Learn to play Ball and Chain by Big Mama Thornton/Janis Joplin on your Diatonic
Ball and Chain Harmonica Tab
Every time this song gets sung, it gets sung different, so I didn’t
figger I could go too wrong guessin’ at most of this. Use these tabs
as a guide and play the song however you want.
2 -1 2 -3″ 3 -3 -3 3
Sit-tin’ down by my win-dow
2 -2 2 -3 -3″ 3 -3″ 3
Just look-in’ out at the rain
2 -1 2 -3″ 3 -3 -3 3
Sit-tin’ down by my win-dow
2 -2 2 -3 -3″ 3 -3″ 3
Just look-in’ out at the rain
3 3 3 -2′ -2
Some-thin’ came a-long
-3 3 -3 3 3
Grabbed a hold of me
3 -2′ -2 -2 -2′ -3″ 3 3
And it felt like a ball and chain
-3 -3 5 6 6 6 -5 -5
And I say, oh, whoa, whoa, hon’
6 -5 6 -5 6 -5 7 6 6 -5
Tell me, why does ev-‘ry thing go wrong?
7 7 6 6 -5
It all goes wrong
-3 -3 5 6 6 6 -5
And I say, oh, whoa, whoa
6 6 6 7 6
Now tell me why does
-6 6 -6 6 6 -6 6
Ev-‘ry thing go wrong, all wrong
-3 -4 -3 -4 -3 5
Say, here you gone to-day
5 -4 5 5 -4 5 -4
And I want-ed to love you
5 -4 6
For so long
6 6 6 -5 -5
Oh, whoa, whoa, hon’
6 -5 7
It ain’t fair
7 7 7 7 -6 7
It ain’t fair what you do
6 6 6 6 -5
What you can do, Lord
-3 -3 5 6 6 6 -5
And I say oh whoa whoa
7 7 7
It ain’t fair
7 7 7 7 -6 7
It ain’t fair what you do
6 -6 6 -6 6 -6 6 7
Oh sud-den-ly you broke my heart
6 -6 -6 6 -6 -6 6 -6 6 4
Oh when I was giv-in’ my love to you
(Like the first verse):
Sit-tin’ down by my window
Just lookin’ out at the rain
Sittin’ down by my window
Just lookin’ out at the rain
Some-thin’ came a-long
Grabbed a hold of me
And it felt like a ball and chain
-3 -3 5 6 6 6 -5 -5
And I say oh, whoa whoa, Hon’
7 7 7
This can’t be
7 7 9 8 8
This can’t be in vain
9 9 9
No, no, no.
-3 -3 5 6 6 6 -5
And I say oh whoa, whoa
7 7 7
This can’t be
7 7 7 7 9 9 8 8
Hon-ey, it can’t be all in vain
5 5 -4 5 5
Hope there is some-one
5 -4 5 5
That could tell me
-4 5 -4 5
Why love is like
-4 6 -4 5 -4 4
A ball and chain.
(Willie Mae [Big Mama]Thornton wrote “Ball and Chain” which Big
Brother changed to a minor-key blues. She applauded Janis’ version of
“Ball and Chain,” saying, “That girl feels like I do.” )
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