Tabs
POOR BOY
As recorded by Howlin' Wolf
(From the 1966 Album THE REAL FOLK BLUES)
Words and Music by Chester Burnett a.k.a. Howlin' Wolf
Transcribed by Slowhand
Gtr I (
E MajorE 
A augmentedA 
D MajorD 
G+G 
BB E MajorE) - 'Hubert Sumlin - Electric Guitar'
Intro
Q=166(8=s8)
N.C. 
DmDm
4/4
Gtr I (El. Gtr.)
W Q E MajorE E MajorE E MajorE E MajorE E MajorE E MajorE
|----------|-------------------------|
|----------|-------------------------|
|----------|----12b14-10-12-10-------|
|----------|-------------------12-10-|
|----------|-------------------------|
|----------|-------------------------|
Q q Q q Q e E MajorE +E MajorE E MajorE E MajorE E MajorE
|-----------------|-------------------------|
|-----10------10--|-----10------------------|
|-----10------10--|-----10------------------|
|-12----------10--|-12-------------10-12-10-|
|---------12------|--------12-(12)----------|
|-----------------|-------------------------|
Q q Q q Q e E MajorE +E MajorE E MajorE E MajorE E MajorE
|-----------------|-------------------------|
|-----10------10--|-----10------------------|
|-----10------10--|-----10------------------|
|-12----------10--|-12-------------10-12-10-|
|---------12------|--------12-(12)----------|
|-----------------|-------------------------|
A7A7
Q q Q q Q e E MajorE +E MajorE E MajorE q
|-----12------12--|-----12----------------|
|-----------------|-----------------------|
|-----12------12--|-----12----------------|
|-----11------11--|-----11----------------|
|-12--------------|-12-------------10-12--|
|---------12------|--------12-(12)--------|
DmDm 
G7G7
Q q Q q Q q E MajorE E q Q q Q q Q e E MajorE +E MajorE E MajorE q
|-------------|--------------|-----10------10--|-----10---------------|
|----6-----6--|----6---------|-----------------|----------------------|
|----7-----7--|----7----5----|-----10------10--|-----10---------------|
|----7--7--7--|----7--7---7--|------9-------9--|------9---------------|
|-5-----------|-5------------|-10--------------|-10----------------8--|
|-------------|--------------|---------10------|--------10-(10)-10----|
Q q Q q Q e E MajorE +E MajorE E MajorE E MajorE E MajorE
|----------------|-------------------------|
|-----10-----10--|-----10------------------|
|-----10-----10--|-----10------------------|
|-12-------------|-12-------------10-12-10-|
|----------------|--------12-(12)----------|
|----------------|-------------------------|
Q q Q q Q e E MajorE +E MajorE E MajorE E MajorE E MajorE
|-----------------|-------------------------||
|-----10------10--|-----10------------------||
|-----10------10--|-----10------------------||
|-12----------10--|-12-------------10-12-12-||
|---------12------|--------12-(12)----------||
|-----------------|-------------------------||
1st - 4th Verses
$
DmDm
Q q Q q Q e E MajorE +E MajorE E MajorE E MajorE E MajorE
||------10------10--|-----10------------------|
||o-----10------10--|-----10------------------|
||------10------10--|-----10------------------|
||--12--------------|-12-------------10-12-10-|
||o---------12------|--------12-(12)----------|
||------------------|-------------------------|
Q q Q q Q e E MajorE +E MajorE E MajorE q
|-----10----------|------------------------|
|-----10------10--|-----10-----------------|
|-----10------10--|-----10-----------------|
|-12----------10--|-12----------------10---|
|---------12------|--------12-(12)-12------|
|-----------------|------------------------|
Q q Q q Q e E MajorE +E MajorE E MajorE E MajorE E MajorE
|-----10------10--|-----10------------------|
|-----10------10--|-----10------------------|
|-----10------10--|-----10------------------|
|-12--------------|-12----------------------|
|---------12------|--------12-(12)-10-10-11-|
|-----------------|-------------------------|
A7A7
Q q Q q Q e E MajorE +E MajorE E MajorE q
|-----12------12--|-----12------------12--|
|-----------------|-----------------------|
|-----12------12--|-----12------------12--|
|-----11------11--|-----11------------11--|
