Son Of A Preacher Man | Chords + Lyrics
Intro
| N.C (Em) | E | Esus4 E (Em) | E | Esus4 E |
Verse 1
| E E6 | A E E6 |
Billy-Ray was a preacher’s son and when his daddy would visit he’d come along.
| E E6 | B B6 |
When they gathered around and started talkin’, that’s when Billy would take me walkin’,
| B7 B6 | B7 B6 | B7 |
out through the back yard, we’d go walkin’, then he’d look into my eyes, Lord knows to my surprise.
Chorus 1
| E E6 | A E E6 |
Well, the only one who could ever reach me, was the son of a preacher man.
| E E6 | A E E6 |
The only one who could ever teach me, was the son of a preacher man.
| E B | A A6 |
Yes, he was, yes he was, oh, yes he was.
Instrumental
| E Em E | E Esus4 E |
Verse 2
| E | A E E6 |
Bein’ good isn’t always easy, no matter how hard I try (oh-oh).
| E E6 | B B6 |
When he started sweet-talkin’ to me, he’d come and tell me “Everything is all right” (oh-oh).
| B7 B6 | B7 |
He’d kiss and tell me “Everything is all right” (oh-oh), can I get away again tonight?
Chorus 2
| E E6 | A E E6 |
Well, the only one who could ever reach me, was the son of a preacher man.
| E E6 | A E E6 |
The only one who could ever teach me, was the son of a preacher man.
| E B | A A6 |
Yes, he was, yes he was, oh, yes he was.
Middle 8
| D (Db) | D (Ab) | A A6 A (Ab) | A A6 A (Bb) |
How well I remember, the look that was in his eyes, stealin’ kisses from me on the sly.
| B B7 B6 (Bb) | B B7 B6 (Eb) |
Takin’ time to make time, tellin’ me that he’s all mine.
| E (Eb) | E E7 |
Learnin’ from each other’s knowin’, lookin’ to see how much we’ve grown and.
Chorus 3
| A A7 A6 A | D A A6 |
The only one boy could ever reach me, was a son of a preacher man.
| A A7 A6 A | D A A6 |
The only one who could ever teach me, was a son of a preacher man.
| A E | D D6 |
Yes he was, he was, ooh yes he was.
Outro
||: A A6 A | D A A6 :|| repeat to fade
(The only one who could ever reach me, was a son of a preacher man) Was son of a preacher man.
(The only boy who could ever teach me, was a son of a preacher man) Oh it was, was a son of a preacher man.
(The only one who could ever woo me, was a son of a preacher man) Oh, yeah, was son of a preacher man.
(The only one who could ever woo me, was a son of a preacher man) Ah he was the son of a preacher man.
(The only one who could ever reach me, was a son of a preacher man). Oh yes he was now, oh he was yeah.
Son Of A Preacher Man’s chords and progressions
Since the original recording of Son Of A Preacher Man doesn’t have any guitar to copy, we must invent our parts.
This makes it a great song to learn more about music in general and guitar in particular.
By working our way through the chords in all areas of the fretboard, what to play will soon become obvious. Best of all, once you get good at this, you can do it to any tune in this genre.
The verse chords move from I to IV and then back again. The use of the 6 over the E chord, hints at the 3rd of the A, like this:
| E E6 | A E E6 |
| E E6 | B B6 |
| B7 B6 | B7 B6 | B7 |
During the first verse, we play three bars of B, but in verse two, we only play two.
Son Of A Preacher Man’s chord progression needs to have plenty of movement over each chord. Quick extensions appear as chord licks so you need the full TAB for all this to make sense (you get this in the course).
Apart from adding licks, another very important part of playing this song is to use different chord shapes. This is the opposite concept of playing rock guitar – you don’t have a set part, instead, you improvise your rhythm parts!
Embrace these two ideas (chord extensions as licks and varying the chord shapes) and Son Of A Preacher Man becomes an excellent study in how to move around the fretboard as you create rhythm guitar parts.
In total, there are 8 step-by-step lessons for Son Of A Preacher Man available.
Become a member today and get unlimited access to all step-by-step guitar courses, TAB for the songbook, the Self-Eliminating Practice Routine, and the eBook Spytunes Method.
Son Of A Preacher Man is Dusty Springfield’s signature song!
Son Of A Preacher Man is a 1968 single by Dusty Springfield which would become her signature song.
It came as the last hit of her golden era in the ’60s when she released a hit every year between ’63-’68. Starting with I Only Want to Be with You (1963), I Just Don’t Know What to Do with Myself (1964), In the Middle of Nowhere (1965), You Don’t Have to Say You Love Me (1966), and The Look of Love (1967).
Re-released in 1994 for the Pulp Fiction soundtrack, it has been firmly cemented onto most hard-working Soul bands’ setlists.
A word of warning to wedding bands that form in the car park – It can feel a bit slow and if the members of the band haven’t done their homework, things can get a bit wobbly live. My biggest pet hate is when bands play Son Of A Preacher Man badly and too fast, it really can sound terrible.
However, if you do look into it properly, create a solid part, and play with confidence, Son Of A Preacher Man is a guaranteed success that sits perfectly in the first set alongside Let’s Stay Together and My Girl.
Son Of A Preacher Man chords | Related pages
Intermediate Electric
The intermediate electric tunes will help you with learning the CAGED system all over the fretboard, both for chords and pentatonic scales.
Learn these Motown/Soul classics, and you’ll not just improve dramatically but also gain yourself a repertoire.
Five similar tunes with chords and lyrics
Dusty Springfield
Dusty Springfield is the 60s and 70s singer from London U.K who was a big part of bringing American R&B and soul to the U.K
Her most famous songs include Son Of A Preacher Man, Spooky, You Don’t Have To Say You Love Me, and I Just Don’t Know What To Do With Myself.
Dusty Springfield on the web
Motown & Soul
You can learn how to play these Motown & Soul tunes, and in doing so, gain yourself a repertoire so you can jam with, or even join a working band.
Study these tunes in-depth and you will map out the fretboard, master the CAGED system, and learn how to design a rhythm guitar part that works in a band.
