“Tobacco Island”
by Flogging Molly
from the album Within a Mile of Home
tabbed by Eric Bonkowski
chorus riff:
E|------------------------------------------------------|
B|------------------------------------------------------|
G|------------------------------------------------------|
D|-----------------------------3----3-5-5-3---5-5-3-----|
A|------1--1-3-1--1-3-5--5-3-5----5---------5-----------|
E|--1-3-------------------------------------------------|
E|------------------------------------------------------|
B|------------------------------------------------------|
G|------------------------------------------------------|
D|----------------------------------------------3---3---|
A|--5-3-5--3-1---1-------1--1-3-1--1-3-5--5-3-5---5-----|
E|-------------3-----1-3--------------------------------|
E|-----------------------------------|
B|-----------------------------------|
G|-----------------------------------|
D|--5-5-3----5-5-3~------------------|
A|--------5-----------5-3-1-3-5-3-1--|
E|-----------------------------------|
Bb
And to hell we must sail
For the Shores of sweet Barbados
Gm
Where the sugar cane grows taller
Than the god we once believed in
Bb
Till the butcher and his crown
Raped the land we used to sleep in
Gm F
Now tomorrow chimes of ghostly crimes
Gm N.C.
That haunt Tobacco Island
Gm
'Twas 1659 forgotten now for sure
Bb
They dragged us from our homeland
With the musket and their gun
Gm
Cromwell and his roundheads
Battered all we know
Bb
Shackled hopes of freedom
We're now but stolen goods
F
Darken the horizon
Blackened from the sun
Am
This rotten cage of Bridgetown
C
Is where I now belong
Bb
And to hell we must sail
For the Shores of sweet Barbados
Gm
Where the sugar cane grows taller
Than the god we once believed in
Bb
Till the butcher and his crown
Raped the land we used to sleep in
Gm F
Now tomorrow chimes of ghostly crimes
Gm N.C.
That haunt Tobacco Island
Gm
Red leg down a peg
Blistered burns the soul
Bb
The floggings they're a plenty
But reasons there are none
Gm
Our backs belong to landlords
Where branded is there name
Bb
Paid for with ten shillings
Cheap labor never breaks
F
The silver moon is shinin'
Cools the copper blood
Am
Where the livin' meet the dead
C
And together dance as one
Bb
And to hell we must sail
For the Shores of sweet Barbados
Gm
Where the sugar cane grows taller
Than the god we once believed in
Bb
Till the butcher and his crown
Raped the land we used to sleep in
Gm F
Now tomorrow chimes of ghostly crimes
Gm N.C.
That haunt Tobacco Island
Bb Gm Bb Gm
Ag-ony, will you cleanse this misery?
Bb Gm
For it's never again I'll breathe
F
The air of home
Bb Gm
From this sandy edge
Bb Gm
The rolling sea breaks my revenge
Bb Gm
With each whisper a thousand waves
F
I hear roar
I'm coming home
- Instrumental break -
x8
each time break is played, it’s over one chord played in this order:
Gm, F, Gm, F, Gm, F, Gm, Bb (one chord for each time)
E|------------------------------------------------------|
B|------------------------------------------------------|
G|------------------------------------------------------|
D|-----5-5p3---3------------------5-5p3---3-------------|
A|-----------5---5p3/1p0---0-1----------5---5-3-1-0-----|
E|--3--------------------3------3-------------------3---|
on the 4th and 8th time, this is played as an ending:
E|-----------------------------------------------------------|
B|-----------------------------------------------------------|
G|-----------------------------------------------------------|
D|-----5-5p3---3---------------------------------------------|
A|-----------5---5p3/1p0---0-1-----3-3-3-3h5p3/1--0-1-0------|
E|--3--------------------3------------------------------1h3--|
F
Dark is the horizon
Blackened by the sun
Am
This rotten cage of Bridgetown
C
Is where I now belong
Bb
And to hell we must sail
For the Shores of sweet Barbados
Gm
Where the sugar cane grows taller
Than the god we once believed in
Bb
Till the butcher and his crown
Raped the land we used to sleep in
Gm F
Now tomorrow chimes of ghostly crimes
Gm N.C.
