Chords for Bobbie Gentry - Ode To Billie Joe
Tempo:
112 bpm
Chords used:
D
G
Am
C
Ab
Tuning:Standard Tuning (EADGBE)Capo:+0fret
Start Jamming...
[D]
[Am] [D]
Was a dirty June, [Am] another sleepy dusty [G] Delta [D] day.
I was out chopping [G] cotton and [Am] my brother was [G] baling hay.
[D] [G] And at dinner time we stopped and walked back to the house to eat.
And Mama [D] hollered at the back door, y'all remember to wipe your feet.
And [G] then she said, I got some news this morning from Choctaw Ridge.
[D] Today Billy Joe McAllister [C] jumped off the [D] Tallahatchie Bridge.
Papa said to [G] Mama [Am] as he passed around the black [D]-eyed peas,
Billy Joe never had liquor [Am] since, pass the [D] biscuits please.
[G] There's five more acres in the lower 40 I got to plow.
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 now [D] Billy Joe McAllister's [C] jumped off the Tallahatchie [D] Bridge.
Brother said he recollected when he [Am] and Tom and Billy [D] Joe
crawled down the back at [Am] the Carroll County Picture [D]
Show.
[G] And was a night talking to him after church last Sunday night.
I'll have [D] another piece of apple pie.
You know it don't seem right.
[G] I saw him at the sawmill yesterday on Choctaw Ridge.
And now [D] you tell me Billy Joe's jumped [C] off the Tallahatchie [D] Bridge.
[G] [D] Mama said to me, [Am] child, what's happened to your [G] [D] appetite?
Well, I've been cooking all morning, [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.
She [D] and Billy Joe was throwing [C] something off the [D] Tallahatchie Bridge.
The year has come and [G] gone since [Am] we heard the news about Billy [D] Joe.
Brother married Becky [G] Thompson.
[Am] They bought a store [G] in [D] Tupelo.
[G] There was a virus going around.
Papa caught it and he died last spring.
Now [D] 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.
Drop [D] them into the muddy [C] water off the [D] Tallahatchie Bridge.
[Ab] [G] [E] [D]
[N]
[Am] [D]
Was a dirty June, [Am] another sleepy dusty [G] Delta [D] day.
I was out chopping [G] cotton and [Am] my brother was [G] baling hay.
[D] [G] And at dinner time we stopped and walked back to the house to eat.
And Mama [D] hollered at the back door, y'all remember to wipe your feet.
And [G] then she said, I got some news this morning from Choctaw Ridge.
[D] Today Billy Joe McAllister [C] jumped off the [D] Tallahatchie Bridge.
Papa said to [G] Mama [Am] as he passed around the black [D]-eyed peas,
Billy Joe never had liquor [Am] since, pass the [D] biscuits please.
[G] There's five more acres in the lower 40 I got to plow.
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 now [D] Billy Joe McAllister's [C] jumped off the Tallahatchie [D] Bridge.
Brother said he recollected when he [Am] and Tom and Billy [D] Joe
crawled down the back at [Am] the Carroll County Picture [D]
Show.
[G] And was a night talking to him after church last Sunday night.
I'll have [D] another piece of apple pie.
You know it don't seem right.
[G] I saw him at the sawmill yesterday on Choctaw Ridge.
And now [D] you tell me Billy Joe's jumped [C] off the Tallahatchie [D] Bridge.
[G] [D] Mama said to me, [Am] child, what's happened to your [G] [D] appetite?
Well, I've been cooking all morning, [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.
She [D] and Billy Joe was throwing [C] something off the [D] Tallahatchie Bridge.
The year has come and [G] gone since [Am] we heard the news about Billy [D] Joe.
Brother married Becky [G] Thompson.
[Am] They bought a store [G] in [D] Tupelo.
[G] There was a virus going around.
Papa caught it and he died last spring.
Now [D] 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.
Drop [D] them into the muddy [C] water off the [D] Tallahatchie Bridge.
[Ab] [G] [E] [D]
[N]
Key:
D
G
Am
C
Ab
D
G
Am
_ [D] _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ [Am] _ _ [D] _ _ _ _
Was a dirty June, [Am] another sleepy dusty [G] Delta [D] day.
_ _ I _ was out chopping [G] cotton and [Am] my brother was [G] baling hay.
[D] _ _ _ _ _ [G] And at dinner time we stopped and walked back to the house to eat.
_ _ _ And Mama [D] hollered at the back door, y'all remember to wipe your feet.
