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Nehemiah James chords by
Rory Block
Rory Block
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N/A•
Key: E major•
Intro 1
D
D

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Verse 1
D
D

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Wasn't that a time in Mississippi

When Nehemiah Curtis was a child

Mama worked in cooking for the world

to see Papa making whiskey on the side
Bm
Bm
2

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Back when the music was real
D
D

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Nehemiah, this is God calling you
Bm
Bm
2

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Yes, Lord, what would you have me to do?
D
D

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He said, I'm calling you

to preach the blues

Preach it, Oh, bop it, dude.

Well, he grew to see hard

labor on the levee

Logging and sharecropping

on the woodbine

He did some bootlegging

down in Bentonnia

And he ran away to Texas for a time
Bm
Bm
2

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D
D

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Back when the music was born

Nehemiah, is me, God, calling you
Bm
Bm
2

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Yes, Lord, what would you have me to do?
D
D

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Said I'm calling you to

preach the blues

Hallelujah

Oh, Nehemiah, then say

Mr. Stuckey and Simms

were making music,

singing with the boys down at the fish fry,

and that was his biggest inspiration,

give me that guitar

and let me have a try,
Bm
Bm
2

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back when the
D
D

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Music was what me

and my heart has begun calling
Bm
Bm
2

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Yes, Lord, what would you have me to do?
D
D

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He said, I'm calling you

to preach the blues

Preach it, Oh, Papa did

That's right

Now he met H .C. down in Jackson

Sayin' come to Grafton and

I'll make you a star

Twenty -six cents for the Paramount label

Just a lonely man and his guitar
Bm
Bm
2

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Back when the music
D
D

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was real

Nehemiah, this is God calling you
Bm
Bm
2

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Yes, Lord,
D
D

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what would you have me to do?

Said I'm calling you to

preach the blues

Whoo, preach it, son

Papa did

All right

No, he used to sing the blues,

but then he got religion

Papa said, son,

you need to serve the Lord

Every Sunday mornin' the man

is preachin' the blues

Cuz the gospel and blues

is foldin' hands
Bm
Bm
2

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Back when the music was wild
D
D

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Papa said, set aside the

works of the devil,
Bm
Bm
2

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Walk away from blues
D
D

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and making whiskey

Got to sing in the full gospel band

Sing it now, sing it, sing it, son

Well, by now you know the whole story

They found old Skipper 64

And he went down to Newport

with Mississippi John

And band director signed him to a deal

And when Eric sang,

I'm so glad Nehemiah finally

got something

That's when people started talking,

and they called the man

by the name of Skip James.

I said, maybe you don't like it,

and maybe you don't understand,

since the Holy Spirit gave

a voice to the man.
D
D

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Hey, hey, hey, oh yeah.

And the last time we saw him,

he was pining,

And it was cancer that got him in the end

He had a faraway look in his eyes

And he said, Jesus is my only friend

God Almighty

Nehemiah

Curtis James

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An acoustic guitar head with tuning pegs

Tuning:Standard Open Tuner
Chords

  • D

  • Bm

    2

Capo: 2

Transpose: 0

0

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Frequently asked questions

The original key of Nehemiah James by Rory Block is E major.

The primary chords used in Nehemiah James are E, C#m.

To play in the original key, place your capo on the 2 fret.

Yes, this version uses open chords like E, C#m, making it a great song for beginner guitarists.

The tempo of Nehemiah James is approximately 125 beats per minute.

You can easily change the key of Nehemiah James using our Transpose button located in the toolbar. This will automatically update all chord diagrams on the page to match your new key.

Yes! Click the Print icon to generate a clean, one-page version of the chords and lyrics for Nehemiah James. This is perfect for practicing offline or adding to a physical songbook.

Yes, we have integrated a Mini-Tuner directly on this page. Use it to quickly check your string pitch (Standard Tuning: E A D G B E) before you start playing along with Rory Block.

Absolutely. Click the Save or Heart icon to add Nehemiah James to your account. You can access all your saved songs under My Library at any time.

You can view the full chord sheet and lyrics for Nehemiah James by Rory Block on this page for free. We provide high-quality, verified chords to help you start playing immediately.