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Johnny Law - William Elliott Whitmore
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Tabbed by: Steve
Email: drtywrk_21@hotmail.com
Tuning: Standard
First time I saw him play this tune it was on the banjo. Then the new
album he plays it on guitar with a slide. I just saw him recently and
he played it on the guitar with no slide and that is the way I am going
to tab it. If you want to use a slide, it's not too difficult...
just slide to the same notes. Love this tune though.
Chords used: You can play the whole A chord if you would like.
E A5 B7 G B
e|----0-----X-----2-----3-----2-----------|
B|----0-----X-----0-----3-----4-----------|
G|----1-----X-----2-----4-----4-----------|
D|----2-----2-----1-----5-----4-----------|
A|----2-----0-----2-----5-----2-----------|
E|----0-----X-----X-----3-----X-----------|
Intro: For the intro I use my pinky to slide on the e string and have
my hand ready to go to the E chord quickly. Pretty sure that's how
he does it. (Also if you kinda loosely strum it and hit the B string
on occasion, it's not a big deal...it actually sounds good).
e|--0-2-0-2/4-444-4/2-2-0-2-0-----------|
B|--------------------------0-----------|
G|--------------------------1-----------|
D|--------------------------2-----------|
A|--------------------------2-----------|
E|--------------------------0-----------|
VERSE:
E A E
Well I was driving down the road just a minding my own when Johnny Law
B7 E
pulled up from behind
E A E G
He walked up to my window and said, roll it down and let me see what I can
B
find
E A E B7
I said, no way, what's mine is mine and I'd appreciate it if you'd leave me
E
be
E A E
He said, I'll leave you be alright, in a cell all night, I'll lock you up
B7 E
and throw away the key
A
He slapped them cuffs on my wrist
E
And my hands clenched into fists
B7
And I wished I could have punched him in the jaw
E
And knock out old Johnny Law
CHORUS:
(right here he does a walk up to A that goes like so)
e|-----------------------------|
B|-----------------------------|
G|-----------------------------|
D|---------2-------------------|
A|---------0-------------------|
E|-0-2-4-----------------------|
A
Ohh Johnny Law
E
Johnny Law
B7
He's the littlest man I ever saw
E A E
With his badge and his gun, he'll just hassle everyone
B7 E
He'll get you on the run Johnny Law
(INTRO)
[ Tab from: https://www.guitartabs.cc/tabs/w/william_elliott_whitmore/johnny_law_crd.html ]
VERSE:
E
He took me down to the state house
A E
And he hurled that book at me
A E G B
And bein' in a cell is like being in hell for a man who longs to be free
E A E
I sat there and I wondered, just what gave this man the right
E A E B7
To leave me to rot here on this rickety cot, just a staring at the ceiling
E
all night
A E
And I couldn't help but think of the words of my dear departed Pa
A E
He said, do the best you can, be a good man, but don't you never trust
B7 E
Johnny Law
CHORUS: (THE SAME WALK UP TO A)
A
Ohh Johnny Law
E
Johnny Law
B7
He's the littlest man I ever saw
E A E
With his badge and his gun, he'll just hassle everyone
B7 E
He'll get you on the run Johnny Law
VERSE:
E A E B7
Without any proof they couldn't keep me there so they let me out in the
E
morning
E A E G
And that cop said, son, I don't know what you done, but just consider this a
B
little warning
E A E
I said, it must take a lot of nerve to protect and to serve but I wonder
B7 E
what it would be like
E B7 E
If you didn't have that badge or that gun or that uniform to hide behind
A E
And although I feel, that this whole deal, I got, was pretty damn wrong
A E
My conscience is clean, cause I'm a human being,
B7 E
And you're just Johnny Law
CHORUS: (THE SAME WALK UP TO A)
A
Ohh Johnny Law
E
Johnny Law
B7
He's the littlest man I ever saw
E A E
With his badge and his gun, he'll just hassle everyone
B7 E
He'll get you on the run Johnny Law
E A E
With his badge and his gun, he'll just hassle everyone
B7 E
You'll never get me on the run Johnny Law
OUTRO IS SAME AS INTRO AS HE HUMS ALONG TO THE MELODY.
Alright that's it. That felt like it took forever. I can't imagine how
long its takes someone to tab out something like "Green Grass and High
Tides." Cheers.
