Preachin' Blues (Up Jumped the Devil)
(original Robert Johnson lyrics version)
Words & Music by:
Robert Johnson

This is a classic blues, but the most sublime of Johnson's tunes.  It is a bone-simple, one-chord song, but has been covered in any number of ways  (Peter Green plays it at a blistering pace!) and has more variations from the original lyrics than you can count.  So, what to play?  Well, Rory Block has an excellent set of DVDs from Homespun Tapes on how to play Robert Johnson in his original style (this tune is on DVD 1), if you want to start at the source.  I've also given several different tabs and sets of lyrics.  In true Delta Blues style, pick (or write) the words that are closest to your heart and play them in a way that fills your soul.  That's the blues.

Mmmmm-mmmmm!  I's up this mornin'; ah, blues walkin' like a man.
I's up this mornin'; ah, blues walkin' like a man.
Worried blues, give me your right hand.

And the blues fell mama's child, tore me all upside down.
Blues fell mama's child and it tore me all upside down.
Travel on, poor Bob, just cain't turn you 'round.

The blu-u-u-u-ues is a low-down shakin' chill.
[spoken: Yes, preach 'em now!]
Mmmmm mmmmm, is a low-down shakin' chill.
You ain't never had 'em, I hope you never will.

Well, the blues is a achin' old heart disease.
[spoken: Do it. now.  You gon' do it?  Tell me about it.]
The blues is a low-down achin' heart disease.
Like consumption, killing me by degrees.

It started raining.  Whoa, drown, drown my blues away.
Started raining, drown my blues away.
Going to the 'stilery ("distillery"), gonna stay out there all day.

Preachin' Blues (Up Jumped the Devil)
(common lyrics variation 1)
Words & Music by:
Robert Johnson

I was up this morning, blues walking like a man.
I was up this morning, blues walking like a man.
Worried blues, give me your right hand.

And the blues fell mama's child, tore me all upside down.
Blues fell mama's child, tore me all upside down.
Travel on, ol' Jeffrey Lee, ya know, can't seem to turn him 'round.

So, preach the blues!  Preach the blues, now.

Blues, is a low-down, shaking chill.
Blues, is a low-down, shaking chill.
You ain't never had 'em, I don't believe you will.

Blues is an achin' old heart disease.
Blues is an achin' old heart disease.
It's like consumption, now, baby, killin' me by degree.

So, preach the blues!  Preach the blues, now.

I had religion, Lord, on this very day.
I had religion, Lord, on this very day.
But the womens and the whiskey, they would not let me be.

Gonna get me religion, gonna join the Baptist church.
Gonna get me religion, gonna join the Baptist church.
Gonna be a Baptist preacher, so I don't have to work.


Preachin' Blues (Up Jumped the Devil)
(3 tabs)
Words & Music by:
Robert Johnson

1. Preachin' Blues Basic Open D Tab:
[open D tuning (D A F# D A D), play with slide]

    Basic riff 1:
D  |--12-------------------------------|
A  |-----------------------------------|
F# |-------10sl.12---------------------|
D  |----------------12sl.down--0----0--|
A  |-----------------------------------|
D  |-----------------------------0-----|

    Basic riff 2:  [can use as a variation to basic riff 1:]
D  |-----------------------------------|
A  |-----------------------------------|
F# |-----------------------------------|
D  |---------------------------0----0--|
A  |-----------------------------------|
D  |---3--------5-----0----------0-----|

    Basic riff 3:  [noodle around on the G chord as a variation]
D  |-----------------------------------|
A  |-----------------------------------| [can also finger pick strings
F# |-----------------------------------|  or throw in a slide to the 
D  |---/5-----/5---------------0----0--|  3rd fret on a D string, too]
A  |---/5-----/5-----------------------|
D  |---/5-----/5------0----------0-----|

There's no set rhyme or reason to what riff goes where.  Play as your ear sees fit.
2. Preachin' Blues Derek Trucks Tab In Open E Tuning:
Transcribed by Daniel Anderson (GlassSlide)
[open E tuning (E B E G# B E), play with slide]


E  |-10/12-----3----10/12-----3-3-0-3-0-----10/12-----3-3-0-3-0------------------|
B  |-10/12-12\-3----10/12-12\---------------------12\----------------------------|
G# |-----------------------------------------------------------------------------|
E  |---------------------------------------------------------------0-0--0--------|
B  |-------------------------------------------------------------------3---------|
E  |--------------0----------------------0------------------------0-------3-0-3--|

E  |--10/12-----3-3-0-3-0----10/12-----3-3-0-3-0------|
B  |--10/12-12\--------------10/12-12\----------------|
G# |--------------------------------------------------|
E  |--------------------------------------------------|
B  |--------------------------------------------------|
E  |-0---------------------0-----------------------0--|

E  |10/12------3-3-0-3-0---------------------|
B  |10/12-12\--------------------------------|
G# |-----------------------------------------|
E  |----------------------12-12-12-----------|
B  |-----------------------------------------|
E  |--------------------------------3-0-3-0--|

