Nat King Cole - The Ballad Of Cat Ballou Chords
Before you play, tune your guitar and use the tools below to set up your view and flow.
Guitar C chord diagram
Guitar F chord diagram
Guitar G7 chord diagram
Guitar Em chord diagram
Guitar Dm chord diagram
Guitar Am chord diagram
Guitar G chord diagram
Guitar C# | D♭ chord diagram
[Opening]
[C] [F] [G7] [C]
[C]Well now friends just lend an ear for you’re
[F]now about to [C]hear the [F]ballad of Cat Ba[C]llou
It’s a [Em]song that’s newly made and Pro[Dm]fessor Sam The Shade
And the [C]Sunrise [Am]Kid are [F]singing [G7]it for [C]you
[verse 2]
[C]Cat Ballou [Am]Cat Ba[F]llou [C]
It’s a [Am]hanging day in [C]Wolf City Wyoming Wolf City Wyoming
[F]eighteen ninety [C]four, they’re gonna [G]drop Cat Ballou
Through the ga[G]llows [C]floor [Am] [F] [G7] [C]
[verse 3]
She [Am]killed a man in [C]Wolf City Wyoming Wolf City Wyoming
[F]killed a man it’s [C]true
And that is [G]why they’re a hanging
Hanging Cat Ba[C]llou [F] [G7] [C]
[chorus]
She has the
[C]smile of an angel [Am]fights like the devil
The [Dm]eyes of an [G7]angel [Dm]bites like the [G7]devil
The [C]face of an angel I [Am]say she’s the devil
She’s [Dm]mean and [G7]evil through and [C]through
Cat Ba[G7]llou Cat Ba[C]llou
[chorus]
She’s [G]mean and evil through and [C]through [C] [F] [G7] [C]
[verse 4]
With her [Am]outlaw band they’re [C]now telling a story
Now telling a story [F]how she rode the [C]plain
The wildest [G]gal in the west
since Cal[G]amity [C]Jane [Am] [F] [G7] [C]
[Closing]
And to[Am]day’s the day that [C]she’s going to glory
She’s going to glory [F]for the way she [C]sinned
They’ll be a [G]speeding her soul..
On a wayward [C]wind [C#] [C]
[chorus]
She has the
[C]smile of an angel [Am]fights like the devil
The [Dm]eyes of an [G7]angel [Dm]bites like the [G7]devil
The [C]face of an angel I [Am]say she’s the devil
She’s [Dm]mean and [G7]evil through and [C]through
Cat Ba[G7]llou Cat Ba[C]llou
[chorus]
She’s [G]mean and evil through and [C]through [F] [G7] [C].
How to play The Ballad Of Cat Ballou on Guitar (Step-by-step)
Nat King Cole - The Ballad Of Cat Ballou on guitar requires 8 chords and 12 core chord transitions. You can find the full step-by-step guide below. Before you start, tune your instrument. The song uses the ↓-↓↑-↑↓↑ pattern; practice it muted first, or simplify to downstrokes while you learn the changes.
The Ballad Of Cat Ballou uses these transitions most often: G7 → C (13), C → Am (12), and C → F (10). These transitions may feel a little challenging at first, but with steady practice you can play this song quickly.When you are ready, begin with C - F chord transition.
1. C → F chord transition
To move from C to F;
- Lift your index finger from B string fret 1 and place it on E string fret 1.
- Slide your middle finger from D string fret 2 to G string fret 2.
- Keep ring finger on A string fret 3.
- Place pinky on D string fret 3.
2. F → G7 chord transition
To move from F to G7;
- While playing F, lift your pinky from D string fret 3.
- Lift your index finger from E string fret 1 and place it on A string fret 2.
- Slide your middle finger from G string fret 2 to E string fret 3.
- Lift your ring finger from A string fret 3 and place it on E string fret 1.
3. G7 → C chord transition
To move from G7 to C;
- Lift your index finger from A string fret 2 and place it on B string fret 1.
- Slide your middle finger from E string fret 3 to D string fret 2.
- Lift your ring finger from E string fret 1 and place it on A string fret 3.
4. C → Em chord transition
To move from C to Em;
- While playing C, lift your index finger from B string fret 1.
- Lift your middle finger from D string fret 2 and place it on A string fret 2.
- Slide your ring finger from A string fret 3 to D string fret 2.
5. Em → Dm chord transition
To move from Em to Dm;
- Lift your middle finger from A string fret 2 and place it on G string fret 2.
- Slide your ring finger from D string fret 2 to B string fret 3.
- Place index finger on E string fret 1.
6. Dm → C chord transition
To move from Dm to C;
- Lift your index finger from E string fret 1 and place it on B string fret 1.
- Slide your middle finger from G string fret 2 to D string fret 2.
- Lift your ring finger from B string fret 3 and place it on A string fret 3.
7. C → Am chord transition
To move from C to Am;
- Keep index finger on B string fret 1.
- Keep middle finger on D string fret 2.
- Lift your ring finger from A string fret 3 and place it on G string fret 2.
8. Am → F chord transition
To move from Am to F;
- Lift your index finger from B string fret 1 and place it on E string fret 1.
- Slide your middle finger from D string fret 2 to G string fret 2.
- Lift your ring finger from G string fret 2 and place it on A string fret 3.
- Place pinky on D string fret 3.
9. C → G chord transition
To move from C to G;
- Lift your index finger from B string fret 1 and place it on A string fret 2.
- Slide your middle finger from D string fret 2 to E string fret 3.
- Lift your ring finger from A string fret 3 and place it on E string fret 3.
10. Am → Dm chord transition
To move from Am to Dm;
- Lift your index finger from B string fret 1 and place it on E string fret 1.
- Slide your middle finger from D string fret 2 to G string fret 2.
- Lift your ring finger from G string fret 2 and place it on B string fret 3.
11. Dm → G7 chord transition
To move from Dm to G7;
- Lift your index finger from E string fret 1 and place it on A string fret 2.
- Slide your middle finger from G string fret 2 to E string fret 3.
- Lift your ring finger from B string fret 3 and place it on E string fret 1.
12. C → C# chord transition
To move from C to C#;
- Lift your index finger from B string fret 1 and place it on G string fret 1.
- Slide your middle finger from D string fret 2 to B string fret 2.
- Lift your ring finger from A string fret 3 and place it on D string fret 3.
- Place pinky on A string fret 4.
The Ballad Of Cat Ballou chord transition analysis
A short, data-driven summary of the chord flow in The Ballad Of Cat Ballou.
- The Ballad Of Cat Ballou includes 88 chord transitions, 12 of them unique.
- These transitions represent 0.02% of all chord transitions in Chordier.
- The Ballad Of Cat Ballou contains 4 of the top 10 transitions across Chordier.
- These transition patterns show how The Ballad Of Cat Ballou connects to the rest of Chordier. Mastering them helps you move to similar songs faster.After C, the most likely next chords across Chordier are G (35%), F (16%), and D (11%).
- C → G: 35%
- C → F: 16%
After G7, the most likely next chords across Chordier are C (69%), C7 (5%), and F (5%).- G7 → C: 69%
- G7 → Dm: 3%