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Fist Full of Dollars - Version 1 – Bruce Springsteen
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Tabbed by: maguri
Tuning: Open D + capo 4th fret / Standard
Bruce Springsteen
Fist Full of Dollars - Version 1 (1982)
(Bruce Springsteen)
Outtake from “Nebraska”
Springsteen uses an open tuning for this demo recording which later evolved
into “Atlantic City”. I tabbed out shapes for standard tuning too, if you
don’t want to take the trouble of retuning. The sound of the open tuning is
great, though – you should try it (no threat of breaking strings either:
the strings are tuned down, not up).
This recording represents a very early stage of the song. Springsteen
actually fumbles around a lot, searching for words, breaking off lines when
they don’t feel right to him and immediately going a different way. This is
why I don’t think it makes much sense to really write chords over the
lyrics here. Below you are going to find the basic rhythm pattern that is
played throughout the song.
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Whatever your strumming pattern, make sure you include
the following rhythm:
Open D + capo 4th fret
A/C# Esus4/B E
1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + 1 + 2 + 3 + 4 +
d |----------------|----------------|
A |----------------|----------------|
F#|1-----1-----1---|----------------|
D |0-----0-----0---|----0---0-------|
A |2-----0-----0---|----0---0-------|
D |----------------|----0---0-------|
Standard tuning + capo 2nd fret
A/C# Esus4/B E
1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + 1 + 2 + 3 + 4 +
e |----------------|----------------|
B |2-----0-----0---|----0---0-------|
G |2-----2-----2---|----1---1-------|
D |2-----2-----2---|----2---2-------|
A |4-----2-----2---|----2---2-------|
E |----------------|----0---0-------|
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CHORDS
Open D + Standard +
capo 4th fret capo 2nd fret
D-A-D-F#-A-D-----------------------| E-A-D-G-B-E
A/C# x-2-0-1 -0-x x-4-2-2-2(0)-|
Esus4/B x-0-0-1- 0-0 x-2-2-2-0-0--|
E 0-0-0-0- 0-0 0-2-2-1-0-0--|
A x-2-0-1- 2-x x-0-2-2-2-0--|
B x-0-2-3- 4-x x-2-4-4-4-2--|
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The main riff is played throughout the song, only the last line has different chords
(some kind of turnaround). Enjoy!
LYRICS (chord pattern: see above)
Well they blew up the chicken man in Philly last night
Now that town is in for a fight
Frighten'd of the dice they roll
Where the highway ends and the sands turn to gold
Where the turnpike ends and turns to gold
Me and my baby ...
Well I drew my money from the Central Trust
And I hopped with my guitar on a greyhound bus
Heading down south money...guitar in my hand
On a one way ticket to the promised land
Out where [unclear]
Down where the [unclear] turn to rust
And a weekend... a weeks pay baby
And the weeks pay in a minute just turns to dust
Me again baby I wouldn't leave
Again 'till I believe
Some gonna stand man and some gonna fall
Some ain't gonna get to play the game at all
Where they give you the worst and they take the best
For a fist full of dollars and a little bit less
Well a book [unclear]
And I took my guitar baby and put her in hock
Baby what's a poor boy gonna do?
A A B E
A fist full of dollars and a little bit less
