Ode To Billie Joe Bobbie Gentry

Ode To Billie Joe

Bobbie Gentry

Edward

1430
0:00 4:08
Tuning Standard (E A D G B E)
Beat 4/4
Key: D
Capo:
No capo
Strumming 1

Whole song: ↓ · · · ↓ · · ↑ ↓ · ↓ · · · ↓ ·

Lyrics

[Intro]
| D7 | - | - | - |

[Verse 1]
           D7                     Am7
It was the third of June, another sleepy,
dusty Delta day
I was out choppin' cotton,
       Am7                   D7
and my brother was balin' hay
       G7
And at dinner time we stopped and walked back to the house
to eat
         D7
And Mama hollered out the back door, "Y'all,
remember to wipe your feet!"
             G7
And then she said,
"I got some news this mornin' from Choctaw Ridge

[Chorus]
Today,
D7                            C7                          D7
Billie Joe MacAllister jumped off the Tallahatchie Bridge"

[Verse 2]
    D7
And Papa said to Mama,
      Am7                             D7
as he passed around the blackeyed peas
"Well, Billie Joe never had a lick of sense,
Am7                         D7
   pass the biscuits, please
        G7
There's five more acres in the lower forty I've got to
plow"
         D7
And Mama said it was shame about Billie Joe,
anyhow
           G7
Seems like nothin' ever comes to no good up on Choctaw
Ridge

[Chorus]
        D7                            C7
And now Billie Joe MacAllister jumped off the Tallahatchie
      D7
Bridge

[Verse 3]
    D7                                  Am7
And brother said he recollected when he,   and Tom,
              D7
and Billie Joe
                               Am7                        D7
Put a frog down my back at the Carroll County picture show
           G7
And wasn't I talkin' to him after church last Sunday night?
            D7
"I'll have another piecea apple pie, you know,
it don't seem right
  G7
I saw him at the sawmill yesterday on Choctaw Ridge

[Chorus]
            D7                          C7
And now you tell me Billie Joe's jumped off the
                    D7
Tallahatchie Bridge"

[Verse 4]
D7
Mama said to me, "Child,
       Am7                       D7
what's happened to your appetite?
I've been cookin' all mornin',
        Am7                          D7
and you haven't touched a single bite
     G7
That nice young preacher, Brother Taylor,
dropped by today
             D7
Said he'd be pleased to have dinner on Sunday, oh,
by the way
   G7
He said he saw a girl that looked a lot like you up on
Choctaw Ridge

[Chorus]
        D7                              C7
And she and Billie Joe was throwin' somethin' off the
             D7
Tallahatchie Bridge"

[Verse 5]
  D7                              Am7
A year has come and gone since we heard the news 'bout
          D7
Billie Joe
And brother married Becky Thompson,
     Am7                     D7
they bought a store in Tupelo
              G7
There was a virus going 'round, Papa caught it,
and he died last spring
        D7
And now Mama doesn't seem to want to do much of anything
    G7
And me,
I spend a lot of time pickin' flowers up on Choctaw Ridge

[Chorus]
              D7                   C7
And drop them into the muddy water off the Tallahatchie
      D7
Bridge

Bars

[Intro]
| D7 | - | - | - |

[Verse 1]
| D7 | Am7 | -  | - |
| -  | Am7 | D7 | - |
| G7 | -   | -  | - |
| D7 | -   | -  | - |
| G7 | -   | -  | - |

It was the third of June, another sleepy,
dusty Delta day
I was out choppin' cotton,
and my brother was balin' hay
And at dinner time we stopped and walked back to the house
to eat
And Mama hollered out the back door, "Y'all,
remember to wipe your feet!"
And then she said,
"I got some news this mornin' from Choctaw Ridge

[Chorus]
| D7 | C7 | D7 | - |

Today,
Billie Joe MacAllister jumped off the Tallahatchie Bridge"

[Verse 2]
| D7 | Am7 | D7 | - |
| -  | Am7 | D7 | - |
| G7 | -   | -  | - |
| D7 | -   | -  | - |
| G7 | -   | -  | - |

And Papa said to Mama,
as he passed around the blackeyed peas
"Well, Billie Joe never had a lick of sense,
pass the biscuits, please
There's five more acres in the lower forty I've got to
plow"
And Mama said it was shame about Billie Joe,
anyhow
Seems like nothin' ever comes to no good up on Choctaw
Ridge

[Chorus]
| D7 | C7 | D7 | - |

And now Billie Joe MacAllister jumped off the Tallahatchie
Bridge

[Verse 3]
| D7 | Am7 | D7 | - |
| -  | Am7 | D7 | - |
| G7 | -   | -  | - |
| D7 | -   | -  | - |
| G7 | -   | -  | - |

And brother said he recollected when he,   and Tom,
and Billie Joe
Put a frog down my back at the Carroll County picture show
And wasn't I talkin' to him after church last Sunday night?
"I'll have another piecea apple pie, you know,
it don't seem right
I saw him at the sawmill yesterday on Choctaw Ridge

[Chorus]
| D7 | C7 | D7 | - |

And now you tell me Billie Joe's jumped off the
Tallahatchie Bridge"

[Verse 4]
| D7 | Am7 | D7 | - |
| -  | Am7 | D7 | - |
| G7 | -   | -  | - |
| D7 | -   | -  | - |
| G7 | -   | -  | - |

Mama said to me, "Child,
what's happened to your appetite?
I've been cookin' all mornin',
and you haven't touched a single bite
That nice young preacher, Brother Taylor,
dropped by today
Said he'd be pleased to have dinner on Sunday, oh,
by the way
He said he saw a girl that looked a lot like you up on
Choctaw Ridge

[Chorus]
| D7 | C7 | D7 | - |

And she and Billie Joe was throwin' somethin' off the
Tallahatchie Bridge"

[Verse 5]
| D7 | Am7 | D7 | - |
| -  | Am7 | D7 | - |
| G7 | -   | -  | - |
| D7 | -   | -  | - |
| G7 | -   | -  | - |

A year has come and gone since we heard the news 'bout
Billie Joe
And brother married Becky Thompson,
they bought a store in Tupelo
There was a virus going 'round, Papa caught it,
and he died last spring
And now Mama doesn't seem to want to do much of anything
And me,
I spend a lot of time pickin' flowers up on Choctaw Ridge

[Chorus]
| D7 | C7 | D7 |

And drop them into the muddy water off the Tallahatchie
Bridge

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