In Old Mexico
View chords used in this chart
D Fdim A7
When it's fiesta time in Guada-lajara,
Then I long to be back once again
A9/5+ D
In old Mexi-co.
F#m
Where we lived for today,
Am/C B7 Em
Never giving a thought to tomara.
D
To the strumming of gui-tars,
A7
In a hundred grubby bars
D
I would whisper "te amo."
D7 G D
The mari-achis would sere-nade,
A7 D
And they would not shut up till they were paid.
D7 G D
We ate, we drank, and we were merry,
A7 D
And we got typhoid and dysen-tery.
E7 Am G
But best of all, we went to the plaza de toros.
F
Now whenever I start feeling morose,
E7 F
I revive by recalling that scene.
E7 Am G
And names like belmonte, dominguin, and mano-lete,
F
If I live to a hundred and eighty,
E
I shall never forget what they mean.
A GM A
ALTERNATE CHORDS BACK AND FORTH FOR THIS SPOKE PART
D Eb D Eb
(for there is surely nothing more beautiful in this
World than the sight of a lone man facing singlehandedly
A half a ton of angry pot roast!)
D Eb
Out came the matador,
D Eb
Who must have been potted or
D Eb D Eb/A D Eb/A D Eb/A D
Slightly in-sane, but who looked rather bored.
Eb
Then the picadors of course,
D Eb
Each one on his horse,
D Eb D Eb/A D Eb/A D Eb/A
I shouted "ole!" ev'ry time one was gored.
G D
I cheered at the bandil-leros' display,
A7 D
As they stuck the bull in their own clever way,
G D F#m7 B7
For I hadn't had so much fun since the day
Em A7
My brother's dog rover
D Eb
Got run over.
ALTERNATE CHORDS ON THIS SPOKEN PART
D Eb D Eb D
(rover was killed by a pontiac. and it was done with
Such grace and artistry that the witnesses awarded the
Driver both ears and the tail - but I digress.)
D Eb
The moment had come,
D Eb
I swallowed my gum,
D Eb D Eb D Eb D Eb D
We knew there'd be blood on the sand pretty soon.
D Eb
The crowd held it's breath,
D Eb
Hoping that death
D Eb D Eb D Eb D Eb D
Would brighten an otherwise dull after-noon.
D7 G D
At last, the matador did what we wanted him to.
A7 D
He raised his sword and his aim was true.
D7 G D B7
In that moment of truth I suddenly knew
Em A7 D Eb D A7
That someone had stolen my wallet.
A7 D Fdim A7
Now it's fiesta time in ak-ron, ohio,
A9/5+ D
But it's back to old Guadalajara I'm longing to go.
F#m Am/C B7 Em
Far away from the strikes of the A.F. of L. and C.I.O.
D
How I wish I could get back
A7
To the land of the wetback,
C7/5- B7
And forget the Alamo,
Em A7 D Eb D
In old Mexi-co.
SHOUT - Ole!
How to play In Old Mexico
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.