Original album version
Well, I [G]ride on a [C/G]mailtrain, [G]baby,[C/G]
[G7] Can't [C/G]buy a [G]thrill.[C/G][G][C/G][G]
Well, [C/G]I've been [G]up a[C/G]ll n[G]ight,[C/G]
[G]Leanin' on the [C/G]window [G]sill.
Well, [G]if I [G7(/F)]die
On [C/E]top of the [D]hill[Dsus4][D]
And [G]if [C/G]I don't [G]make[C/G] it,
[G] You [C/G]know my [G]ba[C/G]by [G]will.
Don't the moon look good, mama,
Shinin' through the trees?
Don't the brakeman look good, mama,
Flagging down the "Double E"?
Don't the sun look good
Goin' down over the sea?
Don't my gal look fine
When she's comin' after me?
Now the wintertime is coming,
The windows are filled with frost.
I went to tell everybody,
But I could not get across.
Well, I wanna be your lover, baby,
I don't wanna be your boss.
Don't say I never warned you
When your train gets lost.
No Direction Home version
Well, I ride on a mailtrain, mama,
Can't buy no thrill.
I've been up all night, baby,
Leanin' on the window sill.
But if I die
On top of the hill
And if I don't make it,
You know my baby will.
Ah, don't the sun look good, baby,
Coming down through the trees?
Don't the ghost child look good, mama,
Sittin' on this mad-man's knee?
Don't the moon look good
Goin' down over the sea?
Don't my gal look fine
When she's runnin' after me?
Well I just been to the baggage room
where the engineer he's been tossed
Oh, I stamped on 40 compasses,
God knows what they cost
Well, I wanna be your lover, baby,
I don't wanna be your boss.
And I can't help it
if this train gets lost.
Bootleg Series version
Well, I [E]ride on a [E6]mailtrain, [E7]baby,[E6]
E E6 E7 E6 |: E E6 E7 E6 :|
Can't buy no thrill.
Yes, I've been [E]up all[E6] night, [E7]baby[E6]
E E6 E7 E6 |: E E6 E7 E6 :|
Leanin' on the window sill.
Yes, but [E]if I [E7/D]die
On [A/C#]top of the [B]hill
And if[E] I[E6] don't [E7]make it,[E6]
E E6 E7 E6 |: E E6 E7 E6 :| x4
You know my baby will.
Bangla Desh Concert version
Well, I [G]ride a mailtrain, baby,
G/D Eo' D7 G
Can't buy a thrill.
Well, I've been [G]up all night,
G/D Eo' D7 G
Leanin' on the window sill.
Well, [G]if I [G7/F]die
On [C/E]top of the [D]hill[G/D(iii)][D7(iii)][D]
And if [G]I don't make it,
You know my [G/D]baby[D7] wil[G]l.
Rolling Thunder Revue version
Well, I [G]ride a mailtrain, baby,
[G] Can't [C]buy [C]a [G]thrill.
Well, I've been [G]up all night,
[G]Leanin' on the [C]win[C]dow [G]sill.
G G7/F ) ) could be played G7sus4/F (xx3013)
Well, if I die or plain F instead
On [C/E]top of the [D]hill[G/D(iii)][D7(iii)][D]
And if [G]I don't make it,
You know my [C]ba[C]by [G]will.
. : . . .
|---|---------3-------------3-|-
|---|---------1-------------1-|-
|---|-------0---0-----------0-|- etc.
|---|-0---0-2---2-0---0-2---2-|-
|-0-|-2---2-x---x-2---2-x---x-|-
|-0-|-3---3-3---3-3---3-3---3-|-
Well, I [G]ride on a [C/G]mailtrain, [G]baby,[C/G]
[G7] Can't [C/G]buy a [G]thrill.[C/G][G][C/G][G]
Well, [C/G]I've been [G]up a[C/G]ll n[G]ight,[C/G]
[G]Leanin' on the [C/G]window [G]sill.
Well, [G]if I [G7(/F)]die
On [C/E]top of the [D]hill[Dsus4][D]
And [G]if [C/G]I don't [G]make[C/G] it,
[G] You [C/G]know my [G]ba[C/G]by [G]will.
Don't the moon look good, mama,
Shinin' through the trees?
Don't the brakeman look good, mama,
Flagging down the "Double E"?
Don't the sun look good
Goin' down over the sea?
Don't my gal look fine
When she's comin' after me?
Now the wintertime is coming,
The windows are filled with frost.
I went to tell everybody,
But I could not get across.
