St. James Infirmary Blues chords by Doc Watson

SimplifiedEm · Am · C · B

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Verse 1
Em 
 (E minor) You know, I used to hear
Am 
one of the big band  (A minor) leaders
Em 
do this old  (E minor) song,
St. James Infirmary.
He had a right nice introduction
on it, I thought.
Am 
Em 
 (A minor) I'll show you how  (E minor) he started his version,
and then Richard and I will show you
how we start ours.
When will I ever be happy?
Am 
Em 
 (A minor) When will I ever smile?  (E minor) 
Am 
My  (A minor) baby Wendell left me
C 
B 
She'll  (C major) be gone a  (B major) long,
Am 
C 
B 
Em 
long while  (A minor)  (C major)  (B major)  (E minor) 
B 
Went down to that  (B major) St.
Em 
James  (E minor) in  firmary
Am 
Heard sweet baby groan  (A minor) 
Em 
B 
Em 
 (E minor) Nobody down  (B major) there could  (E minor) cheer me
C 
B 
Em 
Cause I  (C major) know that  (B major) she'd soon be gone  (E minor) 
B 
Em 
And as I was  (B major) standing there a -griev (E minor) ing
Am 
My heart feeling just like clay  (A minor) 
Em 
B 
Em 
I  (E minor) know that she'd  (B major) soon be  (E minor) leaving
C 
B 
I was a  (C major) -wishing that  (B major) it was me instead
Em 
B 
Em 
 (E minor)  (B major)  (E minor) 
Am 
Em 
B 
Em 
C 
B 
 (A minor)  (E minor)  (B major)  (E minor)  (C major)  (B major) 
Em 
 (E minor) Then
B 
Em 
I went out to  (B major) old Joe's bar  (E minor) room
Am 
Most of my friends were there  (A minor) 
Em 
B 
Em 
But  (E minor) nobody understood  (B major) my  (E minor) trouble
C 
B 
Em 
I tell you,  (C major) nobody seemed  (B major) to care  (E minor) 
B 
When I got back to  (B major) that
Em 
St. James in (E minor) firmary
Am 
All was still  (A minor) as  night
Em 
B 
Em 
Sweet  (E minor) baby on  (B major) a long blue  (E minor) table
C 
B 
Em 
She was  (C major) pale an (B major) d  so cold  (E minor) and white
B 
Em 
And when I put my hand  (B major) on her  (E minor) pretty face
Am 
It is cold like marble  (A minor) stone
Em 
B 
And I  (E minor) know that no  (B major) woman
Em 
could ever  (E minor) take her place
C 
B 
Em 
B 
Lord,  (C major) it made me feel  (B major) so alone  (E minor)  (B major) 
Em 
Am 
Em 
 (E minor)  (A minor)  (E minor) 
B 
Em 
C 
B 
Em 
 (B major)  (E minor)  (C major)  (B major)  (E minor) 
B 
She's gone, she's  (B major) gone,
Em 
God bless  (E minor) her
Am 
Wherever she might  (A minor) be
Em 
B 
Em 
If  (E minor) she'd searched  (B major) this whole world  (E minor) over
C 
She  (C major) wouldn't have found
B 
Em 
 (B major) a  friend like me  (E minor) 
Give me my box bag coat
B 
Em 
 (B major) and my  (E minor) button shoes
Am 
When you've laid me down to  (A minor) sleep
Em 
Put  (E minor) these old guitar picks
B 
Em 
 (B major) right up  (E minor) in my lapel
C 
B 
And fel (C major) las, set this  (B major) old guitar
Em 
right down by  (E minor) my feet
B 
Em 
Went down to  (B major) that St. James  (E minor) Infirmary
Am 
Heard my sweet baby groan  (A minor) 
Em 
B 
Em 
Nobody  (E minor) down  (B major) there could  (E minor) cheer me
C 
B 
Cause I  (C major) know that  (B major) she'd soon be
Em 
B 
Em 
 (E minor) gone  (B major)  (E minor) 
Am 
Em 
B 
Em 
 (A minor)  (E minor)  (B major)  (E minor) 
You
C 
B 
Em 
 (C major)  (B major)  (E minor) 