Other arrangements of You Don't Mess Around With Jim
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(E)Up town got its hus tlers,
the Bow ’ry got its bums.
For ty sec ond Street got big Jim Walk er; he a pool shoot in’ son of a gun
Yeah, (E7)he big and dumb as a man can come but he (A)strong er than a (D)coun try hoss.
And when the (B7)bad folks all get to (A7)geth er at night, you know they (B7)all call big Jim “Boss”
just be cause.
And they say, “You don’t (A7)tug on Su per man’s (E)cape, you don’t (A7)spit in to the (E7)wind, you don’t (A7)pull the mask off the old Lone Rang er, and you (B7)don’t mess a round with Jim.”
Well, out a (E)south Al a bam a come a coun try boy.
He said, “I’m look in’ for a man named Jim.
I am a pool shoot in’ boy, my name is Wil lie Mc Coy, but down home they call me “Slim.”
Yeah, (E7)I’m look in’ for the (D)king of For ty (A7)sec ond Street, he (D)driv in’ a drop top (D)Cad il lac.
(D)Last week he took all my mon ey and it (A7)may sound fun ny but I (B7)come to get my mon ey back.” And ev ’ry bod y (E)say, “Jack, don’t you (E7)know that you don’t
Well, a hush fell o ver the pool room, Jim my come bop pin’ in off the street.
And when the cut tin’ were done the on ly part that was n’t blood y was the soles of the big man’s feet.
Yeah, (E7)he were (A)cut in ’bout a (D)hun dred plac es, and he were (A7)shot in a (D)cou ple more.
And you (B7)bet ter be lieve they sung a (A7)dif f’rent kind of sto ry when a (B7)big Jim hit the floor, oh.
Now they say you don’t (A7)tug on Su per man’s (E)cape, you don’t (A7)spit in to the (E7)wind, you don’t (A7)pull the mask off the old Lone Rang ger and you (B7)don’t mess a round with “Slim.”
You Don't Mess Around With Jim — Karaoke: Lyrics & Chords to Sing & Play Along
40 people have learned this song
Free karaoke for "You Don't Mess Around With Jim" by Jim Croce: lyrics on screen with the chords above each line and a bouncing ball that lands on every word in time. Sing along, or play along on guitar or piano from the chord chart. Change the key to fit your voice, slow the tempo down. Key of E, 145 BPM.
This arrangement is a great workout for your left hand — that octave bass pattern at 145 BPM demands steady, relaxed wrist motion, so if you tense up you'll fatigue fast.
Start hands-separate at around 100 BPM and build speed only once your left hand can lock into the groove without looking down.
Your right hand cycles through six chords, mostly in the E–A–B7 family, but watch the shifts to D and the dominant sevenths — A to A7 and E to E7 are just one-finger changes, so anticipate them rather than reacting late.
The trickiest transition is B7 to D because it reshapes your whole hand; loop that two-chord change until it feels automatic.
Syncopation drives this song's energy, so lean on the off-beats in your right hand while keeping your left-hand octaves metronomically even — that push-pull tension is what makes it feel like rock.
Once you've got this down, you'll have real confidence handling quick chord changes over a driving bass at tempo, which transfers to dozens of other up-tempo rock tunes.
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About “You Don't Mess Around With Jim”
- What key is "You Don't Mess Around With Jim" by Jim Croce played in?
- You Don't Mess Around With Jim is arranged in the key of E on Super Simple Piano. You can transpose to any other key live in the player.
- What's the tempo (BPM) of "You Don't Mess Around With Jim"?
- The arrangement plays at 145 BPM. Use the speed control (10-200%) to practice slower or play faster.
- Is "You Don't Mess Around With Jim" easy to play on piano?
- This is a medium-difficulty arrangement. Most players can learn it within a few practice sessions using the speed control.
- Can I download sheet music for "You Don't Mess Around With Jim"?
- Yes — registered users can download PDF sheet music, plus MIDI and MusicXML files for use in other notation software.
- Who composed "You Don't Mess Around With Jim"?
- "You Don't Mess Around With Jim" was originally performed by Jim Croce. The Super Simple Piano arrangement is simplified for beginner-to-intermediate players.
- What chords are used in "You Don't Mess Around With Jim"?
- This arrangement uses 6 chords: A, A7, B7, D, E, E7.
- What other songs by Jim Croce can I play here?
- Try "WORKIN' AT THE CAR WASH BLUES", "I'LL HAVE TO SAY I LOVE YOU IN A SONG", "LOVER'S CROSS". All are in our player with color-coded notes; pick the one matching your level.
- Is there a karaoke version of "You Don't Mess Around With Jim" with lyrics?
- Yes — this is a free karaoke slide for "You Don't Mess Around With Jim" by Jim Croce. The lyrics appear on screen a line at a time and each word lights up exactly when it's sung, with a bouncing ball leading you word to word. A backing plays underneath so you can just sing.
- Does it show chords so I can play along on guitar or piano?
- It does — a chord symbol sits on a thin row just above the lyric it changes on, so the same screen doubles as a lyrics-and-chords chart. Guitarists can strum the changes and pianists can comp while singing; the chords are colour-coded and move with the live transpose if you change key.
- Can I change the key of "You Don't Mess Around With Jim" to match my voice or capo?
- Yes. The original is in E, but the live transpose control shifts the whole song up or down semitones until the melody sits in your range (or maps to an easier guitar shape / capo position) — the on-screen chords and the backing move with it.
- Can I slow "You Don't Mess Around With Jim" down to learn the words and chords?
- Yes — the tempo control lets you take it as slow as you need while the lyrics still light up in time and the ball keeps you on the beat. Speed it back up once you can sing and play it through.