Well, I wanna be your lover, baby,
I don't wanna be your boss.
Don't say I never warned you
When your train gets lost.
No Direction Home version
Well, I ride on a mailtrain, mama,
Can't buy no thrill.
I've been up all night, baby,
Leanin' on the window sill.
But if I die
On top of the hill
And if I don't make it,
You know my baby will.
Ah, don't the sun look good, baby,
Coming down through the trees?
Don't the ghost child look good, mama,
Sittin' on this mad-man's knee?
Don't the moon look good
Goin' down over the sea?
Don't my gal look fine
When she's runnin' after me?
Well I just been to the baggage room
where the engineer he's been tossed
Oh, I stamped on 40 compasses,
God knows what they cost
Well, I wanna be your lover, baby,
I don't wanna be your boss.
And I can't help it
if this train gets lost.
Bootleg Series version
|-------------------------|--------------------------|
|-------------------------|--------------------------|
|-------------------------|--------------------------|
|-------------------------|--------------------------|
|-2-----2-----4-----4-----|-5-----5-----4-----4------|
|-0-----0-----0-----0-----|-0-----0-----0-----0------|
. . : .
------------------|------------
------------------|------------
------------------|------------
---b8r6---4-------|------------
------------6---4-|-6----------
------------------|------------
Well, I [E]ride on a [E6]mailtrain, [E7]baby,[E6]
E E6 E7 E6 |: E E6 E7 E6 :|
Can't buy no thrill.
Yes, I've been [E]up all[E6] night, [E7]baby[E6]
E E6 E7 E6 |: E E6 E7 E6 :|
Leanin' on the window sill.
Yes, but [E]if I [E7/D]die
On [A/C#]top of the [B]hill
And if[E] I[E6] don't [E7]make it,[E6]
E E6 E7 E6 |: E E6 E7 E6 :| x4
You know my baby will.
Bangla Desh Concert version
Intro and recurring riff: "Can't buy a thrill" figure:
G C/G G C/G G G/D Eo' D7
: . . . : . . .
|-3---3-3---3-3---3-3---3-| |-------------------------|-3--- the bass plays an
|-0---0-1---0-0---0-1---0-| |-3---3-3---3-2-----1-----|-0--- ascending d-e-f#-g here)
|-0---0-0---0-0---0-0---0-| |-4---4-4---4-3-----2-----|-0---
|-0---0-2---0-0---0-2---0-| |-0-----------0-----0-----|-0--- etc.
|-2---2-----2-2---2-----2-| |-------------------------|-2---
|-3---3-3---3-3---3-3---3-| |-------------------------|-3---
can't buy a thrill
"Top of the hill" figure:
: . . . . . : . . . : . . .
|-3-----------3-----------0-----------|-2---2-2---2-3---3-3---3-|-5-5-5-5---5-2---2-2---2-|
|-0-----------0-----------1-----------|-3---3-3---3-3---3-3---3-|-3-3-3-3---3-3---3-3---3-|
|-0-----------0-----------0-----------|-2---2-2---2-4---4-4---4-|-5-3-5-5---5-2---2-2---2-|
|-0-----------0-----------2-----------|-0---0-0---0-0---0-0---0-|-0---0-0---0-0---0-0---0-|
|-2-----------2-----------3-----------|---------------------------------------------------|
|-3-----------1-----------0-----------|---------------------------------------------------|
If I die on top of the hill
Well, I [G]ride a mailtrain, baby,
G/D Eo' D7 G
Can't buy a thrill.
Well, I've been [G]up all night,
G/D Eo' D7 G
Leanin' on the window sill.
Well, [G]if I [G7/F]die
On [C/E]top of the [D]hill[G/D(iii)][D7(iii)][D]
And if [G]I don't make it,
You know my [G/D]baby[D7] wil[G]l.
|-7---7-7---7-6---6-5---5-|-3--
|-------------------------|-0--
|-7---7-7---7-6---6-5---5-|-0-- etc.
|-0---0-0---0-0---0-0---0-|-0--
|-------------------------|-2--
|-------------------------|-3--
Rolling Thunder Revue version
Well, I [G]ride a mailtrain, baby,
[G] Can't [C]buy [C]a [G]thrill.
Well, I've been [G]up all night,
[G]Leanin' on the [C]win[C]dow [G]sill.
G G7/F ) ) could be played G7sus4/F (xx3013)
Well, if I die or plain F instead
On [C/E]top of the [D]hill[G/D(iii)][D7(iii)][D]
And if [G]I don't make it,
You know my [C]ba[C]by [G]will.
