Starkville City Jail Chords by Johnny Cash

Tempo:
133.15 bpm
Chords used:

E

D

F

A

Bb

Tuning:Standard Tuning (EADGBE)Capo:+0fret
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Starkville City Jail - Johnny Cash chords
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[Bb] But we've [Eb] been in several prisons, [F]
[Bb] San Quentin and Folsom Prison and the Starkville, Mississippi
Jail and El [Eb] Paso [F] Jail.
[Bb]
You wouldn't believe it, one night I got in jail in Starkville, Mississippi for picking flowers.
I was walking down the street.
I may sing that one for you a little bit later on.
I was walking down the street.
What?
Excuse me, I couldn't hear you.
I was talking.
I was walking down the street and, you know, going to get me some cigarettes or something.
About two o'clock in the morning after the show, I think it was, anyway, I reached down
and picked a dandelion here and a daisy there as I went along and this car pulls up.
I said, get it the hell in here, boy.
What are you doing?
He said, I'm just picking flowers.
[Eb] Well, [F] [Bb] $36 for picking flowers in a night in jail.
[F] You can't hardly win, [Eb] can you?
[N] No telling what you'd do if you'd pull an apple or something.
[D] Well, [E] I'd like to do this [Dm] song on behalf of all you guys here at San Quentin to kind of
get back at whoever you want to out there.
[E] In my case, I'd [F] like to get back at the fellow down in Starkville, Mississippi [E] that still
has my $36.
[Am] Well, I left my motel room down at the Starkville Motel.
The town had gone to sleep and I was feeling fairly well.
I [D] strolled along the sidewalk beneath the sweet magnolia trees.
[A] I was whistling, picking flowers, swaying in the southern breeze.
I [E] found myself surrounded.
One policeman said, that's him.
[D] Come along, wildflower child, don't you know that it's the way?
They're [E] bound to get you, cause they got [D] a curfew.
[Am] And you go [E] to the Starkville [A] City Jail.
Well, they threw me in the car and started driving into town.
I said, what the hell did I do?
And he said, shut up and sit down.
Well, they emptied out [D] my pockets, took my pills and guitar picks.
[A] I said, wait, my name is, oh, shut up.
Well, I sure was in a fix.
[E] The sergeant put me in a cell, then he went home for the night.
I [D] said, come back here, you so-and-so.
I ain't being treated right.
Well, they're bound [E] to get you, cause they got [D] a curfew.
And you [E] go to the Starkville [A] City Jail.
I started pacing back and forth, and now and then I'd yell and kick
my $40 shoes against the steel door of my cell.
I'd walk a while [D] and kick a while, and all night nobody came.
[Am] Then I sadly remembered, they didn't even take my name.
[E] At 8 AM, they let me out.
I said, give me them things of mine.
They give me a [B] sneer and a guitar pick and a yell or dandelion.
They're [E] bound to get you, cause [D] they got a curfew.
And you go [E] to the Starkville [Am] City Jail.
And you [E] go to the Starkville [A] City Jail.
[N] [Bbm]
Key:  
E
2311
D
1321
F
134211111
A
1231
Bb
12341111
E
2311
D
1321
F
134211111
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Chords
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To start learning Johnny Cash - Starkville City Jail chords, delve into these chords sequence to get the song's feel: F, Bb, Eb, A, E, D, E, A, D, Am and E. To master the tempo, it's wise to start at 66 BPM before aiming for the song's 133 BPM. Given the song's key of A Minor, adjust the capo to align with your vocal range and chord preference.

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[Bb] But we've [Eb] been in several prisons, _ _ [F]
[Bb] San Quentin and Folsom Prison and the Starkville, Mississippi
Jail and El [Eb] Paso [F] Jail.
_ [Bb] _
You wouldn't believe it, one night I got in jail in Starkville, Mississippi for picking flowers.
I was walking down the street.
I may sing that one for you a little bit later on.
I was walking down the street.
What? _ _
_ Excuse me, I couldn't hear you.
I was talking. _
I was walking down the street and, _ you know, going to get me some cigarettes or something.
About two o'clock in the morning after the show, I think it was, anyway, I reached down
and picked a dandelion here and a daisy there as I went along and this car pulls up.
I said, get it the hell in here, boy.
What are you doing?
He said, I'm just picking flowers.
_ _ [Eb] Well, [F] _ _ [Bb] _ $36 for picking flowers in a night in jail.
_ [F] _ _ You can't hardly win, [Eb] can you?
[N] No _ telling what you'd do if you'd pull an apple or something. _ _ _ _ _ _
[D] _ _ Well, [E] I'd like to do this [Dm] song on behalf of all you guys here at San Quentin to kind of
get back at whoever you want to out there.
[E] In my case, I'd [F] like to get back at the fellow down in Starkville, Mississippi [E] that still
has my $36. _
[Am] Well, I left my motel room down at the Starkville Motel.
The town had gone to sleep and I was feeling fairly well.
I [D] strolled along the sidewalk beneath the sweet magnolia trees.
[A] I was whistling, picking flowers, swaying in the southern breeze.
I [E] found myself surrounded.
One policeman said, that's him. _
[D] Come along, wildflower child, don't you know that it's the way?
They're [E] bound to get you, cause they got [D] a curfew.
_ [Am] And you go [E] to the Starkville [A] City Jail.
Well, they threw me in the car and started driving into town.
I said, what the hell did I do?
And he said, shut up and sit down.
Well, they emptied out [D] my pockets, took my pills and guitar picks.
[A] I said, wait, my name is, oh, shut up.
Well, I sure was in a fix.
[E] The sergeant put me in a cell, then he went home for the night.
I [D] said, come back here, you so-and-so.
I ain't being treated right.
Well, they're bound [E] to get you, _ cause they got [D] a curfew.
_ And you [E] go to the Starkville [A] City Jail.
I started pacing back and forth, and now and then I'd yell and kick
my $40 shoes against the steel door of my cell.
_ I'd walk a while [D] and kick a while, and all night nobody came.
[Am] Then I sadly remembered, they didn't even take my name.
[E] At 8 AM, they let me out.
I said, give me them things of mine.
They give me a [B] sneer and a guitar pick and a yell or dandelion.
They're [E] bound to get you, cause [D] they got a curfew.
And you go [E] to the Starkville [Am] City Jail.
And you [E] go to the Starkville [A] City Jail.
[N] _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ [Bbm] _ _ _

Facts about this song

This track, written by Johnny Cash, is part of the album Rock Island Line.

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