Saint James Infirmary
beginner

Saint James Infirmary

Key: Am
Chords: 4

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Chord Chart

A

Am
Am
Am
Dm
Am
Am
F
Am
Chords used: Am Dm E7 F

Lyrics

["I went down to St. James Infirmary\nSaw my baby there\nStretched out on a long white table\nSo sweet, so cold, so fair\n\nLet her go, let her go! God bless her\nWherever she may be\nShe can look this wide world over\nShe'll never find a sweet man like me\n\nWhen I die, want you to dress me in straight lace shoes\nBox-back coat and a Stetson hat\nPut a twenty dollar gold piece on my watch chain\nSo the boys will know that I died standin' pat", "It was down in Old Joe's barroom\nAt the corner by the square\nThe drinks were served as usual\nAnd the usual crowd was there\n\nNow on my left stood Big Joe McKennedy\nHis eyes were bloodshot red\nAnd as he looked at the gang around him\nThese were the very words he said:\n\nI went down to the St. James Infirmary\nI saw my baby there\nStretched out on a long white table\nSo young, so cold, so fair\n\nSeventeen coal black horses\nHitched to a rubber-tired hack\nSeven girls goin to the graveyard\nOnly six of them are coming back\n\nWell let her go, let her go\nGod bless her, wherever she may be\nShe may search this wide world over\nAnd never find another man like me\n\nOh, when I die, just bury me\nIn my high top Stetson hat\nPlace a twenty-dollar gold piece on my watch chain\nTo let the Lord know I died standin' path\n\nI want six crap shooters for pall bearers\nA chorus girl to sing me a song\nPlace a jazz band on my hearse wagon\nJust to raise hell as we roll along\n\nWell now that you've heard my story\nI'll take another shot of booze\nAnd if anyone here should ask you\nI've got the gambler's blues\n"]

Demo Videos

About This Song

Saint James Infirmary is a haunting jazz and blues standard that occasionally appears in bluegrass jams, though it's more common in old-time and Americana circles. Made famous by Louis Armstrong in 1928, this minor-key lament about a lost love has been covered by everyone from Cab Calloway to the White Stripes, and its dark, somber melody makes it stand out in the typically upbeat bluegrass repertoire.

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