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St. James Infirmary

American folk song of anonymous origin.  Made famous in 1928 by Louis Armstrong, later by Joe Primrose& others.

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Dm             A7	Dm	-              Gm	A7
Dm             A7	Dm	-              A7	Dm         (repeat)

8-beat intro.  Play 4-beats for each cell, reading from left to right.

_______

 

It was down in Old Joe's barroom, At the corner by the square.
The drinks were served as usual, And the usual crowd was there.

 

Now on my left stood Big Joe McKennedy, His eyes were bloodshot red.
And as he looked at the gang around him, These were the very words he said:

 

"I went down to the St. James Infirmary, I saw my baby there,
She was lyin' on a long white table, So young, so cold, so fair."

 

Well let her go, let her go, God bless her, wherever she may be.
She may search this wide world over, And never find another man like me.

_______

 

Performer Links:

(webpage)

 

Watch Eddie Davis perform the "St. James Infirmary" on the tenor banjo (youtube)

_______

 

Arranged by Jim Bottorff

 

This Chord Chart may not appear correctly with some browsers.  It should be viewed with a full size window.  

The chord names should appear in single rows.   Let me know of any problems.

email: jbott@ix.netcom.com