Bob Dylan - Jim Jones: Guitar Chords

Learn to play "Jim Jones" on your guitar with our detailed chord guide and lyrics. 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.

Learn Jim Jones Guitar Chords and Lyrics by Bob Dylan

This section will guide you through each part of the song, providing the guitar chords placed directly above the lyrics for easy playing. Whether you are a beginner or an experienced player, these elements will help you perform "Jim Jones" smoothly on your guitar.

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

C
Come and listen for a moment, lads,
                     F
And hear me tell my tale.
       C                G
How across the sea from England
   F                G
I was condemned to sail.
         C
Now the jury found me guilty,
                           F
Then says the judge, says he,
          C                    G
"Oh, for life, Jim Jones, I'm sending you
   F               C
Across the stormy sea.
     F
But take a tip before you ship
    C
To join the iron gang.
       F
Don't get too gay in Botany Bay,
   C                   G
Or else you'll surely hang.
   C
Or else you'll surely hang," says he.
                      F
"And after that, Jim Jones,
          C            G
It's high up upon the gallows tree
      F                   C
The crows will pick your bones."

Well our ship was high upon the sea
when pirates came along,
But the soldiers on our convict ship
Were full five hundred strong.
For they opened fire and somehow drove
That pirate ship away.
But I'd rather have joined that pirate ship
Than gone to Botany Bay.
With the storms ragin' round us,
And the winds a-blowin' gales,
I'd rather have drowned in misery
Than gone to New South Wales.
There's no time for mischief there, they say
remember that says they
oh they'll flog the poaching out of you
down there in Botany Bay

Now it's day and night and the irons clang,
And like poor galley slaves
We toil and toil, and when we die
Must fill dishonored graves,
And it's by and by I'll slip my chains,
Well, into the bush I'll go
And I'll join the brave bush rangers there,
Jack Donohue and co.
And some dark night, when everything
Is silent in the town
I'll shoot those tyrants one and all,
I'll gun the flogger down.
Oh, I'll give the land a little shock,
Remember what I say,
And they'll yet regret they've sent Jim Jones
In chains to Botany Bay.


You can simplify chords by removing barre

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Simplify chords by removing barre

Guitar Chord Diagrams

C

Guitar chord C

F

Guitar chord F

G

Guitar chord G

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 "Jim Jones" on the ukulele, check out the chords on our sister site: Ukulele Chords for "Jim Jones" by Bob Dylan.

Bob Dylan Song List