Tabs
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
East Virginia Blues, No. 2 - The Carter Family
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
This is my attempt at a tab for "East Virginia Blues, No. 2" as played by the
Carter Family on disc 8 of the In the Shadow of Clinch Mountain boxset. To play
along with the cd, put a capo on the third fret so you are in the key of Eb.
Listening to the song this is almost certainly how Ma Carter played it.
Also note that this arrangement obviously work for "East Virgina Blues" or for
example "Greenback Dollar," which is written to the same tune.
To play it like Ma Carter, use your thumb for the melody notes and brush
across the strings with your fingers for the chords (V indicates a down stroke and
^ indicates an up stroke).
Please post a comment if you notice any mistakes.
Tuning: Standard (Capo on 3rd fret)
Intro/Instrumental Break:
C majorC C majorC
V ^ V ^ V V ^ V ^ V ^
e|---------|------0-0----0-0----------------|--------0--0-0-0-0----0-0---------|
BB|---------|------1-1----1-1----------------|--------1--1-1-1-1----1-1---------|
G+G|------0--|------0-0----0-0-------------0--|--------0--0-0-0-0----0-0------0--|
D MajorD|--0h2----|--0h2------2------2p0----0h2----|--2p0----------------------0h2----|
A augmentedA|---------|----------------------3---------|------3-------------3-------------|
E MajorE|---------|--------------------------------|----------------------------------|
4 + 1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + 1 + 2 + 3 + 4 +
FF C majorC
V ^ V ^ V ^ V ^ V ^ V ^
e|------1-1----1-1----1-1----------|------0-0----0-0----0-0----------|
BB|------1-1----1-1----1-1----------|------1-1----1-1----1-1----------|
G+G|--0h2-2-2--2-2-2--2-2-2--0-------|------0-0----0-0----0-0------0---|
D MajorD|---------------------------0-----|--0h2------2------2------0h2-----|
A augmentedA|---------------------------------|---------------------------------|
E MajorE|---------------------------------|---------------------------------|
1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + 1 + 2 + 3 + 4 +
FF C majorC
V ^ V ^ V V ^ V ^ V ^
e|------1-1----1-1-----------------|--------0--0-0-0-0----0-0--------|
BB|------1-1----1-1-----------------|--------1--1-1-1-1----1-1--------|
G+G|--0h2-2-2--2-2-2--2p0--------0---|--------0--0-0-0-0----0-0--------|
D MajorD|----------------------0--0h2-----|--2p0----------------------2-0---|
A augmentedA|---------------------------------|------3-------------3------------|
E MajorE|---------------------------------|---------------------------------|
1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + 1 + 2 + 3 + 4 +
G+G C majorC
V ^ V ^ V ^ V ^ V ^
e|----3-3----3-3-------------------|----0-0----0-0----0-0------------|
BB|----0-0----0-0-------------------|----1-1----1-1----1-1------------|
G+G|----0-0----0-0-------------------|----0-0----0-0----0-0------------|
D MajorD|---------------------------------|---------------------------------|
A augmentedA|--2-------------2p0----0-2-------|--3-------------3----------------|
E MajorE|---------3----------3------------|---------3-------------3---------|
1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + 1 + 2 + 3 + 4
[Intro]
C majorC
My sweetheart has gone and left me
FF C majorC
And my little sisters, too
FF C majorC
And I'm left alone in sadness
G+G C majorC
Lord, I don't know what to do
C majorC
All this world has turned against me
FF C majorC
Nothing but trouble do I see
FF C majorC
There will be no more pleasure
G+G C majorC
In this whole wide world for me
[Instrumental break]
Oh, I am just from East Virginia
With a heart so brave and true
And I learned to love a maiden
With eyes of heavenly blue
That same day I packed my suitcase
And I started to go away
But she met me at the station
Saying, darling, won't you stay
[Instrumental break]
Oh, I am dying, Captain, dying
Won't you take these words for me
Take them over to the jailhouse
Let this whole wide world go free
