Kings Song
View chords used in this chart
King's Song Jim Croce
C Em Am
He struggled so hard to be king
Dm G
Working night and day
C Em Am
Dreaming of only one thing
Dm G
Never a holiday
F C
Somewhere along the way
F Dm G7
He forgot she was only a girl
C Em
Now his kingdom has fallen
F Dm Bb G
And it's really quite a tragic tale
C Em Am
Cause he built a castle to harbor his queen
F C G
But the queen claimed he built her a jail
C Em Am
He struggled so hard to be king
Dm G
He wanted everything
C Em Am
He built her a house by the sea
Dm G
Just to keep her in
F C
Somewhere along the way
F Bb G
He forgot she needed a friend
C Em
Now his kingdom has fallen
F Dm Bb G
And it's really quite a tragic tale
C Em Am
Cause he built a castle to harbor his queen
F C G E7, A
And the queen claimed he built her a jail
D G Gm
It happened so quickly before he could know
D G D
She was gone, far gone
G D
Far from the castle, the diamonds and things
Bm C A7
She had worn to the ball
G D
There was a note that she carefully wrote
Bm C A7
Signed it best wishes to all
D F#m Bm
Oh you struggled so hard to be king
Em7 A
Working night and day
D F#m Bm Em7 A7
Dreaming of only one thing, never a holiday
G Gm D
Somewhere along the way
G C A D
You forgot that I needed a man
D F#m D B7
When they found him they took him back where he belonged
Em Em7 Em A
And his family and friends saw him annually
D F#m D B
And they say it's a shame what's become of the king
How to play Kings Song
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.