Bobby Gentry - Ode to Billie Joe Chords
Tempo:
112 bpm
Chords used:
D
G
Am
C
A
Tuning:Standard Tuning (EADGBE)Capo:+0fret
Start Jamming...
[D]
It was the third of [G] June, [A] another [Am] sleepy dusty day.
[D] I was out chopping cotton [Am] and my brother was [D] baling hay.
[G] And at dinner time we stopped and walked back to the house to eat.
And [D] Mama hollered at the back door, y'all [Am] remember to [D] 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 [Am] as he passed around the black [D] eyed peas,
Oh, Billy Joe never had liquor [Am] since.
[D] Pass the biscuits please.
[G] There's five more acres in the lower forty I got to plow.
[D] Mama said it was a shame [E] about Billy Joe.
[D]
Seems [G] like nothing ever comes to no good up on Choctaw Ridge.
[Em] [D] Now Billy Joe McAllister [C] jumped off the [D] Tallahatchie Bridge.
Brother said he recollected [A] when he and [D] Tom and Billy Joe
put a frog down the [Am] back at the Carroll County Picture [D]
Show.
And [G]
wasn't I talking to him after church last Sunday night.
[D] I'll have another piece of apple pie.
[Am] [Gm] You know it don't [D] seem right.
[D] I [G] saw him at the sawmill yesterday up on Choctaw Ridge.
[D] Now you [A] tell me Billy Joe's [C] jumped off the [G] [D] Tallahatchie Bridge.
Mama said to me, [Am] child, what's happened to [D] your appetite?
Well, I've been cooking all morning [Am] and you haven't touched a [D] single bite.
[G]
That nice young preacher brother Taylor dropped by today.
[C#] [D]
He's tagged in her own Sunday.
[G] [D]
[D] Oh, by the way,
[G] he said he saw a girl that looked a lot like you up on Choctaw Ridge.
[D] She and Billy Joe was throwing [C] something off the [D] Tallahatchie Bridge.
A year has [Am] come and gone since we heard the news [D] about Billy Joe.
Brother married Becky [Am] Thompson.
They bought a store in [D] Tupelo.
[G] There was a virus going around.
Papa caught it and he died last spring.
And now [D] Mama doesn't seem to [Am] want to do much of [D]
anything.
[G] And me, I spend a lot of time picking flowers up on Choctaw Ridge.
[D] I threw them into the muddy [C] water off the [D] Tallahatchie Bridge.
[G#] [C] [D]
It was the third of [G] June, [A] another [Am] sleepy dusty day.
[D] I was out chopping cotton [Am] and my brother was [D] baling hay.
[G] And at dinner time we stopped and walked back to the house to eat.
And [D] Mama hollered at the back door, y'all [Am] remember to [D] 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 [Am] as he passed around the black [D] eyed peas,
Oh, Billy Joe never had liquor [Am] since.
[D] Pass the biscuits please.
[G] There's five more acres in the lower forty I got to plow.
[D] Mama said it was a shame [E] about Billy Joe.
[D]
Seems [G] like nothing ever comes to no good up on Choctaw Ridge.
[Em] [D] Now Billy Joe McAllister [C] jumped off the [D] Tallahatchie Bridge.
Brother said he recollected [A] when he and [D] Tom and Billy Joe
put a frog down the [Am] back at the Carroll County Picture [D]
Show.
And [G]
wasn't I talking to him after church last Sunday night.
[D] I'll have another piece of apple pie.
[Am] [Gm] You know it don't [D] seem right.
[D] I [G] saw him at the sawmill yesterday up on Choctaw Ridge.
[D] Now you [A] tell me Billy Joe's [C] jumped off the [G] [D] Tallahatchie Bridge.
Mama said to me, [Am] child, what's happened to [D] your appetite?
Well, I've been cooking all morning [Am] and you haven't touched a [D] single bite.
[G]
That nice young preacher brother Taylor dropped by today.
[C#] [D]
He's tagged in her own Sunday.
[G] [D]
[D] Oh, by the way,
[G] he said he saw a girl that looked a lot like you up on Choctaw Ridge.
[D] She and Billy Joe was throwing [C] something off the [D] Tallahatchie Bridge.
A year has [Am] come and gone since we heard the news [D] about Billy Joe.
Brother married Becky [Am] Thompson.
They bought a store in [D] Tupelo.
[G] There was a virus going around.
Papa caught it and he died last spring.
And now [D] Mama doesn't seem to [Am] want to do much of [D]
anything.
[G] And me, I spend a lot of time picking flowers up on Choctaw Ridge.
[D] I threw them into the muddy [C] water off the [D] Tallahatchie Bridge.
[G#] [C] [D]
Key:
D
G
Am
C
A
D
G
Am
[D] _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ It was the third of [G] June, [A] another [Am] sleepy dusty day.
[D] _ _ _ I _ _ _ was out chopping cotton [Am] and my brother was [D] baling hay. _ _ _ _ _
[G] And at dinner time we stopped and walked back to the house to eat.
_ _ _ _ And [D] Mama hollered at the back door, y'all [Am] remember to [D] 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 [Am] as he passed around the black [D] eyed peas,
_ _ _ _ _ Oh, Billy Joe never had liquor [Am] since.
_ [D] Pass the biscuits please.
