I put a lot of time into LL last night. Since I cannot find a CD someone burned for me, and my computer was downloading ridiculously slow, I just took whatever I could find on archive and the one on the home page was a Cornell Barton Hall one from the 70s. It was just fine for my purposes. So I got it playing and my strings were still pretty new on my Martin. Nice and shimmery up around the 12th fret. I think they're a lot more tarnished today.
Anyway, I think we're all over-thinking LL. Weir would most likely have a simple skeleton sketch of his music idea to share with Jer and then they would see where it could be taken.
Unfortunately, I do not know how Weir actually plays it, and I play most of my barres covering all of the strings although selectively hitting only around a third of the laid-on chords at a time, and Weir doesn't play this way. But from what I remember from the Kingfish album, back when I ruined the album trying to learn it, I had a lot of it close, and as it is slowly coming back to me with the help of the archive stuff, this is what I'm finding.
For the verses, begining at around the 8th fret and working down I rediscovered that I still like:
C...Em7...Am7...G7...Am. That is all I like from what I used to do.
Now, from what you guys have provided, I really like the F7, but you should fool around with a quick F and then back to the F7 again. Preferably this would be done right around the 8th fret C, right across from it, and then the G at the 7th fret.
I still need definitive help after the G to D, G to D and what do you guys like for the chords right there after: C'mon, C'mon Lazy Lightnin'. I need these.
I know it ends with G G F F C Am, but what are the few chords between the last D and the G G. (Please help.)
At no point am I hearing a Bm in the song as some of the posts have indicated.
Once I smooth out a lot of this stuff, I'm going to get Jer's stuff working.
The song is so clear on the archive stuff for his melodies. All you have to do is persevere and after umteen times breakthroughs are practically guaranteed.
This song is really, really fun, especially when you get the 7/8 rolling strum working. really keeps the song on its toes, so to speak.