Johnny Cash - Ballad Of Barbara: Guitar Chords

Learn to play "Ballad Of Barbara" 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 Ballad Of Barbara Guitar Chords and Lyrics by Johnny Cash

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 "Ballad Of Barbara" smoothly on your guitar.

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

A#
In a southern town where I was born
                  F       A#
That's where I got my education
A#
I worked in the fields and I walked in the woods
            C        A#
And I wondered at creation

I recall the sun in a sky of blue
And the smell of green things growing
And the seasons changed and I lived each day
Just the way the wind was blowing

Then I heard of a cultured city life
Breath taking lofty steeples
And the day I called myself a man
I left my land and my people

And I rambled north, and I rambled east
And I tested and I tasted
And a girl or two, took me round and round
But they always left me wasted

In a world that's all concrete and steel
With nothing green ever growing
Where the buildings hide the rising sun
And they blocked the free winds from blowing

Where you sleep all day and you wake all night
To a world of drink and laughter
I met that girl that I was sure would be
The one that I was after

In a soft blue gown and formal tux
Beneath that lofty steeple
He said, Do you Barbara, take this man
Will you be one of his people

And she said, "I will" and she said, "I do"
And the world looked mighty pretty
And we lived in a fancy downtown flat
Because she loved the noisy city

But the days grew cold beneath a yellow sky
And I longed for green things growing
And the thoughts of home and the people there
But she'd not agreed to going

Then her hazel eyes turned away from me
With a look that wasn't pretty
And she turned into concrete and steel
And she said, I'll take the city

Now the cars go by on the interstate
And my pack is on my shoulder
But I'm going home, where I belong
Much wiser now and older


You can simplify chords by removing barre

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Simplify chords by removing barre

Guitar Chord Diagrams

A#

Guitar chord A#

C

Guitar chord C

F

Guitar chord F

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 "Ballad Of Barbara" on the ukulele, check out the chords on our sister site: Ukulele Chords for "Ballad Of Barbara" by Johnny Cash.

Johnny Cash Song List