Camptown Races

                      Camptown Races

                                       Stephen Foster, 1850
                                      Mandolin tablature by 
                                   Elizabeth T. Knuth, 1998

Key: D

Verse:
                                                   e 
E--||----------------------------|-----------------r-----|
A--||*--2:--0----0---------0-----|--2----0---------e-----|
D--||*--4:------------4----------|------------4----s-----|
G--||----------------------------|-----------------t-----|
            |____|    |____|        |____|    |_   |_ 

1a.       Camp- town la - dies     sing this song,
1b.      I come down there with my  hat caved in,

         Q                          Q
|--------------------------|--------------------------|
|--------------------------|--------------------------|
|--4-----2-----------------|--4-----2-----------------|
|--------------------------|--------------------------|
   |_    |                    |_    |  

  Doo - dah!                 Doo - dah!

                                                e
|--------------------------|--------------------r-----|
|--0-----0-----------0-----|--2-----0-----------e-----|
|--------------4-----------|--------------4-----s-----|
|--------------------------|--------------------t-----|
   |_____|     |_____|        |_____|     |_    |_

1a Camp-town   racetrack     five miles  long,
1b I go back  home  with a pocket full of tin,

                              Q                 e
|--------------------------|--------------------r-----||
|--------------------------|--------------------e----*||
|--2-----------4-----2-----|--0-----------------s----*||
|--------------------------|--------------------t-----||
   |           |_____|        |                 |_

  Oh,         doo - dah      day.


Refrain:

   E                          Q                 e   
|--------------------------|--------------------r-----|
|--------------------0-----|--5-----------------e-----|
|--0--------0--4-----------|--------------------s-----|
|--------------------------|--------------------t-----|
   |        |  |     |        |                 | 
   |_       |= |_____|        |                 |_

 Gwine     to  run  all     night!


   E                          Q                 e
|--------------------------|--------------------r-----|
|--2--------2--5-----2-----|--0-----------------e-----|
|--------------------------|--------------------s-----|
|--------------------------|--------------------t-----|
   |        |  |     |        |                 | 
   |_       |= |_____|        |                 |_

 Gwine     to  run  all      day!


|--------------------------|--------------------------|
|--0-----0-----------0--0--|--2-----0-----------------|
|--------------4--4--------|--------------4-----------|
|--------------------------|--------------------------|
   |_____|     |= |= |= |=    |_____|     |                                      

(I) bet my    money  on a    bob - tail  nag;


                  
|--------------------------|--------------------------||
|--------------------------|--------------------------||
|--2-----4--5--4--2-----2--|--0-----------------------||
|--------------------------|--------------------------||
   |     |  |  |  |     |     |           |
   |_    |= |= |= |_    |=    |           |

 Some -  body bet on   the   bay.

2. The long tail filly and the big black hoss, Doo-dah! Doo-dah!
They fly the track and they both cut across, Oh! Doo-dah day!
The blind hoss stickin' in a big mudhole, Doo-dah! Doo-dah!
Can't touch bottom with a ten-foot pole, Oh! Doo-dah day!

Refrain

3. Old muley cow come onto the track, Doo-dah! Doo-dah!
The bob-tail fling her over his back, Oh! Doo-dah day!
Then fly along like a railroad car, Doo-dah! Doo-dah!
Runnin' a race with a shootin' star, Oh! Doo-dah day!

Refrain

4. See them flyin' on a ten-mile heat, Doo-dah! Doo-dah!
Round the racetrack, then repeat, Oh! Doo-dah day!
I win my money on the bob-tail nag, Doo-dah! Doo-dah!
I keep my money in an old tow-bag, Oh! Doo-dah day!

===========================================================
==                 TABLATURE EXPLANATION                 ==
===========================================================

||------|| Repeat         --------
||*----*||                -4:------- Time
||*----*||                -4:------- Signature 
||------||                --------

Rhythm:
  Q = dotted quarter
  e = eighth note or rest
  E = dotted eighth

A great song for beginners. Foster undoubtedly had minstrel shows in mind when he wrote this. Think, "Banjo." So it sounds pretty good on mandolin, too.

If you like, you can hear a MIDI file of "Camptown Races".

Simple Gifts Mandolin Tablature Archive | Elizabeth T. Knuth's Home Page

Comments to: eknuth@unix.csbsju.edu