Brad's Paul Simon Guitar Tablature Page (www.bradpriddy.com/paul_simon)
............................ He Was My Brother ...........................
Copyright © 1963 Edward B. Marks Music Company (BMI)
From the Paul Simon Songbook.
Transcribed by John McGann.
Capo 1st fret (see tuning info on main page)
D C
e:|-----2-----0-----|--0h2---0h2------|-----0-----------|-3--3-3---3----2-|
B:|-----3-----------|--3---3------3---|-----1-----1-----|-1--1-1---1-0--0-|
G:|-----2---x-------|--2--------------|-----0---0-------|-0--0-0---0----0-|
D:|--0----------0---|----------0----0-|-----2-----------|-2--2-2---2------|
A:|-----------------|-----------------|--3----------3---|-3--3-3---3------|
E:|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|
* D
e:|-----2-----0-----|-0h2---0h2-----2-|-----2-----0-----|-0h2---0h2-----2-|
B:|-----3-----------|-3---------3-----|-----3-----------|-3---------3-----|
G:|--2--2---2----2--|-2---2-----------|--2--2---2----2--|-2---2-----------|
D:|--0--0---0----0--|-0-------0---0---|--0--0---0----0--|-0-------0---0---|
A:|---------0----0--|-----------------|---------0----0--|-----------------|
E:|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|
D C
e:|------2----2-----|--0h2-------2----|--0--------0-----|--0--------------|
B:|------3----------|--------3--------|-------1-------1-|-------1---------|
G:|------2------2---|------2-------2--|-------------0---|-----------0-----|
D:|--0--------------|--0-------0------|-----2-----------|-----2-----------|
A:|-----------------|-----------------|--3------3-------|--3------3---3---|
E:|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|
He was my
D Bm G
e:|----2----0h2-----|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|
B:|-------------3---|--3---------2----|--3---------3----|--------0--------|
G:|-------2---------|-------4---------|-------4---------|-----------------|
D:|--0------------0-|-----4--------4--|-----4--------4--|-----0--------0--|
A:|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|
E:|-----------------|--4-------4------|--4-------4------|--3--------3-----|
bro - ther five years
G A
e:|-----------------|-----5--5---5----|--5---5-5---5-5--|-----5--5---5----|
B:|--0---------0----|-----2--3---3----|--2---2-3---2-2--|-----2--3---3----|
G:|-------0---------|-----2--2---2----|--2---2-2---2-2--|-----2--2---2----|
D:|-----0-----------|-----2--2---2----|--2---2-2---2-2--|-----2--2---2----|
A:|-----------------|--0--0-----------|--0---0-0---0-0--|--0--0-----------|
E:|--3------3-----3-|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|
older than I
A D # C
e:|--5---5-5---5-5--|------2----------|--0h2-------2----|--0---------0----|
B:|--2---2-3---2-2--|------3----------|--------3--------|---------1-------|
G:|--2---2-2---2-2--|------2----------|------2-------2--|--------------0--|
D:|--2---2-2---2-2--|--0---0----0-----|--0-------0------|------2----------|
A:|--0---0-0---0-0--|-----------------|-----------------|--3--------------|
E:|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|
He
C @ D Bm
e:|--0---------3----|--2--------------|-----------------|-----------2--2--|
B:|-------1---------|------3----------|--3--------2-----|--3--------3--3--|
G:|--------------2--|------2----------|-------4---------|-------4---4--4--|
D:|--2--2----3------|--0--------------|-----4-------4---|-----4-----4--4--|
A:|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|-----------2--2--|
E:|-----------------|---------0----0--|--2------2-------|--2------2-------|
was my bro - ther
G A A
e:|-----------------|-----------------|------5--5--5----|--5--------------|
B:|--------0--------|-----------------|------2--3--3----|--2--------------|
G:|-----------------|-----------------|------2--2--2----|--2--------------|
D:|--0---0-------0--|------0-------0--|------2--2--2----|--2--------------|
A:|-----------------|-----------------|--0---0--0--0----|--0--------------|
E:|--3-------3------|--3-------3------|-----------------|-----------------|
twenty three years old the day he
For "died" and verse two, return to the beginning. At #, play the
following C variation:
C
e:|-----------------|-----------------|
B:|-----------------|-----------------|
G:|------0----------|-----------------|
D:|--2---x----------|-----------------|
A:|--3-----------0--|--3-------0---3--|
E:|----------3------|------3----------|
For verse three, return to the beginning. This time, jump from @ to:
D Bm G
e:|--2--------------|-2---------------|--------2--------|-----------------|
B:|--3--------------|-3-------2-------|--------3--------|--3--------------|
G:|--2----strum-----|-4-strum-4-strum-|-strum--4-strum--|--4----strum-----|
D:|--0--------------|-4-------4-------|--------4--------|--5--------------|
A:|-----------------|-2-------2-------|--------2--------|--5--------------|
E:|-----------------|-2-------2-------|--------2--------|--3--------------|
brother dead because he
A $ Bm
e:|-----------------|--2--------------|
B:|--5--------------|--3--------------|
G:|--6----strum-----|--4----strum-----|
D:|--7--------------|--4--------------|
A:|--7--------------|--2--------------|
E:|--5--------------|--2--------------|
hated what was wrong
For verse four, begin at * and play through (adding an extra bar of the
G chord) to @. Take the @ jump as in verse three and play to $. At $,
jump to:
D Bm G A
e:|--2--------------|--2--------------|-----------------|-----------------|
B:|--3--------------|--3--------------|--3--------------|--2--------------|
G:|--2----strum-----|--4----strum-----|--4----strum-----|--2----strum-----|
D:|--0--------------|--4--------------|--5--------------|--2--------------|
A:|--0--------------|--2--------------|--5--------------|--0--------------|
E:|-----------------|-----------------|--3--------------|-----------------|
free oh God he died so his brothers could be
D C
e:|----2----0--0----|--2----0h2-------|-----0-----------|--3----3-----2---|
B:|----3----3--3----|--3----3----3----|-----1-----1---1-|--1----1-----3---|
G:|----2----2--2----|--2----2----2----|--0--0-----0---0-|--0----0-----2---|
D:|----0----0--0----|--0--0-0----0----|--2--2---2-2---2-|--2----2--0--0---|
A:|--0-0--0---------|--0--0-0----0----|--3--3---3-3---3-|--3--3-3--0--0---|
E:|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|
free
D D/F#
e:|------2----0--0--|--0h2---0h2------|-----2-----0--0--|--2-----2--------|
B:|------3----3--3--|--3-----3--------|-----3-----3--3--|--3-----3--------|
G:|------2----2--2--|--2-----2--------|-----2-----2--2--|--2-----2--------|
D:|------0--0-0--0--|--0-----0---0----|-----0-----0--0--|--0-----0--------|
A:|--0---0--0-0--0--|--0---0-0---0-0--|--0--0---0-0--0--|--0--------------|
E:|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|--------2--------|
Lyrics:
He was my brother,
Five years older than I.
He was my brother,
Twenty-three years old the day he died.
Freedom rider,
They cursed my brother to his face.
Go home outsider.
Mississippi'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.