Chords for James Taylor - Sweet Baby James (One Man Band, July 2007)
Tempo:
126.3 bpm
Chords used:
D
G
Bm
A
Em
Tuning:Standard Tuning (EADGBE)Capo:+0fret
Start Jamming...
Key:
D
G
Bm
A
Em
D
G
Bm
I'll show you a picture of my first car, a Cortina GT, English Ford, 1968.
Those people weren't in it when I bought it.
And the fact that they seem to be smiling in this picture indicates that they haven't.
been any real distance in the car.
.
But you know, you love your first car.
I love it so.
And I did.
And it also, it represents to me that year, 1968, which was the most incredible year.
.
My life probably, I mean, it's not over yet, but you know, it was pretty amazing.
I was a huge Beatles fan.
I went to London just to travel because I didn't know what else to do.
I was a kid, 19, I guess.
I made a demo tape at the urging of some friends I met over there.
They shopped it around.
Eventually Peter Asher heard it, played it for Paul McCartney and George Harrison, and.
they signed me the first act to be signed to Apple Records.
It was as if somebody had opened the door.
.
It was amazing.
It was the mother of all big breaks.
And it was as if somebody had opened a door and the rest of my life was on the other side of it.
And I think that happens often, but in a negative way.
Usually someone opens a door and there's hell on the other side.
Anyway, getting a little punchy here.
The year did end.
It had to end.
And I sent the car home on a boat and I flew home and there was a tearful reunion on the.
docks in Elizabeth, New Jersey.
And I hopped in my Cortina and started driving down the coast to North Carolina because I.
hadn't seen my family in better than a year.
During that year, my brother Alex and his wife Brent had had a baby, first child born.
to our generation in my family.
.
And in a moment of lapse judgment, they named the child after me, Little Baby James.
So I had to go down and see this little varmint, go down and see Little James.
.
Yeah, he's cute.
.
If you like children.
.
.
But anyway, as I was driving down the coast, I was thinking to myself, well, what would.
be a good song to sing for a little ornery varmint like Little James?.
And it had to be a cowboy lullaby, you know, go to sleep, you little buckaroo, lights out.
in the bunkhouse or, you know, [G] something like that.
Something by Roy Rogers or Gene Autry.
That's how this next song got written.
.
[Em] .
[D] [A] .
[D] There is a [A] young cowboy [G] lives [F#m] on the range.
.
His [Bm] horse and [G] his cattle, [D] they're his only [F#m] companions.
.
[Bm] He works [G] in the saddle and [D] he sleeps in the [F#m] canyons, [G] just waiting [D] for summer, [A] his pastures to [Em] .
change.
[D] [A] .
[G] Yes, and as the moon rises, [D] he sits by his fire, [Bm] just thinking [G] about women [D] and glasses.
in [A] the air, [G] close in his eyes [Em] as the [D] doggies retire.
[Bm] He sings [G] out a song which [D] is soft, but it's clear, [Bm] just as if maybe [E] someone [D] could hear.
[Am] [A] .
He [D] says good night all you moonlight [A] [D].
ladies, [Bm] rock-a-bye [G] sweet baby [D] James, [Bm].
deep [G] greens and.
blues [D] for the colors I choose.
[Bm] Won't you let me [E] go down and [A] buy a drink, go [Em] and rock-a-bye [A] sweet [D] baby James.
Now the first of [B] December, it [G] was covered with [F#m] snow.
Yes, [Bm] and so was [G] the turnpike [D] from Stockbridge to [F#m].
Boston.
.
Oh, [Bm] the pictures seem [G] dreamlike [D] on a counter of black [F#m] frosting with [G] ten miles [D] behind me.
and [A] ten thousand [E] more [Em] to go.
.
[D] [A] [G] There's a song that they sing when [D] they take to the highway, .
[Bm] a song that they [G] sing when.
[D] they take to the sea, [G] a song that they sing of their home in [D] the sky.
[Bm] Maybe you [G] can't believe it if it [D] helps you to sleep.
[Bm] Just that singing [E] seemed to work fine for [D] [Em] me.
[A] .
[D] So good night all [G] you [D] moonlight ladies, [Bm].
rock-a [F#m]-bye [G] my sweet baby [D] James, [Bm] deep [G] greens and blues.
for [D] the colors I choose.
