Duquesne Whistle
Written by Bob Dylan and
Robert Hunter
Tabbed by Eyolf Østrem
Capo 3rd fret (sounding
key Eb major)
This song sounds deceptively simple, but man are there lots of things
going on here!
First there's this two-chord thing going, throughout the whole song,
that's either brilliantly persistent or driving you crazy -- probably
depending on what mood you're in:
F C
: . . . : . . .
||------------------|-----------------||
||
Chords:
Fm xx3111
Dm7-5 xx0111
C9 x32333 or x3233x
C F C F Dm7-5
Listen to that Duquesne whistle blowing
C Am Dm G7 C D7 G7
Blowing like it's gonna sweep my world away
C F C F Dm7-5
I'm gonna stop in Carbondale and keep on going
C Am Dm G7 C
That Duquesne train gonna ride me night and day
C9 F
You say I'm a gambler, you say I'm a pimp
D7 G7
But I ain't neither one
C F C F Dm7-5
Listen to that Duquesne whistle blowing
C Am Dm G7 C
Sounds like it's on a final run.
Listen to that Duquesne whistle blowing
Blowing like she never blowed before
Blue light blinking, red light glowing
Blowing like she's at my chamber door
You're smiling through the fence at me
Just like you've always smiled before
Listen to that Duquesne whistle blowing
Blowing like she ain't gonna blow no more.
Can't you hear that Duquesne whistle blowing
Blowing like the sky's gonna blow apart
You're the only thing alive that keeps me going
You're like a time-bomb in my heart
I can hear a sweet voice gently calling
Must be the Mother of Our Lord
Listen to that Duquesne whistle blowing
Blowing like my woman's on board.
Listen to that Duquesne whistle blowing
Blowing like it's gonna blow my blues away
You old rascal, I know exactly where you're going
I'll lead you there myself at the break of day
I wake up every morning with that woman in my bed
Everybody telling me she's gone to my head
Listen to that Duquesne whistle blowing
Blowing like it's gonna kill me dead.
C G F Am
F C/e G
Can't you hear that Duquesne whistle blowing
Blowing through another no-good town
The lights of my native land are glowing
I wonder if they'll know me next time round
I wonder if that old oak tree's still standing
That old oak tree, the one we used to climb
Listen to that Duquesne whistle blowing
Blowing like she's blowing right on time.