Working
John, Working Joe
Words and
music by Ian Anderson: additional music by Eddie Jobson from Jethro
Tull's "A".
Transcription by Peter Dawson, all corrections are welcome.
4/4
Capo 2
The
chords have an unusual ringing sound and I think they're like this...
E5
D5
A5
G5
x
x o o
x
x 0 x
x
x x x
x
x o o x x
| | | | | |
| | | | | |
| | | | | |
| | | | | |
|
| * | | |
|
| | * | |
|
| * * | |
|
| | | | |
|
| | | | |
|
| | | * |
|
| | | | |
|
| | | | |
|
| | * | |
|
| | | | |
|
| | | | |
|
| | | | |
Intro
E5
D5
Dsus4 D E5
|--------0-------x---------------|----3---2-------2---0---x-------|
|--------0-------x----3-33-------|x---3---3-------3---0---x-------|
|--------4-------x----2-22-------|x---2---2-------2---4---x-------|
|2-------2-------x----0-00-------|x-------------------2---x---2---|
|--------------------------------|--------------------------------|
|--------------------------------|--------------------------------|
E5
D5 Dsus4
D E5
|0-------0-------x---------------|----3---2-------2---0---x-------|
|0-------0-------x-------3-------|x---3---3-------3---0---x-------|
|4-------4-------x-------2-------|x-------------------4---x-------|
|2-------2-------x-------0-------|x-------------------2---x---2---|
|--------------------------------|--------------------------------|
|--------------------------------|--------------------------------|
When
Verse
E5
D5
f#|
0-------0-------x-------0-------|x-------------------------------|
c#|
0-------0-------x-------0-------|x----3-33-------x----3-33-------|
a
|*4-------4-------x-------4-------|x----2-22-------x----2-22-------|
E
|*2-------2-------x-------2-------|x-------------------------------|
B |
--------------------------------|---------------------------------|
F#|
--------------------------------|---------------------------------|
I was a
young man(as all good tales
begin) I was
for my pay
I worked an
hon-est
day and
A5
G5 E5
f#|x---------------x---------------|-----0--------------------------
|
c#|x---------------x---------------|-----0----------------0-3-0-----
|
a
|x------22-------x----2-22----0-0|0----4--------------2-----------*|
E
|x------22-------x----2-22----0-0|0----2----------------------2---*|
B
|--------------------------------|-------------------------------- |
F#|--------------------------------|--------------------------------
|
taught to hold out
my
hand
and
took what pitt-
ance I could
win.
Now I’m a
Chorus
E5
D5 Dsus4
D
E5 D5
f#|
--------0-----------------------|----3---2--------2---0---0------- |
c#|
--------0---------------3-------|----3---3--------3---0---0---3--- |
a
|*--------4---------------2-------|----2---2-------2---4---4---2----|
E
|*--------2---------------0-------|--------------------2---2---0---*|
B |
--------------------------------|--------------------------------- |
F#|
--------------------------------|--------------------------------- |
(Now I’m a)
work-
(work-) ing
John
I’m a
work-
(work-) ing
Joe
and
I'm do- ing what
I
know.
but
[B]God
and the economy - big
[D]brother watches [E5]over
me.
And the
(as for
chorus tablature above)
state pro tects and
feeds
me
and my
con science nev
er leaves
me
and I’m
loy al
to
the
unions
who pro-
tect me
at
all
levels.
Bridge riff
E5
Em7
f#|
--------0---------------7-------|----7---------------------------- |
c#|
--------5---------------8-------|--------100--8------------------- |
a
|*--------4---------------9-------|------------------7-9-----------*|
E
|*--------------------------------|----------------9---------------*|
B |
--------------------------------|--------------------------------- |
F#|
0-------------------------------|-------------------------------- |
Verse 2.
And as I grew
the winds of fortune blew and the bank smiled down upon me
And mortgaged
to the hilt I threw the winds of caution behind me.
Chorus
Now I’m a
working John and I’m a working Joe
And I’m good
at what I know.
For God and
the economy have blessed me with equality.
Now I’m equal
to the best of you and better than the rest of you,
who would
criticise my success in times of national unrest.
Instrumental (starts with bridge riff)
E5
Em7
*2nd time only
f#|
--------0---------------7-------|----7-------------------(0*---)-- |
c#|
--------5---------------8-------|--------100--8----------(0----)-- |
a
|*--------4---------------9-------|------------------7-9--(9---7)--*|
E
|*--------------------------------|----------------9---------------*|
B |
--------------------------------|--------------------------------- |
F#|
0-------------------------------|-------------------------------- |
Bm
f#|------------------------0-------|----------------------------0---|
c#|0-------------------3-----------|------------0-------3-----------|
a
|--------------------------------|0-------------------------------|
E
|--------------------------------|--------------------------------|
B
|2-------2-------2-------2-------|2-------2-------2-------2-------|
F#|--------------------------------|--------------------------------|
A
f#|0-----------2---0---------------|--------------------------------|
c#|--------------------2-----------|--------------------------------|
a
|--------------------------------|2-------------------------------|
E
|--------------------------------|2-----------0-------------------|
B
|0-------0-------0-------0-------|--------0-------4---0-----------|
F#|--------------------------------|--------------------------------|
Bm
f#|------------------------0---7---|0---------------------------0---|
c#|3-----------0---2---3-----------|----3-------0-------3-----------|
a
|--------------------------------|--------------------------------|
E
|--------------------------------|--------------------------------|
B
|2-------2-------2-------2-------|2-------2-------2-------2---0---|
F#|--------------------------------|--------------------------------|
A
f#|----------------5-0-------------|----5-------2-------0-----------|
c#|--------------------2-----------|--------------------------------|
a
|--------------------------------|--------------------------------|
E
|--------------------------------|--------------------------------|
B
|0-------0-------0-------0-------|0-2-----0-------0---------------|
F#|--------------------------------|--------------------------------|
Now I
"Middle eight"
D
E5
D5
f#|2-------------------------------|--------------------------------|
c#|3-------------------------------|----0---0-------0---------------|
a
|2-------------------------------|----4---4-------4---2-------2---|
E
|0-------------------------------|----2---2-------2---0-------0---|
B
|--------------------------------|--------------------------------|
F#|--------------------------------|--------------------------------|
own my horse-
less
carriage
in its
D
E5
D5
f#|
2-------------------------------|-------------------------------- |
c#|
3-------------------------------|----0---0-------0--------------- |
a
|*2-------------------------------|----4---4-------4---2-------2---*|
E
|*0-------------------------------|----2---2-------2---0-------0---*|
B |
--------------------------------|--------------------------------- |
F#|
--------------------------------|--------------------------------- |
|
central
heat
ed
garage.
and I
|
com- mute
eigh- ty miles a
day-
up at
| up at se-
ven to make
it
pay.
I
|
direct ten lim-it-
ed
com pan-ies
| with seeming
con- sum- ate expertise,
| two ul- cers
and
a heart disease,
| a tremb- ling feel-
ing in both
knees. and
|
|
| bass
(no capo)
g |
--------------------2---0-------|0-------------------------------- |
D
|*----0-2-4-----------------------|----4-------4---2-------2---0---*|
A
|*--------------------------------|--------------------------------*|
E |
--------------------------------|--------------------------------- |
Chorus