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Mr. Bojangles chords by Nitty Gritty Dirt Band (Official Version)

GuitarPianoUkulele

C
C/B
Am7
C/G
F
G
Em
E
Am
Am/G
D
G7

Intro 1

C

C/B

Am7

C/G

Verse 1
C 
C/B 
I knew a man, Bojangles
Am7 
C/G 
and he danced for you
F 
G 
In worn out shoes
C 
C/B 
Silver hair, and ragged shirt,
Am7 
C/G 
and baggy pants
F 
G 
The old soft shoe
F 
Em 
He jumped so high,
E 
Am 
Am/G 
he jumped so high
D 
G 
G7 
And then he'd lightly touch down

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Verse 2

C

C/B

Am7

C/G

I met him in a cell in New Orleans, I was

F

G

Down and out

C

C/B

Am7

C/G

He looked to me to be the eyes of age

F

G

As the smoke ran out

F

Em

He talked of life,

E

Am

Am/G

he talked of life

D

He laughed, clicked his heels

G

G7

and stepped

Verse 3
C 
C/B 
He said his name Bojangles
Am7 
C/G 
and he danced a lick
F 
G 
Across the cell
C 
C/B 
He grabbed his pants and feathered stance,
Am7 
C/G 
whoa, he jumped so high
F 
G 
And then he clicked his heels
F 
Em 
He let go a laugh,
E 
Am 
Am/G 
he let go a laugh
D 
G 
Shook back his clothes all around

Chorus 1

Am

G

Am

G

Mr. Bojangles, Mr. Bojangles,

Am

G

Mr. Bojangles

C

C/B

Am7

C/G

Dance

Verse 4
C 
C/B 
He danced for those at minstrel shows
Am7 
C/G 
and county fairs
F 
G 
Throughout the south
C 
C/B 
He spoke through tears of fifteen years
Am7 
C/G 
how his dog   and him
F 
G 
Traveled about
F 
Em 
The dog up and died,
E 
Am 
Am/G 
he up and died
D 
G 
G7 
After twenty years he still grieves

Verse 5
C 
C/B 
He said, "I dance now at every chance
Am7 
C/G 
in honky tonks
F 
G 
For drinks and tips
C 
C/B 
But most the time I spend
Am7 
C/G 
behind these county bars
F 
G 
'Cause I drinks a bit"
F 
Em 
He shook his head,
E 
Am 
Am/G 
and as he shook his head
D 
G 
I heard someone ask him please, please

Chorus 2

Am

G

Am

G

Mr. Bojangles, Mr. Bojangles,

Am

G

Mr. Bojangles

C

C/B

Am7

Am7

C/G

Dance

C

C

1970Folk

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GuitarPianoUkulele

0

C
C/B
Am7
C/G
F
G
Em
E
Am
Am/G
D
G7

Tuning: E A D G B EDifficulty: IntermediateKey: G majorBPM: 160

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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
Am7: x-0-2-0-1-0
C/G: 3-x-2-0-1-0
F: x-3-3-2-1-x
G: 3-2-0-0-0-3
Em: 0-2-2-0-0-0
E: 0-2-2-1-0-0
Am: x-0-2-2-1-0
Am/G: 3-x-2-2-1-0
D: x-x-0-2-3-2
G7: 3-2-0-0-0-1

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

Minor 7ths sit between minor and major in feel. The course covers the shapes and the songs they show up in most often. Learn minor 7th 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 Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, 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 G major. It is designed for guitarists ready to move past the basics and capture the true feel of Nitty Gritty Dirt Band's performance.

Mr. Bojangles

Nitty Gritty Dirt Band

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