Chords + Lyrics | Me and Bobby McGee
Intro
| G C/G | G C/G G |
Verse 1
| G | G |
Busted flat in Baton Rouge, waitin’ for a train.
| G | D |
When I’s feelin’ near as faded as my jeans.
| D (Dsus4) | D |
Bobby thumbed a diesel down, just before it rained.
| D | G C/G G |
And rode us all the way into New Orleans.
Bridge 1
| G | G (C/G) |
I pulled my harpoon, out of my dirty red bandana.
| G G7 | C |
I’s playin’ soft while Bobby sang the blues.
| C | G |
Windshield wipers slappin’ time, I’s holdin’ Bobby’s hand in mine.
| D5 | D6 D7 D |
We sang every song that driver knew.
Chorus 1
| C | G |
Freedom is just another word for nothin’ left to lose.
| D | G |
Nothin’, don’t mean nothin’ hon’ if it ain’t free, no-no.
| C | G |
And feelin’ good was easy, Lord, when he sang the blues.
| D | D |
You know feelin’ good was good enough for me, yeah.
| D | G (C/G) |
Good enough for me and my Bobby McGee.
Key change
| A (D/A) |
Verse 2
| A (D/A) | A |
From the Kentucky coal mine to the California sun,
| A | E (E7) |
there Bobby shared the secrets of my soul.
| E (E7) | E (E7) |
Through all kinds of weather, through everything we done.
| E | A (D/A) |
Yeah, Bobby baby, kept me from the cold.
Bridge 2
| A (D/A) | A (D/A) |
One day up near Salinas, Lord, I let him slip away.
| A A7 | D |
He’s lookin’ for that home, and I hope he finds it.
| D | A |
But, I’d trade all of my tomorrows, for one single yesterday.
| E | E |
To be holdin’ Bobby’s body next to mine.
Chorus 2
| D | A |
Freedom is just another word for nothin’ left to lose.
| E | A |
Nothin’, and that’s all that Bobby left me, yeah.
| D | A |
But if feelin’ good was easy, Lord, when he sang the blues.
| E | E |
That feelin’ good was good enough for me, mm-hm.
| E | A |
Good enough for me and my Bobby McGee.
Verse 3 (Breakdown)
| A | A |
La-da-da, la-da-da-da, la-da-da-da-da-da-da.
| A | E |
La-da-da-da-da-da-da-da, Bobby McGee, yeah.
| E | E |
La-da-da-da-da, la-da-da-da-da.
| E | A (D/A) |
La, la-la-la-da-da, Bobby McGee, yeah, oh yeah.
Verse 4
| A (D/A) | A (D/A) |
La-da-da, la-da-da, la, da-da, la, da-da. La-da-da, la-da-da, la-di-da
| A | E (E7) |
Hey now, Bobby now, now Bobby McGee, yeah.
| E | E |
Lord, oh Lord, oh Lord, lo-da-da, na-na-na, na-na-na, na-na-na.
| E (E7) | A |
Hey now, Bobby now, now Bobby McGee, yeah.
Verse 5 (double tempo)
| A | A |
Well, I wanna call him my lover, call him my man.
| A | A |
I said, I call him my lover, did the best I can, come on.
| A | A | E | E |
Hey now, Bobby now, hey now Bobby McGee, yeah.
| E | E | E | E |
Lord, a Lord, a Lord, a Lord, a Lord, a Lord, a Lord, a Lord, oh.
| E | E | A | A |
Hey-hey-hey, Bobby McGee, Lord.
