Ode To Billie Joe Song Lyrics and Chords by Bobbie Gentry
Ode To Billie Joe
Written and Recorded by Bobbie Gentry
G
G#
A
A#
B
C
C#
D
D#
E
F
F#
It was the third of June another
Dm
D#m
Em
Fm
F#m
Gm
G#m
Am
A#m
Bm
Cm
C#m
sleepy dusty Delta
G
G#
A
A#
B
C
C#
D
D#
E
F
F#
day
I was out chopping cotton and my
Dm
D#m
Em
Fm
F#m
Gm
G#m
Am
A#m
Bm
Cm
C#m
brother was a bailing
G
G#
A
A#
B
C
C#
D
D#
E
F
F#
hay
At
C
C#
D
D#
E
F
F#
G
G#
A
A#
B
dinner time we stopped and walked back to the house to eat
And mama
G
G#
A
A#
B
C
C#
D
D#
E
F
F#
hollered at the backdoor y'all re
Dm
D#m
Em
Fm
F#m
Gm
G#m
Am
A#m
Bm
Cm
C#m
member to wipe your
G
G#
A
A#
B
C
C#
D
D#
E
F
F#
feet
She
C
C#
D
D#
E
F
F#
G
G#
A
A#
B
said I got some news this morning from Choctaw Ridge
Today
G
G#
A
A#
B
C
C#
D
D#
E
F
F#
Billie Joe McAllister jumped
F7
F#7
G7
G#7
A7
A#7
B7
C7
C#7
D7
D#7
E7
off the Tallahatchie
G
G#
A
A#
B
C
C#
D
D#
E
F
F#
Bridge
Papa said to mama as she passed
Dm
D#m
Em
Fm
F#m
Gm
G#m
Am
A#m
Bm
Cm
C#m
around the black eyed
G
G#
A
A#
B
C
C#
D
D#
E
F
F#
peas
Billie Joe never had a lick of
Dm
D#m
Em
Fm
F#m
Gm
G#m
Am
A#m
Bm
Cm
C#m
sense pass the biscuits
G
G#
A
A#
B
C
C#
D
D#
E
F
F#
please
There's
C
C#
D
D#
E
F
F#
G
G#
A
A#
B
five more acres in the lower forty I got to plow
And mama
G
G#
A
A#
B
C
C#
D
D#
E
F
F#
said it was a shame about
Dm
D#m
Em
Fm
F#m
Gm
G#m
Am
A#m
Bm
Cm
C#m
Billie Joe any
G
G#
A
A#
B
C
C#
D
D#
E
F
F#
how
It
C
C#
D
D#
E
F
F#
G
G#
A
A#
B
seems like nothing ever comes to no good upon Choctaw Ridge
And
G
G#
A
A#
B
C
C#
D
D#
E
F
F#
now Billie Joe McAllister'
F7
F#7
G7
G#7
A7
A#7
B7
C7
C#7
D7
D#7
E7
s jumped off the Tallahatchi
G
G#
A
A#
B
C
C#
D
D#
E
F
F#
e
Bridge
Brother said he recollected when
Dm
D#m
Em
Fm
F#m
Gm
G#m
Am
A#m
Bm
Cm
C#m
he and Tom and Billie
G
G#
A
A#
B
C
C#
D
D#
E
F
F#
Joe
Put a frog down my back at the Carroll
Dm
D#m
Em
Fm
F#m
Gm
G#m
Am
A#m
Bm
Cm
C#m
County picture
G
G#
A
A#
B
C
C#
D
D#
E
F
F#
show
And
C
C#
D
D#
E
F
F#
G
G#
A
A#
B
wasn't I talking to him after church last Sunday night
I'll have
G
G#
A
A#
B
C
C#
D
D#
E
F
F#
another piece of apple pie
Dm
D#m
Em
Fm
F#m
Gm
G#m
Am
A#m
Bm
Cm
C#m
you know it don't seem
G
G#
A
A#
B
C
C#
D
D#
E
F
F#
right
I
C
C#
D
D#
E
F
F#
G
G#
A
A#
B
saw him at the sawmill yesterday on Choctaw Ridge
And
G
G#
A
A#
B
C
C#
D
D#
E
F
F#
now you tell me Billie Joe's jumped
F7
F#7
G7
G#7
A7
A#7
B7
C7
C#7
D7
D#7
E7
off the Tallahatchie
G
G#
A
A#
B
C
C#
D
D#
E
F
F#
Bridge
Mama said to me child what's
Dm
D#m
Em
Fm
F#m
Gm
G#m
Am
A#m
Bm
Cm
C#m
happened to your appe
G
G#
A
A#
B
C
C#
D
D#
E
F
F#
