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On The Nickle

Tom Waits

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: HENSCHJ5753@uni.edu
Date: Thu, 15 Feb 1996 18:09:40 -0600 (CST)
Subject: Tom Waits_On the Nickel

On the Nickle--Tom Waits

>From "Heartattack and Vine 

Starts in the key of F# major:
Intro:
         B        F#        B        F#        B       F#  D#m   
e-------|--------|---------|--------|---------|-------|----------|
b-------|--------|6-7------|--------|---------|-------|6-7-------|
G-------|------8-|---------|------8-|6--------|-----8-|----6-----|
D-------|----9---|---------|----9---|---------|----9--|--------6-|
A---9-8-|6-9-----|-----9-8-|6-9-----|-----9-8-|6-9----|------9---|
E-------|--------|---------|--------|---------|-------|----------|

  G#m  C#   F#  
e----------|-----||
b----------|-----||
G----------|-----||
D-8------6-|-----||
A---9--9---|9----||
E----------|-----||

Verse 1:
B                     F#
Stick and Stones will Break my Bones,
B                    F#
But I always will be true,
B                     F#       D#m   
And when your mama is dead and gone,
               G#m              C#(sus4)--C# 
I'll Sing this Lulabye just for you,
B                           F# 
And what becomes of all the little boys,
B                    F#
Who never comb their hair
B            G#(major)    F#         D#m
Well they're lined up all around the block
       G#m    C#   F#
On the Nickel over there.


Verse 2:
B                     F#
So you better bring a bucket,
B                      F#
There is a hole in the pail,
B                       F#   D#m
And if you don't get my letter,
            G#m              C#(sus4)--C#   
Then you'll know that I'm in jail
B                                  F# 
And what becomes of all the little boys,
B                   F#
Who never say their prayers,
B            G#(major)       F#  D#m
Well they're sleepin' like a baby,
       G#m    C#   F#
On the Nickel over there.

Key change to Ab:

         B       G            Db        Ab           
e------|--------|------------|--------|-----||
b------|--------|7-8---------|--------|-----||
G------|------8-|----7-------|------10|-8---||
D------|----9---|------------|-----11-|-----||
A--9-8-|6-9-----|------11-10-|8-11----|-----||
E------|--------|------------|--------|-----||


Verse 3:
Db              Ab
And if you chew tobacco,
Db              Ab
And wish upon a star,
Db                             Ab         Fm 
Well you'll find out where the scarecrows sit,
          Bbm                   Eb 
Just like puchlines between the cars,
Db                         Ab
And I know a place where a royal flush,
Db               Ab 
Can never beat a pair,
Db  Bb/D        Ab/Eb   Fm
And even Thomas Jefferson,
          Bbm    Eb   Ab
Is on the Nickel over There.


Verse 4:
Db                 Ab
So ring around the rosie,
Db                    Ab 
You're sleepin in the rain,
Db                         Ab     Fm
And you're always late for supper,
            Bb                       Eb 
And man you let me down, let me down again,
Db                  Ab 
I thought I heard a mocking bird,
Db              Ab
Roosevelt knows where,
Db      Bb/D                Ab/Eb   Fm
You can skip the light with Grady   Tuck,
       Bbm    Eb   Ab
On the Nickel over There.


Key change to Bb:
          Db        A              Eb         Bb           
e--------|---------|--------------|---------|------||
b--------|---------|9-10----------|---------|------||
G--------|------10-|------9-------|-------12|-10---||
D--------|----11---|--------------|-----13--|------||
A--11-10-|8-11-----|--------13-12-|10-13----|------||
E--------|---------|--------------|---------|------||

Verse 5:
Eb                                Bb
So what becomes of all the little boys,
Eb                Bb 
Who run away from home,
Eb                        Bb      Gm     
Well the world just keeps gettin' bigger,
Cm                       F
Once you get out on your own,
Eb                          Bb
So here's to all the little boys,
Eb                    Bb
The sandman takes you where,
Eb                     Bb        Gm
Your sleepin' with the pillow of man,
       Cm     F    Bb
On the Nickel over There. 


Verse 6:
Eb                    Bb 
So climb up thru that buttonhole,
Eb                    Bb
And fall right up the stairs,
Eb            C/E       Bb/F      Gm        
I'll show you where the short(?)  dogs grow,
       Cm       F    Bb  
On the Nickel...over There.


Ending:
           Eb            G               C           G      
e--------|-------------|---------------|-----------|----||
b--------|-------------|---------------|-----------|----||
G--------|----------12-|-11-12---------|---------9-|-7--||
D--------|-------13----|-------12------|------10---|----||
A--13-12-|-10-13-------|----------10-9-|-7-10------|----||
E--------|-------------|---------------|-----------|----||

Notes:
The tabs are not exactly guitar parts, but are string parts on the
song. I'm not a guitarist, so I don't know what are the best
fingerings, but these are the right notes.

Jeff Henscheid
henschj5753@cobra.uni.edu