Ode To Billie Joe Chords by Bobbie Gentry
Tempo:
81.45 bpm
Chords used:
D
G
Am
A
C
Tuning:Standard Tuning (EADGBE)Capo:+0fret
Start Jamming...
[A] [D]
[A] Was the [D] third of June another sleepy dusty Delta day
I
Was out chopping [Am] cotton and my brother was [D] bailing.
Hey
And [G] it's in a time we stopped and walked back to the house to eat
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
Today [D] Billy Joe [C] McAllister jumped off the Tallahatchie [D] Bridge
And Papa said to mama [Am] as he passed around the black [D]-eyed peas
Well Billy Joe never had a lick [Am] of sense pass the biscuits, [D] please
[G] There's five more acres in the lower 40 I got to ply
And mama [D] said it was a shame about Billy Joe anyhow
[A]
[G] Seems like nothing ever comes to no good up on Choctaw Ridge
And [D] now Billy Joe [C] McAllister's jumped off the [D] Tallahatchie Bridge
Brother said he recollected when he and Tom and Billy Joe
And put a frog down my back at the Carroll County picture show
and
[G] Wasn't I talking to him after church last Sunday night?
I'll have [D] another piece of apple pie.
You know, it don't seem right.
I
[G] Saw him at the sawmill yesterday on Choctaw Ridge
And now [D] you tell me Billy Joe's jumped [G] off the [D] Tallahatchie Bridge
Mama said to me child what's [Am] happened to your appetite?
I've been cooking all morning [Am] and 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
[D] She and Billy Joe was throwing [C] something off the [D] Tallahatchie Bridge
A year has come and gone since [A] we heard the news about Billy Joe
And brother married Becky [Am] Thompson they bought a store in [D] Tupelo
There [G] was a virus going around Papa caught it and he died last spring
And 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
And [D] drop them into the muddy [C] water off the [G] Tallahatchie Bridge
[D]
[A] Was the [D] third of June another sleepy dusty Delta day
I
Was out chopping [Am] cotton and my brother was [D] bailing.
Hey
And [G] it's in a time we stopped and walked back to the house to eat
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
Today [D] Billy Joe [C] McAllister jumped off the Tallahatchie [D] Bridge
And Papa said to mama [Am] as he passed around the black [D]-eyed peas
Well Billy Joe never had a lick [Am] of sense pass the biscuits, [D] please
[G] There's five more acres in the lower 40 I got to ply
And mama [D] said it was a shame about Billy Joe anyhow
[A]
[G] Seems like nothing ever comes to no good up on Choctaw Ridge
And [D] now Billy Joe [C] McAllister's jumped off the [D] Tallahatchie Bridge
Brother said he recollected when he and Tom and Billy Joe
And put a frog down my back at the Carroll County picture show
and
[G] Wasn't I talking to him after church last Sunday night?
I'll have [D] another piece of apple pie.
You know, it don't seem right.
I
[G] Saw him at the sawmill yesterday on Choctaw Ridge
And now [D] you tell me Billy Joe's jumped [G] off the [D] Tallahatchie Bridge
Mama said to me child what's [Am] happened to your appetite?
I've been cooking all morning [Am] and 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
[D] She and Billy Joe was throwing [C] something off the [D] Tallahatchie Bridge
A year has come and gone since [A] we heard the news about Billy Joe
And brother married Becky [Am] Thompson they bought a store in [D] Tupelo
There [G] was a virus going around Papa caught it and he died last spring
And 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
And [D] drop them into the muddy [C] water off the [G] Tallahatchie Bridge
[D]
Key:
D
G
Am
A
C
D
G
Am
_ _ _ _ [A] _ _ _ [D] _
_ _ [A] _ Was the [D] third of June another sleepy dusty Delta day
_ _ _ I
Was out chopping [Am] cotton and my brother was [D] bailing.
Hey _
_ And [G] it's in a time we stopped and walked back to the house to eat
_ _ _ 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 _
_ _ Today [D] Billy Joe [C] McAllister jumped off the Tallahatchie [D] Bridge
_ _ _ _ And Papa said to mama [Am] as he passed around the black [D]-eyed peas _ _ _
Well Billy Joe never had a lick [Am] of sense pass the biscuits, [D] please
_ _ _ [G] There's five more acres in the lower 40 I got to ply
_ _ And mama [D] said it was a shame about Billy Joe anyhow
_ _ [A] _
[G] Seems like nothing ever comes to no good up on Choctaw Ridge
_ _ And [D] now Billy Joe [C] McAllister's jumped off the [D] Tallahatchie Bridge
_ _ _ _ Brother said he recollected when he and Tom and Billy Joe _ _ _
And put a frog down my back at the Carroll County picture show
_ _ and
[G] Wasn't I talking to him after church last Sunday night?
_ _ _ I'll have [D] another piece of apple pie.
You know, it don't seem right.
I _
[G] Saw him at the sawmill yesterday on Choctaw Ridge
_ _ And now [D] you tell me Billy Joe's jumped [G] off the [D] Tallahatchie Bridge
_ _ _ Mama said to me child what's [Am] happened to your appetite? _ _ _
I've been cooking all morning [Am] and 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
[D] She and Billy Joe was throwing [C] something off the [D] Tallahatchie Bridge
A _ _ year has come and gone since [A] we heard the news about Billy Joe _ _
And brother married Becky [Am] Thompson they bought a store in [D] Tupelo
_ _ There [G] was a virus going around Papa caught it and he died last spring
_ _ And 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
_ _ And [D] drop them into the muddy [C] water off the [G] Tallahatchie Bridge
[D] _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ [A] _ Was the [D] third of June another sleepy dusty Delta day
_ _ _ I
Was out chopping [Am] cotton and my brother was [D] bailing.
Hey _
_ And [G] it's in a time we stopped and walked back to the house to eat
_ _ _ 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 _
_ _ Today [D] Billy Joe [C] McAllister jumped off the Tallahatchie [D] Bridge
_ _ _ _ And Papa said to mama [Am] as he passed around the black [D]-eyed peas _ _ _
Well Billy Joe never had a lick [Am] of sense pass the biscuits, [D] please
_ _ _ [G] There's five more acres in the lower 40 I got to ply
_ _ And mama [D] said it was a shame about Billy Joe anyhow
_ _ [A] _
[G] Seems like nothing ever comes to no good up on Choctaw Ridge
_ _ And [D] now Billy Joe [C] McAllister's jumped off the [D] Tallahatchie Bridge
_ _ _ _ Brother said he recollected when he and Tom and Billy Joe _ _ _
And put a frog down my back at the Carroll County picture show
_ _ and
[G] Wasn't I talking to him after church last Sunday night?
_ _ _ I'll have [D] another piece of apple pie.
You know, it don't seem right.
I _
[G] Saw him at the sawmill yesterday on Choctaw Ridge
_ _ And now [D] you tell me Billy Joe's jumped [G] off the [D] Tallahatchie Bridge
_ _ _ Mama said to me child what's [Am] happened to your appetite? _ _ _
I've been cooking all morning [Am] and 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
[D] She and Billy Joe was throwing [C] something off the [D] Tallahatchie Bridge
A _ _ year has come and gone since [A] we heard the news about Billy Joe _ _
And brother married Becky [Am] Thompson they bought a store in [D] Tupelo
_ _ There [G] was a virus going around Papa caught it and he died last spring
_ _ And 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
_ _ And [D] drop them into the muddy [C] water off the [G] Tallahatchie Bridge
[D] _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _