Skip to content

Mr. Bojangles chords by Jerry Jeff Walker (Official Version)

GuitarPianoUkulele

C
C/B
Am
C/G
F
G7sus4
G7
E
D7/F#
D7
Amadd9
G
Cmaj7
C6

Intro 1

C

C/B

Am

C/G

Verse 1
C 
C/B 
I knew a man Bojangles
Am 
C/G 
and he danced for you
F 
G7sus4 
G7 
In worn out shoes
C 
C/B 
Silver hair, a ragged shirt
Am 
C/G 
and baggy pants
F 
G7sus4 
G7 
The old soft shoe
F 
C 
He jumped so high
E 
Am 
C/G 
He jumped so high
D7/F# 
D7 
G7sus4 
Then he'd lightly touched down
G7 

New- Play with audio & scroll

Upgrade to play 20,000+ songs ads free, and enjoy playing with music.

Chorus 1

Amadd9

G

Mr Bojangles

Amadd9

G

Mr Bojangles

Amadd9

G

Mr Bojangles

C

Cmaj7

C6

C

Dance

Verse 2
C 
Cmaj7 
C6 
C 
I met him in a cell in New Orleans I was
F 
G7sus4 
G7 
Down and out
C 
Cmaj7 
C6 
C 
He looked to me to be the eyes of age
F 
G7sus4 
G7 
As he spoke right out
F 
C 
He talked of life
E 
Am 
C/G 
He talked of life
D7/F# 
D7 
He laughed,
G7sus4 
slapped his leg and stepped
G7 

Verse 3
C 
Cmaj7 
He said the name Bojangles
C6 
C 
and he danced a lick
F 
G7sus4 
G7 
Across the cell
C 
Cmaj7 
He grabbed his pants for better      stance
C6 
C 
Ooh, he jumped up high
F 
G7sus4 
G7 
He clicked his heels
F 
C 
He let go a laugh
E 
Am 
C/G 
He let go a laugh
D7/F# 
D7 
G7sus4 
Shook back his clothes all around
G7 

Chorus 2

Amadd9

G

Mr Bojangles

Amadd9

G

Mr Bojangles

Amadd9

G

Mr Bojangles

C

Cmaj7

C6

C

Dance

Verse 4
C 
Cmaj7 
He danced for those at       minstrel shows
C6 
C 
and county fairs
F 
G7sus4 
G7 
Throughout the south
C 
Cmaj7 
He spoke in tears of fifteen years
C6 
C 
How his dog and him
F 
G7sus4 
G7 
They travelled about
F 
C 
His dog up and died
E 
Am 
C/G 
He up and died
D7/F# 
D7 
G7sus4 
After twenty years he still grieves
G7 

Verse 5
C 
Cmaj7 
He said I dance now at every    chance
C6 
C 
and honky tonks
F 
G7sus4 
G7 
For drinks and tips
C 
Cmaj7 
But most the time I spend
C6 
C 
behind these county bars
F 
G7sus4 
G7 
Cause I drinks a bit
F 
C 
He shook his head
E 
Am 
C/G 
and as he shook his head
D7/F# 
D7 
G7sus4 
I heard someone ask please
G7 

Chorus 3
Amadd9 
G 
Mr Bojangles
Amadd9 
G 
Mr Bojangles
Amadd9 
G 
Mr Bojangles
C 
Cmaj7 
C6 
C 
Dance
[Repeat and fade]

1968Folk

Unlock All Tools

100+ tunings, chord games & metronome

GuitarPianoUkulele

0

C
C/B
Am
C/G
F
G7sus4
G7
E
D7/F#
D7
Amadd9
G
Cmaj7
C6

Tuning: E A D G B EDifficulty: AdvancedKey: D majorBPM: 79

How did you like the song?

5.0 (1)

You need to to leave a rating.

5.0 (1)145 views

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

C: x-3-2-0-1-0
C/B: x-2-2-0-1-0
Am: x-0-2-2-1-0
C/G: 3-x-2-0-1-0
F: x-3-3-2-1-x
G7sus4: 3-x-0-0-1-1
G7: 3-2-0-0-0-1
E: 0-2-2-1-0-0
D7/F#: 2-x-0-2-1-x
D7: x-x-0-2-1-2
Amadd9: x-0-7-5-0-0
G: 3-2-0-0-0-3
Cmaj7: x-3-2-0-0-0
C6: x-3-2-2-1-x

Accurately transcribed by the GuitarTuna team.

F is one of the chords beginners ask about the most. A short walkthrough on how to fret it cleanly and switch in and out of it. Learn the F chord

Add9 chords keep the major or minor triad and add a 9th on top, giving a brighter sound. A short course covers the shapes and where they fit. Learn add9 chords

Even perfectly fretted chords sound wrong on an out-of-tune guitar. Get in tune in seconds, right in your browser, with the free online guitar tuner

This is the original studio version of Mr. Bojangles by Jerry Jeff Walker, capturing how the song was actually played on the recording. Unlike our simplified arrangement, this chart keeps the exact chord voicings and capo position in the original key of D major. It is designed for experienced players looking to reproduce the full sonic intent and artistic expression of Jerry Jeff Walker.

Mr. Bojangles

Jerry Jeff Walker

More songs by Jerry Jeff Walker

Discover chords for more songs to play

Higher Ground

11

The Cape

3

Champagne Don't Hurt Me, Baby

2

Life on the Road

blue mood

5

Cross the Borderline

3

Woman in Texas

3

Related songs

Discover chords for more songs to play

Oh, Pretty WomanTabs

Roy Orbison

4.8

25.5K

25 Minutes To Go

Johnny Cash

4.4

797

Ohio

Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young

5.0

552

Loving Her Was Easier (Than Anything I'll Ever Do Again)

Kris Kristofferson

4.9

878

Fist City

Loretta Lynn

753

Long Black Veil

Johnny Cash

4.8

795

The Master's Call

Marty Robbins

5.0

823

Featured in collections

Browse collections that include this song

Advanced

Crowd-Pleasers

Outlaw Country

Recently added

Recently added chords & tabs

My Only Angel

Aerosmith, YUNGBLUD

Pocahontas

Neil Young

Already One

Neil Young

NITROUS

Joji

Woman Like MeTabs

Adele

2

If I Die Young

Glee Cast

6

Caramel

Sleep Token

4.0

14