|-12--------------|-12--------------------|
|---------12------|--------12-(12)-12-----|
DmDm
Q q Q q Q e E MajorE +E MajorE E MajorE q
|-----------------|-----------------------|
|-----10----------|-----10----------------|
|-----10----------|-----10----------------|
|-12----------10--|-12-------------10-12--|
|---------12------|--------12-(12)--------|
|-----------------|-----------------------|
G7G7
Q q Q q Q e E MajorE +E MajorE E MajorE q
|-----10------10--|-----10------------10--|
|-----------------|-----------------------|
|-----10------10--|-----10------------10--|
|------9-------9--|------9-------------9--|
|-10--------------|-10--------------------|
|---------10------|--------10-(10)-10-----|
DmDm
Q q Q q Q e E MajorE +E MajorE E MajorE E MajorE E MajorE
|-----------------|-------------------------|
|-----10----------|-----10------------------|
|-----10----------|-----10------------------|
|-12----------10--|-12-------------10-10-11-|
|---------12------|--------12-(12)----------|
|-----------------|-------------------------|
1.,D.S.
To Coda
Q q Q q Q e E MajorE +E MajorE E MajorE E MajorE E
|-----------------|-------------------------||
|-----10------10--|-----10-----------------o||
|-----10------10--|-----10------------------||
|-12----------10--|-12-------------12-12----||
|---------12------|--------12-(12)-------0-o||
|-----------------|-------------------------||
Guitar Solo
2.
DmDm
Q e E MajorE +E MajorE E MajorE q Q Q E MajorE E MajorE E MajorE E MajorE
|-----------------------||---------------------------|
|-----10----------------||---------------12-10-------|
|-----10----------------||-12b14--12b14--------12-10-|
|-12-------------10-12--||---------------------------|
|--------12-(12)--------||---------------------------|
|-----------------------||---------------------------|
Q E MajorE E MajorE E MajorE E MajorE E MajorE E MajorE Q q Q q
|--------------------------|-----------------|
|-12b13--12-10-------------|-----10------10--|
|-12b13--12-10-12-10-------|-----10------10--|
|--------------------12-10-|-12----------10--|
|--------------------------|---------12------|
|--------------------------|-----------------|
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Q e E MajorE +E MajorE E MajorE E MajorE E MajorE Q Q +E MajorE E MajorE E MajorE E MajorE
|-------------------------|-------------------------------|
|-----10------------------|----------------------10-13-10-|
|-----10---------------10-|-12b14--12b14===(12)r----------|
|-12-------------10-12----|-------------------------------|
|--------12-(12)----------|-------------------------------|
|-------------------------|-------------------------------|
A7A7
Q E MajorE E MajorE Q E MajorE E Q q Q q
|----------10-10-------------x-|-----12------12--|
|-13b13.5--------13b13.5--10-x-|-----11------11--|
|----------------------------x-|-----12------12--|
|------------------------------|-----11------11--|
|------------------------------|-12--------------|
|------------------------------|---------12------|
DmDm
Q e E MajorE +E MajorE Q E MajorE Q H E MajorE E MajorE
|-----12----------------|----------10----13b13.5-10-|
|-----11-------------10-|-13b13.5-------------------|
|-----12---------12-----|---------------------------|
|-----11----------------|---------------------------|
|-12-----12-(12)--------|---------------------------|
|-----------------------|---------------------------|
G7G7
Q E MajorE E MajorE +Q E MajorE E MajorE Q E MajorE E MajorE E MajorE E MajorE E MajorE E MajorE
|-13b13.5-----10-(10)--------|------------------------------|
|----------13----------13-10-|------------------------------|
|----------------------------|-12b14--12-10-12-10----12b14==|
|----------------------------|--------------------12--------|
|----------------------------|------------------------------|
|----------------------------|------------------------------|
DmDm
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
|----3-----|
+Q S +S E MajorE E MajorE E MajorE E MajorE E MajorE E MajorE Q Q +E MajorE e E MajorE E MajorE
