Taj Mahal - Betty N Dupree

      Artist:   Taj Mahal
Band:     Taj Mahal Trio
Song:     Betty and Dupree 
URL:      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OAHXSZcmTyo (Live Recording)
Location: Legendary R’n’B Cruise-19, S.E. Caribbean, 27/10/12 to 03/11/12.
Tempo:    4/8
Style     Cajun 12-Bar Blues (Slow finger plucked upwards)
Tuning:   Open C

Chords:   CGCGCe

C         000000  (also XX0000)       
F/C       XX0301
G5        X02023



INTRO:
 N/C             C N/C   C      (Accelerando strums)                     
“Gather round me.  Every-body.”
N/C                                                 G (Low open string) X 12  C (Low open string) 
“I’m gonna tell ya a story about Betty ’n’ Dupree.”

BRIDGE: Instrumental (short plucked chords upwards)
|C   F/C C C|
|F/C F/C C C|
|G5  F/C C C|  G (Low open string) X 8  C (Low open string)


VERSE 1: (Finger plucked on lowest strings)
C                           F/C                C      
Betty told Dupree - before, she want a diamond ring,
                   F/C                        C
I said, Betty told Dupree, she want a diamond ring. 
G5 (Hold)                F/C              C     G (Low open string) X 8  C (Low open string)            
Dupree told Betty: Baby, I'll buy you any-thing.


VERSE 2:  
C                   F/C                   C    
Dupree asked Betty: Baby, won't you be my wife,
             F/C                          C    
Dupree asked Betty: Baby, won't you be my wife,
           G5                                               
She said, "I'm yours, I'm yours, big Daddy,
       F/C                  C      G (Low open string) X 8  C (Low open string)  
Honey, for the rest o’ your life.”


VERSE 3:
C                        F/C                           C   
Betty said Dupree, honey I’m goin’ throw you a natural Ball,
            F/C                                C
Dupree said Betty, babe, I throw you a natural Ball. 
            G5                                     
All the men dressed-up like zombies - ha,
                          F/C                    C    G (Low open string) X 8  C (Low open string)   
And the women, the women, walk right through the wall.


VERSE 4:
C                 F/C          C                                           
She cried out, on it’s highest peak, whoo! - whoo! 
              F/C              C
She cried out from his highest peak, 
G5                                                                                                          
They were loving, loving, loving, loving, loving, 
                        F/C                   C       G (Low open string) X 8  C (Low open string)   
Loving, loving, loving, she could hardly even speak.”  


INSTRUMENTAL BRIDGE:
|C   F/C C C|
|F/C F/C C C|
|G5  F/C C C|  G (Low open string) X 8  C (Low open string)  


VERSE 5:
C                  F/C                C    
Betty told Dupree, she want a diamond ring, 
                       F/C                                  C 
Oh, Betty told Dupree, someone Sheriff, she want-ta diamond ring.
                   F/C                   C     G (Low open string) X 8  C (Low open string)
Dupree told Betty, I'm gonna buy you any-thing.

 
VERSE 6:
C               F/C          C    
Hear me holler, baby hear me moan, 
                F/C            C
Hear me holler, whoa - hear me moan.
               G5                   
Oh the way you loving’ me baby, 
        F/C                C     G (Low open string) X 8  C (Low open string)  
I can’t stand to leave you alone.


VERSE 7:
C             F/C                                 C    
Put your arms around me, like a circle around the Sun,
                      F/C                         
Put your loving’ arms around me, 
                                       C
Baby, oh baby like a circle around the Sun, 
G5                                    
Won't you love me, love me, 
         F/C                 C    G (Low open string) X 8  C (Low open string) 
Love me, until the cows come home.


VERSE 8 & CODA: 
C                         F/C                C        
Betty told Dupree before, she want a diamond ring,
                           F/C                C
I said, Betty told Dupree, she want a diamond ring. 
G5                       F/C              C     G (Low open string) X 8  C (Low open string)              
Dupree told Betty: Baby, I'll buy you any-thing.
 

[End]


Notes.
1.  I’ll annotate ‘Taj Mahal’s’ lead riffs, in a following TAB.
2.  There are chord accents at the end of the first line in each verse, that sound not unlike 
    ‘part C III-C III+part G5’ or ‘XXXX43-XXXX43+XXXX23’ but they have been omitted for clarity.