Black Mamba
Words and music by IAN ANDERSON from Dot Com
Transcription by Peter Dawson
All corrections most welcome

7:4 timing in introduction & verses?  Set out as 1 bar 4:4 then 2 bars 3:4 then
one bar 4:4

“Intro 1”
|                 Em  D        Em           Bm          Em   |Bm          Em
2 times                                    |1 & 3            |2 & 4
|0-2-3-0-2-3-0---|7---5-------|3---3-------|2---2-3-2---0---||2-0-2-3-5---7---|
|0-2-3-0-2-3-0---|8---7-------|5---5-------|3---3-------0---||3-----------5---|
|0-2-3-0-2-3-0---|9---7-------|4---4-------|4---4-------0---||4-----------4---|
|----------------|------------|------------|------------2---||----------------|
|----------------|------------|------------|----------------||----------------|
|----------------|------------|------------|----------------||----------------|


“Intro 2”
|                 Dm  G5        Dm           G6?         G5    G6?       G5
2 times                                     |1 & 3            |2 & 4
|----------------|5---3--------|1---1-------|0---0-1-0-------||0---0-1-3----|
|----------------|6---3--------|3---3-------|3---3-----3-3---||3-3-------3--|
|----------------|7---0--------|2---2-------|0---0-------0---||0---------0--|
|----------------|-------------|------------|----------------||-------------|
|----------------|-------------|------------|----------------||-------------|
|3-5-6-3-5-6-3---|-------------|------------|------------3---||----------3--|


Verse 1
4 Times
 |                 Gm  F        Gm           F           Gm    |
||----------------|------------|------------|------------------||
||----------------|3---1-------|------------|------------------||
||----------------|3---2-------|3---3-------|2---2—3—2-0-3-----||
||----------------|5---3-------|5---5-------|3---3-------5-----||
||----------------|------------|5---5-------|3---3-------5-----||
||3-5-6-3-5-6-3---|------------|------------|------------------||
                       Hand in the
                                snake pit    black mamba  chase.
                       Head through the
                                lion’s cage      head on a plate.
                   Two feet on the
                                hot coals    last dance at the ball.
                   Blindfold on the
                                tight rope     whenever  you   call.

Chorus 4:4
|C   /   /   /   |C   /   /   /   |Bь  /   /   /   |A   /   /   /   |
             Be my slippery slider.  Black mamba     crawl over me

|Gm  /   /   /   |Gm  /   /   /   |Bь  /   /   /   |Bb  /   /   /   |

|C   /   /   /   |C   /   /   /   |Gm  Am  Bb  Dm  |C(notes:d c bьg |Gm


To “Intro 2”
then “Intro 1” (without repeat)
then Verse 2 (see Verse 1 tablature).

Verse 2
Dark thoughts of the sleepless - hung out to dry.
Slip through the bed clothes - unblinking   eye.
Long tongue flickering – fixed stare grip.
Sweet venomous potion – held to my lip.


Chorus


To “Intro 2”


“Middle 8”
  x2
  Am               C       D        Am               C       D
||----------------|----3---2-------|----------------|----3-----5-7---||
||----------------|3/5---5---3-----|----5-----------|3/5---5b7-------||
||------5---------|------------2---|------5---------|----------------||
||5-7-7—--7-------|----------------|5-7--—5-7-------|----------------||
||5---------------|----------------|5---------------|----------------||
||----------------|----------------|----------------|----------------||
  1.            A  delicate whisper           Oh  a  sibilant hiss
  2.            Soft strike teasing                Dangerous bliss


  Flute solo x2
  Bm                                                                  |2.
||----------------|----------------|----------------|----------------||----|
||----------------|----------------|----------------|----------------||----|
||----------------|----------------|----------------|----------------||----|
||----------------|----------------|----------------|----------------||----|
||----------------|----------------|----------------|----------------||----|
||5-7-7---7-----\5|----------------|5-7-7---7-----\5|----------------||----|


 Bridge from flute solo to verse
|----------------|2---0-------|------------|----------------|
|0-2-3-0-2-3-0---|3---2-------|3---3-------|2---2-3-2-------|
|----------------|4---2-------|4---4-------|2---2-------4---|
|-----------------------------|4---4-------|2---2-------4---|
|----------------|------------|------------|----------------|
|----------------|------------|------------|----------------|


Verse 1 again

Finish with “Intro 2” repeated