Sweet Baby James Chords & Guitar Lesson
Welcome to my Sweet Baby James chords and guitar lesson by James Taylor. This song holds a special place in my heart that surrounds my cancer treatment.
When I went to have my lymphnode removed I brought my acoustic guitar into Children's Hospital Boston. An attendant saw the guitar and asked if he could play me a song. The song he played?
You guessed it. Sweet Baby James. It was one of the most beautiful things I had heard on guitar and I knew that how I wanted to play.
So let's get into the song lesson!
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Sweet Baby James Guitar Chords:
Sweet Baby James Strumming Patterns:
Strumming:
1 + 2 + 3 +
D DU DU
Strumming 2:
1 + 2 + 3 +
B DU DU
Picking:
You could use a traditional Travis picking pattern on Sweet Baby Jame. That's how I do it, but you have to adjust it for 3/4 time. See below.
Sweet Baby James Guitar Lesson:
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Sweet Baby James Chord Chart:
INTRO:
G D/F# Em7 A
VERSE:
D A G F#m F#m
There is a young cowboy he lives on the range
Bm G D F#m F#m
His horse and his cattle are his only companions
Bm G D F#m
He works in the saddle and he sleeps in the canyons
G D A Em7 Em7 A A
Waiting for Summer, his pastures to change
VERSE:
G G A D
And as the moon rises he sits by his fire
Bm G D A
Thinking about women and glasses of beer
G G A D
And closing his eyes as the doggies retire
Bm G D D
He sings out a song which is soft but it's clear
Bm E7 A7 A7 A7 A7
As if maybe someone could hear
CHORUS:
D G A D
Goodnight you moonlight ladies
Bm G D D
Rockabye sweet baby James
Bm G D D
Deep greens and blues are the colors I choose
Bm E7 A7 A7
Won't you let me go down in my dreams
G A D D
And rockabye sweet baby James
VERSE:
D A G F#m F#m
Now the first of December was covered with snow
Bm G D F#m F#m
And so was the turnpike from Stockbridge to Boston
Bm G D F#m
Lord, the Berkshires seemed dream-like on account of that frosting
G D A Em7 Em7 A A
With ten miles behind me and ten thousand more to go
VERSE:
G G A D
There's a song that they sing when they take to the highway
Bm G D A
A song that they sing when they take to the sea
G G A D
A song that they sing of their home in the sky
Bm G D D
Maybe you can believe it if it helps you to sleep
Bm E7 A7 A7 A7 A7
But singing works just fine for me
CHORUS:
D G A D
Goodnight you moonlight ladies
Bm G D D
Rockabye sweet baby James
Bm G D D
Deep greens and blues are the colors I choose
Bm E7 A7 A7
Won't you let me go down in my dreams
G A D D (strum & hold)
And rockabye sweet baby James
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.