Chords for Bobbie Gentry, 1967: Ode to Billie Joe - Original Capitol 45 rpm Disc
Tempo:
122.2 bpm
Chords used:
D
G
C
Am
Dm
Tuning:Standard Tuning (EADGBE)Capo:+0fret
Start Jamming...
[N]
[Bbm] [G] [D]
Was it 3rd of June, another sleepy dusty Delta day.
I was out chopping cotton and my brother was baling hay.
[G] And at dinner time we stopped and walked back to the house to eat.
[D] And mama hollered at the back door, y'all remember to wipe your feet.
[G] And then she said, I got some news this morning from Choctaw Ridge.
[D] Today Billy Joe [C] McAllister jumped off the [D] Tallahatchie Bridge.
Papa said to mama as he passed around the black eyed peas.
Well Billy Joe never had liquor [Am] since, pass the biscuits [D] please.
[G] There's five more acres in the lower forty I got to ply.
[Dm] Mama [D] said it was a shame about Billy Joe anyhow.
Seems [G] like nothing ever comes to no good up on Choctaw Ridge.
And [D] now Billy Joe [C] McAllister's jumped off the Tallahatchie [D] Bridge.
Brother said he recollected when he and Tom and Billy Joe
put a frog down my back at the Carroll County Picture Show.
[G] And wasn't I talking to him at the church last Sunday night.
Another piece [D] of apple pie, you know it don't seem right.
[G] I saw him at the sawmill yesterday on Choctaw Ridge.
[Dm] And now you tell me Billy Joe's jumped off [C] the Tallahatchie [D] Bridge.
Mama said to me, child, what's [Am] happened to your [D] appetite?
I've been cooking all morning and [Am] you haven't touched a single [D] bite.
[G] That nice young preacher brother Taylor dropped by today.
Said [D] he'd be pleased to have dinner on Sunday.
Oh by the way,
[G] he said he saw a girl that looked a lot like you up on Choctaw Ridge.
And she [D] and Billy Joe was throwing [C] something off the Tallahatchie [D] Bridge.
A year has come and gone since we heard the news about Billy Joe.
Brother married Becky Thompson, they bought a store in Tupelo.
There [G] was a virus going around, Papa caught it and he died last spring.
[D] And now Mama doesn't seem to want to do much of anything.
[G] And me, I spend a lot of time picking flowers up on Choctaw Ridge.
[D] And drop them into the muddy [C] water off the Tallahatchie [D] Bridge.
[A] [D]
[Bbm] [G] [D]
Was it 3rd of June, another sleepy dusty Delta day.
I was out chopping cotton and my brother was baling hay.
[G] And at dinner time we stopped and walked back to the house to eat.
[D] And mama hollered at the back door, y'all remember to wipe your feet.
[G] And then she said, I got some news this morning from Choctaw Ridge.
[D] Today Billy Joe [C] McAllister jumped off the [D] Tallahatchie Bridge.
Papa said to mama as he passed around the black eyed peas.
Well Billy Joe never had liquor [Am] since, pass the biscuits [D] please.
[G] There's five more acres in the lower forty I got to ply.
[Dm] Mama [D] said it was a shame about Billy Joe anyhow.
Seems [G] like nothing ever comes to no good up on Choctaw Ridge.
And [D] now Billy Joe [C] McAllister's jumped off the Tallahatchie [D] Bridge.
Brother said he recollected when he and Tom and Billy Joe
put a frog down my back at the Carroll County Picture Show.
[G] And wasn't I talking to him at the church last Sunday night.
Another piece [D] of apple pie, you know it don't seem right.
[G] I saw him at the sawmill yesterday on Choctaw Ridge.
[Dm] And now you tell me Billy Joe's jumped off [C] the Tallahatchie [D] Bridge.
Mama said to me, child, what's [Am] happened to your [D] appetite?
I've been cooking all morning and [Am] you haven't touched a single [D] bite.
[G] That nice young preacher brother Taylor dropped by today.
Said [D] he'd be pleased to have dinner on Sunday.
Oh by the way,
[G] he said he saw a girl that looked a lot like you up on Choctaw Ridge.
And she [D] and Billy Joe was throwing [C] something off the Tallahatchie [D] Bridge.
A year has come and gone since we heard the news about Billy Joe.
Brother married Becky Thompson, they bought a store in Tupelo.
There [G] was a virus going around, Papa caught it and he died last spring.
[D] And now Mama doesn't seem to want to do much of anything.
[G] And me, I spend a lot of time picking flowers up on Choctaw Ridge.
[D] And drop them into the muddy [C] water off the Tallahatchie [D] Bridge.
