Smackwater Jack

Carole King

RockMedium for beginners6 chords

How to play it

Fingering diagrams for the shapes in this song. × = don't play, ○ = open string.

F7Diagram coming soon

Am7

Chords & lyrics

Chord names sit directly above the word where you change.

 
              Lead in C  F   C   F  
 
C         F     C         F           C  F    
Now Smackwater Jack, he bought a shotgun  
C        F           C            F   C             F  
Cause he was in the mood for a little confrontation  
C  
He just let it all hang loose  
            F7  
He didn't think about the noose  
            G             F  
He couldn't take no more abuse  
                             C   F  
So he shot down the congregation  
 
C          G        Am  
You can't talk to a man  
         G      Am7    F  
With a shotgun in his hand  
F7             C  
Shotgun in his hand  
 
C                F   C              F     C    F  
Now Big Jim the chief stood for law and order  
C         F         C                 F           C      F  
He called for the guards to come and surround the border  
C  
Now from his bulldog mouth  
F7  
As he led the posse south  
          G    
Came the cry, we got the right  
    F                               F7            C    F   C  
To clean up the streets for our wives and our daughters  
 
          G         Am  
You can't talk to a man   
G             Am7         F  
When he don't want to understand  
C     F     C   F   C  
No, no, no, no  
 
C           F       C             F       C     F     
The account of the capture wasn't in the papers  
C             F               C                  F          C    F  
But you know, they hanged ole Smack right then, instead of later  
C  
You know the people were quite pleased  
           F7  
Cause the outlaw had been seized  
            G               F  
And on the whole, it was a very good year  
             C     F   C  
For the undertaker  
 
                G                       Am             
You know, you know, you can't talk to a man  
        G         Am7   F  
With a shotgun in his hand  
F7              C    F    C  
Shotgun in his hand  
 
C            F           
Smack water Jack, yeah  
F                 F          C    F         
Smackwater Jack bought a shotgun  
 
 C           F        C           F  
Talkin' about Smack, talkin about Jack  
C               F       C     
Smackwater Jack, yeah

Details

Rating

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Chord set

C · F · F7 · G · Am · Am7

Practice tip

Loop the first two chords slowly until the change is clean, then add the rest.