INTRO:   |a   a   |a   a  (Pick the bass note on beat 1 and 3.  No strumming)
  |a                 a              |e              a      
A young cowboy named Billy Joe grew restless on the farm
  |a              a              |e              a      
A boy filled with wanderlust who really meant no harm
   |d                      d                    |d                   d
He changed his clothes and shined his boots and combed his dark hair down
        |a              a         
And his mother cried as he walked out...
                |d                a     
         "Don't take your guns to town, son
         |d                 a     
         Leave your guns at home, Bill...
         |              d         D(strum)  |A*       |A
         Pause  Don't take your guns to   town."
(Start playing alternating bass rhythm at the asterisk, and continue to the
end of the song)
   |A                                         |E            A
He laughed and kissed his mom and said, "Your Billy Joe's a man.
|A                                   |E      A
I can shoot as quick and straight as anybody can,
      |D                                  |D
But I wouldn't shoot without a cause, I'd gun nobody down."
        |A
But she cried again as he rode away...
         CHORUS (slowly):
                |D                A
         "Don't take your guns to town, son
         |D                       A
         Leave your guns at home, Bill...
         |NC            D                 |A        |A
         Pause  Don't take your guns to town." (resume full tempo)
He sang a song as on he rode, his guns hung at his hips.
He rode into a cattle town, a smile upon his lips.
He stopped and walked into a bar and laid his money down,
But his mother's words echoed again...
CHORUS
He drank his first strong liquor then to calm his shaking hand
And tried to tell himself at last he had become a man.
A dusty cowpoke at his side began to laugh him down
And he heard again his mother's words...
CHORUS
Bill was raged and Billy Joe reached for his gun to draw,
But the stranger drew his gun and fired before he even saw.
As Billy Joe fell to the floor the crowd all gathered 'round,
And wondered at his final words...
Final Chorus:   Don't take your guns to town, son
                Leave your guns at home, Bill...(pause)
             | (pause)  d         D(strum)       |a e a e  |a e a...
                Don't   take your guns to town.

TABS:  (Fret numbers are relative to the capo, not the nut.  I had
        to stretch out some bars to line up with the lyrics, so 
        I've numbered the beats above each bar)
VERSES (using words from verse two as the example)
Line 1 and 2 are the same chords:
  A                                          E            A             
     1       +   2      +   3   +   4      +    1  +  2     + 3   +  4  +
e|-----------0----------0-------0----------0--|----0--------0-----0-----0-|
B|-----------2----------2-------2----------2--|----0--------0-----2-----2-|
G|-----------2----------2-------2----------2--|----1--------1-----2-----2-|
D|-----------2----------2-------2----------2--|----2--------2-----2-----2-|
A|---0-------0----------0---0---0----------0--|----2--2-----2-0---0-----0-|
E|-----------x---0------x-------x---0------x--|-0--0--------0-----x--0--x-|
1)He laughed and kissed his mom and said, "Your Billy Joe's a man
2)   I       can shoot as quick and straight as a- ny-bo-  dy can
Line 3
  D                                 D
  1   +    2     +   3   + 4      +   1   + 2 +  3   +  4  +
e|----2----------2-------2--------2--|----2---2------2-----2---|
B|----3----------3-------3--------3--|----3---3------3-----3---|
G|----2----------2-------2--------2--|----2---2------2-----2---|
D|0---0----------0---0---0--------0--|0---0---0--0---0-----0---|
A|----x----0-----x-------x-0------x--|----x-0-x------x--0--x---|
E|----x----------x-------x--------x--|----x---x------x-----x---|
I wouldn't shoot without a cause, I'd gun nobody down."
Line 4
  A
    1     + 2       + 3     + 4...
e|--------0---------0-------0----------|
B|--------2---------2-------2----------|
G|--------2---------2-------2----------|
D|--------2---------2-------2----------|
A|--0-----0---------0--0----0----------|
E|--------x-0-------x-------x-0--------|
She cried a-gain as he rode a-way...

CHORUS
Line 1 and 2 are the same chords:
 D                     A
e|----------------2-------------0------|
B|----------------3-------------3------|
G|----------------2-------------3------|
D|-----0----------0-------------3------|
A|----------------x-------0-----0------|
E|----------------x-------------x------|
 Don't take your  guns to town, son
       Leave your guns at home, Bill...
Line 3:
  NC   D                A                                          
                             1   + 2 + 3 + 4 +   1   + 2 + 3 + 4 +   
e|------------------2-------|----0---0---0---0--|--0---0---0---0--|
B|------------------3-------|----2---2---2---2--|--2---2---2---2--|
G|------------------2-------|----2---2---2---2--|--2---2---2---2--|
D|--------0---------0-------|----2---2---2---2--|--2---2---2---2--|
A|------------------x-------|0---0---0-0-0---0--|0-0---0-0-0---0--|
E|------------------x-------|----x-0-x---x-0-x--|--x-0-x---x-0-x--|
    Don't take your guns to town.