On The Nickle

On the Nickle--Tom Waits

>From "Heartattack and Vine

Starts in the key of F# major:

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

b-------|--------|6-7------|--------|---------|-------|6-7-------|

G-------|------8-|---------|------8-|6--------|-----8-|----6-----|

D-------|----9---|---------|----9---|---------|----9--|--------6-|

A---9-8-|6-9-----|-----9-8-|6-9-----|-----9-8-|6-9----|------9---|

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

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

b----------|-----||

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

D-8------6-|-----||

A---9--9---|9----||

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

Verse 1:

Stick and Stones will Break my Bones,

But I always will be true,

And when your mama is dead and gone,

G#m C#(sus4)--C#

I'll Sing this Lulabye just for you,

And what becomes of all the little boys,

Who never comb their hair

B G#(major) F# D#m

Well they're lined up all around the block

On the Nickel over there.

Verse 2:

So you better bring a bucket,

There is a hole in the pail,

And if you don't get my letter,

G#m C#(sus4)--C#

Then you'll know that I'm in jail

And what becomes of all the little boys,

Who never say their prayers,

B G#(major) F# D#m

Well they're sleepin' like a baby,

On the Nickel over there.

Key change to Ab:

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

b------|--------|7-8---------|--------|-----||

G------|------8-|----7-------|------10|-8---||

D------|----9---|------------|-----11-|-----||

A--9-8-|6-9-----|------11-10-|8-11----|-----||

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

Verse 3:

And if you chew tobacco,

And wish upon a star,

Well you'll find out where the scarecrows sit,

Just like puchlines between the cars,

And I know a place where a royal flush,

Can never beat a pair,

And even Thomas Jefferson,

Is on the Nickel over There.

Verse 4:

So ring around the rosie,

You're sleepin in the rain,

And you're always late for supper,

And man you let me down, let me down again,

I thought I heard a mocking bird,

Roosevelt knows where,

You can skip the light with Grady Tuck,

On the Nickel over There.

Key change to Bb:

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

b--------|---------|9-10----------|---------|------||

G--------|------10-|------9-------|-------12|-10---||

D--------|----11---|--------------|-----13--|------||

A--11-10-|8-11-----|--------13-12-|10-13----|------||

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

Verse 5:

So what becomes of all the little boys,

Who run away from home,

Well the world just keeps gettin' bigger,

Once you get out on your own,

So here's to all the little boys,

The sandman takes you where,

Your sleepin' with the pillow of man,

On the Nickel over There.

Verse 6:

So climb up thru that buttonhole,

And fall right up the stairs,

I'll show you where the short(?) dogs grow,

On the Nickel...over There.

Ending:

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

b--------|-------------|---------------|-----------|----||

G--------|----------12-|-11-12---------|---------9-|-7--||

D--------|-------13----|-------12------|------10---|----||

A--13-12-|-10-13-------|----------10-9-|-7-10------|----||

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

Notes:

The tabs are not exactly guitar parts, but are string parts on the

song. I'm not a guitarist, so I don't know what are the best

fingerings, but these are the right notes.

Jeff Henscheid

henschj5753@cobra.uni.edu