Johnny Cash - City Jail: Guitar Chords

Learn to play "City Jail" 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.

A
Back when I first came to this town
                    D
Well I was hangin' round the
bus station café there
                E
Mindin' my own business like I always do
A
And I thought I check out the
action like I always do
And I give this waitress
a big eye and made a few choices
personal comments
About what I thought mine and
her possibilities could be for a team
When she called the badge on me
The badge grabbed me by the
arm and he said hey boy
What are you doin' hangin' around here for
And I said for whatever's goin' around

Chorus:
      A                                               E
City jail city jail like an old scared dog I tuck my tail
           A                               D
I hung my head and not a careless word is said
          A                      E            A
I gotta sleep on the floor once more at city jail

He said no what I mean is what are you doin'
Sayin' things like that to that lady
And I said what's that lady's doin' with purple hair
Well the badge said you're smart
alec ain’t you boy and I said I'm just hungry
And he said you're actin' like a smart alec
And I said no that's how I act when I get hungry

Chorus

Well he took me outside in a dark corner
And before I could say hypocrite he hit me on the head
And I said don't hit me on the head
I can't protect myself with the handcuffs on
And he hit me again he hit me again
And I said please don't stand on my feet when you hit me
I break my ankles when I fall

Chorus

Well about that time they threw me in the wagon
And that waitress walked out with a sailor
I said hey you not you sailor
I'm talkin' to the purple people eater
You lady quote you're the cause of it all unquote
Then she said to that sailor said get
me away from that horrible man Harry
And as they hauled me away
I said everybody have a nice evening

Chorus

I gotta sleep on the floor once more at city jail

Transpose

Reset

Font Size

Reset

Guitar Chord Diagrams

A

Guitar chord A

D

Guitar chord D

E

Guitar chord E

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 "City Jail" on the ukulele, check out the chords on our sister site: Ukulele Chords for "City Jail" by Johnny Cash.

Johnny Cash Song List