_ _ _ _ And [G] then she said, I got some news this morning from Choctaw _ _ Ridge.
_ _ [D] Today Billy Joe McAllister [C] jumped off the _ [D] Tallahatchie _ Bridge. _ _ _ _
Papa said to [G] Mama [Am] as he passed around the black [D]-eyed _ _ peas,
_ _ Billy Joe never had liquor [Am] since, _ pass the [D] biscuits _ please.
_ _ _ [G] There's five more acres in the lower 40 I got to plow.
_ _ 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 now [D] Billy Joe McAllister's [C] jumped off the Tallahatchie [D] Bridge.
_ _ _ _ _ _ Brother said he recollected when he [Am] and Tom and Billy [D] Joe
_ _ _ _ _ _ crawled down the back at [Am] the Carroll County Picture [D]
Show.
_ _ _ _ [G] And was a night talking to him after church last Sunday night.
_ _ _ _ I'll have [D] another piece of apple pie.
_ You know it don't seem right.
_ _ _ [G] I saw him at the sawmill yesterday on Choctaw _ _ Ridge.
_ _ And now [D] you tell me Billy Joe's jumped [C] off the Tallahatchie [D] Bridge.
_ _ _ _ _ _ [G] [D] Mama said to me, [Am] child, what's happened to your [G] [D] appetite?
_ _ Well, _ _ I've been cooking all morning, [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.
_ She [D] and Billy Joe was throwing [C] something off the _ [D] Tallahatchie Bridge.
_ _ _ _ _ The year has come and [G] gone since [Am] we heard the news about Billy [D] Joe. _ _ _ _ _ _ _
Brother married Becky [G] Thompson.
[Am] They bought a store [G] in [D] Tupelo.
_ _ _ _ _ [G] There was a virus going around.
Papa caught it and he died last spring.
_ _ _ _ Now [D] 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.
_ _ _ _ Drop [D] them into the muddy [C] water off the _ [D] Tallahatchie Bridge.
_ _ [Ab] _ [G] _ _ _ [E] _ [D] _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ [N] _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ [Am] _ _ [D] _ _ _ _
Was a dirty June, [Am] another sleepy dusty [G] Delta [D] day.
_ _ I _ was out chopping [G] cotton and [Am] my brother was [G] baling hay.
[D] _ _ _ _ _ [G] And at dinner time we stopped and walked back to the house to eat.
_ _ _ And Mama [D] hollered at the back door, y'all remember to wipe your feet.
_ _ _ _ And [G] then she said, I got some news this morning from Choctaw _ _ Ridge.
_ _ [D] Today Billy Joe McAllister [C] jumped off the _ [D] Tallahatchie _ Bridge. _ _ _ _
Papa said to [G] Mama [Am] as he passed around the black [D]-eyed _ _ peas,
_ _ Billy Joe never had liquor [Am] since, _ pass the [D] biscuits _ please.
_ _ _ [G] There's five more acres in the lower 40 I got to plow.
_ _ 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 now [D] Billy Joe McAllister's [C] jumped off the Tallahatchie [D] Bridge.
_ _ _ _ _ _ Brother said he recollected when he [Am] and Tom and Billy [D] Joe
_ _ _ _ _ _ crawled down the back at [Am] the Carroll County Picture [D]
Show.
_ _ _ _ [G] And was a night talking to him after church last Sunday night.
_ _ _ _ I'll have [D] another piece of apple pie.
_ You know it don't seem right.
_ _ _ [G] I saw him at the sawmill yesterday on Choctaw _ _ Ridge.
_ _ And now [D] you tell me Billy Joe's jumped [C] off the Tallahatchie [D] Bridge.
_ _ _ _ _ _ [G] [D] Mama said to me, [Am] child, what's happened to your [G] [D] appetite?
_ _ Well, _ _ I've been cooking all morning, [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.
_ She [D] and Billy Joe was throwing [C] something off the _ [D] Tallahatchie Bridge.
_ _ _ _ _ The year has come and [G] gone since [Am] we heard the news about Billy [D] Joe. _ _ _ _ _ _ _
Brother married Becky [G] Thompson.
[Am] They bought a store [G] in [D] Tupelo.
_ _ _ _ _ [G] There was a virus going around.
Papa caught it and he died last spring.
_ _ _ _ Now [D] 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.
_ _ _ _ Drop [D] them into the muddy [C] water off the _ [D] Tallahatchie Bridge.
_ _ [Ab] _ [G] _ _ _ [E] _ [D] _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ [N] _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _