Billy Joel - James: Guitar Chords

Learn to play "James" on your guitar with our chord guide. This page provides everything you need to perform this song on the guitar, including lyrics integrated with chords, chord diagrams, and a key transposer to match your vocal range.

For easier playing, use our Simplify Chords feature to remove difficult chords like barre.

Dm7  Gm7               C
James we were always friends,
F                   Cm D7
From our childhood days
Gm7               C
And we made our plans,
F             Dm7     G        F/C C
And we had to go our separate ways.
F9             A#
I went on the road
E7             A
You pursued an education.

James, do you like your life?
Can you find release?
And will you ever change?
Will you ever write your masterpiece?
Are you still in school?
Living up to expectations?

 Dm A#maj7 Am7
James
G#maj7              Gm7
You were so relied upon
C9sus4               A#        F   A
Everybody knows how hard you tried
 Dm A#maj7 Am7
Hey
      G#                        Gm7
Just look at what a job you've done
C9sus4        C        Asus4    A
Carrying the weight of family pride.

James, you've been well behaved
You've been working hard
But will you always stay
Someone else's dream of who you are?
Do what's good for you
Or you're not good for anybody

 Dm7 Gm7 C F C/E
James

F9             A#
I went on the road
E7             A
You pursued an education

James, how you gonna know for sure?
Everything was so well organized
Hey, oh now everything is so secure
And everybody else is satisfied

James, do you like your life?
Can you find release?
And will you ever change?
When will you write your masterpiece?
Do what's good for you
Or you're not good for anybody
James


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Simplify chords by removing barre

Guitar Chord Diagrams

A

Guitar chord A

A#

Guitar chord A#

A#maj7

Guitar chord A#maj7

Am7

Guitar chord Am7

Asus4

Guitar chord Asus4

C

Guitar chord C

Cm

Guitar chord Cm

D7

Guitar chord D7

Dm

Guitar chord Dm

Dm7

Guitar chord Dm7

E

Guitar chord E

E7

Guitar chord E7

F

Guitar chord F

F9

Guitar chord F9

G

Guitar chord G

G#

Guitar chord G#

G#maj7

Guitar chord G#maj7

Gm7

Guitar chord Gm7

Here you can see detailed diagrams for each guitar chord used in the song. Utilize our key transposer to adjust the chords to a key that better fits your singing range. Simply select the desired key, and the chords throughout this page will update automatically, ensuring you can play and sing comfortably.

If you are also interested in learning how to play "James" on the ukulele, check out the chords on our sister site: Ukulele Chords for "James" by Billy Joel.

Billy Joel Song List