Here's my tablature for the short version, key of G, Mississippi John Hurt "C-H-I-C-K-E-N":

   C             is   the way to begin,             H                second
|----------------0-------|-0-----0----------------|-0-----------------3--0-|
|-3--------------------3-|----3-----3-------------|------------------------|
|------------------------|------------------------|------------------------|
|-------0-----------0----|------------------------|-------2-----------2----|
|------------------------|-------------0-----2----|-3----------------------|
|-3-----------3----------|-3-----3----------------|-------------3----------|


letter    in,             I                      am the   third,
|-3--5-----3-------------|-3----------------------|-3—-0-------------------|
|------------------------|----------------0-------|----------3-------------|
|------------------------|----------------------0-|------------------------|
|-------2----------------|-------0-----------0----|-------0-----------0----|
|-3-----------------2----|------------------------|------------------------|
|-------------3----------|-3-----------3----------|-3-----------3----------|



C                fuh to season thebird            K             third
|-------------------0----|-0-----0----------------|-0--------------3-------|
|-3--------------------3-|----3-----3-------------|----------------------0-|
|------------------------|------------------------|------------------------|
|-------0-----------0----|-------0----------------|-------2-----------2----|
|-------------2----------|-------------0-----2----|-3----------------------|
|-3----------------------|-3----------------------|-------------3----------|


   from the end,            C H    I    C    K      E       N,
|-3—-5-----3-------------|----0-----3-----5-----3-|----0-------------------|
|------------------------|-3----------------------|-------------3----------|
|------------------------|------------------------|------------------------|
|-------2-----------2----|-------0-----------0----|-------2-----------0----|
|-3----------------------|-------------2----------|-3----------------------|
|-------------3----------|-3----------------------|-------------3----------|


That's the way you spell Chick-      ken!
|-------0--3-----7-------|-5-----------3----------||
|-3----------------------|-3-----------0----------||
|-------------------0----|------------------------||
|-------0----------------|-------4-----------0----||
|-------------2----------|-5----------------------||
|-3----------------------|-------------3----------||

Each three spaces/characters = one eighth note, and the bottom three strings are played with the thumb, all bass notes (and mostly alternating bass notes) and all on the beat.

To hear this very tab in MIDI, go to the Randytrab link (two posts above this one), download the software, and then see if my tab has been posted in the tab archives yet. (Look under "M" for Mississippi John Hurt; you'll see a bunch of submissions from Frank Delaney, which should be of interest, and ~ coming soon, already submitted ~ a couple from me.) If this hasn't yet been posted when you look, drop me a PM with your email address and I'll send you a copy.