The Ballad Of Curtis Loew
by Lynyrd Skynyrd
Words and music by Allen Collins and Ronnie Van Zant



        Gtr. 1 (Elec) Clean Tone w/ Slide A                      E5
E---||---------------------------------|--------------------------------
B---||---------------------------------|--------------------------------
G---||-----13---/---13\11--9--9/11~~~--|---------9---/13--13\11--9------
D---||---------------------------------|--9--11-----9-------------------
A---||---------------------------------|--------------------------------
E---||---------------------------------|--------------------------------

                 E                              B7
E-------------|---------------------------|-----------------------------
B-------------|---------------------------|-----------------------------
G---/-/13~~~--|~~~------------------------|-----------------------------
D-------------|--------(13)\--------------|-----------------------------
A-------------|---------------------------|-----------------------------
E-------------|-------------------7/9-----|-----11----------------------
     1. Well I used to wake...                before the rooster crowed,

                    E                           A
E----------------|---------------------------|--------------------------
B----------------|---------------------------|--------------------------
G----------------|---------------------------|--------------------------
D----/6-----5\4--|---------------------------|--------------------------
A----------------|--7------------------/4\---|--0-----0--0--------------
E----------------|---------------------------|--------------0--2--------
                     Searchin' for soda bottles, get myself some dough--

    F#7              E                                           B7
E--------------|----------------------------------------------|---------
B--------------|----------------------------------------------|---------
G--------------|--------------------------------------7\6-----|--4------
D--------------|----------------------------------------------|---------
A--------------|----------------------------------------------|---------
E---------4\2--|-----0----------------------------------------|---------
                       Run em' down to the corner,               down to

                                           A
E------------------------------------|-----------------|----------------
B------------------------------------|-----------------|----------------
G---~~~~~~---------------------------|-----2~~~~~~~~~--|----------------
D---------------------/6-----6\4--2--|-----------------|----------------
A------------------------------------|-----------------|----------------
E------------------------------------|-----------------|----------------
the country store,                        Cash em' in, and give my money to

               Verse:  E          B7                A        G    E
E-----------------||--------------------------|-------------------------
B-----------------||--------------------------|-------------------------
G-----------------||*-------------------------|-------------------------
D-----------------||*-------------------------|-------------------------
A------4--2-------||-------/4-----2-----------|-----0-------------------
E------------3\---||---0----------------------|--------------3\---0-----
a man...            2. Old Curt was a black man, with white curly hair.
                    3. He looked to be sixty,    and maybe I was ten.
                    4. On the day ole Curtis died, nobody came to pray.


                                B7         D                    A
E---------|------------------------------|----------------------0-------
B---------|------------------------------|------------------------------
G---------|------------------------------|/11--------(11)\---------2----
D---------|------------------------------|------------------------------
A---------|/7-----------5\4-----2--------|------------------------------
E---------|------------------------------|------------------------------
            When he had a fifth of wine, he did not have a care.
            Mama used to whoop me,      but I'd go see him again.
            Ole preacher said some words, and they chunked him in the clay

       G           E(Rhy Fig 1A)  B7             A        G       E
E---------0-----|--0--------0-----------------|-------------------------
B------2--------|-----------0-----4-----x-----|-------------------------
G---2--------2--|-----------------4-----x-----|-------------------------
D---------------|-----------------4-----x-----|--------2----------------
A---------------|-----------------------------|--0----------------------
E---------------|-----------------------------|-----------3\------0-----
                 He used to own an old do-bro, used to play...
                 I'd clap my hands, stomp my feets, try to stay in time,
                 Well he lived a lifetime, playin' the black man's blues.

                                B7                       E
E---------|---------------------------------|---------------------------
B---------|---------------------------------|---------------------------
G---------|---------------------------------|--7-----7\--9--------------
D---------|---------------------------------|--7-----\---9--------------
A---------|/7~~~--------5\4-----2~~~~~~-----|---------------------------
E---------|---------------------------------|---------------------------
           I give old Curt my money he'd play all day for me
           He'd play me a song or two, then take another drink of wine.
           And on the day he lost his life, that's all he had to lose.

    End Rhy Fig. 1A      A(Begin Rhy Fig. 2)      E
E---------------------||------------------------|----------------9------
B---------------------||/14~~~~~~--------14-----|/9~~~~~~-----9---------
G---------------7-----||-----------------14-----|-9---------------------
D---9--9--9--9--------||------------------------|-----------------------
A---------------------||------------------------|-----------------------
E---------------------||------------------------|-----------------------
              Chorus:  Play me a song, Curtis Loew, Curtis Loew.


                  A                            E
E------7-------|----------------------------|----------------------9----
B---------8\7--|--5~~~~~~-------------------|------------------/9-------
G--------------|--------------6-----4-------|---------------------------
D--------------|-----------------------5/6--|---------------------------
A--------------|----------------------------|--7------------------------
E--------------|----------------------------|---------------------------
          1,2: Well I got your drinkin money, so tune up your dobro.
            3: I wish that you was here so, everyone would know.

                            A                         E
E------12----------------|-------------------------|--------------------
B----------12------------|-------------------------|--------------------
G--------------12\11/13--|--9~~~~~~-----6--4-------|--------------------
D------------------------|--------------------5/6--|--2--------5--------
A------------------------|-------------------------|--------------------
E------------------------|-------------------------|--------------------
                       People said he was useless,them people are


       F#7                          E         D            A
E-----------------------------|-------------------------|---------------
B-----------------------------|-------------------------|---------------
G-----------------------------|-----13~~~~~~--11~~~~~~--|--6------------
D----/4-----(4)h6p4-----------|-------------------------|-----7---------
A-----------------------------|-------------------------|---------------
E-----------------------------|-------------------------|---------------
     the fools------.       'Cause Curtis Loew..finest....ever
                    3rd time:Cause Curtis you're...finest...ever

                  E  End Rhy Fig 2                  D
E-----------------------|---------------------------------------|-------
B-----------------------|---------------------------------------|--7----
G---6-------------------|---/13-----13\11-----9-----9/11~~~-----|-------
D------6\4--2-----2-----|---------------------------------------|-------
A-----------------------|---------------------------------------|-------
E-----------------------|---------------------------------------|-------
   play the blues....


