Blackwaterside Tab

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                                  Blackwaterside – Bert Jansch
 
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Tabbed by Robert Saunders
Recording: Live Norwegian TV ’73 (www.youtube.com/watch?v=FHYE7etshpM)
Tuning: DADGBE (drop D) with capo on 3
 
 
NOTES:
 
The tab below draws heavily on tabs by Jamie Phillips and Craig Rogers, without whose efforts I’m not
sure I would have got very far. Having said that, this is quite different to theirs, and I hope it is
an improvement. Some of the differences are just differences in fingering and layout but there are other
significant differences too (not least, the fact that it is taken from a different recording). And unlike
Jamie who has done an amazing job of transcribing Bert’s songs purely by ear, I had the advantage of
watching Bert play this on YouTube.
 
This tab is transcribed from the “Live Norwegian TV ’73” recording which I found easier to follow than
some of the other versions. Just remember that this is Bert Jansch; a man who was always happy to chuck
in an extra note or beat whenever he felt like it, so don't get too hung up on trying to play every note
exactly the way he did in any particular recording. I doubt he ever played this song exactly the same way
twice, and nor should anyone else try to.
 
Please note that I have left out some trills because it was difficult to include them with the even
spacing that I’ve used, but some of the hammer-on/pull-offs (eg h2p0) should be played as trills
(ie 0h2p0) instead. The spacing I’ve used still isn’t quite right for the hammer-on/pull offs but
I hope it’s clear enough to make sense. The alternative would have been to make the spacing twice as
wide but I thought that was unnecessary.
 
I've also used T to denote the 10th fret in the third bar because there wasn't room to write 10 and
keep the spacing even.
 
The intro and the verse are very similar but I’ve tabbed them separately for clarity.
 
I've tabbed the outro with the fingering that Bert uses in the video, but I find it easier to play the
same notes on the on the 3rd (G) string rather than the 2nd (B) string, which enables me to do the bend
with my ring finger rather than my little finger.
 
At the end of the recording, after the outro, he improvises a bit, starting with a trill on the 3rd
string of D chord. I’ve not included that in the tab as it’s not an intrinsic part of the song, but
I may add it at a later date.
 
 
 
INTRO:
 
 
    *     *     *     *      *     *     *     *      *     *
E|-----------------------0|------------------------|-----------0|
B|--------------------3---|5/7--------7--------7---|--8hTp8-7---|
G|-----------------2------|-----------------7------|------------|
D|------------------------|--0---------------------|--------7---|
A|-----------------------4|-----------5------------|--0---------|
D|--------------0---------|--------0--------------0|------------|
 
                                                       [T]
 
 
    *     *     *     *     *      *     *     *     *      *     *
E|------------------------------|------------------------|------------|
B|-----3-----------------------3|-----1---1----1----1----|---3----3---|
G|-----0-h2p0------------2------|-----0---0----0----0----|---0----0---|
D|-----------4--2--0-----0h2p0--|-----2---2----2----2----|---0----0---|
A|-----------------------------0|--3-----3----3----3-----|--2----2----|
D|--0-----------------0---------|-----------------------0|-----------0|
 
 
 
    *     *     *     *      *     *     *     *      *     *     *     *
E|------------------------|------------------------|------------------------|
B|------------------------|------------------------|------------------------|
G|--2--------0-----------0|-----2--------0--------0|-----2--------0--------0|
D|--0-h2p0---------0-h3---|-----0-h2p0------0-h3---|-----0-h2p0------0-h3---|
A|--------3--2------------|-----------3--2---------|-----------3--2---------|
D|--------------------3---|--0-----------------3---|--0-----------------3---|
 
 
 
VERSE:
 
 
                  One mornin fair           I         took the air
    *     *     *     *      *     *     *     *      *     *
E|------------------------|------------------------|-----------0|
B|-----------------------5|--7--------7--------7---|--8hTp8-7---|
G|--------------------7---|-----------------7------|------------|
D|----------------/7------|-----------0------------|--------7---|
A|------------------------|-/5---------------------|--0---------|
D|--------------0---------|--------0--------------0|------------|
 
