The Bottle Let Me Down           Merle Haggard

Key –D, drop-d tuning, x= dead note

As with most songs by The Hag, there are several versions of 
this song.  This tab is from his 16 Greatest Hits CD.

Intro
E----------bh--9--bh--9--pbr-------pbr-------|-------------------------------|
B-101010-12(14)—12(14)—-(10)8-666-(10)8-6----|-------------------------------|
G-x-x-x-----------------------xxx---------7--|--b-r---b-r--------------------|
D--------------------------------------------|-5(6)5-3(4)3-------------------|
A--------------------------------------------|-------------5---b-r---b-r-----|
E--------------------------------------------|----------------5(6)5-3(4)5-0--|

Each night I leave the barroom when it's over
Not feeling any pain at closing time
But tonight you memory found me much to sober
Couldn't drink enough to keep you off my mind

CHORUS                         
Tonight the bottle let down
and let you memory come around
The one true friend I thought I'd found
Tonight the bottle let down

1st chorus riffs
E-(0:50)------------------------|-5------------|---bh----9----r----------------|
B-------------------------------|----b-r-------|-12(14)~---(14)12-10--b-r------|
G--b-r---b-r--------------------|---7(8)7-5----|---------------------7(8)7-5---|
D-5(6)5-3(4)3-------------------|-----------7--|-----------------------------7-|
A-------------5---b-r---b-r-----|-(0:58)-------|-(1:04)------------------------|
E----------------5(6)5-3(4)5-0--|--------------|-------------------------------|

E---b---12----r—-bh--9---bh--9--pbr-------pbr-------|-------------------------------|
B-12(14)---(14)12(14)--12(14)—-(10)8-666-(10)8-6----|-------------------------------|
G------------------------------------xxx---------7--|--b-r---b-r--------------------|
D---------------------------------------------------|-5(6)5-3(4)3-------------------|
A-(1:22)--------------------------------------------|-------------5---b-r---b-r-----|
E---------------------------------------------------|----------------5(6)5-3(4)5-0--|
 

I've always had a bottle I could turn to
And lately I've been turning everyday
But the wind don't take effect the way it used to
And I'm hurting in an old familiar way

2nd chorus riffs
E-8—-b--r-b----8--b--r-b----8--pbr-------|---bh--9----bh--9-(9)7-5----------|
B—--8(10)8(10)—--8(10)8(10)---(10)8-6----|-12(14)---12(14)---pbr---pbr------|
G-------------------------------------7--|-------------------------(8)7-5---|
D----------------------------------------|--------------------------------7-|
A-(2:05)---------------------------------|-(2:11)---------------------------|
E----------------------------------------|----------------------------------|

E-----5------------------|-(2:27)----------|
B--b-----r------bh-------|-----------------|
G-7(8)—(8)7~---5(6)-5----|--b-r---b-r------|
D---------------------7--|-5(6)5-3(4)3-----|
A-(2:20)-----------------|-------------5---|
E------------------------|-----------------|

CHORUS
Tonight the bottle let down