"Bus To Baton Rouge" by Lucinda Williams
From the album "Essence" (2001)
Written by Lucinda Williams
Tabbed by CJWilky
Standard tuning
No capo
[Intro]
C Fmaj7/C
C Fmaj7/C
[Verse 1]
C Dm
I had to go back to that house one more time
G C
To see if the camellias were in bloom
C Dm
For so many reasons it's been on my mind
G C
The house on Belmont Avenue
C Dm
Built up on cinderblocks off of the ground
G C
What with the rain, the soft swampy land
C Dm
By the sweet honeysuckle that grew all around
G C
Were switches when we were bad
[Chorus]
C Fmaj7/C
I took a bus to Baton Rouge
C Fmaj7/C
I took a bus to Baton Rouge
C Fmaj7/C
C Fmaj7/C
[Verse 2]
C Dm
All the front rooms were kept closed off
G C
I never liked to go in there much
C Dm
Sometimes the doors they'd be locked
G C
'Cause there were precious things that I couldn't touch
C Dm
The company couch covered in plastic
G C
Little books about being saved
C Dm
The dining room table nobody ate at
G C
The piano that nobody played
[Chorus]
C Fmaj7/C
I took a bus to Baton Rouge
C Fmaj7/C
I took a bus to Baton Rouge
C Fmaj7/C
C Fmaj7/C
[Verse 3]
C Dm
There was a beautiful lamp I always loved
G C
A seashore was painted on the shade
C Dm
It would turn around when you switched on the bulb
G C
And gently rock the waves
C Dm
The driveway was covered with tiny white seashells
G C
A fig tree stood in the backyard
C Dm
There are other things I remember as well
G C
But to tell them would just be too hard
C Dm
Ghosts in the wind that blow through my life
G C
Follow me wherever I go
C Dm
I'll never be free from these chains inside
G C
Hidden deep down in my soul
[Chorus]
C Fmaj7/C
I took a bus to Baton Rouge
C Fmaj7/C
I took a bus to Baton Rouge
C Fmaj7/C
I took a bus to Baton Rouge
[Outro]
C Fmaj7/C
C Fmaj7/C
C Fmaj7/C C