Honky Tonk Women

Words & Music:

Mick Jagger & Keith Richards

 

To play like Keef, you gotta tune to open G [D G D G B D - low to high].  Ideally, you also remove the lowest string, but it is not necessary.  Tabs in both Open G & standard tuning are given.

 

Most of the song can then be played using very simple shapes in Open G:

   G        C         F/C       A          D       G/D      G6

 DGDGBD   DGDGBD    DGDGBD    DGDGBD    DGDGBD   DGDGBD   DGDGBD

 000000   555555    557565    222222    777777   779787   002000

 

 

G                                   C

I met a gin-soaked barroom queen in Memphis.

G                    A              D

She tried to take me upstairs for a ride.

G                                   C

The lady had to heave me across her shoulder.

G                        D                G

Now I just can't seem to drink you off my mind

 

CHORUS:  [2x]

G             D     G                     D                      G

It's the honky-tonk women gimmie, gimmie, gimmmie the honky-tonk blues.

 

I played a divorcˇe in New York City.

I had to put up some kind of a fight.

The lady went and covered me up in roses.

She blew my nose and then she blue my mind.

 

CHORUS:  [4x & out]

 

1. Simple Standard Tuning Tab:

 

best through distortion:

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

-0--0-0--2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-

-0--0-0--3-1-0-1-0-3-1-0-0-0-1-0-

-------------------------2-------

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

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

 

 


2. Tab In Open G Tuning

 

|------|---------|...|---------|-----0-0-0-0-0-|-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-|---------|

|------|---------|...|---------|---------------|-----------------|---------|

|----0-|-0---0-0-|...|-0---0-0-|-0---4-2-0-2-0-|-4-2-0---0-2-0-0-|-0---0-0-|

|----0-|-0---0-0-|...|-0---0-0-|-0-------------|-------2---------|-0---0-0-|

|------|---------|...|---------|---------------|-----------------|---------|

|------|---------|...|---------|---------------|-----------------|---------|

 

|------------|---------|-----5-3-0-0--|---------|---------|---------|

|------------|-5---6-6-|-5------------|---------|-----3-2-|-7---8-8-|

|-0--------0-|-5---5-5-|-5---0-0-0-3b-|-0-------|-2---2-2-|-7---7-7-|

|-0--------0-|-5---7-7-|-5------------|-0-------|-2---4-2-|-7---9-9-|

|-----0-3b---|-5---5-5-|-5------------|-0---0-1-|-2---2-2-|-7---7-7-|

|------------|---------|--------------|---------|---------|---------|

 

|------------|---------|--------|---------|-----5-3-0-0--|----------|

|-7----------|---------|--------|-5---6-6-|-5------------|----------|

|-7--------0-|-----0-0-|------0-|-5---5-5-|-5---0-0-0-3b-|-0------0-|

|-7--------0-|-----0-0-|------0-|-5---7-7-|-5------------|-0------0-|

|-7---0-3b---|-0-------|-0-3b---|-5---5-5-|-5------------|-0-0-3b---|

|------------|---------|--------|---------|--------------|----------|

 

|-------------|----...

|-7-----------|----...

|-7-------(7)-|-0--...

|-7---(7)-----|-0--...

|-7-----------|-0--...

|-------------|----...

 

 

 

 

3. A Full Standard Tuning Tab:

 

e--------...------------------------------------------------------------------

B--------...-------3---3---3---3-3-0---0-3------------------------------------

G--------...-------4---4-0-2-0-4-2-0---0-2------------------------------------

D-5---5--...-------------------------2-----5---------5---5--------------------

A-5---5--...-------------------------------5---------5---5--------------------

E-3---3--...-------------------------------3---------3---3--------------------

     These G5-chords are played on the upstrokes, but listen to the record to

     get the correct rhythm..

 

                |              |            |           |

e-------------------------------------3-1-------------------------------------

B----------------5-------6---6-5------5-3-3-0---0---0---2---2-3---3-2---------

G------------0---5-------5---5-5----------4-0---0-2-0---2---2-2---2-2---------

D--5---5---------5-------5---5-5------------0---0-2-0---2---2-4---4-2---------

A--5---5--0h2-----------------------------------------------------------------

E--3---3----------------------------------------------------------------------

 

 

   |              |           |            |             |           

e-------------------------------------------------------------3-1-----

B--7-------8---8-7---------------------------------6---6-5----5-3-3-0-

G--7-------8---7-7-------0---------------0---------5---5-5--------4-0-

D--7-------7---7-7-------------------------5-------5---5-5------------

A--5------------------0h2-2p0--------0h2---3--------------------------

E-------------------3---------3----3----------------------------------


   |              |                  |

e--1---------------------------------------------

B--3--------------7------7-8-------------------0-

G---------------0-7-----------4-gl-2-4-----0-2-0-

D-----------------7-----------4-gl-2-5---------0-

A-----------0h2---5------------------5-----------

E---------3--------------------------3-----------

 

Now the chorus comes along.. G chord and D chord, and then a little riff:

e---------------------

B--12---13-12---13-12-

G--12---14-12---14-12-

D--12---12-12---12-12-

A---------------------

E---------------------

 

This riff twice, before some more g chord and D chord, and then the

end-of-chorus-riff:

 

e------------------------------

B------------------------------

G---2gl4-4-----2-2gl4gl2-0---0-

D---4gl5-5-----4-4gl5gl4-0-2-0-

A------------------------------

E------------------------------

 

Note from this unknown tabber:  "This riff I'm not so sure about.. The glissandos are right, but I think there's supposed to be some more up'n'down.  Keef of course plays the thing differently on the second verse, but I've never bothered to do that.. All the parts that lead up to a different chord can be changed around and altered, and I think that it's mainly this Keith R. does.  A final remark: This is of course not correct, since Keith plays this in open-G- tuning (d-B-G-D-G WITHOUT the 6th string)."

 





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