Tobacco Island

from the album Within a Mile of Home
tabbed by Eric Bonkowski


  chorus riff:
E|--------------------------------
B|--------------------------------
G|--------------------------------
D|-----------------------------3--
A|------1--1-3-1--1-3-5--5-3-5----
E|--1-3---------------------------

E|----------------------| 
B|----------------------| 
G|----------------------| 
D|--3-5-5-3---5-5-3-----| 
A|5---------5-----------| 
E|----------------------| 

E|--------------------------------
B|--------------------------------
G|--------------------------------
D|--------------------------------
A|--5-3-5--3-1---1-------1--1-3-1-
E|-------------3-----1-3----------

E|----------------------| 
B|----------------------| 
G|----------------------| 
D|--------------3---3---| 
A|-1-3-5--5-3-5---5-----| 
E|----------------------| 

E|--------------------------------
B|--------------------------------
G|--------------------------------
D|--5-5-3----5-5-3~---------------
A|--------5-----------5-3-1-3-5-3-
E|--------------------------------

E|---| 
B|---| 
G|---| 
D|---| 
A|1--| 
E|---| 

        Bb
And to hell we must sail

For the Shores of sweet Barbados
           Gm
Where the sugar cane grows taller

Than the god we once believed in
          Bb
Till the butcher and his crown

Raped the land we used to sleep in
     Gm                       
Now tomorrow chimes of ghostly 
   F
crimes
      Gm  N.C.


  Gm
'Twas 1659 forgotten now for sure
      Bb
They dragged us from our homeland

With the musket and their gun
  Gm
Cromwell and his roundheads

Battered all we know
  Bb
Shackled hopes of freedom

We're now but stolen goods
 F
Darken the horizon

Blackened from the sun
      Am
This rotten cage of Bridgetown
   C
Is where I now belong


        Bb
And to hell we must sail

For the Shores of sweet Barbados
           Gm
Where the sugar cane grows taller

Than the god we once believed in
          Bb
Till the butcher and his crown

Raped the land we used to sleep in
     Gm                       
Now tomorrow chimes of ghostly 
   F
crimes
      Gm  N.C.


Gm
Red leg down a peg

Blistered burns the soul
     Bb
The floggings they're a plenty

But reasons there are none
     Gm
Our backs belong to landlords

Continues after the ad
Where branded is there name
 Bb
Paid for with ten shillings

Cheap labor never breaks
     F
The silver moon is shinin'

Cools the copper blood
           Am
Where the livin' meet the dead
    C
And together dance as one


        Bb
And to hell we must sail

For the Shores of sweet Barbados
           Gm
Where the sugar cane grows taller

Than the god we once believed in
          Bb
Till the butcher and his crown

Raped the land we used to sleep in
     Gm                       
Now tomorrow chimes of ghostly 
   F
crimes
      Gm  N.C.


Bb Gm              Bb     
Ag-ony, will you cleanse this 
      Gm
misery?
           Bb               Gm
For it's never again I'll breathe
            F
The air of home
           Bb    Gm
From this sandy edge
            Bb             Gm
The rolling sea breaks my revenge
            Bb                Gm
With each whisper a thousand waves
        F
I hear roar

I'm coming home

          - Instrumental break -
              x8
each time break is played, it’s over
 one chord played in this order:
Gm, F, Gm, F, Gm, F, Gm, Bb (one 
chord for each time)
E|--------------------------------
B|--------------------------------
G|--------------------------------
D|-----5-5p3---3------------------
A|-----------5---5p3/1p0---0-1----
E|--3--------------------3------3-

E|----------------------| 
B|----------------------| 
G|----------------------| 
D|5-5p3---3-------------| 
A|------5---5-3-1-0-----| 
E|------------------3---| 

on the 4th and 8th time, this is 
played as an ending:
E|--------------------------------
B|--------------------------------
G|--------------------------------
D|-----5-5p3---3------------------
A|-----------5---5p3/1p0---0-1----
E|--3--------------------3--------

E|---------------------------| 
B|---------------------------| 
G|---------------------------| 
D|---------------------------| 
A|-3-3-3-3h5p3/1--0-1-0------| 
E|----------------------1h3--| 



 F
Dark is the horizon

Blackened by the sun
       Am
This rotten cage of Bridgetown
     C
Is where I now belong


        Bb
And to hell we must sail

For the Shores of sweet Barbados
           Gm
Where the sugar cane grows taller

Than the god we once believed in
          Bb
Till the butcher and his crown

Raped the land we used to sleep in
     Gm                       
Now tomorrow chimes of ghostly 
   F
crimes
      Gm  N.C.


