Railroad Earth 

Tabbed By: Derek Bodkin

NOTES: = I capo 5^th fret to match ‘Black Bear Sessions’ album.  A little high, but it captures the tambre of the Mandolin while fingerpicking on guitar.  Otherwise, agree on a key, capo any fret and play in C.       No capo (mandolins?)  Then transpose the tune to F for the album key.        (F=C, G=C, Am=Dm, F=Bb, Am7=Dm7, Dm=Gm, Dm7=Gm7.)  Whew.

 

 

~Open with instrumental - theme~

 

   C          G  Am  F      C   G    C         G  Am   F          C

|| . . . . | . . . . | . . . . | . . . . | . . . . | . . . . | . . . . | . . . . | . . . .||

 

C

Through this Railroad Earth for

 

…Am

whatever it’s worth, singin’

 

F                                  C        G

songs and stayin’ high.       And you

 

C

know I’ll be where my

Am

Heart stays free and my

F                                             C      G

thoughts are free to fly

 

 

Dm

Ohhh Mama, please don’t make me

 

Am        Am7

lie…………… I

 

Dm

need my freedom, need my open

 

Am                          G

Sky…………………

 

~Instrumental~

   C          G Am  F       C          C         

|| . . . . | . . . . | . . . . | . . . . | . . . . |

And your socks and shirt

On your bed of dirt

With the midnight moon up high

And you know I’ve been

Where the midnight wind

Makes your soul and spirit cry

 

Ooohhh Mama

Please don’t ask me why

I need my freedom

Need my open sky

                                         

 

 

~Instrumental Solos~

   C         Am       F      C   G    C         Am        F          C  G

|| . . . . | . . . . | . . . . | . . . . | . . . . | . . . . | . . . . | . . . . |

---------------------------------------------------------------

  Dm      Dm      Am        Am7     Dm     Dm       Am      G

 | . . . . | . . . . | . . . . | . . . .  |. . . . | . . . . | . . . . | . . . . |

---------------------------------------------------------------

   C         Am       F      C   G    C         Am        F          C  G

 | . . . . | . . . . | . . . . | . . . . | . . . . | . . . . | . . . . | . . . . |

---------------------------------------------------------------

  Dm      Dm      Am        Am7     Dm     Dm       Am      G

 | . . . . | . . . . | . . . . | . . . .  |. . . . | . . . . | . . . . | . . . . |

---------------------------------------------------------------

 

~Instrumental - theme~

C          G  Am  F         C          C        

|| . . . . | . . . . | . . . . | . . . . | . . . . |

 

Through this Railroad Earth

For whatever it’s worth

Getting along and getting by

And you know I miss

Every single kiss

As the years go rollin’ by

 

Oooooh Mama aint it

Good to be alive?

When your mountain top and.

…Feelin High

 

Oooooh Mama aint it

Good to be alive?

When you’re down and rollin’

…free to ride

 

   C          G  Am  F       C   G  

|| . . . . | . . . . | . . . . | . . . . |

 

Dm                                                               Am7

Oooh Mama……Please don’t make me lie…..

 

(end on Am7 sustain)