Bang Bang (My Baby Shot Me Down) | Chords + Lyrics
Intro
| Fmadd4 | Bbmadd9 | C7b9 C7#5 | Fm |
Verse 1
| Fm Fmmaj7 | Fm7 Fm6 |
I was five and he was six we rode on horses made of sticks.
| Eb | C7 |
He wore black and I wore white, he would always win the fight.
Chorus 1
| Fm | Fm |
Bang bang, he shot me down, bang bang, I hit the ground.
| Eb | C7 |
Bang bang, that awful sound. Bang bang, my baby shot me down.
Instrumental 1
| Fmadd4 | Bbmadd9 | C7b9 C7#5 | Fm |
Verse 2
| Fm Fmmaj7 | Fm7 Fm6 |
Seasons came and changed the time, when I grew up, I called him mine.
| Eb | C7 |
He would always laugh and say, “Remember when we used to play?”.
Chorus 2
| Fm | Fm |
Bang bang, I shot you down, bang bang, you hit the ground.
| Eb | C7 |
Bang bang, that awful sound. Bang bang, I used to shoot you down.
Instrumental 2
| Fmadd4 | Bbmadd9 | C7b9 C7#5 |
Bridge
| Fm | Eb |
Music played and people sang. Just for me, the church bells rang.
Instrumental 3
| Db/F Dbadd9/F | C7 C7b9 C7#9 C7b9 C7 | Fm |
Verse 3
| Fm Fmmaj7 | Fm7 Fm6 |
Now he’s gone, I don’t know why. And ’til this day, sometimes I cry.
| Eb | C7 |
He didn’t even say goodbye, he didn’t take the time, to lie.
Chorus 3
| Fm | Fm |
Bang bang, he shot me down, bang bang, I hit the ground.
| Eb | C7 |
Bang bang, that awful sound. Bang bang, my baby shot me down.
Outro
| Fmadd4 | Bbmadd9 | C7b9 C7#5 | Fm |
Bang Bang (My Baby Shot Me Down) chords and progressions
The chords you see above with lyrics may sound complicated but are there to help you remember the riff as each chord describes what intervals to play.
You do need the correct TAB first in order to use the chords like this as a reminder. Members get this as well as a full analysis of the chord progression.
The verse and chorus chords are very similar, only varied with the descending root – maj7 – b7 – 6 in the verse, like this:
| Fm Fmmaj7 | Fm7 Fm6 |
| Eb | C7 |
The chorus is still just a II – I – V, but without the extensions, like this:
| Fm | Fm |
| Eb | C7 |
Again, you need TAB to get this riff right. Here’s a link to the full lesson (members only): Bang Bang (My Baby Shot Me Down) chord analysis and TAB.
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Bang Bang (My Baby Shot Me Down) is a perfect example of minimalism!
Nancy Sinatra‘s iconic Bang Bang (My Baby Shot Me Down) is a minimalistic free-time masterpiece.
Using just a single guitar with plenty of tremolo and a simple chord progression, the lyrics tell the story of an early love.
The free time and emotive vocal makes it the perfect example to bring up when someone writes a song that is too complicated and recorded to a click.
Check out the variation between chorus 1 and 2, the 2nd second line:
- Bang bang, that awful sound. Bang bang, my baby shot me down.
- Bang bang, that awful sound. Bang bang, I used to shoot you down.
This tiny tweak is all that is needed to develop the story.
Perhaps also play both Nancy’s and Cher’s original versions (check the playlist above) to demonstrate that sometimes less really is more.
Bang Bang (My Baby Shot Me Down) chords | Related pages
Five similar tunes with chords and lyrics
Nancy Sinatra
Best known for being Frank Sinatra’s daughter and as the poster child for the swinging ’60s, Nancy Sinatra had a few intense years in the late ’60s.
Her best tunes include These Boots Are Made For Walking, Bang Bang (My Baby Shot Me Down), Something Stupid, and You Only Live Twice.
Nancy Sinatra on the web
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