tite
I've been cooking all morning and you haven't
Dm
D#m
Em
Fm
F#m
Gm
G#m
Am
A#m
Bm
Cm
C#m
touched a single
G
G#
A
A#
B
C
C#
D
D#
E
F
F#
bite
That
C
C#
D
D#
E
F
F#
G
G#
A
A#
B
nice young preacher Brother Taylor dropped by today
Said he'd be
G
G#
A
A#
B
C
C#
D
D#
E
F
F#
pleased to have dinner on
Dm
D#m
Em
Fm
F#m
Gm
G#m
Am
A#m
Bm
Cm
C#m
Sunday oh by the
G
G#
A
A#
B
C
C#
D
D#
E
F
F#
way
He
C
C#
D
D#
E
F
F#
G
G#
A
A#
B
said he saw a girl that's looked a lot like you upon Choctaw Ridge
And
G
G#
A
A#
B
C
C#
D
D#
E
F
F#
she and Billie Joe was throwing something
F7
F#7
G7
G#7
A7
A#7
B7
C7
C#7
D7
D#7
E7
off the Tallahatchie
G
G#
A
A#
B
C
C#
D
D#
E
F
F#
Bridge
One year has come and gone since we heard the
Dm
D#m
Em
Fm
F#m
Gm
G#m
Am
A#m
Bm
Cm
C#m
news about Billie
G
G#
A
A#
B
C
C#
D
D#
E
F
F#
Joe
Brother married Becky Thompson and they
Dm
D#m
Em
Fm
F#m
Gm
G#m
Am
A#m
Bm
Cm
C#m
bought a store in Tupe
G
G#
A
A#
B
C
C#
D
D#
E
F
F#
lo
There
C
C#
D
D#
E
F
F#
G
G#
A
A#
B
was a virus going round and papa caught it and he died last spring
And now mama
G
G#
A
A#
B
C
C#
D
D#
E
F
F#
doesn't seem to want to do
Dm
D#m
Em
Fm
F#m
Gm
G#m
Am
A#m
Bm
Cm
C#m
much of any
G
G#
A
A#
B
C
C#
D
D#
E
F
F#
thing
And
C
C#
D
D#
E
F
F#
G
G#
A
A#
B
me I spent a lot of time picking flowers upon Choctaw Ridge
And
G
G#
A
A#
B
C
C#
D
D#
E
F
F#
dropped them into the muddy water
F7
F#7
G7
G#7
A7
A#7
B7
C7
C#7
D7
D#7
E7
off the Tallahatchie
G
G#
A
A#
B
C
C#
D
D#
E
F
F#
Bridge
FAQ
Who sang the the song Ode To Billie Joe?
- The song Ode To Billie Joe was sang by Bobbie Gentry.
Who is Bobbie Gentry?
- Bobbie Lee Gentry (born Roberta Lee Streeter July 27, 1942) is a retired American singer-songwriter who was one of the first female artists to compose and produce her own material.Gentry rose to international fame in 1967 with her Southern Gothic narrative "Ode to Billie Joe". The track spent four weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and was third in the Billboard year-end chart of 1967, earning Gentry Grammy awards for Best New Artist and Best Female Pop Vocal Performance in 1968.Gentry charted 11 singles on the Billboard Hot 100 and four singles on the United Kingdom Top 40. Her album Fancy brought her a Grammy nomination for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance. After her first albums, she had a successful run of variety shows on the Las Vegas Strip. In the late 1970s Gentry lost interest in performing, and subsequently retired from the music industry. News reports conflict on the subject of where she currently lives.