Hard Time Killing Floor Blues
Words & Music:
Nehemiah Curtis "Skip" James
Personally, I play it in
E-ish (neither major, nor minor) in standard tuning, which is much easier. I can tab it if anyone is
interested. Below, I've pasted
tabs for the Chris Thomas King "O Brother Where Are Thou?" version and a great
discussion by DADFAD on how to play the Skip James version. Enjoy!
Hard time here and everywhere you go
Times is harder than ever been before
And the people are driftin' from door to door
Can't find no heaven, I don't care where they go
Hear me tell you people, just before I go
These hard times will kill you just dry long so
Well, you hear me singin' my lonesome song
These hard times can last us so very long
If I ever get off this killin' floor
I'll never get down this low no more
No-no, no-no, I'll never get down this low no more
And you say you had money, you better be sure
'Cause these hard times will drive you from door to door
Sing this song and I ain't gonna sing no more
Sing this song and I ain't gonna sing no more
These hard times will drive you from door to door
__________
Note 1: "Hard time
Killing Floor Blues" is the title of the original Paramount recording of
James's topical Depression piece, which he called by the more serviceable title
"Hard Times".
Hard Time Killing
Floor -by Nehemiah "Skip" James, 1930
Tabbed by Dadfad
(John M.) duolian@msn.com or Dadfad@dadfad.com August 1, 2002
If you're looking for a note-for-note tab from the movie "O
Brother Where Art Thou", this isn't it. This is in the style it was played
originally by Skip James. Very similar to the movie, but not exactly. That's
how these styles of tunes were done back in the '20s and '30s as traditional
country blues tunes. It's
difficult to really explain how to play a tune like this from tab, but there
have been so many requests that I'll try my best. Skip James' style in open
D-Minor is largely composed of several "signature licks" that when
added to the general progression of the tune make it very recognizeable as a
Skip James piece. I think the best way to start is by first tabbing his most
distinguishable lick with both tab and describing how it is played, and then in
the body of the main tab I can just say "add sig lick here". I
learned to play Skip's tunes in his style many years ago from Bowling Green
John Cephas, probably the foremost living expert on Skip James-Bentonia Style
D-min blues) who knew him personally and learned from Skip himself. This will
be a simplified version at best. The only way to play it properly is to become
familiar with the tuning and finger-style playing in this style and add and
improvise as you go, which is how both Skip and Bowling Green played it. I
guess the best way to start is by giving the open D-minor tuning (Open E-minor
can also be used but is harder on your strings and guitar neck). Tab would be
identical for either open D-minor (DADFAD) or open E-minor (EBEGBE). Put down
your pick. This must be played
with your fingers.
Skip's main signature lick is as follows:
D__________________________||_________________________
A__________________________||_________________________
F____3>4____4<2___1________||_____4____2____1_________
D_____________________0____||____________________0____
A__________________________||_________________________
D__________________________||_________________________
This is the actual lick, and these are the finish notes only.
This lick is done by sliding from the 3rd to the 4th fret and then
back up to the 2nd fret. It can be done as two separate picks or as only one
pick with a smooth up and back down the neck motion. Then finger and play the
first fret, then the open four string. All of this should be done as a very
flowing, smooth lick. The note on the 3rd string first fret can also be a pull-off
from the 2nd fret note. Above I also showed the finish notes. These
are just the notes themselves without the slides, so you can see which ones
you're aiming for within the lick. There are several variations on this lick,
both with timing or with additional notes, but this is the basic figure as used
in this, and several other of Skip's D-minor tunes (ei. Cherry Ball Blues,
Devil Got My Woman, etc). Skip and
John both frequently used a John Lee Hooker-ish multiple hammer-on on that 3rd
string/first fret note repeated after the open 4th string that ends the lick
above, and then adding one of the "rhythmic figures" shown down below
after the tab for the first verse.
Now I'll start on the first verse. This verse, with or without
improvised changes, can also be used as an intro to the piece.
D_________________________0___________0____________0___________
A_______________________0___________0____________0_____________
F_____________________0___________0____________0_______________
D_____________0_____3________3__2__________0_3__________3___0__
A____0h3_______________________________________________________
D______________________________________________________________
You know
that hard times 'r here and everywhere you go
D__________________________________________________________________________
A______0___________________________________________________________________
F____0________0______0___________________0_________________________________
D__0________0______0_________0_________0____________(insert sig
lick now)__
A_________3______0_________0_________0_____________________________________
D________________________0_________3________3__0___________________________
Times is harder
than they been before
D__________________________________________________________________
A__________________________________________________________________
F______1______(sig lick)__________1_________(sig
lick)_____________
D______0__________________________0________________________________
A_________0___________________________0____________________________
D__0__________________________0____________________________________
Whoa-o-o.....
oh-o........
