@SONG: Ballad of Spider John
@CHORDS: Mike A. Hall (mhall@moe.coe.uga.edu)
By: Willis Allen Ramsey


Intro:  Am (pulloff w/ index finger)
Am                C  
Spider John is my name friend
D                                           Am
I'm in between freights and I sure would be obliged
         C               G
If you'd share your company
  Am                    C
I know this may sound strange to you
      D                                               Am
But if you wait till the song is sung and the story is told
          C            G
You might come to understand

        Am               C           D              G
Oh, I'm old and bent and Devil sent, runnin' out of time
        Am             C                 D
When I long ago held a Royal Flush in my hand
  
Chorus:
                 Em
     Oh, I was a Supermarket fool
             A7                         Em            A7
     I was a motor bank stool-pidgeon,  robbin' my hometown
         Em                           A7
     I thought I lost my blues, yes I thought I paid my dues
        F                  C               G
     I thought I'd found a life to suit my style
                         G               F
      But here I sit old Spider John the robber-man
     C               Am
      long, tall, and handsome
                G                   F          C        Am   
      Yes, old Spider John with a loaded hand,  takin' ransom

Then one day I met Diamond Lill
She was the sweetest thing, I declare 
That the summer breeze had ever blown my way
But Lilly she had no idea, of my illustrious occupation
She thought I was a saint, not a sinner, gone astray 
But you see that word got around and Lilly left town
I never saw her again
Tossin' and turnin', 'causin' my heart to grieve

(repeat chorus)

That is all my story
It's been these thirty years since I took the road
To find my precious jewel one
And if you see my Lilly, won't you give her my regards?
Tell her old Spider got tangled in the black web that he spun
You can tell her old Spider got tangled the black web that he spun