Little Red Rooster

by Lightning Hopkins

Arranged & Tabbed by Jim Moser

(The following is original work.)

INTRO REPEAT 3X

e|-------3-4-5---5---5|--------------------|--------------------|

B|-------3-4-5---5---5|--------------------|--------------------|

G|-------4-5-6---6---6|--------------------|--------------------|

D|-------5-6-7---7---7|--------------------|--------------------|

A|-------5-6-7-7-7-7-7|--------------------|--------------------|

E|0-b2-0-3-4-5---5---5|--------------------|--------------------|

REPEAT 1X

e|----------8-8-8-8---|--------------------|--------------------|

B|----------7-7-7-7---|--------------------|--------------------|

G|----------7-7-7-7---|--------------------|--------------------|

D|----5-6-7-7-7-7-7---|--------------------|--------------------|

A|5s7-------5-5-5-5---|--------------------|--------------------|

E|----------5-5-5-5---|--------------------|--------------------|

REPEAT 1X

e|-------3-4-5---5---5|--------------------|--------------------|

B|-------3-4-5---5---5|--------------------|--------------------|

G|-------4-5-6---6---6|--------------------|--------------------|

D|-------5-6-7---7---7|--------------------|--------------------|

A|-------5-6-7-7-7-7-7|--------------------|--------------------|

E|0-b2-0-3-4-5---5---5|--------------------|--------------------|

e|-5s6s7--7-7--7-7----|-7-7-6-5--5-5--5-5--|--------------------|

B|-5s6s7--7-7--7-7----|-7-7-6-5--5-5--5-5--|--------------------|

G|-5s6s7--7-7--7-7----|-7-7-6-5--5-5--5-5--|--------------------|

D|-4s5s6--6-6--6-6----|-6-6-5-4--4-4--4-4--|--------------------|

A|-5s6s7--7-7--7-7----|-7-7-6-5--5-5--5-5--|--------------------|

E|--------------------|--------------------|--------------------|

e|-------3-4-5---5---5|-5-5-5--7-7-7-7-----|--------------------|

B|-------3-4-5---5---5|-5-5-5--7-7-7-7-----|--------------------|

G|-------4-5-6---6---6|-5-5-5--7-7-7-7-----|--------------------|

D|-------5-6-7---7---7|-5-5-5--6-6-6-6-----|--------------------|

A|-------5-6-7---7---7|-3-3-3--7-7-7-7-----|--------------------|

E|0-b2-0-3-4-5---5---5|-3-3-3--------------|--------------------|

REPEAT 3X

e|--------------------|--------------------|--------------------|

B|--------2-----2-----|--------------------|--------------------|

G|------------2-------|--------------------|--------------------|

D|----------2-----2---|--------------------|--------------------|

A|--------0-----------|--------------------|--------------------|

E|-0-2b-0-------------|--------------------|--------------------|

I am the little red rooster, too lazy to crow for day.

REPEAT 1X

e|--------2-----2-----|--------------------|--------------------|

B|------------3-------|--------------------|--------------------|

G|----------2-----2---|--------------------|--------------------|

D|--------0-----------|--------------------|--------------------|

A|-0-2b-0-------------|--------------------|--------------------|

E|--------------------|--------------------|--------------------|

I am the little red rooster, too lazy to crow for day.

REPEAT 1X

e|--------------------|--------------------|--------------------|

B|--------2-----2-----|--------------------|--------------------|

G|------------2-------|--------------------|--------------------|

D|----------2-----2---|--------------------|--------------------|

A|--------0-----------|--------------------|--------------------|

E|-0-2b-0-------------|--------------------|--------------------|

e|--------------------|--------------------|--------2-----2-----|

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

G|-------------1------|--------------------|----------2-----2---|

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

A|-------0-2-------2--|--------------------|-0-2b-0-------------|

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

Keep everything in the barnyard Upset in

e|--------------------|--------------------|--------------------|

B|--------2-----2-----|--------2-----2-----|--------------------|

G|------------2-------|------------2-------|--------------------|

D|----------2-----2---|----------2-----2---|--------------------|

A|--------0-----------|--------0-----------|--------------------|

E|-0-2b-0-------------|-0-2b-0-------------|--------------------|

Every way

BREAK (After 2nd verse)