_ _ _ _ [G] There's five more acres in the lower forty I got to plow.
_ _ _ _ _ [D] Mama said it was a shame [E] about Billy Joe.
_ [D] _
_ _ _ _ _ Seems [G] like nothing ever comes to no good up on Choctaw _ _ Ridge.
_ _ [Em] [D] Now Billy Joe McAllister [C] jumped off the _ [D] Tallahatchie Bridge.
_ _ _ _ _ _ _
Brother said he recollected [A] when he and [D] Tom and Billy Joe
_ _ put a frog down the [Am] back at the Carroll County Picture [D]
Show.
_ _ _ _ And [G]
wasn't I talking to him after church last Sunday night.
_ _ _ _ _ [D] I'll have another piece of apple pie.
_ _ _ [Am] [Gm] You know it don't [D] seem right.
[D] I _ _ [G] saw him at the sawmill yesterday up on Choctaw _ _ Ridge.
_ _ [D] Now you [A] tell me Billy Joe's [C] jumped off the [G] [D] Tallahatchie Bridge. _ _ _ _ _
Mama said to me, [Am] child, what's happened to [D] your appetite?
_ _ _ _ Well, I've been cooking all morning [Am] and you haven't touched a [D] single bite.
_ _ _ _ _ _ [G]
That nice young preacher brother Taylor dropped by _ today.
_ _ _ _ [C#] _ [D] _
_ He's tagged in her own Sunday.
[G] _ [D] _
_ _ [D] Oh, by the way,
_ [G] he said he saw a girl that looked a lot like you up on Choctaw Ridge.
_ _ _ _ [D] She and Billy Joe was throwing [C] something off the [D] Tallahatchie Bridge. _ _ _ _ _ _
A year has [Am] come and gone since we heard the news [D] about Billy Joe. _ _ _ _ _ _
Brother married Becky [Am] Thompson.
They bought a store in [D] Tupelo.
_ _ _ _ _ [G] There was a virus going around.
Papa caught it and he died last spring.
_ _ _ _ And now [D] Mama doesn't seem to [Am] want to do much of _ [D]
anything.
_ _ _ _ _ [G] And me, I spend a lot of time picking flowers up on Choctaw Ridge.
_ _ _ [D] I threw them into the muddy [C] water off the _ [D] Tallahatchie Bridge.
_ _ [G#] _ [C] _ [D] _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ It was the third of [G] June, [A] another [Am] sleepy dusty day.
[D] _ _ _ I _ _ _ was out chopping cotton [Am] and my brother was [D] baling hay. _ _ _ _ _
[G] And at dinner time we stopped and walked back to the house to eat.
_ _ _ _ And [D] Mama hollered at the back door, y'all [Am] remember to [D] 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 [Am] as he passed around the black [D] eyed peas,
_ _ _ _ _ Oh, Billy Joe never had liquor [Am] since.
_ [D] Pass the biscuits please.
_ _ _ _ [G] There's five more acres in the lower forty I got to plow.
_ _ _ _ _ [D] Mama said it was a shame [E] about Billy Joe.
_ [D] _
_ _ _ _ _ Seems [G] like nothing ever comes to no good up on Choctaw _ _ Ridge.
_ _ [Em] [D] Now Billy Joe McAllister [C] jumped off the _ [D] Tallahatchie Bridge.
_ _ _ _ _ _ _
Brother said he recollected [A] when he and [D] Tom and Billy Joe
_ _ put a frog down the [Am] back at the Carroll County Picture [D]
Show.
_ _ _ _ And [G]
wasn't I talking to him after church last Sunday night.
_ _ _ _ _ [D] I'll have another piece of apple pie.
_ _ _ [Am] [Gm] You know it don't [D] seem right.
[D] I _ _ [G] saw him at the sawmill yesterday up on Choctaw _ _ Ridge.
_ _ [D] Now you [A] tell me Billy Joe's [C] jumped off the [G] [D] Tallahatchie Bridge. _ _ _ _ _
Mama said to me, [Am] child, what's happened to [D] your appetite?
_ _ _ _ Well, I've been cooking all morning [Am] and you haven't touched a [D] single bite.
_ _ _ _ _ _ [G]
That nice young preacher brother Taylor dropped by _ today.
_ _ _ _ [C#] _ [D] _
_ He's tagged in her own Sunday.
[G] _ [D] _
_ _ [D] Oh, by the way,
_ [G] he said he saw a girl that looked a lot like you up on Choctaw Ridge.
_ _ _ _ [D] She and Billy Joe was throwing [C] something off the [D] Tallahatchie Bridge. _ _ _ _ _ _
A year has [Am] come and gone since we heard the news [D] about Billy Joe. _ _ _ _ _ _
Brother married Becky [Am] Thompson.
They bought a store in [D] Tupelo.
_ _ _ _ _ [G] There was a virus going around.
Papa caught it and he died last spring.
_ _ _ _ And now [D] Mama doesn't seem to [Am] want to do much of _ [D]
anything.
_ _ _ _ _ [G] And me, I spend a lot of time picking flowers up on Choctaw Ridge.
_ _ _ [D] I threw them into the muddy [C] water off the _ [D] Tallahatchie Bridge.
_ _ [G#] _ [C] _ [D] _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _