days when you were better known.

The businessmen from Taos want you to go down

So they've hired Mister Garrett to force you to slow down.

Billy, don't it make ya feel so low-down

To be hunted by the man who was your friend?

So hang on to your woman if you got one

Remember in El Paso, once, you shot one.

Way up in Santa Fe she was a hot one

Billy, you been runnin' for so long.

Gypsy queens will play your grand finale

Billy, you been so far from home

Billy, you're so far away from home.

BD: Was that any good?

Producer: Pretty good, Bob. What happened, you hit the mike twice, I guess when you were movin' around out there, and we had a couple of clunks on it.

BD: Hm. That's too bad.

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"Turkey II or Tom Turkey"

Capo 2nd fret

Loong intro, playing around with the following riff, first without any sense of rhythm whatsoever:

|--------------------------3---

|--0-1---3--5--3----1--0---0---

|--------------------------0---

|--0-2---3--5--3----2--0---0---

|--------------------------2---

|--------------------------3---

then eventually settling into this rhythm:

: . . . : . . .

|-----------------|-----------------|

|-0-1-----3-------|-5---3---1-0-----|

|-----------------|-----------------|

|-0-2-----3-----5-|-----3---2-0-----|

|-----------------|-----------------|

|-----------------|-----------------|

Before segueing into this strumming pattern:

G C/g G7' Am7

: . . . : . . .

|-3-3---3-3-------|---0---0-0-0-0-0-|

|-0-0---0-1-------|---3---3-1-1-1-1-|

|-0-0---0-0-------|---0---0-0-0-0-0-|

|-0-0---0-2-------|-3-----3-2-2-2-2-|

|-2-2---2-0-------|-0-------0-0-0-0-|

|-3-3---3-3-------|-----------------|

or some variation of it, frequently with a prominent place for the open A string from the middle of the first bar.

This pattern is the background for the sung verses as well:

G C/g G7' Am7 G C/g G7' Am7

The businessmen from Taos want you to go down

G C/g G7' Am7 G C/g G7' Am7

So they've hired Mister Garrett to force you to slow down.

C G C/g G7' Am7

Billy, don't it make ya feel so low-down

D C G

To be hunted by the man who was your friend?

So hang on to your woman if you got one

Remember in El Paso, once, you shot one.

Way up in Santa Fe you bought one

Billy, don't it make you feel so bad?

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