                   A  E
E--------------------------9-----7--------||----------------------------
B---------7-----------7/9-----------8\7---||----------------------------
G---7--------7-----9---------------------*||----------------------------
D------7---------------------------------*||----------------------------
A-----------------------------------------||----------------------------
E-----------------------------------------||----------------------------



    After 2nd time thru Chorus, play this:           A
E---||---------------------------------7----------|---------------------
B---||------------------------------------8\7-----|---------------------
G---||---/13-----13\11-----9---/11----------------|--9~~~~~~~~~--12-----
D---||--------------------------------------------|---------------------
A---||--------------------------------------------|---------------------
E---||--------------------------------------------|---------------------


                Guitar Solo!    B7           A                G
E---------------|/12~~~--14/16--14~~~/16--|--(16)\14--12----------------
B-------12--14--|-------------------------|---------------14------------
G---13----------|-------------------------|-------------------12\11-----
D---------------|-------------------------|-----------------------------
A---------------|-------------------------|-----------------------------
E---------------|-------------------------|-----------------------------



    E                                    B7                 D
E--------------|--------------------------------------|-----------------
B--------------|--------------------------------------|-----------------
G---9--6--4----|------------6-------------------------|-----------------
D------------6\|-----6\4/6---/6---/6-----4~~~--(4)/6--|---/6\4--2-------
A--------------|--------------------------------------|------------0----
E--------------|--------------------------------------|-----------------



            E                               B7          A       G
E-----------------------|--------9--------------------------------------
B--------------------5--|/9\7/9-----7/9-----7~~~---/8\7/8/7--5----------
G--------------6--4-----|---------------------------------------6--4----
D-----------------------|-----------------------------------------------
A---2-------------------|-----------------------------------------------
E------3/4--0-----------|-----------------------------------------------



          E             E                      B7
E-----------------9--|--12~~~-----19--0/15--0--14\12--------------------
B---5--5~~~--8/9-----|---------0----------------------12--12------------
G--------------------|----------------------------------------12\11-----
D--------------------|--------------------------------------------------
A--------------------|--------------------------------------------------
E--------------------|--------------------------------------------------



       D        E             Then:  Hold this bend ---
E---|---------------------||--|-----------------------------------------
B---|---------------------||--|-------17--------------------------------
G---|--9--6--4------------||--|--16^------16-----(16)-------------------
D---|-----------7\---2/---||--|-----------------------------------------
A---|---------------------||--|-----------------------------------------
E---|---------------------||--|-----------------------------------------



    Hold--------------------
E--------------------------------------------|--------------------------
B--------------12----------------------------|--------------------------
G---11^--(11)------11--(11)--9h11--(11)^-----|--------------------------
D--------------------------------------------|--------------------------
A--------------------------------------------|--------------------------
E--------------------------------------------|--------------------------



    Hold-----------------                          Bend & Release
E------------------------------------|--12--9---------------------------
B--------17---------------17-----12--|--12-----12-----------------------
G---16^------16--(16)----------------|-------------11^--(11)-----9------
D------------------------------------|----------------------------------
A------------------------------------|----------------------------------
E------------------------------------|----------------------------------



               Hold-----------------              Prebend & Release
E--------|---------------------------|----------------------------------
B--------|----------17---------------|----------------------------------
G---~~~--|-----16^------16--(16)-----|---------9--11--(11)/13-----15----
D--------|---------------------------|--9--11---------------------------
A--------|---------------------------|----------------------------------
E--------|---------------------------|----------------------------------




E-----------|--12--------------9--7---------------|---------------------
B------/12--|------14--12\-/9--------8--(8)\7--5--|---------------------
G---~~~-----|-------------------------------------|-----6--4------------
D-----------|-------------------------------------|-----------x--x------
A-----------|-------------------------------------|---------------------
E-----------|-------------------------------------|---------------------



            D.S. al Coda                 Coda(Outro)
E-----------------------||-----------||-------------------------|-------
B-----------------------||-----------||-------------------------|--7----
G-----------------------||-----------||/13-----13\11----/11~~~--|-------
D---5/6--2--------------||-----------||---------------14--------|-------
A-----------4--2--------||-----------||-------------------------|-------
E-----------------4--2--||-----------||-------------------------|-------



                                           Hold bend------
E------------------------------------|-----|--12---12-------------------
B---------7--------------------------|-----|--12---12-------------------
G---7--------7-----9--11/13-----(13)\|-----|--11^--11--(11)--9----------
D------7-----------------------------|-----|----------------------------
A------------------------------------|-----|----------------------------
E------------------------------------|-----|----------------------------


    Bend & Release                Hold-----
E-----------------|---------------------------------|-------------------
B---12------------|---------------12^--12-----------|-----------14------
G---11^--(11)-----|--------9------11---11--(11)-----|--9~~~-------------
D-----------------|--9h11-----11--------------------|-------------------
A-----------------|---------------------------------|-------------------
E-----------------|---------------------------------|-------------------


                         Harmonic
E--------------------||--5----------------------------------------------
B---12---------------||-------------------------------------------------
G-------11/13~~~~~~--||-------------------------------------------------
D--------------------||-------------------------------------------------
A--------------------||-------------------------------------------------
E--------------------||-------------------------------------------------