[Intro]
[Strophe]
C          Am            Em 
William Zanzinger killed poor Hattie
 Carroll 
William Zanzinger killed poor Hattie Carroll 
       C            Am            
With a cane that he twirled 'round
     Em 
 his diamond ring finger 
With a cane that he twirled 'round his diamond ring finger 
     C         Am      Em 
At a Baltimore hotel society
 gatherin' 
At a Baltimore hotel society gatherin' 
        C               Am        
And the cops was called in and his
 Em 
 weapon took from him 
And the cops was called in and his weapon took from him 
        C           Am      Em 
As they rode him in custody down to
 the station 
As they rode him in custody down to the station 
           C          Am        
And booked William Zanzinger for
 Em 
 first degree murder 
And booked William Zanzinger for first degree murder 
G
[Refrain]
    F   G      C            Am 
But you who philosophise disgrace 
    F    G        C 
And criticise all fears 
F        G    C             Am 
Take the rag away from your face 
F             G             C 
Now ain't the time for your tears
[Strophe]
C          Am             Em 
William Zanzinger, who at twenty-four
 years 
William Zanzinger, who at twenty-four years 
C        Am            Em 
Owns a tobacco farm of six hundred
 acres 
Owns a tobacco farm of six hundred acres 
     C            Am             Em 
With rich wealthy parents who provide
 and protect him 
With rich wealthy parents who provide and protect him 
         C        Am            
And high office relations in the
 Em 
 politics of Maryland 
And high office relations in the politics of Maryland 
  C            Am          Em 
Reacted to his deed with a shrug of
 his shoulders 
Reacted to his deed with a shrug of his shoulders 
    C               Am              
And swear words and sneering and his
  Em 
 tongue it was a-snarling 
And swear words and sneering and his tongue it was a-snarling 
         C         Am         Em 
And in a matter of minutes on bail
 was out walking 
And in a matter of minutes on bail was out walking 
G
[Refrain]
    F   G      C            Am 
But you who philosophise disgrace 
    F    G    C 
And criticise fears 
F        G    C             Am 
Take the rag away from your face 
F             G             C 
Now ain't the time for your tears
[Strophe]
C      Am            Em 
Hattie Carroll was a maid in the
 kitchen 
Hattie Carroll was a maid in the kitchen 
        C        Am           Em 
She was 51 years old and gave birth
 to ten children 
She was 51 years old and gave birth to ten children 
    C           Am         Em 
Who carried the dishes and took out
 the garbage 
Who carried the dishes and took out the garbage 
    C         Am          Em 
And never sat once at the head of the
 table 
And never sat once at the head of the table 
    C           Am          Em 
And didn't even talk to the people at
 the table 
And didn't even talk to the people at the table 
    C            Am         Em 
Who just cleaned up all the food from
 the table 
Who just cleaned up all the food from the table 
    C           Am            Em 
And emptied the ashtrays on a whole
 other level 
And emptied the ashtrays on a whole other level 
    C           Am        Em 
Got killed by a blow, lay slain by a
 cane 
Got killed by a blow, lay slain by a cane 
     C                  Am          
That sailed through the air and came
 Em 
 down through the room 
That sailed through the air and came down through the room 
C            Am             Em 
Doomed and determined to destroy all
 the gentle 
Doomed and determined to destroy all the gentle 
        C          Am         Em 
And she never done nothing to William
 Zanzinger 
And she never done nothing to William Zanzinger 
G
[Refrain]
    F   G      C            Am 
And you who philosophise disgrace 
    F    G        C 
And criticise all fears 
F        G    C             Am 
Take the rag away from your face 
F             G             C 
Now ain't the time for your tears
[Harmonica solo]
[Strophe]
       C            Am              
In the courtroom of honour the judge
 Em 
 pounded his gavel 
In the courtroom of honour the judge pounded his gavel 
   C               Am                
To show that all's equal and that the
 Em 
 courts are on the level 
To show that all's equal and that the courts are on the level 
             C              Am   
And that the strings in the books
       Em 
 ain't pulled and persuaded 
And that the strings in the books ain't pulled and persuaded 
         C        Am         Em 
And that even the nobles get properly
 handled 
And that even the nobles get properly handled 
C             Am               Em 
Once that the cops have chased after
 and caught 'em 
Once that the cops have chased after and caught 'em 
             C         Am         Em 
And that the ladder of law has no top
 and no bottom 
And that the ladder of law has no top and no bottom 
C             Am         Em 
Stared at the person who killed for
 no reason 
Stared at the person who killed for no reason 
         C              Am          
Who just happened to be feelin' that
 Em 
 way without warnin' 
Who just happened to be feelin' that way without warnin' 
       C                 Am        
And he spoke through his cloak most
 Em 
 deep and distinguished 
And he spoke through his cloak most deep and distinguished 
    C          Am           Em 
And handed out strongly for penalty
 and repentance 
And handed out strongly for penalty and repentance 
C          Am            Em 
William Zanzinger with a six-month
 sentence 
William Zanzinger with a six-month sentence 
G
[Refrain]
       F   G      C            Am 
Ah but you who philosophise disgrace
 
Ah but you who philosophise disgrace 
    F    G        C 
And criticise all fears 
F        G   C            Am 
Bury the rag deep in your face 
    F         G             C 
For now's the time for your tears