D________________________________________0________________________
A______________________________________0______0___________________
F______1_______(sig lick)____________2____________________________
D______0___________________________2______________________________
A__________0_____________________0________________________________
D__0________________________________________________0_____________
Whoa-o-o
oh-o
oh
D_____3__________2________1______________0______________________
A___4___4______3___3____2___2_________0_________________________
F________________________________0h1____________________________
D_______________________________________________________________
A_______________________________________________________________
D___________________________________________0___________________
(turnaround
line to next verse or ending)
This is it, in it's most basic form. Note the 0h1 (O to 1 fret
hammer-ons. These are pretty
important to the style). These and other phrases often are followed by
arpegiated downward slow strums. I improv around these basic lines with changes
in each verse, different turnarounds, changes to the sig lick, etc. That's how
Skip did it, that's how John Cephas did it and he taught me. If you familiarize yourself with how
the tuning works and its intricacies, you will be able to do them soon also.
I'll show a couple of variations, a different turnaround and a guitar solo
verse to start off with. A tip. While it's played in D minor, it's actually
probably in the key of D major. It's the inter-play between the minor and major
that give this tune (and others of Skip's Bentonia Open Minor Blues) their
distinctive feel. The third-string fingered on the first fret changes it from
minor to major. Hammering into the major was a frequent addition in these
tunes. It sometimes helps to play a line while the first finger is kept on the
third-string/first fret or ready to quickly go back to it. Skip's signature
lick, and variations of it, were frequenly injected into the tune wherever they
fit appropriately.
D___________4p0______________3p0______________2p0______________0______
A______3______
3________2________2_______1_______1__________0________
F___4____4_________
___3___3____________2___2____________0h1__________
D_____________________________________________________________________
A_____________________________________________________________________
D_________________________________________________________0___________
(this is
another variation turnaround to next verse or an ending)
The above is done using a pull-off to the open note from the
picked note. Other notes in the open strings can be added as well if desired.
D________0___3___3___3___0___2___0___3___3___3___0____0________________________
A__0h3__
_________________________________________________3____0_______________
F____________4___4___4___0___2___0___4___4___4_________________________0__2p0__
D___0____0____________________________________________0___0____0___0___0______0
A__________________________________________________0_______________________0___
D________________________________________________0_________________0__________0
(This is a
semi-melody line guitar instrumental for between two verses)
The sequence above is a series of thumb and first-finger pinches
with a few rolling slow arpeggiations added. Follow it with the "signature
lick" (with or without one of the rhythmic figures that are shown in the
example below). Slides, especially
to the 3/4 pairs, can be added for more expression. Again, this can be
improvised as seen fit.
D____________________0_____
__________0_______________0_______
A__________________________
___0h2____________________________
F______________0h1_________
___________________0h1____________
D_______0__________________ or
______________0___________________
A__0h2_____________________
__________________________________
D__________0_____________0_
______________0________________0__
(Here are "rhythmic figures" that can be used with or in
place of the signature lick shown at the beginning. Skip frequently added one
of these. He sometimes would vamp between these and his sig lick several times
before the next verse and used them frequently as fills when they might fit in
a given time-space. Again, he frequently used multiple hammers on the 0-hammer-1
note above.)
The final ending chord to one of his D-minor tunes would
frequently be 000130 which is a D7 chord, or a single note on the open second
string followed by this d7 chord.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Hard Time Killing Floor Blues Tab by
Skip James, www.Ultimate-Guitar.Com
This song was originally written by Skip James, but the version
posted here is the version played by Chris Thomas King, from the O Brother
Where Art Thou soundtrack.
Note 1: There are small variations in this song while it is played
to give the song life and keep it interesting.
Note 2: At the end of the song, as it fades out, you can hear
Chris start back with Riff 6, but you can make up your own ending.
