E|-------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
                           Brother can you spare a dime?  Jay Gorney / Yip Harburg
E|----------------------------------------------------------------| 1930 ---------------
Tabbed by: Mike Lydiat
E-mail: mike@docsworkshop.co.uk
Tuning:EADGBE

This arrangement owes much to that of Daddy Stovepipe - find him here:

Here is Daddy Stovepipe's recording:
And here's his tutorial for the tune:
You might also want to put your Capo at fret 5 and play along slowly to this barber shop harmony arrangement:

This arrangement has 3 different shapes for the E7 chord in different sections;
try to use the specified one each time to hear the tune behind the chords.

INTRO CHORD SHAPES                                                    
   Am9 C6  Dm9 Dm G7 C Fdim7 B7 E7 G E7+ E7 Am E7
E|-0---0---0---1--1--0-x-----x--0--3-4---4--5--0--|
B|-0---1---3---3--0--1-0-----0--0--0-3---3--5--0--|
G|-2---2---2---2--0--0-1-----2--1--0-4---4--5--1--|
D|-2---2---3---3--0--2-0-----1--0--0-3---2--7--0--|
A|-0---3---x---0--2--3-0-----2--2--2-x---2--7--2--|
E|-x---x---x---x--3--x-1-----x--0--3-0---0--5--0--|

VERSE CHORD SHAPES                                                    
   Am Am  E7 A7 D7 G7 C E7 D7 Fmaj7 B7 E 
E|-0--5---4--3--2--1--0-x--x--0-----x--0--|
B|-1--5---3--2--1--0--1-3--3--1-----0--0--|
G|-2--5---4--0--2--0--0-1--2--2-----2--1--|
D|-2--x---2--2--0--0--2-0--0--3-----1--2--|
A|-0--x---2--0--x--2--3-2--0--2-----2--2--|
E|-x--x---0--x--x--3--x-x--0--1-----x--0--|

CHORUS CHORD SHAPES                                                    
   A7 Am7 Am D9 G7 G6 F7 E7
E|-0--0---0--0--1--0--5--7--|
B|-2--1---1--1--0--3--4--5--|
G|-0--0---2--2--0--0--5--7--|
D|-2--2---2--0--0--0--3--6--|
A|-0--0---0--0--2--2--x--x--|
E|-x--x---x--2--3--3--x--x--|

[INTRO]       
 Am9             C6            Dm9 
    They used to tell me I was building a dream,
 Am9         C6           Dm    G7    
    And so I followed the mob,                       
 C                                    Fdim7 
    When there was earth to plough or guns to bear,                        
      B7                               E7 
I was always there, right there on the job 

Am9             C6            Dm9 
   They used to tell me I was building a dream,                                        
Am                       G    G7
   with peace and glory ahead.    Why should  
C                E7+   E  
I be standing in line?            
Am                  E7 
   just waiting for bread?

[VERSE 1]        
Am             Am        E7      A7 
Once I built a railroad, made it run            
D7      G7           C     E7
Made it race against time                      
D7             E7        Am       Fmaj7 
Once I built a railroad, now it's done                           
B7              E       Am     E7
Brother can you spare a dime? 

[VERSE 2]
Am             Am     E7        A7 
Once I built a tower, up to the sun              
D7      G7        C    E7
Mortar, brick and lime                
D7             E7     Am       Fmaj7 
Once I built a tower, now it's done                           
B7              E       Am
Brother can you spare a dime? 
 
[CHORUS] 
A7                   Am7
Once in khaki suits, gee we looked swell Full of that Yankee-Doodly-dum                                    
D9                        G7                G6
Half a million boots went slogging through  Hell
    F7                     E7
And I was the kid with the drum! 
 
[VERSE 3]
Am              Am            E7        A7 
Say don't you remember?  They called me Al.
D7       G7         C     E7 
  It was Al all the time. 
D7                E7    Am       Fmaj7
Why don't you remember? I'm your pal.
B7              E       Am
Brother can you spare a dime?