Tennessee Flattop Box Chords

KeyB Capo2st fret TuningStandard Difficulty Plays382

Tennessee Flattop Box by Johnny Cash is a beginner-friendly guitar song played in the key of B with a capo on the 2st fret. It uses the chords A, E and D. Use the transpose and diagram tools on this page to change the key, see each shape, or simplify the chords.

Transpose
B
Text
16
Speed
  			 
  
     A                               E 
In a little cabaret in a South Texas border town 
      E                                           A 
Sat a boy and his guitar and the people came from all around 
            A                   E 
And all the girls from there to Austin 
     E                                              A 
Were slippin' away from home and puttin' jewelry in hock 
            A               E 
To take the trip, to go and listen 
       E                                                        A 
To the little dark-haired boy who played the Tennessee flat top box 
             D 
And he would play 
 
  
Instrumental 
 
  
Well, he couldn't ride or wrangle, and he never cared to make a dime 
But give him his guitar, and he'd be happy all the time 
And all the girls from nine to ninety 
Were snapping fingers, tapping toes, and begging him don't stop 
And hypnotized and fascinated 
By the little dark-haired boy who played the Tennessee flat top box 
And he would play 
 
  
Instrumental  
 
 
Then one day he was gone, and no one ever saw him 'round 
He vanished like the breeze, they forgot him in the little town 
But all the girls still dreamed about him 
And hung around the cabaret until the doors were locked 
And then one day on the 'Hit Parade' 
Was a little dark-haired boy who played the Tennessee flat top box 
And he would play 
  
 
Instrumental 
    	

Chord diagrams

Guitar tuner

--
Start the tuner and play a string

Reference tones

Standard tuning, lowest to highest. Click a string to play it; the string the mic hears is highlighted.

Click Start tuner and allow microphone access. The needle centers and turns green when a string is in tune (within 5 cents).
No microphone? You can still tap any string above to hear its exact reference pitch.

Metronome

100 BPM Andante