Mr Mudd And Mr Gold Chords & Tabs
“Mr. Mudd and Mr. Gold” by Townes Van Zandt
as played on the album Live at the Old Quarter
Capo 2
This is a fun song to play and not as hard as it sounds,
either. Townes follows a basic chord progression throughout
the song, the tricky part is the bass picking. I’ve tabbed
out the intro bass line below, just fill in strumming
between the notes and listen to the record for timing.
Also, I’ve written the chord names based on their shapes,
but since there is a capo on 2, technically the fingering
Am is actually Bm, and so forth.
Am C Dm E
E ---------------------------------------------------
B ---------------------------------------------------
G -----------------------0-0--2-0--------------------
D -----2-----2-0-----0h2----------2--0--------2-0----
A --0-----0------2-3--------------------0---------2--
E -----------------------------------------0---------
Am
E -----------0--
B -----------1--
G -----------2--
D -----------2--
A --0-----0--0--
E ----0h3-------
Am
Well, the wicked king of clubs awoke
C
And it was to his queen he turned
Dm
His lips were laughing as they spoke
E
His eyes like bullets burned
The sun's upon a gambling day
His queen smiled low and blissfully
“Let's make some wretched fool to play”
Plain it was she did agree
[ Tab from: https://www.guitartabs.cc/tabs/v/van_zandt_townes/mr_mudd_and_mr_gold_tab.html ]
He sent his deuce down into diamond
His four to heart, and his trey to spade
Three kings with their legions come
And preparations soon were made
They voted club the day’s commander
Give him an army face and number
All but the outlaw jack of diamonds
And the aces in the sky
He give his seven’s first instructions
“Spirit me a game of stud
With stakes unscarred by limitation
'tween a man named Gold and man named Mudd”
Club filled Gold with greedy vapors
'til his long, green eyes did glow
Mudd was left with the sighs and trembles
Watching his hard-earned money go
Flushes fell on Gold like water
Tens they paired and paired again
But the aces only flew through heaven
And the diamond jack called no man friend
The diamond queen saw Mudd’s ordeal
And began to think of her long-lost son
Fell to her knees with a mother's mercy
Prayed to the angels, every one
The diamond queen, she prayed and prayed
And the diamond angel filled Mudd’s hole
The wicked king of clubs himself
Fell in face down in front of Gold
Now three kings come to Club’s command
But the angels from the sky did ride
Three kings up on the streets of Gold
Three fireballs on the muddy side
The club queen heard her husband's call
But Lord, that queen of diamond's joy
When the outlaw in the heavenly hall
Turned out to be her wandering boy
Now Mudd he checked and Gold bet all
And Mudd he raised and Gold did call
And the smile just melted off his face
When Mudd turned over that diamond ace
Now here's what this story's told
If you feel like Mudd you'll end up Gold
If you feel like lost, you'll end up found
So amigo, lay them raises down
End on Am
Tabbed by Brian Fonken
