Runnin Back to Saskatoon

Song

RUNNIN' BACK TO SASKATOON

The Guess Who

from the album "Live at the Paramount" (1972)

tabbed by John Will 9/21/98

sbw@sk.sympatico.ca

This is the live version from the ultimate hoser band (according to

Geoff Pevere and Greig Dymond in Mondo Canuck: A Canadian Pop Culture

Odyssey). Tune down 1/2 step, as the key sounds a little closer to Ab,

at least on my old vinyl version from Best of The Guess Who Volume II.

A:577655

B:799877

G:355433

D:x57775

E:x79997

F:x81010108

G(II):x1012121210

D7:x57575

B7:x24242 or 797877

Main riff (guitar 1)(the notes in brackets are not played every time)

(A) (G) (D) (C) (D) (C) (A)

E||-(9)--(7)--------------|---------------------|------------------|
B||--10---8----7----5-----|---7---5---(5)-------|------------------|
G||--9----7----7----5-----|---7---5----6--------|------------------|
D||-----------(7)--(5)----|--(7)-(5)---7--------|------------------|
A||-----------------------|---------------------|------------------|
E||-----------------------|---------------------|------------------|

(guitar 2)slight distortion

E||----------------------|---------------------|---------------------|
B||----------------------|---------------------|---------------------|
G||--2----0--------------|---------------------|---------------------|
D||------------0---------|--0------------------|---------------------|
A||-----------------3----|-------3----0--------|------------0--------|
E||----------------------|---------------------|--0----3-------------|

Fill 1: (play on 2nd and 4th line of each verse,once with lyrics,once

without)

E||------------------------|
B||------7--5--7--5b-------|
G||------7--5--7--5b-------|
D||--7-7-------------------|
A||------------------------|
E||------------------------|

Spoken intro:(over main riff)

There's a province up in Canada that's right next door to ours...it's

called Saskatchewan. And in that province there's a small town where

nothing much ever happens called Saskatoon. This is a tune about that

town...it's called Runnin' Back to Saskatoon

(harmonica solo with main riff)

I been hangin' 'round gas stations

I been learnin' 'bout tires

I been talkin' to grease monkeys

I been workin' on cars

chorus:

B

Moose Jaw, Southview, Moosomin too

G D A

Runnin' back to Saskatoon

B

Red Deer, Terrace and-a Medicine Hat

G D A

Singin' of a prairie tune

G D A

Singin' of a prairie tune

I been hangin' 'round libraries

I been learnin' about books

I been talkin' to playwriters

I been workin' on words

Phrases

(chorus)

Saskatchewan!

I been hangin' 'round hospitals

I been learnin' 'bout dyin'

I been takin' to heart doctors

I been workin' on disease

(chorus)

Prairie!

refrain:

E (over some nonsense patter I can't decipher)

D7 B7

This spirit is homegrown

D7 B7

Don't come from Hong Kong

D7 B7

This spirit is homegrown

D7 B7

Don't come from Hong Kong

Solo(reasonably accurate, I think)

D D7 A

E||------------------------||------------------------||------5-------------|
B||---7----7----7----7-----||---7----7----7----7-----||--5h8---8-----------|
G||*--7----7----7----7----*||*--5----5----5----5----*||----------7p5-------|
D||*--7----7----7----7----*||*--7----7----7----7----*||--------------7--7--|
A||------------------------||------------------------||--------------------|
E||------------------------||------------------------||--------------------|

E F

------------5h8--10--8--10--8--10----|---10b--10b&r--8--8--10---|--8-------|
-------5h8---------------------------|--------------------------|----------|
--5h7--------------------------------|--------------------------|----------|
-------------------------------------|--------------------------|----------|
-------------------------------------|--------------------------|----------|
-------------------------------------|--------------------------|----------|

G(II) A

--------------------|----------------------|
----10p---8---------|----------------------|
---------------9----|--7----5--------------|
--------------------|------------7---------|
--------------------|----------------------|
--------------------|----------------------|
------------------------|----------------------|-------------------||
------------------------|-------7----5----7----|--5b---------------||
----7----5----7----5b---|--7-------------------|-------------------||
--7---------------------|----------------------|-------------------||
------------------------|----------------------|-------------------||
------------------------|----------------------|-------------------||

(main riff x2)

I been hangin' 'round grain elevators

I been learnin' 'bout food

I been talkin' to soil farmers

I been workin' on land

(chorus)

I been hangin' 'round camera stores

I been learnin' 'bout sights

I been talkin' to filmmakers

I been workin' on eyes

(chorus)

Sing!

(refrain)

*I suppose Saskatoon is "small" to a Winnipegger, although it would

have been over 130,000 even when Burton rapped this, albeit to an

American audience;so we'll forgive him.

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