He Was My Brother
by Paul Kane (a.k.a. Paul Simon)
from "Wednesday Morning 3AM" and "The Paul Simon Songbook."
Transcribed and tabbed by Rich Kent (rkent@mistral.co.uk)
I opted to take this from the songbook as its a simpler version having only
one guitar but has some nice picking bits. It's not too hard and didn't
take long to tab. Enjoy singing those harmonies from the 3am album...
Capo 2nd fret
-------------
Intro:
------
D C
e:|-----2-----0-----|-0h2---0h2-------|-----0-----------|-3-----3---2-----|
B:|-----3-----------|-----------3-----|-----1-----1-----|-1---------------|
G:|-----2-------2---|-----2-------2---|-----0-----------|-0---------------|
D:|-0-------0-------|-0-------0-------|-----2-------2---|-----2-------2---|
A:|-----------------|-----------------|-3-------3-------|-3-------3-------|
E:|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|
| | | | | | | |
D
e:|-----2-----0-----|-0h2---0h2-------|-----2-----0-----|-0h2---0h2-----2-|
B:|-----3-----------|-----------3---3-|-----3-----------|-----------3-----|
G:|-----2-------2---|-----2-------2---|-----2-------2---|-----2-------2---|
D:|-0-------0-------|-0-------0-------|-0-------0-------|-0-------0-------|
A:|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|
E:|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|
| | | | | | | |
Verse 1
-------
D C
e:|-----2-----2-----|-0h2-------2-----|-----------------|-----------------|
B:|-----3-----------|-------3-------0-|-----1-----1-----|-----1-----1-----|
G:|-----2-------2---|-----2-------2---|-------0---------|-----0-----------|
D:|-0-------0-------|-0-------0-------|-----2-------2---|-----2-------2---|
A:|-----------------|-----------------|-3-------3-------|-3-------3-------|
E:|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|
| | | | | | | |
He was my
D Bm G
e:|-----2-----------|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|
B:|-----3-----3-----|-----3-----2-----|-3---------3-----|-----------0-----|
G:|-----2-------2---|-----4-----------|-------4---------|-------0---------|
D:|-0-------0-------|-----4-------4---|-----4-------4---|-----0-------0---|
A:|-----------------|-2-------2-------|-2-------2-------|-----------------|
E:|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|-3-------3-------|
| | | | | | | |
brot....h.....er five years
A
e:|-3---------------|-----------------|-0---------------|-----------------|
B:|-----------0-----|-------2---3-----|-------3---2-----|-------2---3-----|
G:|-------0---------|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|
D:|-----0-------0---|-----2-------2---|-----2-------2---|-----2-------2---|
A:|-----------------|-0-------0-------|-0-------0-------|-0-------0-------|
E:|-3-------3-------|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|
| | | | | | | |
older than I
(strum a bit) D C
e:|-0---------------|-----2-----------|-0h2-------2-----|-----------------|
B:|-------3---2-----|-----3-----3-----|-------3---------|-----1-----1-----|
G:|-----------------|-----2-------2---|-----2-------2---|-------0---------|
D:|-----2-------2---|-0-------0-------|-0-------0-------|-----2-------2---|
A:|-0-------0-------|-----------------|-----------------|-3-------3-------|
E:|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|
| | | | | | | |
He
D Bm
e:|-----------------|-----2-----------|-----------------|-----------------|
B:|-----1-----1-----|-----3-----3-----|-----3-----2-----|-3---------3-----|
G:|-----0-----------|-----2-------2---|-----4-----------|-------4---------|
D:|-----2-------2---|-0-------0-------|-----4-------4---|-----4-------4---|
A:|-3-------3-------|-----------------|-2-------2-------|-2-------2-------|
E:|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|
| | | | | | | |
was my bro...th.......er
G A
e:|-----------------|-3---------------|-----------------|-----------------|
B:|-----------0-----|-----------0-----|-------2---3-----|-2---------------|
G:|-------0---------|-------0---------|-----------------|-2---------------|
D:|-----0-------0---|-----0-------0---|-----2-------2---|-2---------------|
A:|-----------------|-----------------|-0-------0-------|-0---------------|
E:|-3-------3-------|-3-------3-------|-----------------|-----------------|
| | | | | | | |
twenty three years old The day he
died
Play intro between each verse... And strum/pick a bit more each time..
Play the rest of the verses..
Last verse
----------
D C
e:|-----2-----2-----|-0h2-------2-----|-----------------|-----------------|
B:|-----3-----------|-------3-------0-|-----1-----1-----|-----1-----1-----|
G:|-----2-------2---|-----2-------2---|-------0---------|-----0-----------|
D:|-0-------0-------|-0-------0-------|-----2-------2---|-----2-------2---|
A:|-----------------|-----------------|-3-------3-------|-3-------3-------|
E:|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|
| | | | | | | |
He was my
D Bm G
e:|-----2-----------|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|
B:|-----3-----3-----|-----3-----2-----|-3---------3-----|-----------0-----|
G:|-----2-------2---|-----4-----------|-------4---------|-------0---------|
D:|-0-------0-------|-----4-------4---|-----4-------4---|-----0-------0---|
A:|-----------------|-2-------2-------|-2-------2-------|-----------------|
E:|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|-3-------3-------|
| | | | | | | |
brot....h.....er tears can't
A
e:|-3---------------|-----------------|-0---------------|-----------------|
B:|-----------0-----|-------2---3-----|-------3---2-----|-------2---3-----|
G:|-------0---------|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|
D:|-----0-------0---|-----2-------2---|-----2-------2---|-----2-------2---|
A:|-----------------|-0-------0-------|-0-------0-------|-0-------0-------|
E:|-3-------3-------|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|
| | | | | | | |
bring him back to me
Play the next A bar then... Strum lots
D C D Bm G A D
He he was my brother and he died so his brothers could be free
Bm G A (intro)
Oh God, he died so his brothers could be free
(And finish with a big strum on D)
Words
-----
He was my brother
Five years older than I
He was my brother
Twenty-three years old the day he died
Freedom writer
They cursed my brother to his face
Go home outsider
Mississipi's gonna be your buryin' place
He was singin' on his knees
An angry mob trailed along
They shot my brother dead
Because he hated what was wrong
He was my brother
Tears can't bring him back to me
He was my brother
And he died so his brothers could be free
He died so his brothers could be free
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