Sonny Boy

Capo: 3rd fret 
Play: C 
Key: Eb (+ several key changes) 

For chords in original key, transpose +3 (and "use flats") 

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Intro 
C 
   It's me comin' at you 
C7 
  From the land beyond 
F 
  I'm up here in heaven 
Fm 
  Where I belong 
C 
 I'm gonna yell you my story 
A7 
 About a man who's down in hell 
D7 
 He ain't up here anyway 
G7 
 As far as I can tell 
C 
 This man stole my name 
C7 
 He stole my soul 
F 
 They're so holy up here 
                Fm 
They don't understand, but he even tried to steal my jellyroll 
C                    A7 
  So here it is, my story 
                    D7 D7 D7 
Here it is from the top 


G                     C      C7 
 My name is Sonny Boy Williamson 
G/D          E7/B     A7    D7 
 I come from Jackson, Tennessee 
G        G/F       C     Cm 
 Being a man named Sonny Boy 
      G/D    E7            A7          D7 
Might bother you, it never bothered me none 


G                      C        C7 
My mother loved me, my wife did too 
G/D      E7/B          A7         D7 
 I had a dream and the dream come true 
G             G/F            C      Cm 
 I wrote some songs that the people knew 
           G/D     E7                 A7     D7 
Like "Good Morning School Girl" and "Jackson Blue" 


Em                      C 
 Around the time of the great migration 
    G/D                             E7 
The blues run up the river, spread across the nation 
A7 
 I run up with 'em caused a great sensation 
        D7              Em  Fdim7   D/F# 
Selling biscuits on the radio in Chicago 
Em                      C 
 Out on the Westside to see the sights 
G/D                      E7 
 Turned a corner, see my name in lights 
A7 
 Said I'd been playin' there for 14 nights 
D7 
 This I had to see 


Link 
G                          C 
 This big old ugly cat was on the stage 
A7               D7 
 Twice my size, about my age 
B7                E7 
Played six songs, five were mine 
     A7                      D7 
If I said he was good I'd be lyin' 
                            (break) 
              G                                 C7 
Then he says "What's my name?", the crowd says "Sonny Boy!" 
         A7                          D7 
He says "What's my name?" , they go "Sonny Boy!" 
             B7                        N.C. 
And he says "What's my name?", I said "Hold it, 


E                     A      A7 
 My name is Sonny Boy Williamson 
E/B           C#7      F#7   B7 
 The one from Jackson, Tennessee 
E               E7 
 Don't know who you are 
   A         Am 
Or where you come from 
    E              C#7 
But one thing I do know 
F#7       B7 
You ain't me, son." 

 
C#m                     A7 
 Looked in his eyes and they was red 
           E/B               E7 
As was the rangtang hair dye all over his head 
F#7 
Scared me so bad I ran outside 
B7 
 Looked for a place to hide 
Em                          C 
 Run 'round a corner, smack into a robbery 
          G/D                     E7 
They were shootin' each other but they hit me 
A7 
 Next thing I know I came up here 
       D7           C#aug D7 
In the middle of my 34th  year 
                         (break) 

 
            Gm   A7      D7  Gm 
Now I'm the only bluesman in heaven 
Cm                   Gm 
 It makes me kind of sad 
Ab           D7  Gm 
 I know only one who dies so young 
A7                       D7 
 Didn't have the time to do nothing bad 



       Gm        A7               D        D7 
As for Sonny Boy Two, the man who stole my name 
D7             G7     Cm 
 He went on to glory, fortune and fame 
E7                        A7 
 He's the one who went to England 
         Dm 
Tried to teach those English boys the blues 
        F                  E 
He said what do I have to lose? 
         E 
Well, it killed him, yeah, it killed him 
       (break) 


        Am   B7      E7  Am 
I'm the only bluesman in heaven 
Dm                     Am 
 And I'm lonely as can be 
Bm               E 
 Lord, if you're listening 
Am       Am/G 
 Hear my plea 
F#7        B7 
 Send up a bluesman 
   E                   E7 
To play the blues with me 

Coda 
A 
 This is Sonny Boy Williamson 
D7 
 Number One 
A/E       E 
That's my story 
    A 
I'm done