The Pogues - Billy's Bones: Guitar Chords

Learn to play "Billy's Bones" 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 Billy's Bones Guitar Chords and Lyrics by The Pogues

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 "Billy's Bones" smoothly on your guitar.

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

F			  A#
Billy ran around with the rare old crew
         F        C          F
And he knew an Arsenal from Tottenham blue
           F          A#        F      C
We'd be a darn sight better off if we knew
 F  			A#
Where Billy's bones are resting now

Billy saw a copper and he hit him in the knee
And he took him down from six foot to
five foot three
Then he hit him fair and square in the do-re-mi
That copper won't be having any family

Chorus:
A#				
Hey Billy son where are you now,
 F		        C
don't you know that we need you now
      F   A#         F        C    F	
With aratata and the old kow-tow where are
	       A#
Billy's bones resting now

Billy went away with the peace-keeping force
'Cause he liked a bloody good fight, of course
Went away in an old khaki van
To the banks of the river Jordan

Billy saw the Arabs and he had 'em on the run
When he got 'em in the range of his sub-machine gun
Then he had the Israelis in his sights,
went a ra-ta-ta
And they ran like shites

One night Billy had a rare old time
Laughing and singing on the Lebanon line
Came back to camp not looking too pretty
Never even got to see the Holy City

Now Billy's out there in the desert sun
And his mother cries when the morning comes
And there's mothers crying all over this world
For their poor dead darling boys and girls

Chorus:
Hey Billy son, where are you now?
Don't you know that we need you now?
With a ra-ta-ta and the old kow-tow
Where are Billy's bones resting now?

Have a Billy holiday
Born on a Monday
Married on a Tuesday
Drunk on a Wednesday
Got plugged on a Thursday
Sick on a Friday
Died on a Saturday
Buried on a Sunday


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 "Billy's Bones" on the ukulele, check out the chords on our sister site: Ukulele Chords for "Billy's Bones" by The Pogues.

The Pogues Song List