as played by Ry Cooder on his selftitled Debutalbum Ry Cooder.

tabbed by Kay-Uwe Graw on the 11th of October 1996

The original song is by Blind Willie Johnson called Dark Was The Night, Cold Was The Ground. But on the Ry Cooder album it is called Dark Is The Night. Blind Willie Johnsons's recording of this song has been included as one of the cuts on the Sounds of Earth record of the Voyager craft as proof of intelligent life on earth. Whatever that means ...

#---------------------------------PLEASE NOTE---------------------------------#
#This tab is the author's own work and represents their interpretation of the #
#song. You may only use this tab for private study, scholarship, or research. #
#-----------------------------------------------------------------------------#

Playing Notes:

/ - slide up
\ - slide down
h - hammer on
p - pull off
s - slide between notes
# - note played slightly sharp

played in Open D (D A D F# A D from low to high)

D-|-------------------/2---0------------------------------------------------|
A-|--0--/7--\5----0-3--------3s2p0------------------------------------------|
F#|-------------------------------------------------------------------------|
D-|---------------------------------0---0-/4-/5-/7-/4---0-/4-/5-/7-7s5-\4--0|
A-|--0--/7--\5--------------------------------------------------------------|
D-|-------------------------------------0-/4-/5-/7-/4---0-/4-/5-/7-7s5-\4---|



|-/7---0--/4s3s4----/7---/12/12----/5--/7s6s7---2-0-----0-0-/3s2---/7s6s7---|
|---------------------------------------------------------------------------|
|---------------------------------------------------------------------------|
|---------------------------------------------------0-----------------------|
|------------------------------------------------------------0--------------|
|-------0----------0---------------/5---------------------------------------|



|-0-0-/3s2---/3-s-2-0-------------/4---4s2p0--------------------------------|
|---------------------0-/3#-/5-----------------0-/7-/5--0--/3#-/5---\3p0----|
|---------------------------------------------------------------------------|
|---------------------------------------------------------------------------|
|------0---------------------------------------0-/7-/5-----/3#-/5-----------|
|---------------------------------0-----------------------------------------|



|------------------------------------/4--4s2p0-------/16--\12---------------|
|------------------------------------------------/14-----------/14--\9------|
|---------------------------------------------------------------------------|
|-0-/3-/5--5s3s5-/7--\3-s-2-s-3-0-------------------------------------------|
|---------------------------------------------------------------------------|
|-0-/3-/5--5s3s5-/7--------------0------------------------------------------|



|--/7--/4p0-/4-4s2p0--4s3s4s7s9--0-h-2---0-4s2s4--5s4----/4--4s2p0----------|
|---------------------------------0------------------/5-------------0-/7-\5-|
|---------------------------------------------------------------------------|
|---------------------------------------------------------------------------|
|----------------------------------0--------------------------------0-/7-\5-|
|-0----------------------------------------0--------------0-----------------|



|--------------------------------------------------/7-p-0--/4s3s4--/7-/12/12|
|-0-/3--/5--3p0-------------------------------------------------------------|
|---------------------------------------------------------------------------|
|-------------------0-0--/5--5s3s5-/7--/3-s-2-0-----------------------------|
|-------/5-----0------------------------------------------------------------|
|------------------------/5--5s3s5-/7----------0------------0-------0-------|



|-/5---/7/7-s-2p0---0-0-/3s2--/7s6s7s9-p-0---0-0-/3s2--3-s-2-0--------------|
|--------------------------------------------------------------0-/3s5s4-/5--|
|---------------------------------------------------------------------------|
|-/5------------------------------------------------------------------------|
|------------------------0------------------------0-------------------------|
|-/5------------------------------------------------------------------------|



|-/4--4s2p0-----------------------------------/12~--|
|------------0-0-/7-/5---0-0-/3-/5-s-3p0------/12~--|
|---------------------------------------------/12~--|
|---------------------------------------------/12~--|
|----------------/7-/5-------/3-/5-s-3p0------------|
|--0------------------------------------------------|