Boots Of Spanish Leather

Words & Music:

Bob Dylan

 

Eyolf ¯strem has tabbed the Bob Dylan version(s) here from his great dylanchords.info site.  The inimitable Martin Simpson has given his sublime fingerstyle arrangement (in C G C G C D tuning, capo 4) in the May 2009 issue of Acoustic Guitar and a lesson by him is on their website version of the same issue.  It is amazing.

 

These seem to be the chords on the album version:

G = 3 2 0 0 0 3         C/g = 3 x 2 0 1 3       Em9 = 0 5 4 0 3 x

D7/F# = 2 0 0 2 1 x     Em = 0 2 2 0 0 0

 

but note that in all recent live renditions, he plays:

G = 3 2 0 0 0 3         C/g = 3 x 2 0 1 3       "D" = x 5 4 0 3 0

C = x 3 2 0 1 0         Em = 0 2 2 0 0 0

 

The theoretically inclined may note the interesting change that the third chord has undergone, mainly because of the change in what follows.  The chords are the same as for "Girl From the North Country".

 

G C/g G

 

        Em9                D7/f#    G     C/g   G

Oh, I'm   sailin' away, my own true love

    Em9      D7/f#      G

I'm sailin' away in the mornin'

         Em                             C/g       G

Is there something I can send you from across the sea

         Em9        D7/f#   G       C/g    G

From the place that I'll be landing?

 

No, there's nothing you can send me my own true love.

There's nothing I'm a-wishin' to be ownin'.

Just a-carry yourself back to me unspoiled

From across that lonesome ocean.

 

Ah, but I just though you might want something fine

Made of silver or of golden

Either from the mountains of Madrid

Or the coast of Barcelona.

 

But if I had the stars from the darkest night

And the diamonds from the deepest ocean,

I'd foresake them all for your sweet kiss,

For that's all I'm wishin' to be ownin'

But I might be gone a long old time,

And it's only that I'm askin'.

Is there something I can send you to remember me by,

To make your time more easy passin'?

 

Oh how can, how can you ask me again?

It only brings me sorrow.

The same thing I would want today

I would want again tomorrow.

 

Oh I got a letter on a lonesome day.

It was from her ship a'sailin'.

Sayin' "I don't know when I'll be comin' back again.

It depends on how I'm a-feelin'."

 

If you my love must think that a'way

I'm sure your mind is a'roamin'.

I'm sure your thoughts are not with me

But with the country to where you're goin'.

 

So take heed, take heed of the Western winds.

Take heed of the stormy weather.

And yes, there's something you can send back to me:

Spanish Boots of Spanish Leather.

 

 

  G       C/g               G             Gsus4   G

  :   .   .   .     :   .   .   .     :   .   .   .     :   .   .   .

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

|-----0--(1)----1-|-----1---------0-|-----0h1-------0-|-----0-----------|

|-----------0-----|-----------0-----|-----------0-----|-----------0-----|

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

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

|-3-------3-------|-3-------3-------|-3-------3-------|-3-------3-------|

 

                    Em9                                 D7/f#

  :   .   .   .     :   .   .   .     :   .   .   .     :   .   .   .

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

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

|-----------0-----|-----------0-----|-----------0-----|-----------0-----|

|-----0-------0---|-----4-------4---|-----4-------4---|-----0-------0---|

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

|-3-------3-------|-0-------0-------|-0-------0-------|-2-------2-------|

      Oh, I'm       sailing     away          my        own     true love

 

  G       C/g               G                           Em9

  :   .   .   .     :   .   .   .     :   .   .   .     :   .   .   .

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

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

|-----------0-----|-----------0-----|-----------0-----|-----------0-----|

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

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

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

                                              I'm a -   sailing     a-

          D7/f#     G                 C/g     G

  :   .   .   .     :   .   .   .     :   .   .   .     :   .   .   .

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

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

|-----------------|-----------0-----|-----------0-----|-----------0-----|

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

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

|-0-------2-------|-3-------3-------|-3-------3-------|-3-------3-------|

 way      in  the   morning                                     Is there some-

 

  Em                            Em7   C/g     G                 C/g

  :   .   .   .     :   .   .   .     :   .   .   .     :   .   .   .

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

|-----0---------0-|-----0-----------|-----1---------0-|-----0---------1-|

|-----------0-----|-----------0-----|-----------0-----|-----------0-----|

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

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

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

thing I     can send you    from a -  cross   the   sea

 

          G                           Em9               D7/f#

  :   .   .   .     :   .   .   .     :   .   .   .     :   .   .   .

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

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

|-----------0-----|-----------0-----|-----------0-----|-----------0-----|

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

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

|-3-------3-------|-3-------3-------|-0-------0-------|-2-------2-------|

                            From the place that         I'll      be

 

  C/g     G                                   D7/f#     G

  :   .   .   .     :   .   .   .     :   .   .   .     :   .   .   .

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

|-----1---------0-|-----0---------0-|-------1-------0-|-----0-----------|

|-----------0-----|-----------0-----|---0-------0-----|-----------0-----|

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

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

|-3-------3-------|-3-------3-------|-3-------2-------|-3-------3-------|

  landing

 

  :   .   .   .

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

|-----0-----------|

|-----------0-----|

|-----0-------0---|

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

|-3-------3-------|

          No, there's...

 




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