Johnny Cash - Papa Was a Good Man: Guitar Chords

Learn to play "Papa Was a Good Man" 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.

A#                              C
It rained all the way to Cincinnati
          F7                     A#
With our mattress on top of the car
A#                                  C
Us kids were eatin' crackers and baloney
     F7                                          A#
And papa kept on drivin' never stopped once at a bar

Then mama started talking about Jesus
And how our lives could be from now on
While papa bought a used tire in Columbus
Mama rocked the baby till all her tears were gone

Chorus:
              D#                      A#
She said your papa is a good man and don't you kids forget it
     D#                                 C7                  F7
The whiskey's tryin' to ruin him but I know the Lord won't let it
D#                              A#              Gm
Then we sang Amazing Grace and Bringing In The Sheaves
        A#    D#     A#     F7      A# D# A# F7 A#
Rock of Ages Rock of Ages cleft for me

I remember when papa finally gave up drinking
I think mama was the only one on earth that really thought he could
I remember all the times we'd packed everything we owned
Into some old car and started out for some new town
And through it all mama's faith was the one thing
That was strong enough to finally do the some good

Chorus


You can simplify chords by removing barre

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Simplify chords by removing barre

Guitar Chord Diagrams

Am

Guitar chord Am

A#

Guitar chord A#

C

Guitar chord C

C7

Guitar chord C7

D#

Guitar chord D#

F7

Guitar chord F7

Gm

Guitar chord Gm

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 "Papa Was a Good Man" on the ukulele, check out the chords on our sister site: Ukulele Chords for "Papa Was a Good Man" by Johnny Cash.

Johnny Cash Song List