Johnny Cash - Chicken In Black Chords
Before you play, tune your guitar and use the tools below to set up your view and flow.
Guitar A chord diagram
Guitar D chord diagram
Guitar E7 chord diagram
Guitar A# | B♭ chord diagram
Guitar D# | E♭ chord diagram
Guitar F7 chord diagram
[Opening]
[A]For two long years my head hurt bad
So a [D]doctor checked me an he shook his head
He said [E7]I’m sorry to tell you
But your body’s outlived your [A]brain
He said I know this doctor in New York, son
And he’ll [D]fix you right up with a brand new one
So the [E7]head doctor met me
When I stepped down off of the [A]train.
[verse 2]
[A]He said we had this bank robber killed last night
His [D]body’s shot but his brain’s alright
I’ll [E7]give you a transplant, boy
And you’ll be [A]OK
I got my new brain in and I was feeling great
I went [D]right back to Nashville with no headache
But something [E7]strange happened
When I walked in the bank one [A]day.
[chorus]
I said [D]stick them up everybody I’m robbing this place
Drop [A]all of your money in my guitar case
Don’t [D]nobody move and don’t nobody reach for that [E7]door
A [A]lady said, why you’re Johnny Cash
I said [D]no madam, I’m the Manhattan Flash
And I [E7]am the best bank robber in New [A]York.
[verse 3]
[A]Now the other night Roy Acuff called me
He said [D]John I’d like for you to do the Opry
So I [E7]went out on the stage, but I couldn’t [A]sing
I got into a half a verse of “I Walk The Line”
And [D]something snapped in this head of mine
I yelled [E7]stick ’em up
Give me your money, your watches and [A]rings.
[interlude]
[Bb] [Eb] [F7]
[verse 4]
[Bb]Well, I called New York and talked to that brain quack
And said [Eb]Doc I gotta have my old brain back
He said I’m [F7]sorry there, Mr. Cash, but I can’t do [Bb]that
He said I put your brain in a chicken last monday
He’s [Eb]singing your songs and making lots of money
And I got him [F7]signed to a ten-year recording con[Bb]tract.
[verse 5]
[Bb]Now friends if you see me walking down the street
Remember [Eb]what you see ain’t necessarily me
And if I [F7]try to hold you up, don’t pay me no [Bb]mind
But when you got ten bucks that you can blow
You oughta [Eb]catch that Johnny Chicken show
He’s doing [F7]fairs and concert dates
All up and down the [Bb]line.
[chorus]
I said [Eb]stick them up everybody I’m robbing this place
Drop [Bb]all of your money in my guitar case
Don’t [Eb]nobody move and don’t nobody reach for that [F7]door
A [Bb]lady said, why you’re Johnny Cash
I said [Eb]no ma’am, I’m the Manhattan Flash
And I [F7]am the best bank robber in New [Bb]York.
[Closing]
Well, I don’t pay any income tax…
You don’t pay tax on money you steal…
You oughta catch that Johnny Chicken show…
Chicken in black! hmm!
How to play Chicken In Black on Guitar (Step-by-step)
Johnny Cash - Chicken In Black on guitar requires 6 chords and 7 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.
Chicken In Black uses these transitions most often: A → D (9), Bb → Eb (8), and D → E7 (8). 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 A - D chord transition.
1. A → D chord transition
To move from A to D;
- Lift your index finger from D string fret 2 and place it on G string fret 2.
- Slide your middle finger from G string fret 2 to E string fret 2.
- Slide your ring finger on B string from fret 2 to fret 3.
2. D → E7 chord transition
To move from D to E7;
- While playing D, lift your ring finger from B string fret 3.
- Slide your index finger on G string from fret 2 to fret 1.
- Slide your middle finger from E string fret 2 to A string fret 2.
3. E7 → A chord transition
To move from E7 to A;
- Lift your index finger from G string fret 1 and place it on D string fret 2.
- Slide your middle finger from A string fret 2 to G string fret 2.
- Place ring finger on B string fret 2.
4. A → Bb chord transition
To move from A to Bb;
- Lift your index finger from D string fret 2 and place it on A string fret 1.
- Slide your middle finger from G string fret 2 to D string fret 3.
- Lift your ring finger from B string fret 2 and place it on G string fret 3.
- Place pinky on B string fret 3.
5. Bb → Eb chord transition
To move from Bb to Eb;
- Lift your index finger from A string fret 1 and place it on D string fret 1.
- Slide your middle finger from D string fret 3 to E string fret 3.
- Keep ring finger on G string fret 3.
- Slide your pinky on B string from fret 3 to fret 4.
6. Eb → F7 chord transition
To move from Eb to F7;
- While playing Eb, lift your pinky from B string fret 4.
- Lift your index finger from D string fret 1 and place it on E string fret 1.
- Slide your middle finger from E string fret 3 to G string fret 2.
- Lift your ring finger from G string fret 3 and place it on A string fret 3.
7. F7 → Bb chord transition
To move from F7 to Bb;
- Lift your index finger from E string fret 1 and place it on A string fret 1.
- Slide your middle finger from G string fret 2 to D string fret 3.
- Lift your ring finger from A string fret 3 and place it on G string fret 3.
- Place pinky on B string fret 3.
Chicken In Black chord transition analysis
A short, data-driven summary of the chord flow in Chicken In Black.
- Chicken In Black includes 50 chord transitions, 7 of them unique.
- These transitions represent 0.01% of all chord transitions in Chordier.
- Chicken In Black contains 1 of the top 10 transitions across Chordier.
- These transition patterns show how Chicken In Black connects to the rest of Chordier. Mastering them helps you move to similar songs faster.After A, the most likely next chords across Chordier are D (29%), G (13%), and E (12%).
- A → D: 29%
- A → Bb: 0%
After Bb, the most likely next chords across Chordier are F (34%), C (20%), and Dm (9%).- Bb → Eb: 5%