The Kinks - Holloway Jail: Guitar Chords

Learn to play "Holloway Jail" 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 Holloway Jail Guitar Chords and Lyrics by The Kinks

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 "Holloway Jail" smoothly on your guitar.

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

Chorus:
              Am F    E        Am
They took my baby to Holloway jail,
              G   F      E        Am
They took my baby, down Holloway jail,
           C                 G  D7
She was a lady when she went in,
              Am F           E         Am
Now she's in jail, and it's giving me hell.

Am               F      E       Am
She was just succeeding in the city,
Am              F       E    Am
She was just beginning to excel,
                               G
And then a spiv named Frankie Simes
         C            D7
Led her to a life of crime,
         D7         G         C
And led her on the downward trail.

Frankie came home late from work one evening
The C.I.D. were hot on his trail
Frankie promised everything
And then he went and turned her in
She went and took the rap for him
Now she's impaled in Holloway jail

Chorus:
They took my baby, down Holloway jail
They took my baby to Holloway jail
There ain't no pity, there ain't no bail
And she assures me that it's living hell

She was young and ever so pretty
Now she looks so old and pale
She never sees the day
She wastes her life away
Sitting in that prison cell

Chorus:
They took my baby to Holloway jail
They locked my baby in Holloway jail
She was a lady when she went in
Now she's in jail, and it's giving me hell

She's impaled in Holloway jail


You can simplify chords by removing barre

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Simplify chords by removing barre

Guitar Chord Diagrams

Am

Guitar chord Am

C

Guitar chord C

D7

Guitar chord D7

E

Guitar chord E

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 "Holloway Jail" on the ukulele, check out the chords on our sister site: Ukulele Chords for "Holloway Jail" by The Kinks.

The Kinks Song List