Ballad Of A Thin Man chords by
Bob Dylan (Official Version)

1965Rock2.1K views

Key: B minorDifficulty: Advanced

Intro 1

Bm

Em/B

Bm

Bm

Em/B

Bm

Bm

Em/B

Bm

Bm

Em/B

Bm

Verse 1
Bm Bm 
 
You walk into the room
A#7#5 A#7#5 
 
with your pencil in your hand
D/A D/A 
 
E9 E9 
 
You see somebody naked and you,
You say, "Who is that man?"
Gmaj7 Gmaj7 
 
You try so hard but you
Em Em 
 
don't understand
D D 
 
F#m F#m 
 
Bm Bm 
 
Just what you will say   when you get home

Chorus 1

D

F#m

Because something is happening here

Bm

but you don't know what it is

G

Bm

Do you, Mr. Jones?

Verse 2
Bm Bm 
 
You raise up your head
A#7#5 A#7#5 
 
and you ask, "Is this where it is?"
D/A D/A 
 
And somebody points to you
E9 E9 
 
and says, "It's his"
Gmaj7 Gmaj7 
 
And you say, "What's mine?"
Em Em 
 
and somebody else says, "Well, what is?"
D D 
 
And you say, "Oh my God,
F#m F#m 
 
Bm Bm 
 
am    I here all alone?"

Chorus 2

D

F#m

But something is happening

Bm

and you don't know what it is

G

Bm

Do you, Mr. Jones?

Verse 3
Bm Bm 
 
You hand in your ticket
A#7#5 A#7#5 
 
and you go watch the geek
D/A D/A 
 
Who immediately walks up to you
E9 E9 
 
when he hears you speak
Gmaj7 Gmaj7 
 
And says, "How does it feel
Em Em 
 
to  be such a freak?"
D D 
 
And you say, "Impossible!"
F#m F#m 
 
Bm Bm 
 
as he hands you a bone

Chorus 3

D

F#m

And something is happening here

Bm

but you don't know what it is

G

Bm

Do you, Mr. Jones?

Bridge 1
Bm Bm 
 
You have many contacts
D D 
 
among the lumberjacks
G G 
 
To get you facts when someone
Bm Bm 
 
attacks your imagina  tion
But nobody has any respect,
D D 
 
anyway they already expect you
G G 
 
to all give a check
Em Em 
 
To tax-deductible
A A 
 
charity organizations

Verse 4
Bm Bm 
 
Ah, you've been with the professors and
A#7#5 A#7#5 
 
they've all liked your looks
D/A D/A 
 
With great lawyers
E9 E9 
 
you have discussed lepers and crooks
Gmaj7 Gmaj7 
 
You've been through all of
Em Em 
 
F. Scott Fitzgerald's books
D D 
 
F#m F#m 
 
Bm Bm 
 
You're very well-read, it's well-known

Chorus 4

D

F#m

But something is happening here

Bm

and you don't know what it is

G

Bm

Do you, Mr. Jones?

Verse 5
Bm Bm 
 
Well, the sword swallower,
A#7#5 A#7#5 
 
he comes up to you      and then he kneels
D/A D/A 
 
He crosses himself and then
E9 E9 
 
he  clicks his high heels
Gmaj7 Gmaj7 
 
And without  further notice,
Em Em 
 
he asks you how it feels
D D 
 
F#m F#m 
 
And he says, "Here is your throat back,
Bm Bm 
 
thanks for the loan"

Chorus 5

D

F#m

And you know something is happening

Bm

but you don't know what it is

G

Bm

Do you, Mr. Jones?

Verse 6
Bm Bm 
 
Now, you see this one-eyed midget
A#7#5 A#7#5 
 
shouting the word "Now"
D/A D/A 
 
And you say, "For what reason?"
E9 E9 
 
and he says, "How"
Gmaj7 Gmaj7 
 
And you say, "What does this mean?"
Em Em 
 
and he screams back, "You're a cow"
D D 
 
F#m F#m 
 
Bm Bm 
 
"Give me some milk  or else go  home"

Chorus 6

D

F#m

And you know something is happening

Bm

but you don't know what it is

G

Bm

Do you, Mr. Jones?

Verse 7
Bm Bm 
 
Well, you walk into the room
A#7#5 A#7#5 
 
like a camel,   and then you frown
D/A D/A 
 
You put your eyes in your pocket
E9 E9 
 
and your nose on the ground
Gmaj7 Gmaj7 
 
There ought to be a law
Em Em 
 
against you comin' around
D D 
 
F#m F#m 
 
Bm Bm 
 
You should be made to wear  earphones

Chorus 7
D D 
 
F#m F#m 
 
'Cause something is happening
Bm Bm 
 
and you don't know what it is
G G 
 
Bm Bm 
 
Em/B Em/B 
 
Bm Bm 
 
Do you, Mr. Jones?
Bm Bm 
 
Em/B Em/B 
 
Bm Bm 
 
Bm Bm 
 
Em/B Em/B 
 
Bm Bm 
 
Bm Bm 
 
Em/B Em/B 
 
Bm Bm 
 
Bm Bm 
 
Em/B Em/B 
 
Bm Bm 
 
[Fade Out]

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TunerE A D G B E

ChordsBm Em/B A#7#5 D/A E9...

Chords

Bm
Em/B
A#7#5
D/A
E9
Gmaj7
Em
D
F#m
G
A

Finger positions, low to high (E A D G B e). 0 is open, x is muted.

Bm: x-2-4-4-3-x
Em/B: x-2-2-0-0-0
A#7#5: 6-x-6-7-7-x
D/A: x-0-4-2-3-x
E9: 0-2-0-1-0-2
Gmaj7: 3-x-0-0-0-2
Em: 0-2-2-0-0-0
D: x-x-0-2-3-2
F#m: 2-4-4-2-2-2
G: 3-2-0-0-0-3
A: x-0-2-2-2-0

Capo: No capo

Transpose: 0

0

Accurately transcribed by the GuitarTuna team.

Barre chords ask a lot of the fretting hand. The barre course walks through hand position, pressure, and the cleanest way to land each shape. Practice barre chords

When a song moves through a lot of chords, the strumming hand has to stay steady through every switch. The basic strumming course covers the patterns and the timing that make changes easier. Smooth out your strumming

This is the definitive original version of Ballad Of A Thin Man by Bob Dylan, transcribed exactly as it was recorded in the studio. Unlike our simplified arrangement, this chart preserves the precise chord voicings and progressions in the original key of B minor. It is designed for experienced players looking to reproduce the full sonic intent and artistic expression of Bob Dylan.

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