Deep Ellem Blues

Written by 
Joe & Bob Attlesay
Released on 
Early Acoustic Dylan (–1965)
Tabbed by 
Eyolf Østrem

Performed live by Bob Dylan on April 16, 1962 at Gerde’s Folk City (On the recording, Dylan credits the song to Big Joe Williams.)

The track begins with a lot of tuning; the guitar has been in open E tuning before the song begins…
In the first verse, Dylan reverses the basic strumming pattern (G6 — G — G6 — G etc.)

The basic strumming pattern:

  G       G6        G       G6
  :   .   .   .     :   .   .   .
|-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-|-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-|
|-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-|-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-|
|-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-|-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-|
|-0-------2-------|-0-------2-------|
|-----------------|-----------------|
|-3---------------|-3---------------|

         G       G6      G
When you go down to Deep Ellem
G6        G     G6      G     G6
keep your money in your shoes
G       G6    G     G6
Women in Deep Ellem give you
G    G6    G     G6
Deep Ellem blues
C
Hey, pretty mama
                      D          G     (G6  G  G6 etc.)
Your daddy's got them Deep Ellem blues
          D
Tell your brothers and your sisters
                            G     (G6   G  G6  etc.)
Daddy's got them Deep Ellem blues.

Well, I went down to Deep Ellem
On a one-way track
Woman took my money, boys,
and she never gave it back
Hey, pretty mama
Your daddy's got them Deep Ellem blues
Tell your brothers and your sisters
Your daddy's got them Deep Ellem blues.

When you go down to Deep Ellem
keep your money in your shoes
Them women in Deep Ellem give you
Deep Ellem blues
Hey, pretty mama
Your daddy's got them Deep Ellem blues
Tell your brothers and your sisters
Your daddy's got them Deep Ellem blues.

Contact

Corrections, additions, questions? Contact me