Verse
E  |-------------|                 |--10/12----3----10/12-----3-3-0-3-0--|
B  |-------------|                 |--10/12-12\3----10/12-12\------------|
G# |-------------|  add a fill 2x  |-------------------------------------|
E  |----0-0---0--|  then back to:  |-------------------------------------|
B  |--------3----|                 |-------------------------------------|
E  |--0----------|                 |--------------0----------------------|



3. Preachin' Blues Robert Johnson Tab In Open D Tuning:
[tabber unknown]
From the recording of 3rd of 5 sessions, November 27 1936, San Antonio, Texas
from "The Complete Recordings" (CBS 467246 2 & Columbia/Legacy C2K-46222 & Columbia 4622 & Sony 64916), copyright notice.


D  ||----------------12--12--|--12--12--12--12\-----------------|
A  ||----------------12--12--|--12--12--12--12\-0-0-0-----------|
F# ||----------------12--12--|--12--12--12--12\-0-0-0--0--0--0--|
D  ||------------------------|------------------0-0-0--------0--|
A  ||------------------------|----------------------------------|
D  ||------------------------|----------------------------3--3--|


-----0--0--0--0--0--0--0--0--0-------------|--12-----10\----3--------0-----|
--------------------------------0----------|-------------------------------|
--0-----------------------------0--x-x---x-|---------------------x---------|
--0-----------------------------0--x-x-0-x-|------0------0-----0---x---0-x-|
--0--3--3-----2--------1-----0-------------|------0------0-------------0---|
-------------------------------------------|-------------------------------|


--12-----10\----3--------0-----|--12-----10\----3--------0-----|
-------------------------------|-------------------------------|
---------------------x---------|---------------------x---------|
------0------0-----0---x---0-x-|------0------0-----0---x---0-x-|
------0------0-------------0---|------0------0-------------0---|
-------------------------------|-------------------------------|


--12-----10\----3--------0-----|--12-----10-----3--------0-----|
-------------------------------|---------10--------------------|
---------------------x---------|---------------------x---------|
------0------0-----0---x---0-x-|------0------0-----0---x---0-x-|
------0------0-------------0---|-------------------------------|
-------------------------------|-------------------------------|


--12-----10/-12--3--------0-----|--12-----12-----3--------0-----|
--------------------------------|-------------------------------|
----------------------x---------|---------------------x---------|
------0------0----------x---0-x-|------0------0-----0---x---0-x-|
------0------0------0-----------|-------------------------------|
--------------------------------|-------------------------------|


--12-----11/-12--3---0----0--|--16\----12-----3--------0-----|
---------11/-12------0----0--|-------------------------------|
-----------------------x-----|---------------------x---------|
------0------0---------------|------0------0-----0---x---0-x-|
-----------------------------|-------------------------------|
-----------------------------|-------------------------------|


--12-----11/-12--3--------0-----|--12-----12-----3--------0-----|
---------11/-12-----------------|-------------------------------|
----------------------x---------|---------------------x---------|
------0------0------0---x---0-x-|------0------0-----0---x---0-x-|
--------------------------------|-------------------------------|
--------------------------------|-------------------------------|

--12-----11/-12--3--------0-----|--12--12--12-----3--------0-----|
--12-----11/-12-----------0-----|--12--12--12--------------------|
--12-----11/-12-------x-----0---|--12--12--12--------------------|
------0-------------0-------0-x-|------0-------0-----0-x-----0-x-|
--------------------------------|------------------------x-------|
------------------------3-------|--------------------------------|


--12-----11/-12--3--0---------|--------------------------|
------------------------------|--------------------------|
------------------------------|--------------------------|
------0------0---------12\-9--|----0------0----0------0--|
------------------------------|-------2/4---------2/4----|
------------------------------|--------------------------|


--------------------------------------|-------------0----0--12----|
------------------------------0-------|-------------0----0--12----|
------------------------------0--x----|---------------x-----------|
--12\-3----0-----------0------0--x----|---------------x--0--------|
--------------2/4-5-------2/4---------|--3--3--2--2---------------|
--------------------------------------|---------------------------|


-----------------------------|--12----12----3--0--------|
-----------------------------|--12----12----------5--5--|
-----------------------0--0--|--12----12----------------|
--0--0--0-----------0--0--0--|--------------------------|
-----------3--x--2--0--0--0--|--------------------------|
-----------------------------|--------------------------|


-------------0--------0-----|--12----12--12--0--3--0--------|--------------0--------||
----------0--0--------0--0--|--12----12--12--0--------5--5--|--------------0--------||
----------0--------0--0--0--|--12----12--12--0--------------|-----------0--0--------||
------2/4-0-----0--0-----0--|--12---------------------------|-------2/4-0-----------||
-------------------0--------|-------------------------------|----0------0-----------||
----------------------------|-------------------------------|-----------------------||