Sporting Life Blues  Composed by Brownie McGhee     Edited by Jack R. Baker Arranged by Jack McGann 
 Transcribed by Allyn Dimock
See Notes for details and playing techniques
Edited by Jack R. Bak $               F         ,      q          F  ` I      K   K  F  @i/ `I    K  K K   F  @f/ K   F  @f/ K  F      c F0    @F  I  I  K K     @F  I  I K  @F  I  K  @	F 	  	F0 
F   F   F  @     F  PK  F  F/ @K `K  F  F/ @K `K  F  F/  I0 D      I0 @       I0       BF  @K PK  `K  BF  @K @K? PK0 `K0 	   F  I0  H   K  @K `K  F   K  K  @K `K  F  F     K  PK  F  F/ @F  F/    c  	  @
    F  K  K  @K `K  F  F   K   K  @ K ` K   F   F/ !K  P!K   "F  @"F  "c  $   $I  @$F/ $F  $F/  %I  @%F/ %F  %F/  &I  @&F/ &F  &K/ &+! &+ 'F   (D  `()3 (#  (  @)   )   *C   +  +  +F  ,F  ,F  -F  -I0 @.K0 P.K0 `.K9 .F  .I0  /F   0F  @0f/ 0F  0f 0   1F  @1f/ 1F  1f  2F  @2f/ 2F  2i? 2L1 2L0 3D  3F  3L0  4  @4   4  `5I0  6F  P6K  6  6I 6  6I  @7K `7K  7F  7   @8K `8K  8F  8	 @9  9F0  :I0 @: :F0  ;I0  <F  @<  <   =F  P=K  =F   >F  @>K `>K  >F  >f/  ?F  @?K `?K  ?F  ?f/  @  @  @f/  AF  @AF0 AD  A   AI0  B  Bf Cf/  DBF  @Dk PDK  `DK  DBF  Df/ @Ek @Fk? PFK0 `FK0 G  GD  G   GI0  HK  HK  @HK `HK  HF  Hf/  IK  IK  @IK `IK  IF  If/  J  JK  PJK  JF  Jf/ KD  LI0  M  M    NF  `NK  NF  Nf  OF  `OK  OF  Of  PF  `PK  PF  Pf  QF  @QK0 PQK0 Q   R  RI0  S   TK  TK  @TF  TF  Tf/  UK  UK  @U&# U&  Uf/ VK  VF  Vk/ VK! VK  X  @X   `X)3 X&  X   Y  @Y  Y   ZF   [F  [F  [F   \F  \F  \F   ]F  ]F  ]I0  ^  @^+0 P^+0 `^+0 ^  _  _I0  `F  @`f `F  `k  aF  @af aF  ak  bF  @bf/ bF  bk bK bK  cF  cF  cK   d  @d   `dI0 d  e  e   fK  @fK `fK  fK! fK" fK  fK! fK" fK  @g   PgK  gF  gF  hK  hK @hF  hF` hF  i!  i"   j   k@  @l  l  lK l
K lK  PmK  mF  m	F   nK  nK   n  @nK `nK  nF  n	F  oF  pI0 p   q0  qI0 @q  q  qI0 q   r  r#   sJF H@s
k `sK  s
K sK  sK  s  tJI F uJF H@u
k PuK u
K uK  uK  u   w w wF   x$  `x%   y
F  @y	F  yF  yi yCI ! z
F  @z	F  zF  zi zCI !{i/ {CI ! }0  }I0 @}0 `}I0 }  }  ~K  ~K  @~I  `~I  ~I  ~I  ~   K  K  @I  `I  I  I    K  @F   F  F  I0 I0  &     K  @  PK    I   K  K  @K `K  	I  	i/  K  K  @K `K  I  i/ BI   K   K  @K  `K  	I  	i/    @F  F    I  F  K K     F  K K      I  @  F  ЌK  F  ЍK    @+0 P+0 `+0 F    I0 I0  K  K  @K `K  K K  K K   K  K  @K `K  K K  K K     K  PK  K  ВK  K  PK  K  ГK     F  @F  F  F   K  @K `K  K K  K K   K  @K `K  K K  K K   K  K  K PK  K  )  ИK  @'  (  F     @F  F   F   f @     f PK     f @K `K  F     @K `K  F   I0    I0 @  D0 I0    *   F  @F  F  F   I0 @I0 I0 I0  I0 `I0 I0 I0  K  K  @K `K     K  K  @K `K    f    K PK f/  C0 f/ D  I0        C) A )  @C& A  f f/  C) A )  @C) A`I  f/    @  D  I0     K  K  @F  F   K  K  @F  
F  
F    K  @    F/  F  
F  
F/ @K0 P+3 `+0      I0 @K `K  F     @K `K  F  F/ PK  F  F/ @F  F  F/ @  c  I0  I0      K  @F  `+  F    I   K  K  @F  F  I  I   K  K  I  I   ÃK  K  @K0 PÂK0I  `K0   K0   F  K0  
  PK      K     @ǄK `K  F    ǃK @ȂK `K  F  F  F  @F  F  I0  I0  F  @        F  K  K   F  @F  H  + ΂+  F  @F  H  F     @F  I0 I0    @   @   @   @       $ Well, I'm gettin'     tired  of runnin' round  think I'll get married  I'll settle down  'cause this old night life 2 its    a       bad life     gettin'    hold   on   me. Ab E9             Ab E9 	   	   CBBB  cA7          bbA A7 5-          Ab E            A7 5-      BcC7          BcC7           AbB7           b  A7  **J* Ab E7 *J**"  d A7  * **J AA# dim           DA# dim         BcC#7 *r*F* Bc"F#7 **"* AbB11             BBB  A **z*BcBA# dim  * *BBBA7            AbB7 ***zaBB7 9- //~Gh'B5+ /^/6/ieFE run              hGA# dim            aBB11              Ab BE boogie          G E                AAAG#7               BBBA             A A7 5- /6/  Ab E9 un             E 
///F  cBB11 maj7  0      b            E  (	 	  0 &Eb                'fE9                BBB A7               B E                 B A7                AB7            d BE boogie    	  BBBA         Guitar arrangements of Jack McGann.

