Quinn The Eskimo (The Mighty Quinn)

Words and music Bob Dylan
Recorded during The Basement sessions (summer 1967)
Released in a live version from the Isle of Wight festival (1969) on Self Portrait (1970) and on Greatest Hits vol. 2 (1971). Original basement version released on Biograph (1985)
Tabbed by Eyolf Østrem

There are two takes from the Basement tapes sessions. They differ only on minor points.

The live version from the Isle of Wight is played in A, with the chords A, D and E.

Capo 4th fret (sounding key E major)

C

C           F                C             F
Ev'rybody's building the big ships and the boats,
C                 F
Some are building monuments,
C                       F
Others are jotting down notes,
C                F
Ev'rybody's in despair,
C                 F
Ev'ry girl and boy
		 C                G
But when Quinn the Eskimo gets here,
F                            C
Ev'rybody's [gonna] jump for joy.

C                 G            C
Come all without, come all within,
	   C       G                F      C
You'll not see nothing like the mighty Quinn.

Now, I likes to do just like the rest, I likes my sugar sweet,
But guarding fumes and making haste, *)
It ain't my cup of meat.
Ev'rybody's just standin' round 'neath the trees,
Feeding pigeons on a limb
But when Quinn the Eskimo gets here,
them pigeons'll go to him.

Come all without, come all within,
You'll not see nothing like the mighty Quinn.

A lamp gate, a gunny dew, I can't recite them all **)
Just tell me where it hurts ***)
And I'll tell you who to call
Nobody can get no sleep,
There's someone on ev'ryone's toes
But when Quinn the Eskimo gets here,
Ev'rybody's gonna doze.

Come all without, come all within,
You'll not see nothing like the mighty Quinn.

*) The Self Portrait version has “But jumping queues and making haste”
**) The copyrighted lyrics have: “A cat's meow and a cow's moo, I can recite 'em all”. Self Portrait has something similar.
***) The other take has: “Just tell me where to put them”