St. James Infirmary Blues

Arlo Guthrie

Transposer:

Intro: Instrumental Verse It was down at old Joe’s bar room At the corner by the square They were serving the drinks as usual And the usual crowd was there On my left stood big Joe MacKennedy His eyes were bloodshot red And as he looked at the crowd around him These were the very words he said. I went down to St. James Infirmary Just to see my baby there She was stretched out on a long white table So cold so sweet so fair Seventeen coal-black horses Hitched to a rubber-tied hack Seven girls goin’ to the graveyard Only six of them are coming back Let her go. Let her go God bless her Wherever she may be She may search this wide world over She’ll never find another man like me Instrumental Verse x2 When I die when I die Lord bury me In my high-top Stetson hat Place a twenty-dollar gold piece on my watch chain To let the Lord know that I died standing pat I want six crap-shooters for my pallbearers A Chorus girl to sing me a song Place a jazz band on my hearse wagon To raise hell as we roll along Now that you’ve heard my story I’ll take another shot of booze And if anyone here should ask you Just tell them I’ve got the gambler’s blues Instrumental Verse end on St. James Infirmary Instrumental Verse E |--------------------------|--0--0--------0-----------| B |--------------------1--3--|-----------1-----3--------| G |--------------------------|-----------------------0--| D |--------------------------|--------2-----------2-----| A |--------------------------|--0-----------------------| E |--------------------------|--------------0-----------| 1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + 1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + E |-----------------------0--|--0--0--------5--3-----0--| B |--1-----------------------|--------------------------| G |-----2--------------------|--------------------5-----| D |--------2-----------2-----|--------2-----3-----------| A |--0-----------------------|--0-----------------------| E |--------------0-----------|--------------------------| 1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + 1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + E |-----------------0-----0--|--5--0-----0--0-----------| B |--------------------------|--------1-----------3-----| G |--------------------------|--------------------------| D |--------2-----------2-----|--------------------------| A |--3-----------2-----------|--0-----------3-----2-----| E |--------------------------|--------------------------| 1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + 1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + E |--------------------------|--------------------------| B |--1--------------1--------|--1--1--------0-----------| G |-----2-----------------0--|-----------2-----1-----2--| D |--------2-----------2-----|--------3-----------2-----| A |--0-----------------------|--------------------------| E |--------------3-----------|--1-----------0-----------| 1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + 1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + E |--------------------------| B |--------------------------| G |--------------------------| D |--------2----------2------| A |--0-----------------------| E |--------------0-----------| 1 + 2 + 3 + 4 +

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Dans cette chanson, le narrateur se remémore une visite à un lieu sombre, probablement un hôpital ou une morgue, où il est venu voir sa bien-aimée, qui repose froide et sans vie sur une table. La douleur de cette perte se mêle à une atmosphère de mélancolie et de désespoir, évoquant les réalités de la mort et du chagrin. Les paroles décrivent également un groupe d'hommes et de femmes, ainsi que des chevaux tirant une voiture funéraire, illustrant le chemin vers le dernier repos. Le contexte se situe dans un bar où l'on prenait un verre, entouré d'une foule habituée. Cela crée un contraste entre la vie qui continue autour de lui et la tragédie personnelle qui l'accable. Ce mélange de vie et de mort, de célébration et de lamentation, rend l'histoire d'autant plus frappante.

Le Chansonnier