+
-

Love In Vain

Robert Johnson

Text File

#----------------------------------PLEASE NOTE---------------------------------#
#This file is the author's own work and represents their interpretation of the #
#song. You may only use this file for private study, scholarship, or research. #
#------------------------------------------------------------------------------##
From: tron@elrayo.rhein-main.de (markus tron)

I thing Robert Johnson plays in standard tuning
and capoed his guitar somewhere...
I play it in G (standard tuning).


~Title:  Love in vain
Artist: Robert Johnson

INTRO:

e -|-10--10-10--9---9--9--9--9--9---8--|-8--8--8--8-----|
B -|-12--12-12--11--11-11-11-11-11--10-|-10-10-10-10----|
G -|-----------------------------------|-------------0--|
D -|-----------------------------------|----------------|
A -|-----------------------------------|----------------|
E -|-----------------------------------|----------------|

e -|-3--3--3-3-3-3-3-3-3--3--|----2--2--2---------------|
B -|-------------------------|----1--1--1---------------|
G -|-------0-----------------|----2--2--2---------------|
D -|-------3-----2---2-3--1--|--0---------------0-------|
A -|-------------------------|------------------0-------|
E -|-------------------------|--------------------------|

						And I

FIRST VERSE:

e -|-3-----------------3-----|-1-----------------1------|
B -|-------------------------|--------------------------|
G -|-------------------------|--------------------------|
D -|-------------------------|--------------------------|
A -|-2-----2-----2-----2-----|-2-----2-----2-----2------|
E -|-3-----3-----3-----3-----|-3-----3-----3-----3------|

G    followed her to the    station

                                (xx)
e -|-1-----------------------|-1---1-1------------------|
B -|-3-----------------------|---3---3------------------|
G -|-------------------------|--------------------------|
D -|-------------------------|--------------------------|
A -|-2-----2-----2-----2-----|-2-----2-----2-----2------|
E -|-3-----3-----3-----3-----|-3-----3-----3-----3------|

G7  with her suitcase in my hand                  And I


e -|-3-----3-----------3-----|-------3-----------1------|
B -|-------1-----------1-----|-1------------------------|
G -|-------------------------|--------------------------|
D -|-------------2-----2-----|-2-----------2-----2------|
A -|-3-----3-----3-----3-----|-3-----3-----3-----3------|
E -|-------------------------|--------------------------|

C   followed her to the station with her suitcase in my hand


e -|-------1-----------2-----|-3------------------------|
B -|-3-----3-----------1-----|--------------------------|
G -|-0-----------------------|--------------------------|
D -|-------------------0-----|--------------------------|
A -|-------------2-----------|-2-----2-----2------------|
E -|-3-----3-----3-----------|-3-----3-----3------------|

G7                                            Well, it's


e -|-3------------------------|
B -|--------------------------|
G -|-------------------3------|
D -|-2-----2-----2-----0------|
A -|-0-----0-----0-----0------|
E -|-------------0------------|

A7/5  hard to tell, it's hard to tell


e -|-----------------------------|
B -|-----------------------------|
G -|-----------------------------|
D -|-0-----0-----0-----0---------|
A -|-0-----0-----0-----0---------|
E -|-2---------------------------|

D7  when all your love's in vain.


e -|-------------------------|-------2-----2-----2------|
B -|-0----0-----0------------|-1-----1-----1-----1------|
G -|-------------------------|-2-----2-----2-----2------|
D -|-3----2-----1-----0------|-------0-----------0------|
A -|-------------------------|-------------------0------|
E -|-------------------------|--------------------------|

G   All my love's in vain


------------------------
additional lyrics:

When the train rolled up to the station, I looked her in the eye
When the train rolled up to the station, I looked her in the eye
Well, I was lonesome, I felt so lonesome
and I could not help but cry
All my love's in vain


When the train left the station with two lights on behind
When the train left the station with two lights on behind
Well the blue light was my blues
and the red light was my mind
All my love's in vain


Ohh ho ho ho Willie Mae
Ohh ho ho ho Willie Mae
Ohh ho ho ho Willie Mae
All my love's in vain

------------------------


(xx): he's doing these "fills" throug out the whole song.
	  try to place these things for your own!


------------------------

The above is a very easy way to play that Robert Johnson song.
For a more detailed transcription I would recommend:
Scott Ainslie's "Robert Johnson complete guitar transcription".
It's NO book for beginners!

BTW listen to Bob Brozman's version of that song!!!
He plays it with a bottleneck and offers a lot of real
great slide licks in that song. I prefer to play Bob's
version of this song.

I hope this tab's not too bad, and you folks can work with it.

have fun

markus


PS: Any corrections or comments welcome!

Any Johnny Winter, Rory Gallagher or Muddy Waters tab would be very welcome!


markus tron
tron@elrayo.rhein-main.de

blues and beyond?