Artist: Bernard Cribbins
Song: The hole in the ground
Tabbed by: DJ
22nd April 2013
A novelty UK hit from 1962 for popular comedy actor Bernard Cribbins,
and produced by George Martin (The Beatles producer).
Cribbins switches between a working class Cockney accent,
and a middle-class accent for the gentleman in the bowler hat.
Tuning: Standard
CAPO: 2nd fret (Sounds in key of E)
*******************************************************************
D A7aug D A7aug A7aug
||: / /__/ / / | / /__/ /__/ / :|| (Twice)
^ ^ ^ ^ ^
D6 A7aug D6 A7aug
There I was... a - digging this hole,
D F#7 Bm7 E7
Hole in the ground, so big, and sought of round it was,
A7 Em7 A7 G D
And there was I, digging it deep,
C#7 F# F#
It was flat at the bottom, and the sides were steep!
^ ^ ^
F#m7 F#m7 E7
When, along... comes... this bloke in a bowler,
^ ^ ^
A7 D A7
Which he lifted, and scratched his head, woh,
^ ^
D6 A7aug D6 B7
He looked down the hole, poor demented soul, and he said...
Em7 A7
"Do you mind if I make a sug - gestion?
^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ e|------------------|
B|------------------|
G|------------------|
D|------------------|
A|---0--------------|
E|--------3--2--0---|
D A7aug D A7aug
Don't dig there! Dig it else - where!
D6 A7aug D D7
You're digging it round, and it ought to be square,
G F#7
The shape of it's wrong, it's much too long,
F7 E7 A7aug A7aug D A7aug
And you can't put a hole where a hole don't be - long!"
^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^
D A7aug A7aug
I ask you! What a liberty, eh?
^ ^ ^
D A7aug D A7aug A7aug
'Nearly bashed him right in the bowler! | / /__/ /__/ / |
^ ^ ^ ^ ^
[ Tab from: https://www.guitartabs.cc/tabs/b/bernard_cribbins/the_hole_in_the_ground_crd.html ]
D6 A7aug D6 A7aug
Well, there was I... a - stood in my hole,
D F#7 Bm7 E7
Shovelling earth, for all that I was worth, I was,
A7 Em7 A7 G D
And there was him, standing up there,
C#7 F# F#
So grand, and official, with his nose in the air!
^ ^ ^
F#m7 F#m7 E7
So I gave... him... a look, sort of side-ways,
^ ^ ^
A7 D A7
And I leaned on my shovel, and sighed, woh,
^ ^
D6 A7aug D6 B7 Em7 A7
I lit me a fag, and having took a drag, I replied-------------...
^ ^^ ^^ ^
e|------------------|
B|------------------|
G|------------------|
D|------------------|
A|---0--------------|
E|--------3--2--0---|
D A7aug D A7aug
"I just couldn't bare... to dig it else - where,
D6 A7aug D D7
I'm digging it round, 'cause I don't want it square,
G F#7
And if you disagree, it doesn't bother me,
F7 E7 A7aug A7aug D A7aug D A7aug A7aug
That's the place where the hole's gonna be!" | / /__/ /__/ / |
^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^
D A7aug D A7aug A7aug
| / /__/ / / | / /__/ /__/ / |
^ ^ ^ ^ ^
D6 A7aug D6 A7aug
Well, there we were, dis - cussing this hole,
D F#7 Bm7 E7
Hole in the ground, so big, and sought of round, it was,
A7 C7 B7
It's not there now, the ground's all flat,
Em7 Dm7 A7 D A7aug G/B D
And be - neath it is the bloke in the bowl - er hat, and that's that!
^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^
**************************************************************************
Fret positions are relative to the capo:
^ = emphasise the beat
D = xx0232 Bm7 = x24232 F7 = 131211 C7 = x32310
A7aug = xx3223 E7 = 020130 F# = 244322 B7 = x21202
D6 = xx0202 A7 = x02020 F#m7 = 242222 G7 = 320001
F#7 = 242322 Em7 = 022030 D7 = xx0212
Em7 = 022030 G = 320033
