Young Man Blues

Words & Music:

Mose Allison

(The Who riff tabbed by Tilman Heckel 1997)

 

The Who's "Live At Leeds" performance of this is fully tabbed in the February 2007 issue of Guitar One.  The key to this is alternating the vocal line with the opening riff.

 

Opening Riff Chords:  E    D  A  E      A5   G5    E

  1   +   2   +   3   +   4   +     1   +   2   +   3   +   4   +

|---------------------------------|---------------------------------|

|-------------------------3---2---|-0-------------------------------|

|-------------------------4---2---|-0-------------------------------|

|---------------------2-----------|---------2p0-----0-------2p0-----|

|---------------------------------|-------------2---------------2---|

|(3-------0)----------------------|---------------------------------|

 

  1   +   2   +   3   +   4   +     1   +   2   +   3   +   4   +

|---------------------------------|---------------------------------||

|-------------------------3---2---|-0------------------------------0||

|-------------------------4---2---|-0-------------------------------||  [2x]

|-0-------2-----------2-----------|---------2p0-----0-------2p0-----||

|---------------------------------|-------------2---------------2--0||

|---------------------------------|---------------------------------||

 

  1   +   2   +   3   +   4   +     1   +   2   +   3   +   4   +

|---------------------------------|-3-------------------------------|

|---------------------------------|-3-------------------------------|

|---------------------------------|-3-------------------------------|

|---------------------------------|-2-------------------------------|

|---------------------------------|-2-------------------------------|

|-3-------0-----------------------|-0-------------------------------|

 

E  [play opening riff at end of vox line]

Oh, well, a young man ain't got nothing in the world these days.

E  [play opening riff at end of vox line]

I said, the young man ain't got nothing in the world these days.

[opening riff]

Well, you know in the old days, when the young man was a strong man.

All the people, they stepped back when the young man walked by.

[opening riff]

But you know, nowadays, it's the old man, who's got all the money...

And the young man ain't got nothing in the world these days.

E                             D  E5

I say, they ain't got nothing... They got sweet fuck-all!!!

 

INSTRUMENTAL OVER:  D  A   E5  [3x]   D   E5   G5   E5   A5  E5

 

VOCAL RIFF OVER INSTRUMENTAL SOLO, BITS & PIECES OF THIS LINE:

In the old days, when the young man walked by, they stepped back!

 

[opening riff to end]

Nowadays, if you're the young man,

They ain't got nothing in the world these days.

I say, they ain't got nothing!  They got sweet fuck-all!!!!