 
                        Down       by                   blackwa......ter
    *     *     *     *     *      *     *     *     *      *     *
E|------------------------------|------------------------|------------|
B|-----3-----------------------3|-----1---1----1-----1---|---3----3---|
G|-----0-h2p0-----------2-------|-----0---0----0-----0---|---0----0---|
D|-----------4—-2-p0----0-h2p0--|-----2---2----2-----2---|---0----0---|
A|-----------------------------0|--3-----3----3----3-----|--2----2----|
D|--0-----------------0---------|-----------------------0|-----------0|
 
 
    side                                                 Twas in ga....zing
    *     *     *     *      *     *     *     *      *     *     *     *
E|------------------------|------------------------|------------------------|
B|------------------------|------------------------|------------------------|
G|--2--------0-----------0|-----2--------0--------0|-----2-------/4h5p4----0|
D|--0-h2p0---------0-h3---|-----0-h2p0------0-h3---|-----0-h2p0---0-----7---|
A|--------3--2------------|-----------3--2---------|-----------3------------|
D|--------------------3---|--0-----------------3---|--0----------/5---------|
 
 
    a..............l..l      rou.....nd  me                             The I...
    *     *     *     *      *     *     *     *      *     *     *     *
E|------------------------|------------------------|------------------------|
B|------------------------|------------------------|------------------------|
G|--7--------7------------|--0-----------2---------|--0--------0------------|
D|--4--------4--------4---|--5-----4--5--0-----2p0-|-----0--3--------0--2--4|
A|-----------------5------|--2-----0--2-----------3|--2---------------------|
D|--------0---------------|--------------0---------|--------3-----0-----5--0|
 
 
.................rish lad I
    *     *     *     *
E|------------------------|
B|------------------------|
G|------------------------|
D|--5-3p2p0--5----4p2----2|
A|--2-----------------4---|
D|------------------------|
 
 
    spied
    *     *     *     *      *     *     *     *      *     *     *     *
E|------------------------|------------------------|------------------------|
B|------------------------|------------------------|------------------------|
G|--2--------0-----------0|-----2--------0--------0|-----2--------0--------0|
D|--0-h2p0---------0--3---|-----0-h2p0------0---h3-|-----0-h2p0------0---h3-|
A|--------3--2------------|-----------3--2---------|-----------3--2---------|
D|--0-----------------3---|--0-----------------0h3-|--0-----------------0h3-|
 
 
 
OUTRO:
 
 
 
    *     *     *     *      *     *     *     *      *     *     *     *
E|------------------------|------------------------|-----2-----0------------|
B|-----0--2-----3--------3|-----0--2-----3--------3|-----------------3-----3|
G|-------------------b6---|-------------------b6---|-----2-------------b6---|
D|------------------------|------------------------|-----------------4------|
A|-----2--4-----5---------|-----2--4-----5---------|------------------------|
D|--0---------------------|--0---------------------|--0---------------------|
 
                                                     [Slowing down]
 
 
 
 
***********************************************************
 
| h = hammer-on
| p = pull-off
| / = slide-up
| T = 10
| b = bend
| * = beat
 
***********************************************************
 
 
 
LYRICS:
 
One morning fair
I took the air
Down by Blackwaterside
‘Twas in gazing all around me
The Irish lad I spied
 
All through the fore part of that night
We lay in sport and play
Till this young man arose and gathered his clothes
Saying, "Fare thee well today"
 
That's not the promise that you gave to me
When first you lay on my breast
You could make me believe with your lying tongue
That the sun rose in the west
 
Then go home, to your father's garden
Go home and weep your fill
And think on your own misfortune
That you've wrought with your wanton will
 
One morning fair, I took the air
Down by Blackwaterside
‘Twas in gazing all around me
The Irish lad I spied
X