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
| (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
Well, the only one who could ever reach me, was the son of a preacher man.
The only one who could ever teach me, was the son of a preacher man.
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 Chords: A Step-by-Step Breakdown
The verse chords move from I to IV and back again. The use of the 6 over the E chord hints at the 3rd of the A, like this:
| E (I) E6 | A (IV) E E6 |
| E E6 | B (V) B6 |
| B7 B6 | B7 B6 | B7 |
For the first verse, we play four bars of B, but in verse two, we only play three.
The chorus chords are the same as the verse, but we end differently, like this:
||: E (I) E6 | A (IV) E E6 :||
| E B (V) | A A6 |
The re-intro is similar to the intro, but not identical—it only has two bars, not four. You’ll need the TAB to get it right, followed by the chords to guide you, like this:
| (Em) E | E Esus4 E |
In the course, we use play-along TAB loops to practise this and all other sections.
After the re-intro, we play another verse and chorus before moving to a middle 8 in the new key of A. We start on IV, like this:
| D (Db) | D (Ab) | A A6 A (Ab) | A A6 A (Bb) |
| B B7 B6 (Bb) | B B7 B6 (Eb) |
| E (Eb) | E E7 |
Here, the D chord is IV, A is I, B is IIx, and E is V.
This brings us to a chorus in the new key, like this:
||: A (I) A7 A6 A | D (IV) A A6 :||
| A E (V) | D D6 |
Lastly, the outro is simply the chorus without the turnaround. Here’s a chord chart I made for you.
Son Of A Preacher Man Backing Track | Chord Chart
(PDF + iReal Pro)
At the top of the page, you’ll find a backing track to play along with. It’s a studio recording of a full band—with no guitar—so you can add your own parts.
Use it alongside my chord chart to practise. I must say, I’m particularly pleased with how this chart turned out. The intro differs from the re-intro, the B7 lasts a different number of bars when it appears the second time, and there’s a key change in the middle 8.
Capturing all of that in a clear, easy-to-read chart without making it look overly complicated took some effort!
If you’d like to download the chart, here’s a PDF: Son of a Preacher Man chord chart PDF.
This chart was created using iReal Pro, and you can access the file here: Son of a Preacher Man chord chart iReal Pro.
With iReal Pro, you can easily change the key. That said, in all my experience, Son of a Preacher Man has always been played in the original key—perhaps it’s just an easy one to sing!
Below is a video preview of the course, where I play the full song using the same backing track from the top of the page, followed by a preview of what we do in the course.
Son Of A Preacher Man TAB | Course Preview
Since the original recording of Son of a Preacher Man doesn’t have any guitar to copy, we must create our own parts.
This makes it a great song for learning more about both music in general and guitar in particular.
By working through the chords across the fretboard, the best approach will soon become clear. Best of all, once you develop this skill, you can apply it to any song in this genre.
The chord progression in Son of a Preacher Man requires plenty of movement within each chord. Quick extensions appear as chord licks, so using the TAB is essential to understand how this works.
Beyond adding licks, another key aspect of playing this song is varying the chord shapes. Unlike rock guitar, where you have a fixed part, here you improvise your rhythm parts instead.
Embracing these two ideas—chord extensions as licks and using different chord shapes—makes Son of a Preacher Man an excellent study in navigating the fretboard while crafting rhythm guitar parts.
Here’s the TAB for Verse Example 1.
In the course, you’ll find two more examples for how to play the verse chords in Son of a Preacher Man.
Next, we apply the same approach to the chorus, intro, middle 8, and key change before I play the complete song, provide all the TAB, and then hand it over to you for step 8—playing with the band.
Here’s a link to the 8-step-by-step guitar lessons: Son of a Preacher Man – Guitar Lessons with TAB.
Son of a Preacher Man: Dusty Springfield’s Timeless Classic and a Band’s Biggest Pitfall
Son of a Preacher Man is a 1968 single by Dusty Springfield that became her signature song.
It marked the final hit of her golden era in the ’60s, during which she released a steady stream of hits from 1963 to 1968, including 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).
When Son of a Preacher Man was re-released in 1994 on the Pulp Fiction soundtrack, it became a staple in the setlists of most hard-working soul bands.
A word of warning for wedding bands forming in the car park—this song can feel slow, and if some members haven’t done their homework, the structure can get wobbly. My biggest pet hate is when bands play Son of a Preacher Man too fast—it sounds terrible.
However, if you take the time to study it properly, create a solid part, and play with confidence, Son of a Preacher Man is a guaranteed success. It fits perfectly in the first set alongside songs like Let’s Stay Together and My Girl.
Son Of A Preacher Man Chords: Continue Learning
Since Son of a Preacher Man doesn’t have a prominent guitar part to follow, we need to create our own by drawing inspiration from the other instruments.
I’ll provide several ideas to help you craft your parts, ensuring you’re ready to play with a live band in step 8.
Start learning with the full lesson series: Son Of A Preacher Man – Guitar Lessons with TAB.
Alternatively, here are five similar tunes you might enjoy: