Bad News
View chords used in this chart
C
Well bad news travels like wild fire
Good news travels slow
C7
And they call me old wild fire everywhere I go
F C
Lord I'm bad news everybody knows
G7
Always gettin' into trouble
F
And leaving little girls
C
That hate to see me go
NC
Well I've picked peaches down in Georgia
I lumber jacked up in Maine
And I've been hired and fired and jailed
C7
In every state you can name
NC
Cause I'm...
F C
Lord I'm bad news everybody knows
G7
Always gettin' into trouble
F
And leaving little girls
C
That hate to see me go
NC
Well from north to south
From east to west the story is the same
From one state to the other
C7
I had to change my name
F C
Lord I'm bad news everybody knows
G7
Always gettin' into trouble
F
And leaving little girls
C
That hate to see me go
NC
Well they tried to hang me down in Oakland
They did in San Francisco
But I wouldn't choke and I broke their rope
C7
And they had to let me go
F C
Lord I'm bad news everybody knows
G7
Always gettin' into trouble
F
And leaving little girls
C
That hate to see me go
How to play Bad News
Use the controls above to change the key and text size. Follow the highlighted chords while listening, then practice each section slowly before playing at the original tempo.
What is the starting chord?
The first identified chord is C. You can transpose without leaving the page.
Can I play it on guitar or keyboard?
Yes. The chord progression works on acoustic guitar, electric guitar and keyboard. Adapt the voicings to your instrument and level.