Stack O Lee Blues

>From the acoustic guitar mailing list...

=========================================================================

Stack O' Lee Blues

words and music by Mississippi John Hurt

original transcription by Stefan Grossman

typed in by me: Terry Henning

(This just repeats for all the verses. It's played very fast. I timed the

section below from the tape and MJH plays the whole thing in about 11 sec.

- Just to give an idea of tempo) Also, it sounds like it is played with

a capo on the 1st fret.

| | | | | | | | | | | |

e|-0-h2-----------0-h2-----|-0-h2--------------------|----0-h2--------0-------|

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

G|-------------------------|-------------------------|------------------------|

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

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

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

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

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

G|-------------------------|-------------------------|------------------------|

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

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

E|-------------------------|-3-----------3-----------|-3-----------3----------|

| | | | | | | | | | | |

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

B|---0------3-----------3--|----------3--------------|-1-S2-----5-------------|

G|-------------------------|-------------------------|------------------------|

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

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

E|-3-----------3-----------|-------------------------|------------------------|

e|-------5--------3-----1--|-1-S2--------------------|

B|----------2--------------|----------3--------------|

G|-------------------------|-------------------------|

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

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

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

Police Officer, How can it be?

You can 'rest everybody but cruel Stack O' Lee.

That bad man, oh, cruel Stack O' Lee.

Billy de Lyon told Stack O' Lee, "Please don't take my life.

I got two little babies, and a darlin' lovin' wife."

That bad man, oh, cruel Stack O' Lee.

"What I care about you little babies, your darlin' lovin' wife?

You done stole my Stetson hat, I'm bound to take you life."

That bad man, cruel Stack O' Lee.

(Fourth and fifth verses hummed)

..with the forty-four.

When I spied Billy de Lyon, he was lyin' down on the floor.

That bad man, oh cruel Stack O' Lee.

"Gentlemans of the jury, what do you think of that?

Stack O' Lee killed Billy de Lyon about a five-dollar Stetson hat."

That bad man, oh, cruel Stack O' Lee.

And all they gathered, hands way up high,

At twelve o'clock they killed him, they's all glad to see him die.

That bad man, oh, cruel Stack O' Lee