Big Rock Candy Mountain Chords

by Harry McClintock
259,698 views, added to favorites 9,025 times
Difficulty: beginner
Tuning: E A D G B E
Capo: 1st fret
Author Unregistered.
5 contributors total, last edit on Jul 4, 2023
We have an official Big Rock Candy Mountain tab made by UG professional guitarists.
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Chords

C
G
F

Strumming

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[Intro]
C G C
 
[Verse 1]
    C                                           G        C
One evening as the sun went down and the jungle fire was burning
         C                                            G       C
Down the track came a hobo hiking and he said, "Boys, I'm not turning"
    F            C           F    C     F         C       G
I'm headed for a land that's far away besides the crystal fountains
   C                                  G              C
So come with me, we'll go and see the Big Rock Candy Mountains
 
[Verse 2]
       C                                  F                    C
In the Big Rock Candy Mountains there's a land that's fair and bright,
          F                C              F               G
where the handouts grow on bushes and you sleep out every night
          C                             F                C
Where the boxcars all are empty and the sun shines every day
       F             C            F         C          F        C
on the birds and the bees and the cigarette trees, the lemonade springs where the
F        C            G              C
bluebird sings in the Big Rock Candy Mountains
 
[Verse 3]
       C                                F                C
In the Big Rock Candy Mountains all the cops have wooden legs,
        F                 C                    F                    G
and the bulldogs all have rubber teeth and the hens lay soft-boiled eggs 
    C                                        F                 C
The farmers' trees are full of fruit and the barns are full of hay
        F        C              F        C               F          C
Oh, I'm bound to go where there ain't no snow, where the rain don't fall,
    F          C           G              C
the wind don't blow in the Big Rock Candy Mountains
 
[Verse 4]
       C                            F                 C
In the Big Rock Candy Mountains you never change your socks,
        F                 C              F                  G
and the little streams of alcohol come a trickling down the rocks
    C                                       F                  C
The brakemen have to tip their hats and the railroad bulls are blind
          F       C           F        C           F           C
There's a lake of stew and of whiskey too, you can paddle all around 'em in a
F      C         G              C
big canoe in the Big Rock Candy Mountains
 
[Verse 5]
       C                            F                 C
In the Big Rock Candy Mountains the jails are made of tin,
    F                  C            F               G
and you can walk right out again as soon as you are in
      C                                  F             C
There ain't no short-handled shovels, no axes, saws or picks
      F     C              F         C
I'm a gonna stay where you sleep all day, where they
F         C          F       C
hung the Turk that invented work
       G              C
in the Big Rock Candy Mountains
 
[Instrumental]
C       F   C
F C F C
 
[Outro]
     F       C        F      C           G              C
I'll see you all this comin' fall in the Big Rock Candy Mountains
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Big Rock Candy Mountain – Harry McClintock
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"Big Rock Candy Mountain"
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18 comments
gazeemyth
I’m like 99.9% sure he wants to hang the jerk that invented work…but who knows, it could have been a jerk Turk inventing work I guess?
+6
lessthanpaul
Did Burl Ives record 2 versions? This looks the same as the Harry Mcklintok version.
+5
larrylizzard
A few subtle changes on the lyrics. You can see them here: https://genius.com/Harry-mcclintock-big-rock-candy-mountain-lyrics
+2