[A] [D]
Key:Β Β
D
G
C
Am
Dm
D
G
C
[N] _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ [Bbm] _ _ _ [G] _ _ [D] _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ Was it 3rd of June, another sleepy dusty Delta day. _ _ _ _ _
I was out chopping cotton and my brother was baling hay. _ _ _ _ _ _
[G] And at dinner time we stopped and walked back to the house to eat. _ _ _ _
[D] And mama hollered at the back door, y'all remember to wipe your feet. _ _ _ _
[G] And then she said, I got some news this morning from Choctaw _ _ _ Ridge. _
_ [D] Today Billy Joe [C] McAllister jumped off the [D] Tallahatchie Bridge. _ _ _
_ _ Papa said to mama as he passed around the black eyed peas. _ _ _
_ Well Billy Joe never had liquor [Am] since, pass the biscuits [D] _ please. _ _
_ _ [G] There's five more acres in the lower forty I got to ply. _ _ _ _
_ [Dm] Mama [D] said it was a shame about Billy Joe anyhow. _ _ _ _
_ Seems [G] like nothing ever comes to no good up on Choctaw _ _ Ridge. _
_ And [D] now Billy Joe _ [C] McAllister's jumped off the Tallahatchie _ [D] Bridge. _ _
_ _ _ Brother said he recollected when he and Tom and Billy Joe _ _ _ _
_ put a frog down my back at the Carroll County Picture Show. _ _ _ _
_ [G] And wasn't I talking to him at the church last Sunday _ night. _ _
_ _ Another piece [D] of apple pie, you know it don't seem right. _ _ _
_ [G] I saw him at the sawmill yesterday on Choctaw _ _ Ridge. _
_ [Dm] And now you tell me Billy Joe's jumped off [C] the Tallahatchie [D] Bridge. _ _ _
_ _ Mama said to me, child, what's [Am] happened to your [D] appetite? _ _ _ _
_ I've been cooking all morning and [Am] you haven't touched a single [D] bite. _ _ _
_ _ [G] That nice young preacher brother Taylor dropped by today. _ _ _
_ Said [D] he'd be pleased to have dinner on Sunday.
Oh by the way, _ _ _
_ _ [G] he said he saw a girl that looked a lot like you up on Choctaw _ Ridge. _
_ And she [D] and Billy Joe was throwing [C] something off the Tallahatchie [D] _ Bridge. _ _
_ _ A year has come and gone since we heard the news about Billy Joe. _ _ _
_ _ _ Brother married Becky Thompson, they bought a store in Tupelo. _ _ _ _
There [G] was a virus going around, Papa caught it and he died last spring. _ _ _
_ [D] And now Mama doesn't seem to want to do much of anything. _ _ _ _
_ _ [G] And me, I spend a lot of time picking flowers up on Choctaw Ridge. _ _ _
[D] And drop them into the muddy [C] water off the Tallahatchie [D] Bridge.
_ _ [A] _ _ _ _ _ _ [D] _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ [Bbm] _ _ _ [G] _ _ [D] _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ Was it 3rd of June, another sleepy dusty Delta day. _ _ _ _ _
I was out chopping cotton and my brother was baling hay. _ _ _ _ _ _
[G] And at dinner time we stopped and walked back to the house to eat. _ _ _ _
[D] And mama hollered at the back door, y'all remember to wipe your feet. _ _ _ _
[G] And then she said, I got some news this morning from Choctaw _ _ _ Ridge. _
_ [D] Today Billy Joe [C] McAllister jumped off the [D] Tallahatchie Bridge. _ _ _
_ _ Papa said to mama as he passed around the black eyed peas. _ _ _
_ Well Billy Joe never had liquor [Am] since, pass the biscuits [D] _ please. _ _
_ _ [G] There's five more acres in the lower forty I got to ply. _ _ _ _
_ [Dm] Mama [D] said it was a shame about Billy Joe anyhow. _ _ _ _
_ Seems [G] like nothing ever comes to no good up on Choctaw _ _ Ridge. _
_ And [D] now Billy Joe _ [C] McAllister's jumped off the Tallahatchie _ [D] Bridge. _ _
_ _ _ Brother said he recollected when he and Tom and Billy Joe _ _ _ _
_ put a frog down my back at the Carroll County Picture Show. _ _ _ _
_ [G] And wasn't I talking to him at the church last Sunday _ night. _ _
_ _ Another piece [D] of apple pie, you know it don't seem right. _ _ _
_ [G] I saw him at the sawmill yesterday on Choctaw _ _ Ridge. _
_ [Dm] And now you tell me Billy Joe's jumped off [C] the Tallahatchie [D] Bridge. _ _ _
_ _ Mama said to me, child, what's [Am] happened to your [D] appetite? _ _ _ _
_ I've been cooking all morning and [Am] you haven't touched a single [D] bite. _ _ _
_ _ [G] That nice young preacher brother Taylor dropped by today. _ _ _
_ Said [D] he'd be pleased to have dinner on Sunday.
Oh by the way, _ _ _
_ _ [G] he said he saw a girl that looked a lot like you up on Choctaw _ Ridge. _
_ And she [D] and Billy Joe was throwing [C] something off the Tallahatchie [D] _ Bridge. _ _
_ _ A year has come and gone since we heard the news about Billy Joe. _ _ _
_ _ _ Brother married Becky Thompson, they bought a store in Tupelo. _ _ _ _
There [G] was a virus going around, Papa caught it and he died last spring. _ _ _
_ [D] And now Mama doesn't seem to want to do much of anything. _ _ _ _
_ _ [G] And me, I spend a lot of time picking flowers up on Choctaw Ridge. _ _ _
[D] And drop them into the muddy [C] water off the Tallahatchie [D] Bridge.
_ _ [A] _ _ _ _ _ _ [D] _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _