Mean Mary - Sweet Jezebel
CAPO: 4th Fret
## NOTE: Notes in parentheses( ) are single-note Bass Walk-Downs ##
[Intro]
Em (G)(F#) Em (G)(F#) Em (G)(F#) Em (G)
[Verse 1]
(F#) Em
In Louisian’, where swamp is land
(G)(F#)
And cotton falls like snow
Em
Where alligators slink, mosquitoes drink
(G)
And wild things love to grow
(F#) Em
It was past midnight, I had one headlight
Am
And my gas pedal on the floor
Em
I was tired of watching clocks and taking hard knocks
Am B7 Em
And locking my dreams in a drawer
[Verse 2]
E
Up ahead in the night, a deer took flight
Am
As warm rain started to fall
Em
Heard my tires squeal as I jerked the wheel
Am B7 Em
And drove straight into an oak tree wall
My head in a daze, I escaped through a maze
Am
Of busted steel and glass
Em
In silk pantyhose with holes in the toes
Am B7 Em
I started running through the tall wet grass
[Chorus]
C B7
I saw a house all alone, as bare as a bone
Am Em
Like someone had thrown it away
C B7
It reeked of smoke and neglect
Am B7
That choked memories of a better day
Am D
I stood at the door, soaked to my core
Em
And feeling just a little insane
Am C
When the door opened wide, a man stood inside
B7
And said, "Come in out of the rain"
N.C. Em
Said, "Come in out of the rain"
[Interlude]
Em (G)(F#) Em (G)(F#) Em (G)(F#) Em (G)(F#)
[Verse 3]
Em
His eyes were dark like the eyes of a shark
(G)(F#)
And his face was neither young nor old
Em
I paused for a beat before moving my feet
(G)
And crossing that wide threshold
(F#) Em
It was a summer night and a fire burned bright
Am
But I began to shiver and shake
Em
He gave me a coat of fur, a smile demure
Am B7 Em
And a plate full of devil’s food cake
[Verse 4]
E
Oh, he sat down on a chair like a lion in his lair
Am
And lit up a thin cigar
Em
With an air of conceit, reached down by his feet
Am B7 Em
And picked up a red guitar
He ran his hand down the strings like his fingers were wings
Am
And a strange silence fell
Em
He said, "This is my story, my life and my glory
Am B7 Em
Oh, this is my sweet Jezebel"
[Chorus]
C B7
Jezebel was slim with ebony trim
Am Em
And I stared in wonder and awe
C B7
Her neck was inlaid with pearl and jade
Am B7
And I couldn’t find one single flaw
Am D
He started to play, and I started to pray
Em
As that fire burned hotter than hell
Am C
And I could feel a hole burning clear through my soul
B7
As I listened to sweet Jezebel
N.C. C
I listened to sweet Jezebel
[Instrumental]
C F#dim7 D7/F# C F#dim7 C
Em F#dim7 F Em F#dim7 Em C B7 Em
[Verse 5]
She sang about sin and places she’d been
Am
And I found myself lost in her spell
Em
Of murder and lies, deceit and disguise
Am B7 Em
Was the song of, oh, sweet Jezebel
Like a siren of the sea, she sang it to me
Am
And each note was calling my name
Em
And the harder I fought, the closer I got
Am B7 Em
To standing in that red-hot flame
[Chorus]
C B7
A faint morning glow, through a dusty window
Am Em
Washed over me like a flood
C B7
And the song of a sparrow came straight as an arrow
Am B7
Through that guitar, red as blood
Am D
There was fear and surprise in those cold shark eyes
Em
As I reached for sweet Jezebel
Am C
And the flames leapt higher as straight in the fire
B7
I threw that guitar back to hell
N.C. Em
I threw that guitar back to hell
[Interlude]
Em (G)(F#) Em (G)(F#) Em (G)(F#) Em (G)
[Verse 6]
(F#) Em
An unholy scream cut through my dream
(G)(F#)
And I woke with my head on the dash
Em
My car smelled of smoke from the rain that had choked
(G)(F#)
The fire that flamed from the crash
Em
I jumped from my seat, away from that heat
Am
And kneeled on that rain-soaked ground
Em
I prayed till I cried, till the fear in my died
Am B7 Em
And on that lonely road I was found
[Verse 7]
Oh, never again will I be taken in
Am
By a stranger in the night
Em
I take the path narrow and the song of a sparrow
Am B7 Em
Leads me straight into the arms of the light
Am D
But sometimes in the dark I see the eyes of a shark
Em
And I’m lost in a dream for a spell
Am C
Before I can wake, I eat devil’s food cake
B7
And hear again, sweet Jezebel
N.C. Em
Hear again, sweet Jezebel
[Outro]
C F#dim7 D7/F# C F#dim7 C D7/F# Em