Cotton Eye Joe | Chords + Lyrics
Chorus 1 (N.C)
||: N.C | N.C :||
If it hadn’t been for Cotton-Eye Joe, I’d been married a long time ago.
Where did you come from, where did you go? Where did you come from, Cotton-Eye Joe?
Chorus 2 (synth riff)
| A5 | A5 |
If it hadn’t been for Cotton-Eye Joe, I’d been married a long time ago.
| D5 | E5 D5 Bm7 |
Where did you come from, where did you go? Where did you come from, Cotton-Eye Joe?
Interlude 1 (all in)
| A5 | A5 | D5 | E5 D5 Bm7 |
Hey, hey, hey…
Chorus 3
| A5 | A5 |
||: If it hadn’t been for Cotton-Eye Joe, I’d been married a long time ago.
| D5 | E5 D5 Bm7 :||
Where did you come from, where did you go? Where did you come from, Cotton-Eye Joe? :||
Interlude 2
| A5 | A5 | D5 | E5 D5 Bm7 |
Hey, hey, hey…
Verse 1
| A5 | A5 |
He came to town like a midwinter storm.
| D5 | E5 |
He rode through the fields, so handsome and strong.
| A5 | A5 |
His eyes was his tools and his smile was his gun.
| D5 | E5 :||
But all he had come for was having some fun.
Chorus 4
| A5 | A5 |
||: If it hadn’t been for Cotton-Eye Joe, I’d been married a long time ago.
| D5 | E5 D5 Bm7 :||
Where did you come from, where did you go? Where did you come from, Cotton-Eye Joe? :||
Banjo solo
||: A | D | B | E :||
Verse 2
| A5 | A5 |
He brought disaster wherever he went
| D5 | E5 |
The hearts of the girls was to Hell, broken, sent
| A5 | A5 |
They all ran away so nobody would know
| D5 | E5 |
And left only men ’cause of Cotton-Eye Joe
Chorus 5
||: A5 | A5 |
||: If it hadn’t been for Cotton-Eye Joe, I’d been married a long time ago.
| D5 | E5 D5 Bm7 :||
Where did you come from, where did you go? Where did you come from, Cotton-Eye Joe? :||
Interlude 3
| A5 | A5 | D5 | E5 D5 Bm7 |
Hey, hey, hey…
||: A5 | A5 |
||: If it hadn’t been for Cotton-Eye Joe, I’d been married a long time ago.
| D5 | E5 D5 Bm7 :||
Where did you come from, where did you go? Where did you come from, Cotton-Eye Joe? :||
Interlude 4
| A5 | A5 | D5 | E5 D5 Bm7 |
Hey, hey, hey…
Chorus 7
| A5 | A5 |
If it hadn’t been for Cotton-Eye Joe, I’d been married a long time ago.
| D5 | N.C |
Where did you come from, where did you go? Where did you come from, Cotton-Eye Joe?
Cotton Eye Joe’s chords, progressions, and TAB
Swedish Rednex burst onto the scene in 1994 with their mix of Eurodance and Country.
Cotton Eye Joe was the first single, it went to #1 in 15 countries, selling over 2 million copies.
The chords are pretty simple and you’d be forgiven for thinking this is a beginner song. However, the tempo is so fast and if you try to play the fiddle melody or banjo part, you’ll soon realize this is not beginner territory!
As a member, you get TAB for how to play this on guitar in a band setting. This part has been invented since there is no guitar on the original recording.
We also play the vocal melody (again, there is TAB) as well as the banjo solo!
Here’s a link to the full lesson (members only): Cotton Eye Joe chord analysis and TAB.
Become a member today and get unlimited access to all my guitar courses, the SEPR practice route, and the eBook Spytunes Method – You can learn guitar!
Cotton Eye Joe chords | Related pages
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Rednex
Rednex debut album, Sex & Violins opened up with their signature song, setting the benchmark for what they were all about: Country crossed with Techno.
Their best tunes include Cotton Eye Joe, The Devil Went Down To Georgia, Old Pop in an Oak, Wish You Were Here, and The Spirit of the Hawk.
Rednex on the web
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