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
Seasons came and changed the time, when I grew up, I called him mine.
He would always laugh and say, “Remember when we used to play?”.
Chorus 2
Bang bang, I shot you down, bang bang, you hit the ground.
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
Now he’s gone, I don’t know why. And ’til this day, sometimes I cry.
He didn’t even say goodbye, he didn’t take the time, to lie.
Chorus 3
Bang bang, he shot me down, bang bang, I hit the ground.
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: Learn the 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 need the correct TAB first in order to use the chords like this as a reminder. Here’s a link to that part of the lesson: Bang Bang (My Baby Shot Me Down) – Guitar Lesson with TAB.
The verse and chorus chords are very similar, only varied with the descending root – maj7 – b7 – 6 in the verse, like this with Roman Numerals:
| Fm (II) Fmmaj7 | Fm7 Fm6 |
| Eb (I) | C7 (VIx) |
The chorus is still just the II – I – VIx, but without the extensions, like this:
| Fm | Fm |
| Eb | C7 |
The bridge is only two bars before a new instrumental appears, like this:
| Fm | Eb |
| Db/F (bVIIx) Dbadd9/F | C7 C7b9 C7#9 C7b9 C7 | Fm |
The bVIIx (backdoor dominant) provides plenty of tension, only topped by the C7 having both b9 and #9 extensions.
Having contemplated the meaning of these chords, and perhaps more importantly, memorised the TAB, you can use this chord chart at the gig. If you can visualise the intervals, it’ll all make sense!
Bang Bang (My Baby Shot Me Down) Chord Chart | PDF + iReal Pro
Should you want to download this chart, here’s a PDF: Bang Bang (My Baby Shot Me Down) Chord Chart PDF.
This chord chart was created using iReal Pro, here’s a link to that file: Bang Bang (My Baby Shot Me Down) iReal Pro. Using this and the iRealPro app, you can change the key.
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 vocals make 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
Bang Bang (My Baby Shot Me Down) | Guitar Lesson + TAB
With this guitar lesson, you can learn how to play Bang Bang (My Baby Shot Me Down) by Nancy Sinatra using a chord analysis and TAB.
| Fm Fmmaj7 | Fm7 Fm6 |
I was five and he was six we rode on horses made of sticks…
Five similar tunes | Chords + Lyrics
- Cry Me A River chords by Julie London
- Fever chords by Peggy Lee
- Misty chords by Sarah Vaughan
- My Funny Valentine chords by Chet Baker
- Why Don’t You Do Right? chords by Peggy Lee
Cher tunes
After meeting her first husband when she was only 16, Cher embarked on a remarkable career, first as a duo with Sonny, then as a solo artist.
Her best tunes include I Got You Babe, If I Could Turn Back Time, The Shoop Shoop Song (It’s In His Kiss), and Believe.
Cher on the web
Nancy Sinatra tunes
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
About me | Dan Lundholm
This was a guitar lesson about Bang Bang (My Baby Shot Me Down) chords, by Dan Lundholm. Discover more about him and how you can learn guitar with Spytunes.
Most importantly, find out why you should learn guitar through playing tunes, not practising scales, and studying theory in isolation.
