Baby, Let Me Follow You Down

(trad./Eric Von Schmidt)
Released by Bob Dylan on Bob Dylan (1962) and on Biograph (1985), and in a live version on Live 1966 (1998)
Tabbed by Eyolf Østrem

Capo 2nd fret (sounding key A major)
Chords (The F is played with a hammer-on from the open 6th string):

Eb/g   3xx343
G/b    7xx787
D/a    5xx775 or x0x775
C/e    000553
D/f#   200232
C/g    332010

He doesn’t always get the descent (“I’ll do anything…”) right – sometimes it seems he just sends the thumb away to some bass string (sometimes both the E and the A). Especially the G/b – it is generally so blurred that it’s apparent that he’s fingering something – most logically the 7th fret with the thumb – but the b rarely sounds, and at times he just plays an E on the open 6th string.

The tab of the intro below is fairly accurate, which does not mean that it should be slavishly copied; the basic features are the steady thumb and the triple feel of the treble strings, in some variation or another. Between the chords in the descent (mm. 3-5), the last upbeat of each chord is struck while in transition from one chord to the next, hence they are either muted (indicated with “x”) or open strings.

Intro:

     G                         F                         C/g
     :     .     .     .       :     .     .     .       :     .     .     .
---|-----3-------3---3-------|-------1---------1-------|-------------------------|
---|-0---0-------0---0-------|-------1---------1-------|-------1-----1---1-----x-|
---|-0---------0-------------|-----------2-----------0-|-----------------------x-|
---|-------------------------|-------------------------|-----2-----2-------------|
---|-------------------------|-------------------------|-------------------------|
-0-|-3-----3-----3-----3-----|-0--h1-1-----1-----1-----|-3-----3-----3-----3-----|

  Eb/g                      G/b         D/a           C/e         D/f#
  :     .     .     .       :     .     .     .       :     .     .     .
|-3-----3---3-------3-----|-7-----7-----5---5-------|-3---3-3---2-------------|
|-4-----4---4-------4---x-|-8-----8--(0)7---7----(0)|-5---5-5---3-------------|
|-----3-----------3-----x-|-----7----(0)---------(0)|-----------------2-----0-|
|-------------------------|-------------------------|-------------------------|
|-------------------------|-------------------------|-------------------------|
|-3-----3-----3-----3-----|-7-----7-----5-----5-----|-0-----0-----2-----2-----|

  C/g         D/f#          G
  :     .     .     .       :     .     .     .
|(0)----------2-----------|-------3---------3-------|
|-1-----------3-----------|-------------------------|
|-----0-----0-----2-------|-----0-------0-----------|
|-----------------------0-|-------------------------|
|-------------------------|-------------------------|
|-3-----3-----2-----2-----|-3-----3-----3-----3-----|

I first heard this from Ric von Schmidt. He lives in Cambridge.
Ric is a blues guitar player.
I met him one day in the green pastures of Harvard University.

G                      F     C/g                   Eb/g
Baby let me follow you down, baby let me follow you down
          G/b   D/a           C/e         D/f#
Well I'll do anything in this godalmighty world
       C/g         D/f#       G
If you just let me follow you down.

Can I come home with you, baby can I come home with you?
Yes I'll do anything in this godalmighty world
If you just let me come home with you.

Baby let me follow you down, baby let me follow you down
Well I'll do anything in this godalmighty world
If you just let me follow you down.

Yes I'll do anything in this godalmighty world
If you just let me follow you down.

Additional verses (from Witmark demo):

I'll buy you a diamond ring, I'll buy you a wedding gown
Yes I'll do anything in this godalmighty world
If you just let me follow you down.

I just want you to understand, baby please understand,
Well I'll do anything in this godalmighty world
if you just let me be your man.

Live 1966 version

Differences from the above:

Capo 2nd fret (Dylan’s guitar anyway. Robbie may be playing without a capo)
The F has much more of a Dm about it (sounds better as an Em or a G6 (320000) without a capo – but it's
probably Garth on the organ)
The Eb/g is played as a straight Eb (F without capo)
The subtleties of the bass line . . . well, what’s a bass player there for anyway?

G                      F     C                      Eb
Baby let me follow you down, baby let me follow you down
          G     D             C           D
Well I'll do anything in this godalmighty world
       C           D          G
If you just let me follow you down.

I'll buy you a diamond ring, I'll buy you a wedding gown
Well I'll do anything in this godalmighty world
If you just let me follow you down.

Can I come home with you, baby can I come home with you?
Yes I'll do anything in this godalmighty world
If you just let me come home with you.

I'll buy you a broken twine, honey, just for you to climb
I'll do anything in this godalmighty world
if you just once drive me out of my mind

I'll buy you a serpent skirt,
I'll buy you a velvet shirt
I'll do anything in this godalmighty world
if you just don't make me hurt.

Baby let me follow you down, baby let me follow you down
Well I'll do anything in this godalmighty world
If you just let me follow you down.

) Melbourne, Sydney et al.: “a gun that squirts”