        Bb
And to hell we must sail

For the Shores of sweet Barbados
           Gm
Where the sugar cane grows taller

Than the god we once believed in
          Bb
Till the butcher and his crown

Raped the land we used to sleep in
     Gm                       
Now tomorrow chimes of ghostly 
   F
crimes
      Gm  N.C.

        - final instrumental break, 
through end -
no idea how many times it’s played, 
but it’s basically
alternating these two sections.

  PART 1, played twice:
E|--------------------------------
B|--------------------------------
G|--------------------------------
D|--------------------------------
A|--1-------1-------3-1-0-------0-
E|----3-3-3---3-3-3-------1-1-1---

E|-------------------------| 
B|-------------------------| 
G|-------------------------| 
D|-------------------------| 
A|------0-1-------1--------| 
E|1-1-1-----3-3-3---3-3-3--| 

E|----------------------------| 
B|----------------------------| 
G|----------------------------| 
D|----------------------------| 
A|--3-3-3-3h5p3/1--0-1-0------| 
E|-----------------------1h3--| 

    after that entire section twice 
straight through,
  then comes PART 2 played three 
times
E|--------------------------------
B|--------------------------------
G|--------------------------------
D|-----5-5p3---3------------------
A|-----------5---5p3/1p0---0-1----
E|--3--------------------3------3-

E|----------------------| 
B|----------------------| 
G|----------------------| 
D|5-5p3---3-------------| 
A|------5---5-3-1-0-----| 
E|------------------3---| 

  and after the third time through 
that, play this ENDING
E|--------------------------------
B|--------------------------------
G|--------------------------------
D|-----5-5p3---3------------------
A|-----------5---5p3/1p0---0-1----
E|--3--------------------3--------

E|---------------------------| 
B|---------------------------| 
G|---------------------------| 
D|---------------------------| 
A|-3-3-3-3h5p3/1--0-1-0------| 
E|----------------------1h3--| 

   then go back to part 1 played 
twice, followed by
   part 2 played three times, then 
the ending.
   repeat as needed!

And for any mandolin or violin 
players,
those few riffs look like this:

  intro:
e|-----------------------------1--
A|------1--1-3-1--1-3-5--5-3-5----
D|--3-5---------------------------
G|--------------------------------

e|--1--3-3-1---3-3-1----------------
A|5----------5--------5-3-5-3-1---1-
D|------------------------------5---
G|----------------------------------

e|--| 
A|--| 
D|--| 
G|--| 

e|-----------------------------1--
A|------1--1-3-1--1-3-5--5-3-5----
D|--3-5---------------------------
G|--------------------------------

e|--1--3-3-1---3-3-1---------------
A|5----------5---------5-3-1-3-5-3-
D|---------------------------------
G|---------------------------------

e|---| 
A|1--| 
D|---| 
G|---| 


  first interlude:
e|------3—3p1---1-----------------
A|------------5---5-3-1-0---0-1---
D|---5--------------------5-------
G|--------------------------------

e|---3-3p1---1----------------------
A|---------5---5-3-1-0--------------
D|5--------------------5------------
G|----------------------------------

e|--| 
A|--| 
D|--| 
G|--| 

e|------3—3p1---1-----------------
A|------------5---5-3-1-0---0-1---
D|---5--------------------5-------
G|--------------------------------

e|----------------------------------
A|3-3-3-3h5-3/1-0-1-0---------------
D|--------------------3-5-----------
G|----------------------------------

e|--| 
A|--| 
D|--| 
G|--| 


  second interlude:
e|-------------------------------
A|-1-------1-------5-3-0-------0-
D|---5-5-5---5-5-5-------3-3-3---
G|-------------------------------

e|------------------------| 
A|------1-------1---------| 
D|3-3-3---5-5-5---5-5-5---| 
G|------------------------| 

e|----------------------------| 
A|--3-3-3-3h5-3/1-0-1-0-------| 
D|----------------------3-5---| 
G|----------------------------| 


*** Remember lots and lots of double
 picking,
    this isn’t note for note, some 
are double
    picked, some are slid past or 
hammered on or
    whatever.  this is meant as a 
guide. also,
    because the instrumental stuff 
as well
    as the intro is all played on 
the
    violin/mandolin/accordion, the 
guitar
    stuff is at least 1 octave flat 
to what
    you hear on the actual 
recording, so make
    adjustments as needed, but the 
notes themselves
    are pretty close to correct.

great song
Have fun, email questions or 
corrections to
 F*