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John Doe No 2

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#----------------------------------PLEASE NOTE---------------------------------#
#------------------------------------------------------------------------------#
---------------------------------------
This song is in the key of E, but Mary Chapin plays it in G with a
capo at the 9th fret, in open D tuning (DADF#AD).  But the highest
singing.  (Note that the "131" in the tab is a hammer-on followed by a
pull-off, and the "13" is a hammer-on from 1 to 3, not thirteen!)
D  ----------------|----------------|----------------|----------------|
A  ------0---------|----------------|------0---------|----------------|
F# 1-------1-----1-|------1-131---0-|1-------1-----1-|------1-13----0-|
D  ----0-------0---|----0-------0---|----0-------0---|----0-------0---|
A  --2-------3-----|--3-------------|--2-------3-----|--3-------0-----|
D  0-------2-------|0-------0-------|0-------2-------|0-------0-------|
   ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ .  ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ .  ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ .  ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ .
MCC doesn't use her thumb to fret the low E (she uses her middle finger),
put chord names; that's because they don't really matter.  I guess you
could say the chords are: G(9), C(9)/E, Gsus4/D, D(4).
I was standing on the sidewalk in 1945
In Jacksonville, Illinois
When asked what my name was there came no reply
They said I was a deaf and sightless half-wit boy
But Louis was my name, though I could not say it
I was born and raised in New Orleans
My spirit was wild, so I let the river take it
On a barge and a prayer upstream
Well they searched for a mother and they searched for a father
And they searched till they searched no more
The doctors put to rest their scientific tests
And they named me "John Doe No. 24"
And they all shook their heads in pity
For a world so silent and dark
Well there's no doubt that life's a mystery
But so too is the human heart
And it was my heart's own perfume when the crepe jasmine bloomed
On St. Charles Avenue
Though I couldn't hear the bells of the streetcars coming
By toeing the track I knew
And if I were an old man returning
With my satchel and porkpie hat
I'd hit every jazz joint on Bourbon
And I'd hit everyone on Basin after that
The years kept passing as they passed me around
From one state ward to another
Like I was an orphan shoe from the lost and found
Always missing the other
And they gave me a harp last Christmas
And all the nurses took a dance
But lately I've been growing listless
I've been dreaming again of the past
I'm wandering down to the banks of the great Big Muddy
Where the shotgun houses stand
I am seven years old and I feel my dad
Reach out for my hand
While I drew breath no one missed me
So they won't on the day that I cease
Put a sprig of crepe jasmine with me
To remind me of New Orleans
I was standing on the sidewalk in 1945
In Jacksonville, Illinois
[pause on A note (open 2nd string)]

All chords in this song (3)

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John Doe No 2

by Mary Chapin Carpenter

Lyrics & chords · Original key · Capo on fret 9 (as written in this song)

Chords in this song · guitar

G(9)

Gsus4

#----------------------------------PLEASE NOTE---------------------------------#

#------------------------------------------------------------------------------#

---------------------------------------

This song is in the key of E, but Mary Chapin plays it in G with a

capo at the 9th fret, in open D tuning (DADF#AD). But the highest

singing. (Note that the "131" in the tab is a hammer-on followed by a

pull-off, and the "13" is a hammer-on from 1 to 3, not thirteen!)

D ----------------|----------------|----------------|----------------|

A ------0---------|----------------|------0---------|----------------|

F# 1-------1-----1-|------1-131---0-|1-------1-----1-|------1-13----0-|

D ----0-------0---|----0-------0---|----0-------0---|----0-------0---|

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

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

^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ .

MCC doesn't use her thumb to fret the low E (she uses her middle finger),

put chord names; that's because they don't really matter. I guess you

G(9) Gsus4 D D

could say the chords are: , C(9)/E, /, (4).

I was standing on the sidewalk in 1945

In Jacksonville, Illinois

When asked what my name was there came no reply

They said I was a deaf and sightless half-wit boy

But Louis was my name, though I could not say it

I was born and raised in New Orleans

My spirit was wild, so I let the river take it

On a barge and a prayer upstream

Well they searched for a mother and they searched for a father

And they searched till they searched no more

The doctors put to rest their scientific tests

And they named me "John Doe No. 24"

And they all shook their heads in pity

For a world so silent and dark

Well there's no doubt that life's a mystery

But so too is the human heart

And it was my heart's own perfume when the crepe jasmine bloomed

On St. Charles Avenue

Though I couldn't hear the bells of the streetcars coming

By toeing the track I knew

And if I were an old man returning

With my satchel and porkpie hat

I'd hit every jazz joint on Bourbon

And I'd hit everyone on Basin after that

The years kept passing as they passed me around

From one state ward to another

Like I was an orphan shoe from the lost and found

Always missing the other

And they gave me a harp last Christmas

And all the nurses took a dance

But lately I've been growing listless

I've been dreaming again of the past

I'm wandering down to the banks of the great Big Muddy

Where the shotgun houses stand

I am seven years old and I feel my dad

Reach out for my hand

While I drew breath no one missed me

So they won't on the day that I cease

Put a sprig of crepe jasmine with me

To remind me of New Orleans

I was standing on the sidewalk in 1945

In Jacksonville, Illinois

[pause on A note (open 2nd string)]

About John Doe No 2 Chords by Mary Chapin Carpenter

Learn how to play John Doe No 2 by Mary Chapin Carpenter with free guitar chords, lyrics, and interactive chord diagrams. Search for “John Doe No 2 chords”, “John Doe No 2 guitar chords”, or “Mary Chapin Carpenter John Doe No 2 chords” and you will find this page — transpose to any key, tap chords for diagrams, and use auto-scroll while you play. Perfect for beginners looking for easy John Doe No 2 chords and for experienced players who want accurate John Doe No 2 lyrics and chords in one place. Common chords in this song include E, G, D, A, F, G(9).

FAQ — John Doe No 2 by Mary Chapin Carpenter

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What key is "John Doe No 2" in?

The chords for "John Doe No 2" show the original chord names (including E, G, D, A, F, G(9)). Use transpose to move the song into any key that fits your voice or capo.