Muddy Water tab - rivers johnny

Date: Thu, 15 Jan 1998 21:54:51 -0700
From: Collins Crapo 
Newsgroups: rec.music.makers.guitar.tablature,alt.guitar.tab

MUDDY WATER
songwriting credits unavailable
performed by Johnny Rivers
tab transcribed by Collins Crapo 

G / / / 2 /
                     D
I was home in Macon, Georgia
                   D7             G
They kept my Daddy   in the Macon jail
                                C
He said, "Son, if you keep your hands clean, uh huh
G                    D7                  G
You won't hear those bloodhounds on your trail"

Verse 2:
I fell in with bad companions
I robbed a man up in Tennessee
And I got caught way up in Nashville, uh huh now
And they locked me up and threw away the key

CHORUS (same pattern as above 2 verses):
I washed my hands in muddy water
I washed my hands, but they didn't come clean
I tried to do like my daddy told me, now
I must have washed my hands in a muddy stream

Verse 3:
E7            A                       E
  I asked the jailer, said "When's my time up?"
             E7                     A
He said "Son,  you know we won't forget
                                  D
And if you try and just keep your hands clean, uh huh
    A                  E7              A
Why we may just make a good man of you yet"

Verse 4:
But I didn't wait to get my time in
I broke down, broke out the Nashville jail
I just crossed Atlanta, Georgia, oh now
And I can hear those bloodhounds on my trail

(chorus; same pattern as above 2 verses)

F7            Bb             F
  I washed my hands in muddy water
                   F7                     Bb
I washed my hands,   but they didn't come clean
                            Eb
I tried to do like my daddy told me, now
  Bb                  F7               Bb
I must have washed my hands in a muddy stream

(repeat last line twice)

Download PDF

Video Muddy Water

Johnny Rivers - (I Washed My Hands In) Muddy Water - 45 rpm
6-11-66

JOHNNY RIVERS-(I WASHED MY HANDS IN) "MUDDY WATER"
ROSE TO # 19 IN 1966. LYRICS: I was home in Macon, Georgia They kept my Daddy in the Macon jail He said, Son, if you keep your hands clean, uh huh You wont hear those bloodhounds on your trail I fell in with bad companions I robbed a man up in Tennessee And I got caught way up in Nashville, uh huh now And they locked me up and threw away the key CHORUS I washed my hands in muddy water I washed my hands, but they didn't come clean I tried to do like my daddy told me, now I must have washed my hands in a muddy stream I asked the jailer, said Whens my time up? He said Son, you know we wont forget And if you try and just keep your hands clean, uh huh Why we may just make a good man of you yet But I didn't wait to get my time in I broke down, broke out the Nashville jail I just crossed Atlanta, Georgia, oh now And I can hear those bloodhounds on my trail I washed my hands in muddy water I washed my hands, but they didn't come clean I tried to do like my daddy told me, now I must have washed my hands in a muddy stream

Billy Joel - Dirty Water/River Of Dreams - Foxboro, MA - 7/18/09
Billy Joel performing Dirty Water and River Of Dreams at Gillette Stadium in Foxboro, MA on 7/18/09

Jimmy Ward & Tropicals - I Washed My Hands in Muddy Water
Live Ahlen, Germany 1967. Jimmy Ward (* Dublin 1938; † Birmingham 1987) went in 1960 to Hamburg as part of the group The Jets (with Tony Sheridan). When the Jets broke up Jimmy started working in Germany with Dutch Indo-rock bands The Black Dynamites (1962-1963) and Oety & his Real Rockers (1963-1964), finally forming his own successful Indo-rock band 'Jimmy Ward and the Tropicals' The song "I Washed My Hands In Muddy Water" was written by Joe Babcock and first recorded by Stonewell Jackson in 1965. Other early recording were made by Charlie Rich (65) and Johnny Rivers (66).

Muddy Water by Johnny Rivers (Cover by BJ Tyrrell)