Mister Garfield
View chords used in this chart
Afinação: E A D G B ETecla: BCapotraste:
2nd traste
From the album "America: A 200-Year Salute In Story And Song" (1972)
Youtube link: https://youtu.be/HGNJUmO_2X8
Spotify link: https://open.spotify.com/track/6paRoeJrfxqyUkJOeggxPw?si=ff56c9df3afd4048
Capo on 2nd fret. If you want to play without capo, you can set the "Transpose" button
on +2.
Throughout the entire song, the A chord is combined with A/E (A chord with the bass note
on E).
[Intro]
| A |
[Verse 1]
A A
Me and my brother was down close to the depot
A
When I heard the report of a pistol
A
I hollered, 'I wonder what was that!'
A
He run out and he come back and he said
A
'That was a report of a pistol'
A
And I thought I was gonna faint when he said it
[Chorus]
A A
'Mr. Garfield's been shot down, shot down, shot down
A E A
Mr. Garfield's been shot down low'
[Verse 2]
A A
Lord, I knew the President was supposed to be down the depot that day
A A
But I just wouldn't let myself believe that he'd been shot
A
Me and my bother run out there and everybody was all confused and hollering' and
A
running' round
A
And I stepped up to this one lady and I said that
A A
'Ma'am what was it really that happened Ma'am?', and she said that
[Chorus]
A A
'Mr. Garfield's been shot down, shot down, shot down
A E A
Mr. Garfield's been shot down low'
[Verse 3]
A A
Well, it looked like everybody felt just about as bad as I did
A A A
Everybody started drift off to home, me and my brother did too
A A
Then a few weeks later, I heard that the President was still alive
A
So I told my brother, I said
A A
'Hey let's get on a train and go to that Big House up there and see how the President
is'
A A
'Let's go up there to where he's laid up hurt and sick we'd see him'
A A
So we went on up there and that big White House and there was a soldier boy standin'
round upside, outside
A A
And, I sidled up to him and I said to that soldier boy, I said
A A
'Who was it that did it? Who was it that shot the President?'
A A A
And he said that, 'It was Charlie Guiteau that shot Mr. Garfield' and I said
[Chorus]
A A
'Charlie Guiteau done shot down a good man, good man
A E A
Charlie Guiteau done shot down a good man low
A A
Charlie Guiteau done shot down a good man, good man'
[Verse 4]
A A
That soldier boy said that
A A
Miss Lucretia Garfield was always at his bedside
A
In the heat of the day fannin' him when he was hot
A A
And he said just that mornin' that he had been at the window
A A
And he'd overheard Miss Lucretia and Mr. Garfield talkin'
A A
And Mr Garfield said, 'Crete, honey', he called her Crete
A A
He said, 'Crete, honey, if somethin' worse would happens to me'
A A A
He said, 'You get yourself a good man' and she said, 'Now James', she called him James
A A A
She said, 'James, I won't hear to that now 'cause I love you too much' and he said that
[Chorus]
A A
'You'll make some good man a good wife, good wife
A E A
You'll make some man a good wife gal
A A
Don't pull in single harness all your life, good gal
A E A
Don't pull in single harness all your life'
[Verse 5]
A
That's what he said, 'Don't pull in single harness all your life'
A A
Well a little while later, we come back around there and things have changed
A
The flag was hangin' halfway up the flagpole
A A
And everybody was cryin' and standin' 'round sad
A
And I walked back up to this soldier boy and I said
A A
'Soldier boy, is he, is Mr Garfield?'
A A
And he said, 'Yeah, he's gone'
[Chorus]
A A
Gonna lay him by that cold lonesome branch down low
A E A
Mr. Garfield's been shot down low
A A
Oh, Mr. Garfield's been shot down, shot down, shot down
A E A
Mr. Garfield's been shot down low
A A
Have you heard the news? Mr. Garfield's been shot down, shot down, shot down
A E A A
Mr. Garfield's been shot down low, Lord
How to play Mister Garfield
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 E. 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.