Gallows Pole Bass Tab

Led Zeppelin III Tabs:

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Gallows Pole
led zeppelin
Standard Tuning

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

G|--------|
D|5-------|
A|----5---|
E|--------|

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

G|----------------|--------|
D|----------------|5-52----|
A|----------------|----5---|
E|3-5-3-5-5-5-5-5-|--------|

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

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

G|-------5--------|--------------5-|-------5--------|--------|
D|7---5-7-----5---|7-------5------5|7---5-------5---|5-52----|
A|--------5-79----|----5-79--------|--------5-79----|----5-2-|
E|----------------|----------------|----------------|-------5|

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

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

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

G|--------|
D|5-------|
A|----5---|
E|--------|

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

G|-------5--------|--------------5-|-------5--------|--------|
D|7---5-7-----5---|7-------5------5|7---5-------5---|5-52----|
A|--------5-79----|----5-79--------|--------5-79----|----5-20|
E|----------------|----------------|----------------|--------|

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

G|----------------|----------------|--------|
D|----------------|----------------|5-52----|
A|----------------|----------------|----5-20|
E|3-5-3-5-5-5-5-5-|3-5-3-5-5-5-5-5-|--------|

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

G|----------------|--------|
D|----------------|5-52----|
A|----------------|----5-20|
E|3-5-3-5-5-5-5-5-|--------|

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

G|--------|
D|5-------|
A|----5---|
E|--------|

G|----------------|----------------|----------------|----------------|
D|----------------|----------------|----------------|5-52------------|
A|----------------|----------------|----------------|----5320--------|
E|3-5-3-5-5-5-5-5-|3-5-3-5-5-5-5-5-|5-5-5-5-5-5-5-5-|--------3-5-3-5-|

G|----------------|
D|5-52------------|
A|----5320--------|
E|--------3-5-3-5-| x34

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Source: http://www.bassmasta.net/l/led_zeppelin/135160.html

Tab Discussion, Comments, and Critiques


No Picture Vincent Average	#1 by Vincent Côté at May 6, 1976 at 12:40 PM EST
	ToOlHoLiO was close but also not colse...the song does talk about friends and family coming and trying to help, but in the end it doesn't work...the person talking ends up being hung. "Swingin' from te gallows pole!" the song tells us that if you do something bad take it like a man and dont drag your family and friends down with you.

No Picture Professional	#2 by at Jun 7, 1977 at 7:19 AM EST
	The practice of paying provincial hangmen was very common in England up to the early 18th C. I think that the lyrics have been embellished a little but it's a deliciously dark little number that they have taken right out of medieval history and brought it back to us with a fusion of folk and heavy rock. Fantastic stuff!

No Picture Al Average	#3 by Al Turner at Oct 29, 1979 at 4:04 PM EST
	This is actually an old british folk-style sort of song, just redone by Led Zeppelin. It is pretty odd, bbut like you said, that`s the British for you.

No Picture Tyler Average	#4 by Tyler Stewart at Jan 20, 1983 at 2:07 AM EST
	One other little note ya'll........Ok these dudes were serious hippies too......Look at songs like Misty Mountain Hop.....Sister and brother are common terms for freinds and others.....So he may not litterally mean his little sister......Plus the hippie movement is also about doing what you can to help those in need..... I could see the man to be hung asking those Passing by to do what they could to help this man in dyer need....Any stall tactic might be neccesary.....The lyircs kinda tell it like this....(In a more lyrical sense of course ;).....Oh wait!...I see my brother riding from many a mile off...(could probably see the dust rising from the crossroads eh?)....In other words, Let's wait for him to arrive before you hang me.....Something like that...Makes sense doesn't it?.......I agree that the hangman is a dirty rotten Bastard......But that's the way......Very very good song......

No Picture Phil Average	#5 by Phil Chavez at Jan 12, 1987 at 6:54 PM EST
	Louisqs hit it on the button

No Picture Tyler Wanna Be	#6 by Tyler Epperson at Sep 13, 1990 at 11:07 AM EST
	Adman, I agree it sounds like "she's" swinging at the end, but it's just RP's muddled "t'see you." Check the Lead Belly version. I love this song 'cause it tells you you can't escape by trying to have others pick up the slack for the shit you've done; you're going to be held accountable ultimately. I'm not religious, but I think the concept of Karma -- if you really think about it -- offers a great description of the human condition, and the lyrics here, like so many great blues tunes, are just another artistic manifestation of that idea.

No Picture Alex Average	#7 by Alex Zaphiropoulos at Oct 16, 1996 at 5:36 PM EST
	Gallows Pole is actually a very AMERICAN tune. It is an old Delta Blues (as with many of LZ's songs) song originally recorded by Lead Belly. Plant references this on one of the newer recordings of the song, either a bootleg or the "Walking into Clarksdale"

No Picture Oliver Average	#8 by Oliver Russ at Sep 27, 1999 at 10:24 AM EST
	Think this might help... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gallows_Pole

No Picture More Cowbell Lead Player	#9 by More Cowbell at Jun 19, 2002 at 5:11 AM EST
	I have been listening to this today because I think the lyrics are wrong here. The last line, I believe says "She's swingin' on the Gallows Pole." The sister gave herself sexually to the hangman in exchange for freedom for her brother. So the final line is "she's swinging on the gallows pole." Meaning either figuratively (by prostituting herself) or figuratively (the hangman actually hanged her after he "did" her). Personally, I believe it is figurative...that the hangman's desire for sex was greater than the money and finally won the brother's freedom (at the expense of the sister). My two cents.

No Picture Frankie Wanna Be	#10 by Frankie S at Dec 21, 2005 at 4:36 AM EST
	This song is about how you can try to whore your own sister to save yourself. That's the British for you.

No Picture Uberbass Wanna Be	#11 by Uberbass at Jun 24, 2006 at 11:37 PM EST
	I think fake0303 is being a bit too serious in trying to explain this song. I see the last line of the song as a very surprising and funny ending. What we've got here is a very naughty little hangman, who takes everything that's offered to him by a desperate man, who tries to save is own life, and then ends this mans life anyway! What the man who tells the story does, is not very strange, I think many people would do similar things in this position. The hangman is the one who is way out of line (or, depending on your perspective, a naughty little fellow). Anyroad it's a nice little story combined with some grand driving song. One of my favorites.

No Picture vintage Average	#12 by vintage rocker at Jun 29, 2006 at 8:05 AM EST
	This song is more of a cover of an old blues song of the same name by the blues singer "leadbelly", with a few more improvised lyrics.