Back In Pomona

Written by John Stewart

Back in Pomona is on the great Willard album, Capitol Records, 1970, best re-release as BGO Records double CD (2001) (together with the outstanding California Bloodlines album from 1969).

Fine song, and fun to play but beware – there are a couple of unusual chords. Not easy to come up with something easy to understand – we tried as follows:

Capo at 3rd fret, notes measured from capo – use variation of (Am7 short) [we call it (Am7*)] and slide the chord shape up and down the neck, (Am7*) to (Bm7*) then to a variation of Em, called (Em*) here, back to (Bm7*), then alternating.

Signature single notes and bass line are

(Am7*) (Bm7*) (Em*) (Bm7*) repeat with minor variations

E-----3----0---------0----------------0---------------0--------0---

B-----------------3---------3-----5---------5----3--------3--------

G------------------------------------------------------------------

D------2-----2--------4------4----5-----5--------4---------4-------

There is one further variation at the end of the song we’ll call (C#m/G#)

E-------------

B-------5-----

G----------6--

D----------6--

A-------------

(Am7*) (Bm7*) (Em*) (Bm7*) (Am7*) (Bm7*) (Em*) (Bm7*) (Am7*)

Blacksmith a-working in the (Bm7*)blacksmith shop

And his (Em*) anvil clanking and his (Bm7*)coals were hot,

Do you (Am7*)remember then?

(Bm7*) (Em*) Maybe not, my (Bm7*)friends.

But you know that (Am7*)I can. (Bm7*) (Em*) (Bm7*)

I was (Am7*)working for my Dad,

And I (Bm7*)never was glad,

But (Em*)looking back at all the (Bm7*)fun I had

At the (Am7*)fair, (Bm7*) (Em*)

All the (Bm)race horse crowd was (G)always there. (hold)

Back in Po(C)mona, (F) at the county (C)fair, (G)

Back in Po(C)mona, (F) at the county (C)fair. (Em7) (Am7*)

(Bm7*) (Em*) (Bm7*)

(Am7*)Sitting on the back of a (Bm7*)sulky bike,

The (Em*)silks were red and the (Bm7*)silks were white,

And the (Am7*)crowd would cheer. (Bm7*) (Em*)

(Bm7*) Watching the ginny pass (Am7*)around the beer, (Bm7*) (Em*) (Bm7*)

(Am7*)Lying by the rail with my (Bm7*)ear on the ground,

(Em*)Listen to the rhythm

As the (Bm)big old pacers (G)come on around. (hold)

Back in Po(C)mona, (F) at the county (C)fair, (G)

Oh, back in Po(C)mona, (F) at the county (C)fair, (G)

Back in Po(C)mona, (F) at the county (C)fair. (Em7) (Am)(hold)

Seems like (Bm7*)yesterday

I was (C#m/G#)there,

I was (Bm7*)there,

I was (G)there. (hold)

Back in Po(C)mona, (F) at the county (C)fair, (G)

Oh, back in Po(C)mona, (F) at the county (C)fair, (G)

Yeah, back in Po(C)mona, (F) at the county (C)fair, (G)

Oh, back in Po(C)mona, (F) at the county (C)fair, (G)

I was back in Po(C)mona, (F) I was livin´ (C)there, (G)

Yeah, back in Po(C)mona, (F) at the county (C) L.A. county fair, (G)

Back in Po(C)mona…(fade)

Charlie Woodward, Art Faller & janhauenstein@gmx.de (Guitars Across The Water)

November 2006