[Intro]
Am C
D G
Am C G
[Verse 1]
Am C
Spider John is my name, friends
D G
Between freights and I sure would be obliged
Am C G
If I could share your company
Am C
I'm on my way to nowhere
D G
I've been running from my past
Am C G
Running from the things I used to be
[Verse 2]
Am C
And I know my words sound strange to you
D G Am
But if you wait till my song is sung and my story's told
C G
You might come to understand
Am C
Why I'm old and bent and devil-spent
D G
And I'm running out of time
Am C D
When not long ago, boys, I held a royal flush in my hand
[Chorus]
Em A7
Oh, I was a supermarket fool, I was a roll-the-bank, stool pigeon
Em A7
Robbing my hometown
Em A7
I thought I'd paid my dues, Lord I thought I'd lost my blues
F C Am
I thought I'd found the life to suit my style
G F C
Spider John, the robber man
C C/B Am
Long, tall and handsome
G F C
Spider John with the loaded hand
C C/B Am
Taking ransom
[Verse 3]
Am C
Then one day I met Diamond Lil
D G
She was the prettiest thing, I declare
Am C G
That the summer wind had ever blown my way
Am C
Lily had no idea
D G
Of my illustrious occupation
Am C G
She thought I was a saint, not a sinner gone astray
[Verse 4]
Am C
Spider, he loved his Lily so much
D G Am
He could not confess his sins, for he knew if he did
C G
She'd surely take her leave
Am C
But you know that the word got around and Lily left town
D G
And he never saw her again
Am C D
Tossing and turning, causing his heart to grieve
[Chorus]
Em A7
Oh, I was a supermarket fool, I was a roll-the-bank, stool pigeon
Em A7
Robbing my hometown
Em A7
I thought I'd paid my dues, Lord I thought I'd lost my blues
F C Am
I thought I'd found the life to suit my style
G F C
Spider John, the robber man
C C/B Am
Long, tall and handsome
G F C
Spider John with the loaded hand
C C/B Am
Taking ransom
[Verse 5]
Am C
That is all my story
D G Am
It's been at least thirty years since I took to the road
C G
To find my precious jewel one
Am C
Oh and if you see my Lily
D G
Won't you give her my regards
Am C G
Tell her old Spider got tangled in the black web that he spun
Am C G
Just tell her that old Spider got tangled in the black web that he spun
Spider John is my name, friends
I'm in between freights, and I sure would be obliged
If I could share your company.
I'm on my way to nowhere; I been runnin' from my past,
Runnin' from the things I used to be.
Now I know my words sound strange to you
But if you'll wait till my song is sung and my story's told
You might come to understand
Why I'm old and bent and devil spent, and a-runnin' out of time
When not long ago I held a royal flush in my hand.
Oh, I was a supermarket fool; I was a motorbank stool pigeon,
Robbin' my own time.
I thought I'd lost my blues, yes, I thought I'd paid my dues
And I thought I'd found a life to suit my style.
And I was Spider John, the robberman
Long, tall, and handsome,
Yes, I was Spider John with a loaded hand
Takin' ransom.
And then one day I met Diamond Lil
And she was as sweet a thing, I declare, as the summer wind
Had ever blown my way.
Lil she had no idea of my illustrious occupation,
She thought I was a saint and not a sinner gone astray
Spider he loved his Lily so much
He could not confess his sins, for he knew if he did
The lady would surely take her leave.
But you know that the word got around, and Lily left town
And he never saw her again,
Tossin' and turnin' and causin' his heart to grieve.
And that is all my story.
It's been these thirty years since I took the road
To find my precious jewel one.
Now if you see my Lily, won't you give her my regards,
Tell her old Spider got tangled in the black web that he spun
You can tell her that Spider got tangled in the black web that he spun.
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