-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Johnny Law - William Elliott Whitmore
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Tabbed by: Steve
Email: [email protected]
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]Well I was driving down the road just a [A]minding my [E]own when Johnny Law
pulled [B7]up from [E]behind
[E]He walked up to my window and said, [A]roll it [E]down and let me [G]see what I can
[B]find
[E]I said, no way, what's [A]mine is [E]mine and I'd appreciate it if you'd [B7]leave me
[E]be
[E]He said, I'll leave you be alright, in a [A]cell all [E]night, I'll lock you up
and throw [B7]away the [E]key
He slapped them [A]cuffs on my wrist
And my [E]hands clenched into fists
And I wished I could have punched him in the [B7]jaw
And knock out old Johnny [E]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-----------------------|
Ohh Johnny [A]Law
Johnny [E]Law
He's the littlest man I ever [B7]saw
With his [E]badge and his gun, he'll just [A]hassle [E]everyone
He'll get you on the [B7]run Johnny [E]Law
(INTRO)
VERSE:
[E]He took me down to the state house
And he [A]hurled that book at [E]me
And bein' in a cell is [A]like being in [E]hell for a [G]man who longs to be [B]free
[E]I sat there and I wondered, just what [A]gave this man the [E]right
[E]To leave me to rot here on this [A]rickety [E]cot, just a[B7] staring at the ceiling
all [E]night
And [A]I couldn't help but think of t[E]he words of my dear departed Pa
He said, do the best you can, be a [A]good ma[E]n, but don't you never trust
[B7]Johnny [E]Law
CHORUS: (THE SAME WALK UP TO A)
Ohh Johnny[A] Law
Johnny [E]Law
He's the littlest man I ever [B7]saw
With his [E]badge and his gun, he'll just [A]hassle [E]everyone
He'll get you on the [B7]run Johnny [E]Law
VERSE:
[E]Without any proof they couldn't [A]keep me [E]there so they let me out [B7]in the
[E]morning
[E]And that cop said, son, I don't know [A]what you [E]done, but just [G]consider this a
little [B]warning
[E]I said, it must take a lot of nerve to [A]protect and [E]to serve but I wonder
what it [B7]would be [E]like
[E]If you didn't have that badge or that gun or that unifo[B7]rm to hide [E]behind
And [A]although I feel, that this whole deal, [E]I got, was pretty damn wrong
My conscience is clean, cause I'm [A]a human [E]being,
And you're just [B7]Johnny [E]Law
CHORUS: (THE SAME WALK UP TO A)
Ohh Johnny[A] Law
Johnny [E]Law
He's the littlest man I ever [B7]saw
With his [E]badge and his gun, he'll just [A]hassle [E]everyone
He'll get you on the [B7]run Johnny [E]Law
[E]With his badge and his gun, he'll just [A]hassle [E]everyone
You'll never get me on the r[B7]un Johnny [E]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.
