Louis Armstrong - 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 Dm chord diagram
Guitar A chord diagram
Guitar A7 chord diagram
Guitar Gm chord diagram
Guitar A# | B♭ chord diagram
[Opening]
[Dm]I went down to the [A]St. James [Dm]Infirma[A7]ry
I saw my [Dm]baby lying [Gm]there, [A7]
She was [Dm]laid out on a [A]long white [Dm]table, [A7]
So [Bb]cold, so [A]pale, so [Dm]fair. [A7]
[verse 2]
Let her [Dm]go, let her [A]go, god [Dm]bless [A7]her
Wher[Dm]ever she may [Gm]be, [A7]
She may [Dm]search this [A]wide world [Dm]over,
She’ll [Bb]never find a [A]sweet man like [Dm]me. [A7]
[verse 3]
When I [Dm]die bury [A]me in my [Dm]strait laced [A7]shoes,
Box back [Dm]jacket and a stetson [Gm]hat, [A7]
Put a [Dm]20 dollar [A]gold piece on my [Dm]watch chain,
So [Bb]my friends know I [A]died standing [Dm]pat. [A7]
[verse 4]
I want [Dm]6 crap [A]shootin’ [Dm]pallbear[A7]ers,
6 chorus [Dm]girls to sing me a [Gm]song, [A7]
Put a [Dm]red hot [A]jazz band on my [Dm]tail[A7]gate,
To raise [Bb]hell, as I [A]roll [Dm]along. [A7]
[Closing]
Now [Dm]that I’ve [A]told my [Dm]story, [A7]
I’ll take [Dm]another bottle of [Gm]booze, [A7]
And if [Dm]anyone should [A]happen to [Dm]ask [A7]me,
I got those [Bb]St. James [A]Infirmary [Dm]blues.
How to play St. James Infirmary Blues on Guitar (Step-by-step)
Louis Armstrong - St. James Infirmary Blues on guitar requires 5 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.
St. James Infirmary Blues uses these transitions most often: A → Dm (15), A7 → Dm (14), and Dm → A7 (12). 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 Dm - A chord transition.
1. Dm → A chord transition
To move from Dm to A;
- Lift your index finger from E string fret 1 and place it on D string fret 2.
- Keep middle finger on G string fret 2.
- Slide your ring finger on B string from fret 3 to fret 2.
2. Dm → A7 chord transition
To move from Dm to A7;
- While playing Dm, lift your ring finger from B string fret 3.
- Lift your index finger from E string fret 1 and place it on D string fret 2.
- Slide your middle finger from G string fret 2 to B string fret 2.
3. Dm → Gm chord transition
To move from Dm to Gm;
- 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 E string fret 3.
- Keep ring finger on B string fret 3.
- Place pinky on E string fret 3.
4. Gm → A7 chord transition
To move from Gm to A7;
- While playing Gm, first lift your ring finger and pinky.
- Lift your index finger from A string fret 1 and place it on D string fret 2.
- Slide your middle finger from E string fret 3 to B string fret 2.
5. A7 → Bb chord transition
To move from A7 to Bb;
- Lift your index finger from D string fret 2 and place it on A string fret 1.
- Slide your middle finger from B string fret 2 to D string fret 3.
- Place ring finger on G string fret 3.
- Place pinky on B string fret 3.
6. Bb → A chord transition
To move from Bb to A;
- While playing Bb, lift your pinky from B string fret 3.
- Lift your index finger from A string fret 1 and place it on D string fret 2.
- Slide your middle finger from D string fret 3 to G string fret 2.
- Lift your ring finger from G string fret 3 and place it on B string fret 2.
7. Dm → Bb chord transition
To move from Dm 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 B string fret 3 and place it on G string fret 3.
- Place pinky on B string fret 3.
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 71 chord transitions, 7 of them unique.
- These transitions represent 0.02% of all chord transitions in 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 Dm, the most likely next chords across Chordier are C (18%), G (16%), and Am (14%).
- Dm → Bb: 9%
- Dm → Gm: 5%
After A7, the most likely next chords across Chordier are D (42%), D7 (18%), and Dm (12%).- A7 → Dm: 12%
- A7 → Bb: 1%