Chords + Lyrics | Papa Ain’t Salty
Intro
| G6 | G6 | G6 | G6 |
| C6 | C6 | G6 | G6 |
| D6 | C6 | G6 | G6 |
Verse 1
| G13 | G13 | G13 | G13 |
Come home little girl, your papa ain’t salty no more.
| C13 | C13 | G13 | G13 |
Come home little girl, your papa ain’t salty no more.
| D13 | C13 | G13 | G13 |
I need your love and I swear I miss you so.
Verse 2 (as verse 1)
I know I was wrong, and I know I’ve caused you pains.
I know I was wrong, and I’ve caused you pains.
I’m sorry pretty baby, I won’t do that again.
Solo 1
| G7 | C9 | G7 | G7 |
| C9 | C9 | G7 | G7 |
| D7 | D7 | G7 | G7 G6 |
| G9 (G6) | G9 (G6) | G9 (G6) | G9 (G6 C6) |
| C9 (C6) | C9 (C6 G6) | G9 (G6) | G9 (G6 D6) |
| D9 (D6 C6) | C9 (C6 G6) | G9 (G6) | G9 (G6) |
Verse 3
| G6 | G6 | G6 | G6 |
Why or why pretty baby, why did you have to go.
| C6 | C6 | G6 | G6 |
Why or why pretty baby, why did you have to go,
| D6 | N.C | N.C | G6 G9 |
Please come back home pretty mama, Papa ain’t salty no more.
Papa Ain’t Salty Chords: Exploring 6 and 9 Extensions in a Blues Progression
Built around a standard 12-bar blues, Papa Ain’t Salty’s chords are extended to 6 and 9 throughout, either by moving a bass line or by sliding one chord shape into the other.
The rhythm guitar work may not be what first comes to mind when approaching a T-Bone Walker tune. After all, he was the first great electric guitar soloist, and Papa Ain’t Salty is no exception. However, the chord work here is outstanding.
The intro rhythm guitar plays a bass line that moves root – 3rd – 5th – 6th. To simplify this, we can name the chords G6, C6, and D6, like this:
| G6 | C6 | G6 | G6 |
| C6 | C6 | G6 | G6 |
| D6 | C6 | G6 | G6 |
For the first and second verses, we change the bass line so it now moves: root – octave – b7 – 6 – 5th. Because the b7 is included, we must now name the chords as 13 rather than 6:
| G13 | C13 | G13 | G13 |
| C13 | C13 | G13 | G13 |
| D13 | C13 | G13 | G13 |
As the solo begins, we switch to dominant 7 chords for the I and V, but use a 9 chord for the IV:
| G7 | C9 | G7 | G7 |
| C9 | C9 | G7 | G7 |
| D7 | D7 | G7 | G7 G6 |
The final G6 sets up what follows: a slide from 6 to 9 in the second part of the solo. The lead guitar answers with the same chord lick immediately afterwards, but with a noticeably darker tone.
To explain this properly, TAB is essential — here’s the link: Papa Ain’t Salty – Guitar Lesson with TAB.
Above (chords and lyrics), I included some chords in brackets because fitting two guitars moving G6 (tied from the previous bar) to G9 — and then answering with G6 to G9 — within a single bar becomes rather hectic.
The final verse mirrors the intro, returning to the 6-based bass line instead of the 13. The only difference is that we stop after the V chord and finish on G6 – G9.
Here’s the chord chart — I can’t believe I managed to fit it all in!
Papa Ain’t Salty Chord Chart | PDF + iReal Pro Download
My chord chart can be acquired in either PDF or iReal Pro format:
Papa Ain’t Salty TAB | Course Preview
In the course, we look at all the rhythm guitar parts. As a preview, here are the rhythm guitars for the second solo — this is where we slide from G6 to G9.
This is guitar 1 (not T-Bone Walker):
And here’s guitar 2 (T-Bone!) answering guitar 1:
In the course, we also (of course!) take a close look at T-Bone’s lead licks.
T-Bone Walker: The Electric Guitar Pioneer and His Influence on the Blues
Like many Texans before and after him, T-Bone Walker moved to California to record. It was there that he first got his hands on one of the earliest electric guitars, the Gibson ES-150, known as the “Electric Spanish”.
Around 1939, T-Bone made his mark on musical history by recording one of the first blues tracks featuring electric guitar.
He could have stopped there and still been a legend. Fortunately for us, he didn’t. Many of the most celebrated blues guitarists who followed cite T-Bone as a primary influence.
Papa Ain’t Salty Chords: Continue Learning
Want to master this song? Check out the full TAB lesson here: Papa Ain’t Salty (T-Bone Walker) Guitar Lesson with TAB.
Alternatively, here are five similar tunes you might enjoy:
