Me And Bobby McGee Chords & Guitar Lesson

Welcome to my Me and Bobby McGee chord chart by Janis Joplin. This is a great song for beginner since the chords are kept pretty simple. There are a few 7 chords that pop into the mix, but if you are unfamiliar with those, feel free to just play the regular chords.

For example when you see D7, play a D chord and it will work fine. It won’t sound exactly like the song, but it will do the trick.

The song also features a very nice key change which means lots of new chords for the second half of the song! Yay!

Me And Bobby McGee Guitar Chords:

Me And Bobby McGee Strumming Patterns:

Easier Strumming:
1  2  3+  4 +
B D DU  D U

Harder Strumming:
1 +  2 e +a   3 + 4 e + a
B D DU DU  B D DU DU

Intro: (Begginers stay on G with simple strum)
G                 C/G             G         C/G G
1 + 2 e + a  3 e + a 4 e +a  1 +  2e + a 3 + 4 e + a
BD DU DU  D U DU DU DBD DU DU D D    UD U

Need help making your guitar sound better? Check out Lauren’s Guitar Course.

Me And Bobby McGee Guitar Lesson:

Find this website helpful? Click the button to show your support.

Me And Bobby McGee Chord Chart:

INTRO: G G

VERSE:
G                                                G                                                   G                                                 D7
Busted flat in Baton Rouge, waitin' for a train When I's feelin' near as faded as my jeans
D7                                                    D7                                                D7                                                      G
Bobby thumbed a diesel down just before it rained And rode us all the way into New Orleans
G                                                           G                                       G                                                           D7
I pulled my harpoon out of my dirty red bandana I's playin' soft while Bobby sang the blues
    D7                                                    D7                                                                 D7
Windshield wipers slappin' time, I was holdin' Bobby's hand in mine We sang every song that
               G
driver knew

REFRAIN:
    C                                                           G                                D7                                                                 G
Freedom's just another word for nothin' left to lose Nothin', it ain't nothin' honey, if it ain't free
          C                                                G
And feelin' good was easy, lord, oh, when he sang the blues
                     D7                                                     D7           D7                                                                       G      A
You know feelin' good was good enough for me Good enough for me and my Bobby McGee

VERSE:
                     A                                                   A                                     A                                                          E7
From the Kentucky coal mines to the California sun Yeah Bobby shared the secrets of my soul
                 E7                                                    E7                                    E7                                                       A
Through all kinds of weather, through everything we done Bobby baby kept me from the cold
           A                                                A
One day up near Salinas, lo-ord, I let him slip away
            A                                                                D
He's lookin' for that home and I hope he finds it
                 D                                                          A
Well I'd trade all my tomorrows for one single yesterday
             E7                                                    E7
To be holdin' Bobby's body next to mine

REFRAIN:
D                                                              A                                 E7                                                                  A
Freedom's just another word for nothin' left to lose Nothin', and that's all that Bobby left me
             D                                                      A
Well, feelin' good was easy, lo-o-ord, when he sang the blues
            E7                                                          E7       A                                                                   A
And feelin' good was good enough for me Good enough for me and my Bobby McGee yeah

 A                                   A                                                 E7                                                                E7
La da da, la da daa, La da daa da daa da daa    La da da da daa dadada Bobby McGee-ah
E7                                       E7                              A                                                   A
Laa li daa da daa daa, La da daa da daa Laa la laa la daada Bobby McGee-ah yeah

This file is the author’s own work and represents his interpretation of this song. It’s intended solely for private study, scholarship or research.

We do not distribute printable chord and lyrics charts. These charts are here only to support online learning. We highly recommend buying music from Hal Leonard or a reputable online sheet music store.

Find this website helpful? Support today.

Scroll to Top