32 - 20 BLUES by ROBERT JOHNSON - Easy 12 bar blues
Intro A7 E7 D7 A7 E7
Verse 1
If I [A7]send for my baby, man, and she don't come
[D7]Send for my baby, man, and she don't [A7]come
All the [E7]doctors in Hot Springs [D7]sure can't help her, [A7]none [E7]
Verse 2
If she [A7]gets unruly, thinks she don’t want you
If she [D7]gets unruly, thinks she don’t want [A7]you
Take my [E7]32-20, now and [D7]break her half in [A7]two [E7]
Verse 3
She got a [A7].38 special but I believe it's much too light
She got a [D7].38 special but I believe it's much too [A7]light
I got a [E7]32-20, [D7]makes the camp al- [A7]right [E7]
Verse 4
If I [A7]send for my baby, man, and she don't come
[D7]Send for my baby, man, and she don't [A7]come
All the [E7]doctors in Hot Springs [D7]sure can't help her, [A7]none [E7]
Verse 5
Gonna [A7]shoot my pistol, shoot my Gatling gun
Gonna [D7]shoot my pistol, shoot my Gatling [A7]gun
You [E7]made me love you, [D7]now your man has [A7]come [E7]
Verse 6
If I [A7]send for my baby, man, and she don't come
[D7]Send for my baby, man, and she don't [A7]come
All the [E7]doctors in Hot Springs [D7]sure can't help her, [A7]none [E7]
Verse 7
[A7]Oh, baby, where’d you stay last night?
[D7]Oh, baby, where’d you stay last [A7]night?
You got your [E7]hair all tangled and [D7]you ain’t talking[A7]right [E7]
Verse 8
Her [A7].38 special, boy, it do well
Her [D7].38 special, boy, it do [A7]well
I got a [E7]32-20 now, [D7]it's a burning [A7]hell [E7]
Instrumental A7 D7 A7 E7 D7 A7 E7
Verse 9
If I [A7]send for my baby, man, and she don't come
[D7]Send for my baby, man, and she don't [A7]come
All the [E7]doctors in Hot Springs [D7]sure can't help her, [A7]none [E7]
Verse 10
[A7]Hey, baby, where’d you stay last night?
[D7]Hey, baby, where’d you stay last [A7]night?
[E7]Didn’t come home ’till the [D7]sun was shining [A7]bright [E7]
Verse 11
Oh, [A7]boy, I just can't take my rest
Oh, [D7]boy, I just can't take my [A7]rest
With this [E7]32-20 laying [D7]up and down my [A7]breast
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The Back Story
The thought of a “32-20,” a small but deadly pistol, became less about violence and more about power- the only way Mr Johnson knew to speak when words had failed him. It wasn’t just a threat; it was fear, heartbreak, and anger wrapped into one.
By the time he put those feelings into music, the story had sharpened into something raw and haunting. “32-20 Blues” wasn’t just a warning - it was the sound of a man pushed to the edge, trying to reclaim himself in a world that gave him no easy way out.