Big City chords by
Merle Haggard (Official Version)

1981Country528 views

Key: E majorDifficulty: Beginner

Intro 1

E

E

A

A

E

E

B7

B7

E

E

Verse 1
E E 
 
A A 
 
I'm tired of this dirty old city
E E 
 
Entirely too much work
B7 B7 
 
and never enough play
E E 
 
And I am tired
A A 
 
these dirty old sidewalks
E E 
 
B7 B7 
 
E E 
 
Think I'll walk off my steady job today

Chorus 1
E E 
 
Turn me loose, set me free
A A 
 
E E 
 
Somewhere in the middle of Montana
B7 B7 
 
And give me all I've got coming to me
E E 
 
And keep your retirement
A A 
 
E E 
 
And your so-called social security
B7 B7 
 
E E 
 
Big City, turn me loose and set me free

Interlude 1

E

E

A

A

E

E

B7

B7

E

E

Verse 2
E E 
 
A A 
 
Been working every day since I was twenty
E E 
 
Haven't got a thing to show
B7 B7 
 
for anything I've done
E E 
 
There's folks who never work
A A 
 
and they've got plenty
E E 
 
B7 B7 
 
Think it's time some guys like me
E E 
 
had some fun, so

Chorus 2
E E 
 
Turn me loose, set me free
A A 
 
E E 
 
Somewhere in the middle of Montana
B7 B7 
 
And give me all I've got coming to me
E E 
 
And keep your retirement
A A 
 
E E 
 
And your so-called social security
B7 B7 
 
E E 
 
Big City, turn me loose and set me free
B7 B7 
 
E E 
 
Hey, Big City, turn me loose and set me free

How did you like the song?

5.0 (3)

You need to to leave a rating.

TunerE A D G B E

ChordsE A B7

Chords

E
A
B7

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

E: 0-2-2-1-0-0
A: x-0-2-2-2-0
B7: x-2-1-2-0-2

Capo: No capo

Transpose: 0

0

Accurately transcribed by the GuitarTuna team.

Most chord-change problems come from the strumming hand, not the fretting hand. The basic strumming course covers the patterns and timing that make any chord progression easier to play. Practice basic strumming

This is the definitive original version of Big City by Merle Haggard, 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 E major. It suits players who want to learn Big City the way Merle Haggard intended, without oversimplifying the arrangement.

More songs by Merle Haggard

Discover chords for more songs to play

Mama Tried

4.8

9.8K

Silver Wings

4.7

2.2K

Pancho And Lefty

4.7

2.1K

Hungry Eyes

5.0

782

Today I Started Loving You Again

5.0

99

Sing Me Back Home

4.8

1.1K

I'm A Lonesome Fugitive

5.0

412

Related songs

Discover chords for more songs to play

Mama Tried

Merle Haggard

4.8

9.8K

Wonderwall

Oasis

4.8

8.3M

The House Of The Rising SunTabs

The Animals

4.9

4.3M

Let It BeTabs

The Beatles

4.9

5.6M

CreepTabs

Radiohead

4.9

29.6M

Silver Wings

Merle Haggard

4.7

2.2K

YellowTabs

Coldplay

4.8

18M

Popular chords globally

Most played chords & tabs across all users

1

Perfect

Ed Sheeran

4.8

48.8M

2

CreepTabs

Radiohead

4.9

29.6M

3

YellowTabs

Coldplay

4.8

17.9M

4

Boulevard Of Broken DreamsTabs

Green Day

4.8

12.5M

5

ZombieTabs

The Cranberries

4.8

11.9M

6

Wonderwall

Oasis

4.8

8.3M

7

Knockin' On Heaven's Door

Bob Dylan

4.8

6.4M

Recently added

Recently added chords & tabs

Problems

Lil Peep

41

Mourir sur scène

Dalida

8

Even In Arcadia

Sleep Token

3

Hab 'ne Tante aus Marokko

Kinderlieder-Superstar

6

Cafuné

Micro TDH

12

Past Self

Sleep Token

YUKON

Justin Bieber

41