Tuning: Drop D (DADGBE)
Riff 1
|------------------------------------|
|---------------------1--3p1---1-----|
|-2--2-2--2-2--2-2--2-2------2-------|
|-3--0-2--0---------0----------------|
|-----------3--0-2-------------0-----|
|------------------------------------|
Riff 2
|-------------------------------------------|
|-------------------------------------------|
|-2-----2--2-2--2-2--2--2-----2--2-2--2-2---|
|-----0-3--0------3--0----------------------|
|-0h3--------3--0-----------0-3--0----0-----|
|-----------------------3h5--------5----3---|
Riff 3
|---------------------------------------------------------|
|---------------------------------------------1--3p1---1--|
|---------------------------------------2-----2------2----|
|-5\4------5/7\5---5--5\4------5\4----------0-------------|
|-----5-0--------5--------5-0------5-0--0h3------------0--|
|-------0-------------------------------------------------|
Riff 4
|---------------------------------------------------|
|---------------------------------------------------|
|-2-----2--2-2--2-2--2--2-----2--2------2--2-----2--|
|-----0-3--0------3--0--------3---------------------|
|-0h3--------3--0-----------0----0h2-0-----0h2-0----|
|-----------------------3h5-------------5--------3--|
Riff 5
|--------------------------------------------------
|--------------------------------------------------
|--------------------------------------------------
|-5\4------5/7\5---5--5/4------5/7\5---5--5\4------
|-----5-0--------5--------5-0--------5--------5-0--
|-------0------------------------------------------
-----------------------------------------|
-----------------------------------------|
-----------------------------------------|
-5/7\5---5--5\4------5/7\5---5--5\4------|
-------5--------5-0--------5--------5-0--|
-----------------------------------------|
Riff 6
|-------------------------------------|
|-------------------------1--3p1---1--|
|-------------------2-----2------2----|
|----0----0----0--------0-------------|
|-3----2----1----0--0h3------------0--|
|-------------------------------------|
Riff 7
|---------------------------------------------------------------|
|---------------------------------------------------------------|
|-2-----2--2-----2--2-----2-2-2-2----2-----2--2-----2--2-----2--|
|-----0-3------0-2------0-3-2---0-------------------------------|
|-0h3------0h3------0h3-------3----------0-3--0h2-0----0h2-0----|
|---------------------------------0--3h5------------5--------3--|
Song Order:
Riff
1
Riff
2
Riff
3
Riff
4
Riff
5
Riff
4
Riff
5
Riff
4
Riff
5
Riff
4
Riff
5
Riff
6
Riff
7
Riff
5
Riff
4
Riff
5
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Hard Time Killing Floor Blues - Skip
James (performed by: Chris Carter King)
Tuning: DADFAD
Tab 1: Intro
D |----------------------------0-------------------------|
A
|-0--0--0--0--0--0--0--0--3-----3-----3----------------|
F
|-0--0--0--0--0--0--0--0--4--------4--4----------------|
D
|-3--0--2--0-----------0-------------------------------|
A
|-------------3--0--2-----------------0----------------|
D
|-------------------------0----------------------------|
Tab 2: Verse and Chorus (pretty much the whole song)
D
|-------------0------------------------------------------|
A
|-0--0--0--0--0------0-------0--0--0--0---------0--------|
F
|-0--0--0--0---------0-------0--0--0--0---------0--------|
D
|-------0--3-----3---0-------------0--3---0-----0--------|
A
|-0--3-----------------------0--3------------------------|
D
|--------------------------------------------------------|
Hard times here everywhere you go
D
|--------------0-----------------------------------------|
A
|-0--0--0--0---0-----0-------0--0--0---------------------|
F
|-0--0--0--0---------0-------0--0--0---------------------|
D
|--------------------------------------------------------|
A
|-------0--3------3--0-------------0---------------------|
D
|-0--3-----------------------0--3------------------------|
time are harder much
harder than
D
|-------------0--------------------------0---------------| The 5-4-0-is a slide
from 5 to 4,
A
|-------------0--------------------------0---------------| then a pull off from
4 to 0
F
|----------------0--------------------------0------------| The 5-7-5-5-4-0-is a
quick slide
D
|-5--4--0-----------5--7--5--5--4--0---------------------| from 5-7-5, then a
slide from 5
A
|--------------------------------------------------------| to 4 with a pull off
to 0---This
D
|----------0--------------------------0------------------| repeats 2 to 4 times
depending.
before
Note 1: there are
many variations to the finger picking to give the song life
throughout the
tune. add soul, pain and
heartache.