That haunt Tobacco Island
Bb
And to hell we must sail
For the Shores of sweet Barbados
Gm
Where the sugar cane grows taller
Than the god we once believed in
Bb
Till the butcher and his crown
Raped the land we used to sleep in
Gm F
Now tomorrow chimes of ghostly crimes
Gm N.C.
That haunt Tobacco Island
- final instrumental break, through end –
no idea how many times it’s played, but it’s basically
alternating these two sections.
PART 1, played twice:
E|---------------------------------------------------------|
B|---------------------------------------------------------|
G|---------------------------------------------------------|
D|---------------------------------------------------------|
A|--1-------1-------3-1-0-------0-------0-1-------1--------|
E|----3-3-3---3-3-3-------1-1-1---1-1-1-----3-3-3---3-3-3--|
E|----------------------------|
B|----------------------------|
G|----------------------------|
D|----------------------------|
A|--3-3-3-3h5p3/1--0-1-0------|
E|-----------------------1h3--|
after that entire section twice straight through,
then comes PART 2 played three times
E|------------------------------------------------------|
B|------------------------------------------------------|
G|------------------------------------------------------|
D|-----5-5p3---3------------------5-5p3---3-------------|
A|-----------5---5p3/1p0---0-1----------5---5-3-1-0-----|
E|--3--------------------3------3-------------------3---|
and after the third time through that, play this ENDING
E|-----------------------------------------------------------|
B|-----------------------------------------------------------|
G|-----------------------------------------------------------|
D|-----5-5p3---3---------------------------------------------|
A|-----------5---5p3/1p0---0-1-----3-3-3-3h5p3/1--0-1-0------|
E|--3--------------------3------------------------------1h3--|
then go back to part 1 played twice, followed by
part 2 played three times, then the ending.
repeat as needed!
And for any mandolin or violin players,
those few riffs look like this:
intro:
e|-----------------------------1----1--3-3-1---3-3-1------------------|
A|------1--1-3-1--1-3-5--5-3-5----5----------5--------5-3-5-3-1---1---|
D|--3-5---------------------------------------------------------5-----|
G|--------------------------------------------------------------------|
e|-----------------------------1----1--3-3-1---3-3-1------------------|
A|------1--1-3-1--1-3-5--5-3-5----5----------5---------5-3-1-3-5-3-1--|
D|--3-5---------------------------------------------------------------|
G|--------------------------------------------------------------------|
first interlude:
e|------3—3p1---1--------------------3-3p1---1------------------------|
A|------------5---5-3-1-0---0-1------------5---5-3-1-0----------------|
D|---5--------------------5-------5--------------------5--------------|
G|--------------------------------------------------------------------|
e|------3—3p1---1-----------------------------------------------------|
A|------------5---5-3-1-0---0-1---3-3-3-3h5-3/1-0-1-0-----------------|
D|---5--------------------5---------------------------3-5-------------|
G|--------------------------------------------------------------------|
second interlude:
e|-------------------------------------------------------|
A|-1-------1-------5-3-0-------0-------1-------1---------|
D|---5-5-5---5-5-5-------3-3-3---3-3-3---5-5-5---5-5-5---|
G|-------------------------------------------------------|
e|----------------------------|
A|--3-3-3-3h5-3/1-0-1-0-------|
D|----------------------3-5---|
G|----------------------------|
*** Remember lots and lots of double picking,
this isn’t note for note, some are double
picked, some are slid past or hammered on or
whatever. this is meant as a guide. also,
because the instrumental stuff as well
as the intro is all played on the
violin/mandolin/accordion, the guitar
stuff is at least 1 octave flat to what
you hear on the actual recording, so make
adjustments as needed, but the notes themselves
are pretty close to correct.
great song
Have fun, email questions or corrections to
[email protected]