[Bm] Won't you let me go [E] down and buy [B] a drink, [A] go and [Em] rock-a-bye [B] my sweet [A].
[D] baby James.
.
.
[N] .
.
.
.
.
.
Those people weren't in it when I bought it.
And the fact that they seem to be smiling in this picture indicates that they haven't.
been any real distance in the car.
.
But you know, you love your first car.
I love it so.
And I did.
And it also, it represents to me that year, 1968, which was the most incredible year.
.
My life probably, I mean, it's not over yet, but you know, it was pretty amazing.
I was a huge Beatles fan.
I went to London just to travel because I didn't know what else to do.
I was a kid, 19, I guess.
I made a demo tape at the urging of some friends I met over there.
They shopped it around.
Eventually Peter Asher heard it, played it for Paul McCartney and George Harrison, and.
they signed me the first act to be signed to Apple Records.
It was as if somebody had opened the door.
.
It was amazing.
It was the mother of all big breaks.
And it was as if somebody had opened a door and the rest of my life was on the other side of it.
And I think that happens often, but in a negative way.
Usually someone opens a door and there's hell on the other side.
Anyway, getting a little punchy here.
The year did end.
It had to end.
And I sent the car home on a boat and I flew home and there was a tearful reunion on the.
docks in Elizabeth, New Jersey.
And I hopped in my Cortina and started driving down the coast to North Carolina because I.
hadn't seen my family in better than a year.
During that year, my brother Alex and his wife Brent had had a baby, first child born.
to our generation in my family.
.
And in a moment of lapse judgment, they named the child after me, Little Baby James.
So I had to go down and see this little varmint, go down and see Little James.
.
Yeah, he's cute.
.
If you like children.
.
.
But anyway, as I was driving down the coast, I was thinking to myself, well, what would.
be a good song to sing for a little ornery varmint like Little James?.
And it had to be a cowboy lullaby, you know, go to sleep, you little buckaroo, lights out.
in the bunkhouse or, you know, [G] something like that.
Something by Roy Rogers or Gene Autry.
That's how this next song got written.
.
[Em] .
[D] [A] .
[D] There is a [A] young cowboy [G] lives [F#m] on the range.
.
His [Bm] horse and [G] his cattle, [D] they're his only [F#m] companions.
.
[Bm] He works [G] in the saddle and [D] he sleeps in the [F#m] canyons, [G] just waiting [D] for summer, [A] his pastures to [Em] .
change.
[D] [A] .
[G] Yes, and as the moon rises, [D] he sits by his fire, [Bm] just thinking [G] about women [D] and glasses.
in [A] the air, [G] close in his eyes [Em] as the [D] doggies retire.
[Bm] He sings [G] out a song which [D] is soft, but it's clear, [Bm] just as if maybe [E] someone [D] could hear.
[Am] [A] .
He [D] says good night all you moonlight [A] [D].
ladies, [Bm] rock-a-bye [G] sweet baby [D] James, [Bm].
deep [G] greens and.
blues [D] for the colors I choose.
[Bm] Won't you let me [E] go down and [A] buy a drink, go [Em] and rock-a-bye [A] sweet [D] baby James.
Now the first of [B] December, it [G] was covered with [F#m] snow.
Yes, [Bm] and so was [G] the turnpike [D] from Stockbridge to [F#m].
Boston.
.
Oh, [Bm] the pictures seem [G] dreamlike [D] on a counter of black [F#m] frosting with [G] ten miles [D] behind me.
and [A] ten thousand [E] more [Em] to go.
.
[D] [A] [G] There's a song that they sing when [D] they take to the highway, .
[Bm] a song that they [G] sing when.
[D] they take to the sea, [G] a song that they sing of their home in [D] the sky.
[Bm] Maybe you [G] can't believe it if it [D] helps you to sleep.
[Bm] Just that singing [E] seemed to work fine for [D] [Em] me.
[A] .
[D] So good night all [G] you [D] moonlight ladies, [Bm].
rock-a [F#m]-bye [G] my sweet baby [D] James, [Bm] deep [G] greens and blues.
for [D] the colors I choose.
[Bm] Won't you let me go [E] down and buy [B] a drink, [A] go and [Em] rock-a-bye [B] my sweet [A].
[D] baby James.
.
.
[N] .
.
.
.
.
.