|---------------------------------|----------------------------------|
|---------------------------------|----------------------10---13b15==|
|-(12)--12r(12)p10----10-12-10----|-12b14--12b14===(12)r-------------|
|------------------12----------12-|----------------------------------|
|---------------------------------|----------------------------------|
|---------------------------------|----------------------------------|
+E MajorE +E MajorE E MajorE E MajorE E MajorE E MajorE a E MajorE E Q q Q q
|-------------------------------|------------------|
|-(13)r(13)-10------------------|-----10------10---|
|--------------12-10----10h12---|-----10------10---|
|--------------------12---------|-12----------10---|
|-------------------------------|---------12-------|
|-------------------------------|------------------|
Outro
D.S. al Coda &
DmDm
Q e E MajorE +E MajorE E MajorE q Q e E MajorE +E MajorE E MajorE q Q q Q q
|-----------------------||-----------------------||------10------10--|
|-----10----------------||-----10----------------||o-----10------10--|
|-----10----------------||-----10----------------||------10------10--|
|-12-------------10-12--||-12----------------10--||--12--------------|
|--------12-(12)--------||--------12-(12)-12-----||o---------12------|
|-----------------------||-----------------------||------------------|
Q e E MajorE +E MajorE E MajorE q Q q Q q Q e E MajorE +E MajorE E MajorE q 3x
|-----------------------|-----10------10--|------------------------||
|-----10----------------|-----10------10--|-----10----------------o||
|-----10----------------|-----10------10--|-----10-----------------||
|-12----------------10--|-12--------------|-12----------------10---||
|--------12-(12)-12-----|---------12------|--------12-(12)-12-----o||
|-----------------------|-----------------|------------------------||
Duration 🏷Legend
---------------
W - whole; H - half; Q - quarter; E MajorE - 8th; S - 16th; T - 32nd; X - 64th; a - acciaccatura
+ - note tied to previous; . - note dotted; .. - note double dotted
Uncapitalized letters represent notes that are staccato (1/2 duration)
Irregular groupings are notated above the duration line
Duration letters will always appear directly above the note/fret number it represents the
duration for. Duration letters with no fret number below them represent rests. Multi-
bar rests are notated in the form Wxn, where n is the number of bars to rest for. Low
melody durations appear below the staff
Tablature 🏷Legend
----------------
h - hammer-on
p - pull-off
b - bend
pb - pre-bend
r - bend release (if no number after the r, then release immediately)
/\ - slide into or out of (from/to "nowhere")
s - legato slide
S - shift slide
- natural harmonic
[n] - artificial harmonic
n(n) - tapped harmonic
~ - vibrato
tr - trill
T - tap
TP - trem. picking
PM - palm muting
\n/ - tremolo bar dip; n = amount to dip
\n - tremolo bar down
n/ - tremolo bar up
/n\ - tremolo bar inverted dip
= - hold bend; also acts as connecting device for hammers/pulls
<> - volume swell (louder/softer)
x - on rhythm slash represents muted slash
o - on rhythm slash represents single note slash
Misc 🏷Legend
-----------
| - bar
|| - double bar
||o - repeat start
o|| - repeat end
*| - double bar (ending)
: - bar (freetime)
$ - Segno
& - Coda
Tempo markers - = BPM(8/16=s8/s16), where s8 = swing 8ths, s16 = swing 16ths
I'm a poor boy, I'm a long way from home
I'm a poor boy, I'm a long way from home
What the others do, the world can't do me no harm
I'm a poor boy, a long way from home
Babe I can't stay here long, babe I can't stay here long
What the others do, the world can't do me no harm
I'm a poor boy, I'm a long way from home
Well my, baby's dead and gone
Well my, baby's dead and gone
Well, well, well, well I'm a long way from home
I'm a poor boy, I'm a long way from home
And the world, can't do me no harm
And the world, can't do me no harm
Oh , no no no no, I'm a long way from home
World can't do me no harm
World can't do me no harm
