Playboys of the Southwestern World
View chords used in this chart
D D D D
This is a song about best friends
D C
John Roy was a boy I knew
G D
Since he was three and I was two
G C D
Grew up two little houses down from me
G C
The only two bad apples on our family tree
G C
Kind of ripened and rotted in our puberty
G C D
Two kindred spirits bound by destiny
Em C
Well now I was smart, but I lacked ambition
G D
Johnny was wild with no inhibition
G C D
Was about like mixin' fire and gasoline
D
And he'd say
G C
Hey Romeo
G D
Let's go down to Mexico
G C
Chase senoritas, drink ourselves silly
G D
Show them Mexican girls a couple real hillbillies
G C
Got a pocket full of cash and that old Ford truck
G D
A fuzzy cat hangin' from the mirror for luck
G C D
Said don't you know all those little brown-eyed girls
D G C G D
Want playboys of the southwestern world
Long around our eighteenth year
We found two airplane tickets the hell out of here
Got scholarships to some small town school in Texas
We learned to drink Sangrias 'till the dawns early light
Eat eggs Rancheros and throw up all night
And tell those Daddy's girls we were majoring in a rodeo
Ah, but my favorite memory of school that fall
Was the night John Roy came runnin' down the hall
Wearin nothin' but cowboy boots and a big sombrero
And he was yellin'
(Repeat Chorus)
And I said, we had a little change in plans
Like when Paul McCartney got busted in Japan
And I said we got waylaid
When we set foot on Mexican soil
You see the boarder guard with the Fu Manchu mustache
Kind of stumbled on John's pocket full of American cash
He said
"Doin' a little funny business in Mexico, Amigo"
But all I could think about was savin' my own tail
When he mentioned ten years in a Mexican jail
So I pointed to John Roy and said
"It's all his now please let me go"
I mean it was your idea genius
I was just layin' there in bed
When you said
(Repeat Chorus)
Ah, we're still best friends
Temporary cell mates
{Thanks to Daniel.Hogan@nellis.af.mil for tabs}
How to play Playboys of the Southwestern World
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.