On guitar, I play the slow part at tempo and skip the
at-tempo part of the intro.
Slow, swung, or play at tempo
| G | ||||||
| G | Em | F | ||||
| G | Em | F | C | D | ||
| G | Em | F | C | G/B | Am | D |
At tempo, straight, skip on guitar
| F/G | C/G | C/G | F/G | G |
| x2 |
| G | Em | F | |
| From a | town known a | s Wheeling, West Vi | rginia |
| G | Em | F | C | D | |
| Rode | a boy with a | six-gun in his | hand |
| G | Em | F | C | |
| And his | daring life of c | rime made him a le | gend in his t | ime |
| G/B | Am7 | D7sus | |
| East | and | west of the | Rio Grande |
| F/G | C/G | C/G | F/G | G |
| x2 |
| G | Em | F | |
| Well, he sta | rted with a | bank in Color | ado |
| G | Em | F | C | D | |
| In the po | cket of his v | est a Colt he h | id |
| G | Em | |
| And his | age and his s | ize |
| F | C | G/B | |
| Took the t | eller by surpr | ise | and |
| Am7 | D7sus |
| The word spread | of Billy the Kid |
| F/G | C/G | C/G | F/G | G |
| C | D | Em | Bm | |
| Well he | never traveled h | eavy, yes he | always rode al | one |
| C | C/D | F/G | |
| And he so | on put many o | lder guns to sha | me |
| C | D | Em | Bm | |
| And he ne | ver had a sw | eetheart, and he n | ever had a h | ome |
| C | Dsus4 | D | |
| But the | cowboy and the rancher knew his name |
| G | Em | F | |
| Well, he r | obbed his way from | Utah to Oklah | oma |
| G | Em | F | C | D | |
| And the l | aw just could not s | eem to track him | down |
| G | Em | F | C | G/B | |
| And it se | rved his legend | well, for the f | olks they’d love to te | ll | ’bout |
| Am7 | D7sus |
| When Billy the Kid | came to town |
| F/G | C/G | C/G | F/G | G |
| x2 |
Interlude if appropriate
| C | C/E | F | C | C | G |
| F | G | ||||
| C | C/E | F | C | C | G |
| F | C | ||||
| Bb/C | |
| F | C |
| F/G | C/G | C/G | F/G | G |
| x2 |
| G | Em | F | |
| Well o | ne cold day a p | osse captured B | illy |
| G | Em | F | C | D | |
| And the j | udge said string him | up for what he | did |
| G | Em | F | C | G/B | |
| And the c | owboys and their | kin, like the s | ea came pourin’ | in to | to watch |
| Am7 | D7sus |
| The hangin’ | of Billy the Kid |
| F/G | C/G | C/G | F/G | G |
| C | D | Em | Bm | |
| Well he n | ever traveled he | avy, yes he | always rode al | one |
| C | C/D | F/G | |
| And he so | on put many | older guns to sh | ame |
| C | D | Em | Bm | |
| And he n | ever had a sw | eetheart, but he f | inally found a h | ome |
| C | Dsus4 | D | |
| Underne | ath the Boot Hill grave that bears his na | me |
| G | Em | F | |
| From a t | own known as | Oyster Bay, Long I | sland |
| G | Em | F | C | D | |
| Rode a b | oy with a | six-pack in his h | and |
| G | Em | F | C | |
| And his d | aring life of c | rime made him a l | egend in his t | ime |
| G/B | Am7 | D7sus |
| East and w | est of the | Rio Grande |
| F/G | C/G | C/G | F/G | G |
| x2 |
Interlude if appropriate
| C | C/E | F | C | C | G |
| F | G | ||||
| C | C/E | F | C | C | G |
| F | C | ||||
| Bb/C | |
| F | C |