Artist: Taj Mahal
Band: Taj Mahal Trio
Song: Betty and Dupree
URL: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OAHXSZcmTyo (Live Recording)
Location: Legendary R’n’B Cruise-19, S.E. Caribbean, 27/10/12 to 03/11/12.
Tempo: 4/8
Style Cajun 12-Bar Blues (Slow finger plucked upwards)
Tuning: Open C
Chords: CGCGCe
C 000000 (also XX0000)
F/C XX0301
G5 X02023
INTRO:
N/C C N/C C (Accelerando strums)
“Gather round me. Every-body.”
N/C G (Low open string) X 12 C (Low open string)
“I’m gonna tell ya a story about Betty ’n’ Dupree.”
BRIDGE: Instrumental (short plucked chords upwards)
|C F/C C C|
|F/C F/C C C|
|G5 F/C C C| G (Low open string) X 8 C (Low open string)
VERSE 1: (Finger plucked on lowest strings)
C F/C C
Betty told Dupree - before, she want a diamond ring,
F/C C
I said, Betty told Dupree, she want a diamond ring.
G5 (Hold) F/C C G (Low open string) X 8 C (Low open string)
Dupree told Betty: Baby, I'll buy you any-thing.
VERSE 2:
C F/C C
Dupree asked Betty: Baby, won't you be my wife,
F/C C
Dupree asked Betty: Baby, won't you be my wife,
G5
She said, "I'm yours, I'm yours, big Daddy,
F/C C G (Low open string) X 8 C (Low open string)
Honey, for the rest o’ your life.”
VERSE 3:
C F/C C
Betty said Dupree, honey I’m goin’ throw you a natural Ball,
F/C C
Dupree said Betty, babe, I throw you a natural Ball.
G5
All the men dressed-up like zombies - ha,
F/C C G (Low open string) X 8 C (Low open string)
And the women, the women, walk right through the wall.
VERSE 4:
C F/C C
She cried out, on it’s highest peak, whoo! - whoo!
F/C C
She cried out from his highest peak,
G5
They were loving, loving, loving, loving, loving,
F/C C G (Low open string) X 8 C (Low open string)
Loving, loving, loving, she could hardly even speak.”
INSTRUMENTAL BRIDGE:
|C F/C C C|
|F/C F/C C C|
|G5 F/C C C| G (Low open string) X 8 C (Low open string)
VERSE 5:
C F/C C
Betty told Dupree, she want a diamond ring,
F/C C
Oh, Betty told Dupree, someone Sheriff, she want-ta diamond ring.
F/C C G (Low open string) X 8 C (Low open string)
Dupree told Betty, I'm gonna buy you any-thing.
VERSE 6:
C F/C C
Hear me holler, baby hear me moan,
F/C C
Hear me holler, whoa - hear me moan.
G5
Oh the way you loving’ me baby,
F/C C G (Low open string) X 8 C (Low open string)
I can’t stand to leave you alone.
VERSE 7:
C F/C C
Put your arms around me, like a circle around the Sun,
F/C
Put your loving’ arms around me,
C
Baby, oh baby like a circle around the Sun,
G5
Won't you love me, love me,
F/C C G (Low open string) X 8 C (Low open string)
Love me, until the cows come home.
VERSE 8 & CODA:
C F/C C
Betty told Dupree before, she want a diamond ring,
F/C C
I said, Betty told Dupree, she want a diamond ring.
G5 F/C C G (Low open string) X 8 C (Low open string)
Dupree told Betty: Baby, I'll buy you any-thing.
[End]
Notes.
1. I’ll annotate ‘Taj Mahal’s’ lead riffs, in a following TAB.
2. There are chord accents at the end of the first line in each verse, that sound not unlike
‘part C III-C III+part G5’ or ‘XXXX43-XXXX43+XXXX23’ but they have been omitted for clarity.