Johnny Cash - Big Iron Chords
Before you play, tune your guitar and use the tools below to set up your view and flow. Using the Transpose tool, switch to E,G keys to play this song with easier chords.
Guitar C chord diagram
Guitar Am chord diagram
Guitar F chord diagram
[Opening]
[C]To the town of Agua Fria rode a [Am]stranger one fine day
Hardly [C]spoke to folks around him didn’t have too much to [Am]say
No one [F]dared to ask his business, no one [C]dared to make a slip
For the stranger there among them had a [Am]big iron on his hip
[F]Big iron on his [C]hip
[verse 2]
It was early in the morning when he [Am]rode into the town
He came [C]riding from the south side slowly looking all a[Am]round
He’s an [F]outlaw loose and running came the [C]whisper from each lip
And he’s here to do some business with the [Am]big iron on his hip
[F]Big iron on his [C]hip
[verse 3]
In this town there lived an outlaw by the [Am]name of Texas Red
Many [C]men had tried to take him and that many men were [Am]dead
He was [F]vicious and a killer, though a [C]youth of twenty-four
And the notches on his pistol numbered [Am]one and nineteen more
[F]One and nineteen [C]more
[verse 4]
Now the stranger started talking made it [Am]plain to folks around
He was an [C]Arizona ranger wouldn’t be too long in [Am]town
He came [F]here to take an outlaw back a[C]live or maybe dead
And he said it didn’t matter he was [Am]after Texas Red
[F]After Texas [C]Red
[verse 5]
Wasn’t long before the story was relay[Am]ed to Texas Red
But the [C]outlaw didn’t worry, men that [Am]tried before were dead
Twenty [F]men had tried to take him twenty [C]men had made a slip
Twenty one would be the stranger with the [Am]big iron on his hip
[F]Big iron on his [C]hip
[verse 6]
The morning passed so quickly, it was [Am]time for them to meet
It was [C]twenty past eleven when they walked out in the [Am]street
Folks were [F]watching from their windows, everybody held their [C]breath
They knew this handsome ranger was a[Am]bout to meet his death
Was a[F]bout to meet his [C]death
[verse 7]
There was forty feet between them when they [Am]stopped to make their play
And the [C]swiftness of the ranger is still talked about to[Am]day
Texas [F]Red had not cleared leather when a [C]bullet fairly ripped
And the ranger’s aim was deadly with the [Am]big iron on his hip
The [F]big iron on his [C]hip
[Closing]
Big [F]iron, big [C]iron
When he tried to match the ranger with the [Am]big iron on his hip
The [F]big iron on his [C]hip
How to play Big Iron on Guitar (Step-by-step)
Johnny Cash - Big Iron on guitar requires 3 chords and 3 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.
Big Iron uses these transitions most often: C → Am (22), F → C (16), and Am → F (15). 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 - Am chord transition.
1. 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.
2. 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.
3. F → C chord transition
To move from F to C;
- While playing F, lift your pinky from D string fret 3.
- 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.
- Keep ring finger on A string fret 3.
Big Iron chord transition analysis
A short, data-driven summary of the chord flow in Big Iron.
- Big Iron includes 61 chord transitions, 3 of them unique.
- These transitions represent 0.02% of all chord transitions in Chordier.
- Big Iron contains 2 of the top 10 transitions across Chordier.
- These transition patterns show how Big Iron 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 → F: 16%
- C → Am: 10%
After Am, the most likely next chords across Chordier are F (26%), G (21%), and C (16%).- Am → F: 26%
- Am → C: 16%