Many of you may not recognize Jack McGann's name as a guitarist since he never recorded commmercially.  You may however recognize the arrangement.  Jack was highly regarded among his peers for his arrangements of traditional blues, ragtime, and swing music.  He was also one of the most respected and admired acoustic guitar teachers of the '70s and '80s.  His arrangements have been passed on by his students, grand-students, peers, peers' students, etc.

Jack was also a social activist, and became nationally known for his fight for equal health care coverage for persons with AIDS.

Permission obtained from the estate of Jack McGann for free distribution of this tablature for educational purposes.  Please consider making a contribution of your time or money for AIDS research and/or for health care reform if you use this tablature.

The notice above must accompany any copies of the tablature.

-------------------------------------
Notes:

The notes shown as damped in this transcription are brushed quickly with the back of the nail of the index or middle finger, then immediately palm muted.  The transcription is of a 3 bar intro, the accompaniments to two sung verses, a break, and the accompaniment to a third verse.

I don't know the lineage of this tune: it uses A#dim where other versions that I have heard would use a minor chord with a major 6th.

I'm getting tired of running round,
Think I'll get married, I'll settle down,
'Cause this old night life, its a bad life, gettin' hold of me.

I used to be a gambler, a cheater too,
Now its come my time -- my time to lose,
'Cause this old night life, its a bad life, gettin' hold of me.

My old mama used to fall down on her knees [on her knees] and pray
And these were the very last words she'd ever say [every night]
Was "Johnny, my darlin' Johnny, won't you please change your ways."

words in [...] are spoken.  The change in the 3rd verse to the E chord at the 7th position happens on the phrase [every night].     c          0w   %).38 %).38Acoustic Guitar   001111110000=007:>899<>7F000P042S0/00000000000001EE0/1110010::::H<100000000000000000008V0000000Page &p / &n                                                                                                                    &c&2&t &c&6&s &r&3&m                                                                                                            &r&3&t - &3&s                                                                                                                   
