Boston Burglar
View chords used in this chart
capo 2 (D)
D G D A7 G D
I was born and raised in Bos-ton, a place you all know well,
G A7 D Bm G A A7
Brought up by honest par-ents, the truth to you Iâ??ll tell.
D G D A7 G D
Brought up by honest par-ents, and raised most tenderly,
G A7 D Bm G A7 D
Till I became a sporting lad, at the age of twenty three.
D G D A7 G D
My character was ta-ken, and I was sent to jail,
G A7 D Bm G A A7
My friends they came and tried in vain, to get me out on bail.
D G D A7 G D
The jury found me guil-ty, the clerk he wrote it down,
G A7 D Bm G A7 D
The judge he passed my sentence and I was sent to Charlestown.
D G D A7 G D
They placed me on an east bound train, one cold December day,
G A7 D Bm G A A7
And at every station we passed through, you could hear the people say.
D G D A7 G D
â??There goes the Boston bur-glar in cold chains he is bound,
G A7 D Bm G A7 D
For one crime or another he is bound for Charlestownâ?.
Instrumental: G A7 D G A7 D
D G D A7 D
Now you that have your freedom, take warning if you can,
G A7 D Bm G A A7
Donâ??t go around the streets at night, breaking laws of God and man.
D G D A7 G D
For if you do youâ??re sure to rue, and find yourself like me,
G A7 D Bm G A7 D
Serving up twen-ty three years, in the Pena-ten-tury.
How to play Boston Burglar
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 D. 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.