The Guess Who – Runnin Back To Saskatoon (Guitar Tab)

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Chords

from the album "Live at the Paramount" (1972) tabbed by John Will 9/21/98 [email protected] This is the live version from the ultimate hoser band (according to Geoff Pevere and Greig Dymond in Mondo Canuck: A Canadian Pop Culture Odyssey). Tune down 1/2 step, as the key sounds a little closer to Ab, at least on my old vinyl version from Best of The Guess Who Volume II. A:577655 B:799877 G:355433 D:x57775 E:x79997 F:x81010108 G(II):x1012121210 D7:x57575 B7:x24242 or 797877
 Main riff (guitar 1)(the notes in brackets are not played every time)
    (A)  (G)  (D)  (C)       (D) (C)  (A)
E||-(9)--(7)--------------|---------------------|------------------|
B||--10---8----7----5-----|---7---5---(5)-------|------------------|
G||--9----7----7----5-----|---7---5----6--------|------------------|
D||-----------(7)--(5)----|--(7)-(5)---7--------|------------------|
A||-----------------------|---------------------|------------------|
E||-----------------------|---------------------|------------------|

   (guitar 2)slight distortion
E||----------------------|---------------------|---------------------|
B||----------------------|---------------------|---------------------|
G||--2----0--------------|---------------------|---------------------|
D||------------0---------|--0------------------|---------------------|
A||-----------------3----|-------3----0--------|------------0--------|
E||----------------------|---------------------|--0----3-------------|

Fill 1: (play on 2nd and 4th line of each verse,once with lyrics,once
without)
E||------------------------|
B||------7--5--7--5b-------|
G||------7--5--7--5b-------|
D||--7-7-------------------|
A||------------------------|
E||------------------------|
Spoken intro:(over main riff) There's a province up in Canada that's right next door to ours...it's called Saskatchewan. And in that province there's a small town where nothing much ever happens called Saskatoon. This is a tune about that town...it's called Runnin' Back to Saskatoon (harmonica solo with main riff) I been hangin' 'round gas stations I been learnin' 'bout tires I been talkin' to grease monkeys I been workin' on cars chorus: B Moose Jaw, Southview, Moosomin too G D A Runnin' back to Saskatoon B Red Deer, Terrace and-a Medicine Hat G D A Singin' of a prairie tune G D A Singin' of a prairie tune I been hangin' 'round libraries I been learnin' about books I been talkin' to playwriters I been workin' on words Phrases (chorus) Saskatchewan! I been hangin' 'round hospitals I been learnin' 'bout dyin' I been takin' to heart doctors I been workin' on disease (chorus) Prairie! refrain: E (over some nonsense patter I can't decipher) D7 B7 This spirit is homegrown D7 B7 Don't come from Hong Kong D7 B7 This spirit is homegrown D7 B7 Don't come from Hong Kong
Solo(reasonably accurate, I think)
      D                         D7                      A
E||------------------------||------------------------||------5-------------|
B||---7----7----7----7-----||---7----7----7----7-----||--5h8---8-----------|
G||*--7----7----7----7----*||*--5----5----5----5----*||----------7p5-------|
D||*--7----7----7----7----*||*--7----7----7----7----*||--------------7--7--|
A||------------------------||------------------------||--------------------|
E||------------------------||------------------------||--------------------|

                                         E                         F
------------5h8--10--8--10--8--10----|---10b--10b&r--8--8--10---|--8-------|
-------5h8---------------------------|--------------------------|----------|
--5h7--------------------------------|--------------------------|----------|
-------------------------------------|--------------------------|----------|
-------------------------------------|--------------------------|----------|
-------------------------------------|--------------------------|----------|

   G(II)                         A
--------------------|----------------------|
----10p---8---------|----------------------|
---------------9----|--7----5--------------|
--------------------|------------7---------|
--------------------|----------------------|
--------------------|----------------------|

------------------------|----------------------|-------------------||
------------------------|-------7----5----7----|--5b---------------||
----7----5----7----5b---|--7-------------------|-------------------||
--7---------------------|----------------------|-------------------||
------------------------|----------------------|-------------------||
------------------------|----------------------|-------------------||
(main riff x2) I been hangin' 'round grain elevators I been learnin' 'bout food I been talkin' to soil farmers I been workin' on land (chorus) I been hangin' 'round camera stores I been learnin' 'bout sights I been talkin' to filmmakers I been workin' on eyes (chorus) Sing! (refrain) *I suppose Saskatoon is "small" to a Winnipegger, although it would have been over 130,000 even when Burton rapped this, albeit to an American audience;so we'll forgive him. ===================================================================