Outro (double tempo honky-tonk)
| A5 (A6) | A5 (A6) | A5 (A6) | A5 (A6) |
| A5 (A6) | A (A6 A7) | E (E7 E6) | E (E7) |
| E (E7 E6) | E (E7) | E (E7 E6) | E (E7) |
| E (E7 E6) | E (E7) | A (A6) | A (A6) |
| A5 (A6) | A5 (A6) | A5 (A6) | A5 (A6) |
Hey!
| A5 (A6) | A (A6 A7) | E (E7 E6) | E (E7) |
Whoa!
| E (E7 E6) | E (E7) | E (E7 E6) | E (E7) |
| E (E7 E6) | E (E7) | A (A6) | A (A6) |
| A5 (A6) | A5 (A6) | A5 (A6) | A5 (A6) |
| A5 (A6) | A (A6 A7) | E (E7 E6) | E (E7) |
| E (E7 E6) | E (E7) | E (E7 E6) | E (E7) |
Lord, a Lord, a Lord, a Lord, a Lord, a Lord, a Lord, a Lord, oh.
| E (E7 E6) | E (E7) | A | A |
Hey-hey-hey, Bobby McGee.
Me and Bobby McGee Chords: Navigating the Unusual Arrangement and Key Shift
As a chord enthusiast, I find Me and Bobby McGee‘s chord progressions intriguing, particularly the unusual arrangement.
After a short intro in the key of G, we dive into the verse, bridge, and chorus, each with its own twist on the classic I – IV – V progression.
- The verse follows a I – V – I progression over 8 bars.
- The bridge shifts to I – IV – I – V over 8 bars.
- The chorus uses a IV – I – V – I progression over 10 bars.
After this, we move to the key of A and repeat the structure. The song then continues with two more verses.
If you’re playing this on one acoustic guitar, you may want to end after this point, as what follows works best with a full band.
The final third of the song introduces a verse in double tempo (16 bars), followed by solos, using honky-tonk comping, still based on the verse progression in double time.
To match Janis’s pitch, you’ll need to tune up a bit. When using an online guitar tuner, set the Hz to 446.
There are over 50 bars of TAB detailing exactly how to play the intro, verse, bridge, and chorus in both the keys of G and A.
The challenging part is not changing the chords but adapting to the rhythm/strumming pattern, especially when moving to A. Here’s a link to the TAB lesson: Me and Bobby McGee – Guitar Lesson with TAB.
Once you’ve mastered the TAB, all you need is a chord chart. Here’s one I made for you (2 pages).
Me and Bobby McGee Chord Chart | PDF + iReal Pro Download
Due to the key change, this chart is quite long. If you’re looking for a simpler version, you can stick to the first page and skip the key change, making it a more beginner-friendly arrangement.
To download my chord chart, here are the links to the two pages:
This chord chart was created using iReal Pro. You can download those files here:
With iReal Pro, you can easily change the key(s) to suit your preference.
Me and Bobby McGee TAB | Course Preview
In the course, you’ll find an extensive amount of TAB covering all sections of Me and Bobby McGee, including the key change at the end.
As a preview, here’s the intro:
A Country/Folk Standard
An incredible number of artists have covered Me and Bobby McGee, the original version by Kris Kristofferson, while recognised, isn’t necessarily the most celebrated.
I personally believe Janis Joplin‘s rendition (which I’ve shown with chords and lyrics above) is THE definitive version, though I’m sure many would disagree. For example, The Highwaymen‘s version, featuring Kris alongside Willie Nelson, Johnny Cash, and Waylon Jennings, is massive.
Willie and Johnny went on to include the song in their live sets as well, keeping it alive in their own unique way. Dolly Parton‘s rendition, along with those by Roger Miller and Kenny Rogers, are also worth noting. Even Jerry Lee Lewis‘s boogie-woogie take on the song is an interesting listen.
I’ve included all these versions in the playlist above—definitely check them out! You never know which version someone might be referring to when they call this tune on a gig.
This is the dilemma with songs that are so popular they’ve become true standards!
Me and Bobby McGee Chords: Continue Learning
Want to master this song? Check out the full TAB lesson here: Me and Bobby McGee (Janis Joplin) Guitar Lesson with TAB.
Alternatively, here are five similar tunes you might enjoy:
