Tumbleweed

Tabbed by: maguri
Tuning: Standard
A wonderful and haunting contemporary folk song penned by Peter Rowan
and Bill Miller from Rowan's album "Dust Bowl Children" (1990).
Highly recommended!
It's not that difficult to play, mostly Travis. The final E7 of
Intro/Link/Chorus, however, might at first pose some problems to picking
beginners with the bending quickly followed by a hammering on. The notes
in brackets can be added to link the chord transitions smoothly. Rowan
himself plays lots of subtle variations throughout the song that I
sometimes but not always noted here.
Have fun!
Capo 3rd fret

                                                                  1. Far a-

  -cross  the  Mississippi  and  out   on   the open    plains       In an
   [3.] boot heals tap in time to an  old flat top box guitar       He's a

   Oklahoma cow town where the       sky begins to rain                In a
   guitar local hero and he          sings straight from the heart. And his

   dusty run-down honky tonk sits a    drifting tumbleweed
   tip jar is just a jumble of worn old dollar bills                    He

   Thumbing through some magazine      he can't even read
   makes his bread and grocery in the local bar and grill

                                                                   2. Now
                                                                   4. When

   tumbleweed remembers how the       west was won and lost            The
   he starts to picking that          people turn and stare           When
            old guitar you know the

 homestead act and the dust bowl, everybody paid the cost        And the
 he starts singing the songs he wrote wells there's magic in the air. Cause

  great white father promised to treat his children all the same Back when
  his song can heal your wounded heart, he can set you spirit free. He can

   Indian Territory was                Oklahoma's name                 Oh,
   raise you hopes to be the very      best that you can be

   tumbleweed keep rollin', he just    roams from town to town     It ain't

   easy for a half-breed kid to        try and settle down

   Tumbleweed keep rollin', he can't   find no place to rest     'Cause the

   desert wind blows tumbleweed                              the spirit
                                                                of the west

                                                              3. Well, his
                                                            5. So when you

   cross the Mississippi, you head out on the open plain           And you

   pass through Oklahoma where the     sky begins to rain        And you're

   feeling kind of rootless, you can't find no place to nest

  Just remember tumbleweed,                                the spirit
                                                               of the west

                                                                 Yeah, the

  desert wind blows tumbleweed,                            the spirit
                                                               of the west

  desert wind calls tumbleweed,                            the spirit
                                                               of the west

   [falsetto wail] Oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooh

sweep down (i)

************************************
| /   slide up
| \   slide down
| h   hammer-on
| p   pull-off
| ~   vibrato
| +   harmonic
| x   Mute note
| b   Bend
| pb  Pre-bend
| br  Bend release
| pbr Pre-bend release
| brb Bend release bend
************************************
Tumble Weed
(Bill Miller/Peter Rowan)
1.
Far across the Mississippi and out on the open plains
In an Oklahoma cow town where the sky begins to rain
In a dusty run-down honky tonk sits a drifting tumbleweed
Thumbing through some magazine that he can't even read
2.
Now tumbleweed remembers how the west was won and lost
The homestead act and the dust bowl, everybody paid the cost
And the great white father promised to treat his children all the same
Back when Indian Territory was Oklahoma's name
Chorus 1
Oh tumbleweed keep rollin', he just roams from town to town
It ain't easy for a half-breed kid to try and settle down
Tumbleweed keep rollin', he can't find no place to rest
Cause the desert wind blows tumbleweed, the spirit of the west
3.
His boot heals tap in time to an old flat top box guitar
He's a local guitar hero and he sings straight from the heart
And his tip jar just a jumble of worn old dollar bills
He makes his bread and grocery in the local bar and grill
4.
When he starts picking that old guitar the people turn and stare
When he starts singing them songs he wrote well there's magic in the air
Cause his song can heal your wounded heart, he can set you spirit free
He can raise your hopes to be the very best that you can be
Chorus 2
Oh tumbleweed keep rollin', he just roams from town to town
It ain't easy for a half-breed kid to try and settle down
Tumbleweed keep rollin', he can't find no place to nest
'Cause the desert wind blows tumbleweed, the spirit of the west
Verse 5
So if you cross the Mississippi, you head out on the open plain
And you pass through Oklahoma and the sky begins to rain
And you feeling kind of rootless, you can't find no place to nest
Just remember tumbleweed, he's the spirit of the west
Yeah, the desert wind blows tumbleweed, the spirit of the west
Oh, the desert wind calls tumbleweed, the spirit of the west