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                High Noon – Tex Ritter
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Written by: Dimitri Tiomkin/Ned Washington
From the movie "High Noon" (1952)
Now on: "My Rifle, My Pony and Me - Movie and TV Soundtracks "

Tabbed by: maguri
Tuning: Standard

A great Western song. The arrangement is special, too: sparse in an unusual 
way. Tex Ritter's voice is very dominant while a dampened drum beats out a 
haunting rhythm pattern throughout (see below: "perc"). An accordion plays 
accompanying chords or tracks the vocal line and sometimes there are 
strummed guitar chords. As the chords are not always made explicit I 
sometimes "reconstructed" them from the vocal line or the chords that go 
before and follow afterwards.

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Single version

The lyrics of the "hit version" were altered compared to the one that can be
heard over the opening titles of the movie (for the movie version: see below). 
In order to make the song more accessible to people who hadn't watched the 
movie, the version released as a single is stripped of any direct reference 
to the character "Frank Miller" and the explicit statement that the singer 
has to "kill" someone is replaced by the confession that the singer needs 
his wife to stand by him.

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[Intro]

      (no chord)                        C           C    C
perc |x-xxx-xxx-xxxxxx|x-xxx-xxx-xxxxxx|x-xxx-xxx-xxxxxx|x-xxx-xxx-xxxxxx|
      1 + 2 + 3 + 4 +  1 + 2 + 3 + 4 +  1 + 2 + 3 + 4 +  1 + 2 + 3 + 4 +
E|----------------|----------------| 0-----------0---|0---------------|
B|----------------|----------------| 1-----------1---|1---------------|
G|----------------|----------------| 0-----------0---|0---------------|
D|----------------|----------------| 2-----------2---|2---------------|
A|----------------|----------------| 3-----------3---|3---------------|
E|----------------|----------------|----------------|----------------|

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CHORDS
     E-A-D-G-B-e
F    x-x-3-2-1-1
C/E  x-x-2-0-1-0

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[Intro]
| (no chord) | (no chord) |
(drum only)
| C | % |  

[Verse 1]
C           
 Do not forsake me, oh my darling
C                    F  C/E  Dm          
 On this our wedd'n' day-----ay           
Dm                        C  Am           
 Do not forsake me, oh my darling
E          G
Wait, wait along

[Verse 2]
C
 I do not know what fate awaits me
C                      F      A
 I only know I must be brave
Dm                         C         C7
 And I must face a man who hates me
F         C      F         C       
 Or lie a coward, a craven coward
F         C  Am  F  G  C
 Or lie a coward in my grave

[Middle 8]
F
Oh, to be torn twixt love and duty
C
S'pposin' I lose my fair haired beauty
F
Look at that big hand move along
C            G
Nearin' high noon
F
He made a vow while in state's prison
C
Said it would be my life or hisn'
Fm
I'm not afraid of death but oh
C                     Dm     G
What will I do if you leave me?

[Verse 3]
C
 Do not forsake me, oh my darling
C                           F      A
 You made that promise as a bride
Dm                        C       C7
 Do not forsake me, oh my darling
F                C        F           C      
 Although you're grievin', I can't be leavin'
F           C    Am  F  G  C
 Now that I need you by my side

[Outro]
     F           C
Wait along, wait along
     F          | C | % | % | % |
Wait along, wait along     (fade)



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Movie version
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The version played over the opening credits of the movie is in a different 
key (capo 1 st fret: C# instead of C) and there are slightly different 
chords in the middle 8 as well as in the final verse. The lyrics differ 
from that of the officially released version.

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capo: 1st fret
play: C
key: C#

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CHORDS
     E-A-D-G-B-e
F    x-x-3-2-1-1
C/E  x-x-2-0-1-0

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[Intro]
| (no chord) | (no chord) |
(drum only)
| C | % |

[Verse 1]
C           
Do not forsake me, oh my darling
C                   F  C/E  Dm          
On this our wedd'n' day-----ay           
                         C  Am       
Do not forsake me, oh my darling
E          G
Wait, wait along

[Verse 2]
C
 The noon day [?] train will bring Frank Miller
C                        F      A
 If I'm a man, I must be brave
Dm                           C       C7
 And I must face that deadly killer
F         C      F         C
 Or lie a coward, a craven coward
F         C Am   F  G  C
 Or lie a coward in my grave

[Middle 8]
F
Oh, to be torn twixt love and duty
C
S'pposin' I lose my fair haired beauty
F
Look at that big hand move along
C            Em
Nearin' high noon
F
He made a vow while in state's prison
C
Said it would be my life or hisn'
Fm
I'm not afraid of death but oh
C                     Dm     G
What will I do if you leave me?

[Verse 3]
C
Do not forsake me, oh my darling
C                             F      A
You made that promise when we wed
Dm                        C        C7
 Do not forsake me, oh my darling
F                C        F           Em
 Although you're grievin', I can't be leavin'
F        C     Am    F  G   C
 Until I shoot Frank Miller dead

[Outro]
     F           C
Wait along, wait along
     F          | C | % | % | % |
Wait along, wait along     (fade)