Ramblin’ Jack Elliott - St. James Infirmary Blues 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 A key to play this song with easier chords.
Guitar Em chord diagram
Guitar B7 chord diagram
Guitar Am chord diagram
Guitar C7 chord diagram
[Opening]
[Em]I went down to [B7]Old Joe’s [Em]Bar room.
[Em]On the corner [Am]by the [B7]square.
They were [Em]serving [B7]drinks as [Em]usual.
And the [C7]usual [B7]crowd was [Em]there.
[verse 2]
[Em]On my left stood [B7]Joe Mac[Em]Kennedy.
[Em]His eyes were [Am]blood shot [B7]red.
He [Em]turned to the [B7]crowd a[Em]round him
And [C7]these are the [B7]words that he [Em]said.
[verse 3]
[Em]I went down to [B7]St. James [Em]Infirmary.
[Em]I saw my [Am]baby [B7]there.
[Em]Lying on a [B7]long white [Em]table,
So [C7]sweet, [B7]so cold, [Em]so fair.
[verse 4]
[Em]I went up to [B7]see the [Em]doctor.
[Em]’She’s very [Am]low,’ he [B7]said.
[Em]I went back to [B7]see my [Em]baby
And great [C7]god she was [B7]lying there [Em]dead.
[verse 5]
[Em]Let her go, let her [B7]go, God [Em]bless her.
[Em]Wherever [Am]she may [B7]be.
She may [Em]search this [B7]wide world [Em]over
But she’ll never [C7]find another [B7]man like [Em]me.
[verse 6]
[Em]When I [B7]die please [Em]bury me
[Em]In a high top [Am]stetson [B7]hat.
Put a [Em]gold piece [B7]on my [Em]watch chain.
So they’ll [C7]know I died [B7]standing [Em]pat.
[verse 7]
[Em]Get six gamblers to [B7]carry my [Em]coffin.
[Em]Six chorus girls to [Am]sing my [B7]song.
Put a [Em]jazz band [B7]on my [Em]tailgate
To raise [C7]hell as we [B7]roll a[Em]long.
[Closing]
[Em]This is the [B7]end of my [Em]story.
[Em]So let’s have another [Am]round of [B7]booze.
And if [Em]any one should [B7]ask you just [Em]tell them
I’ve got the [C7]St. James [B7]Infirmary [Em]Blues.
How to play St. James Infirmary Blues on Guitar (Step-by-step)
Ramblin' Jack Elliott - St. James Infirmary Blues on guitar requires 4 chords and 5 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.
St. James Infirmary Blues uses these transitions most often: B7 → Em (32), Em → B7 (16), and Am → B7 (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 Em - B7 chord transition.
1. Em → B7 chord transition
To move from Em to B7;
- Keep middle finger on A string fret 2.
- Lift your ring finger from D string fret 2 and place it on G string fret 2.
- Place index finger on D string fret 1.
- Place pinky on E string fret 2.
2. Em → Am chord transition
To move from Em to Am;
- Lift your middle finger from A string fret 2 and place it on D string fret 2.
- Slide your ring finger from D string fret 2 to G string fret 2.
- Place index finger on B string fret 1.
3. Am → B7 chord transition
To move from Am to B7;
- Lift your index finger from B string fret 1 and place it on D string fret 1.
- Slide your middle finger from D string fret 2 to A string fret 2.
- Keep ring finger on G string fret 2.
- Place pinky on E string fret 2.
4. Em → C7 chord transition
To move from Em to C7;
- Lift your middle finger from A string fret 2 and place it on D string fret 2.
- Slide your ring finger from D string fret 2 to A string fret 3.
- Place index finger on B string fret 1.
- Place pinky on G string fret 3.
5. C7 → B7 chord transition
To move from C7 to B7;
- Lift your index finger from B string fret 1 and place it on D string fret 1.
- Slide your middle finger from D string fret 2 to A string fret 2.
- Lift your ring finger from A string fret 3 and place it on G string fret 2.
- Slide your pinky from G string fret 3 to E string fret 2.
St. James Infirmary Blues chord transition analysis
A short, data-driven summary of the chord flow in St. James Infirmary Blues.
- St. James Infirmary Blues includes 80 chord transitions, 5 of them unique.
- These transitions represent 0.02% of all chord transitions in Chordier.
- St. James Infirmary Blues contains 1 of the top 25 transitions across Chordier.
- These transition patterns show how St. James Infirmary Blues connects to the rest of Chordier. Mastering them helps you move to similar songs faster.After Em, the most likely next chords across Chordier are C (26%), G (18%), and D (17%).
- Em → Am: 12%
- Em → B7: 1%
After B7, the most likely next chords across Chordier are Em (58%), E7 (10%), and C (8%).- B7 → Em: 58%