Words and music Bob Dylan
Released on Bringing It All Back Home (1965) and Greatest Hits II (1971), and in live versions on Hard Rain (1976), Budokan (1978), Real Live (1984), and No Direction Home (2005)
Tabbed by Eyolf Østrem

Capo 3rd fret (sounding key G major)

The “E” chord contains a whole lot of gravel – some Em, some Esus4, some E7, and probably a whole lot more.

Intro:

          E
.         :       .       .       .
--0-0-0-|-0---0-----0-0-0-0---0----
--0-0-0-|-0---0-----0-0-0-0---0----
--0-0-1-|-1--h1-----0-0-1-1---1---- etc.
--0-0-2-|-2---2-----2-2-2-2---2----
--0-0-2-|-2---2-----2-2-2-2---2----
--0-0-0-|-0---0-----0-0-0-0---0----

  E(7)
I ain't gonna work on Maggie's farm no more.

No, I ain't gonna work on Maggie's farm no more.

Well, I wake up in the morning,

Fold my hands and pray for rain.

I got a head full of ideas

that are drivin' me insane.
       C#m                                  B7
It's a shame the way she makes me scrub the floor.
  E
I ain't gonna work on Maggie's farm no more.

I ain't gonna work for Maggie's brother no more.
No, I ain't gonna work for Maggie's brother no more.
Well, he hands you a nickel,
He hands you a dime,
He asks you with a grin
If you're havin' a good time,
Then he fines you every time you slam the door.
I ain't gonna work for Maggie's brother no more.

I ain't gonna work for Maggie's pa no more.
No, I ain't gonna work for Maggie's pa no more.
Well, he puts his cigar
Out in your face just for kicks.
His bedroom window
It is made out of bricks.
The National Guard stands around his door.
Ah, I ain't gonna work for Maggie's pa no more.

I ain't gonna work for Maggie's ma no more.
No, I ain't gonna work for Maggie's ma no more.
Well, she talks to all the servants
About man and God and law.
Everybody says
She's the brains behind pa.
She's sixty-eight, but she says she's fifty-four.
I ain't gonna work for Maggie's ma no more.

I ain't gonna work on Maggie's farm no more.
No, I ain't gonna work on Maggie's farm no more.
Well, I try my best
To be just like I am,
But everybody wants you
To be just like them.
They say "sing while you slave," and I just get bored.
I ain't gonna work on Maggie's farm no more.

Hard Rain version

Dylan’s little riff. The first part of it is used at the end of each line, together with Mick Ronson’s parallel riff

  :   .   .   .   :   .   .   .     :   .   .   .   :   .   .   .
|-8---8---8---8-8---6-------------|-------------------------6---8---|
|---------------------8-6-8-------|---------------------6-8---------|
|-----------------------------5---|-5---5---5---5-5---8-------------|
|---------------------------------|---------------------------------|
|---------------------------------|---------------------------------|
|---------------------------------|---------------------------------|

Mick Ronson’s guitar:

  :   .   .   .   :    .    .   .         :   .   .   .   :    .    .   .
|-12--12--12--1212--10-8------------    |-12--12--12--1212-----------------
|------------------------10-8-------    |-------------------15-13----------
|-------------------------------9--- or |------------------------14-12-----
|-----------------------------------    |-------------------------------14-
|-----------------------------------    |----------------------------------
|-----------------------------------    |----------------------------------

  C                                         [riff]
I ain't gonna work on Maggie's farm no more.
                               F       C
I ain't gonna work on Maggie's farm no more.

Well, I wake up in the morning,

Fold my hands and pray for rain.

I got a head full of ideas

drivin' me insane.
                                            G      Dm
It's a shame the way she makes me scrub the floo - or
F    G   *)
oh - oh.
     C                            F       C
No I ain't gonna work on Maggie's farm no more.

*) At this point, Dylan does something of the kind that only he can do, something different in each verse: he just seems to strike something chord-like, which really doesn’t make sense, but which becomes quite right in the context of the performance – it’s part of that which characterizes the performance, defines it.

1st verse:

|-5----7----10-------
|-6----8----12-------
|-5----7----11------- [the 11 glides up to 12]
|--------------------
|--------------------
|--------------------

3rd verse (something similar in the 4th):

|--------10-----------12--8--12---
|--11----12-----------13--8--13---
|--------12-----------12--9--12---
|--10-----------------12-----12---
|---------------------------------
|---------------------------------

Budokan version 

  A7
  :   .   .   .     :   .   .   .     :   .   .   .     :   .   .   .
|-----------------|--------(99999)--|-----------------|--------(99999)--|
|-----------------|--------(88888)--|-----------------|--------(88888)--|
|-----------------|---0-2--(99999)--|-2-0-------------|--------(99999)--|
|-----------0---2-|--------(77777)--|-----2-0---------|--------(77777)--|
|-----0-3---------|-----------------|-----------3---0-|-----0-----------|
|-0-3-------------|-----------------|-----------------|---3-------------|

  A           C                D       A       [riff]
I ain't gonna work on Maggie's farm no more.
  A           C                D       A       [riff]
I ain't gonna work on Maggie's farm no more.
        D
Well, I wake up in the morning,

Fold my hands and pray for rain.

I got a head full of ideas

drivin' me insane.
       C                 D                  A     E
It's a shame the way she makes me scrub the floor

  E
  :   .   .   .     :   .   .   .     :   .   .   .     :   .   .   .
|-----------------|-----0-----------|-0---------------|-----------------|
|---------------0-|---3-------------|---3-0-----------|-----------------|
|-------0---2-----|-----------------|-------2---0-----|-----------------|
|---0-2-----------|-----------------|---------------2-|---0-2-----------|
|-2---------------|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|
|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|

  A7
  :   .   .   .     :   .   .   .     :   .   .   .     :   .   .   .
|-----------------|--------(99999)--|-----------------|--------(99999)--|
|-----------------|--------(88888)--|-----------------|--------(88888)--|
|-----------------|---0-2--(99999)--|-2-0-------------|--------(99999)--|
|-----------0---2-|--------(77777)--|-----2-0---------|--------(77777)--|
|-----0-3---------|-----------------|-----------3---0-|-----0-----------|
|-0-3-------------|-----------------|-----------------|---3-------------|

*Real Live* version 

G7
I ain't gonna work on Maggie's farm no more.

No, I ain't gonna work on Maggie's farm no more.

Well, I wake up in the morning,

Fold my hands and pray for rain.

I got a head full of ideas

drivin' me insane.
       Em                                   D7
It's a shame the way she makes me scrub the floor.
  G7
I ain't gonna work on Maggie's farm no more.