e|--------9--9--9--9--9--|-8s9--9--9--9--9-|-8s9--9--9----------|

B|--------10-10-10-10-10-|-9s10-10-10-10-10|-9s10-10-10---------|

G|--------9--9--9--9--9--|-8s9--9--9--9--9-|-8s9--9--9----------|

D|-----------------------|-----------------|--------------------|

A|-----------0-----0-----|-0----------0----|-0------------------|

E|-0-2b-0----------------|-----------------|--------------------|

e|-8s9--9--9----------|-8s9--9--9----------|-9--9--9--9---------|

B|-9s10-10-10---------|-9s10-10-10---------|-10-10-10-10--------|

G|-8s9--9--9----------|-8s9--9--9----------|-9--9--9--9---------|

D|--------------------|--------------------|--------------------|

A|-0------------------|-0------------------|-0-----0------------|

E|--------------------|--------------------|--------------------|

e|-8-7s8-----8--------|-8-7s8-------8------|9--9--9--9--9--9--9-

B|-7-6s7-----7--------|-7-6s7-------7------|10-10-10-10-10-10-10

G|-7-6s7-----7--------|-7-6s7-------7------|9--9--9--9--9--9--9-

D|-7-6s7---7-7-7------|-7-6s7----7--7--7---|--------------------

A|-0-----0------------|-0------0-----------|0-----0-----0-------

E|--------------------|--------------------|--------------------

(This repeats last four bars of the INTRO)

e|-5s6s7--7-7--7-7----|-7-7-6-5--5-5--5-5--|--------------------|

B|-5s6s7--7-7--7-7----|-7-7-6-5--5-5--5-5--|--------------------|

G|-5s6s7--7-7--7-7----|-7-7-6-5--5-5--5-5--|--------------------|

D|-4s5s6--6-6--6-6----|-6-6-5-4--4-4--4-4--|--------------------|

A|-5s6s7--7-7--7-7----|-7-7-6-5--5-5--5-5--|--------------------|

E|--------------------|--------------------|--------------------|

e|-------3-4-5---5---5|-5-5-5--7-7-7-7-----|--------------------|

B|-------3-4-5---5---5|-5-5-5--7-7-7-7-----|--------------------|

G|-------4-5-6---6---6|-5-5-5--7-7-7-7-----|--------------------|

D|-------5-6-7---7---7|-5-5-5--6-6-6-6-----|--------------------|

A|-------5-6-7---7---7|-3-3-3--7-7-7-7-----|--------------------|

E|0-b2-0-3-4-5---5---5|-3-3-3--------------|--------------------|

Lyrics

(1) I am the little red rooster, too lazy to crow for day.

I am the little red rooster, too lazy to crow for day.

Keep everything in the barnyard,

upset in every way.

(2) Dogs begin a'barkin, hounds begin a'hound.

Dogs begin a'barking, hounds begin a'hound.

Watch out strange cat people,

Little red rooster's on the prowl.

(3) If you see my little red rooster, please drive him home.

If you see my little red rooster, please drive him home.

Ain't had no peace in the barnyard,

Since my little red rooster been gone.

I close with this:

e|--------9b----------|--------------------|--------------------|

B|--------10b---------|--------------------|--------------------|

G|--------9b----------|--------------------|--------------------|

D|--------------------|--------------------|--------------------|

A|--------------------|--------------------|--------------------|

E|-0-2b-0-------------|--------------------|--------------------|

Comments:

b - bend

s - slide

I did my best to convey the timing of the guitar part. The lyric's

another matter. I've got each line starting in the right place, but

that's about it.

This song is said to mark a return to Lightnin's roots in the South.

The lyric is definitely country blues, but he does the song with a

Chicago sound. Rolling Stones do this song (I'm told) in every concert

and it was on their Rolling Stones Now album (and if you're as old as I

am, you may recall they did it on Ed Sullivan too). And someone said

that Grateful Dead did it also. I've never heard an arrangment for a

single guitar.

I tried to get more of a country blues sound into the song, using a bass

walk up throughout the lyric and borrowing from Robert Johnson for the

break. The intro sounds like city blues to me. So the arrangement's a

bit schizophrenic, sometimes city, sometimes country.