Big Iron by Marty Robbins

Overview

Key: E major · Chords used: 4 · Sections: 9

Form: Intro → Verse → Verse ×6 → Verse

Where these chords come from: an expert transcription of the original recording made for the McGill Billboard Project (Burgoyne, Wild & Fujinaga, 2011). This page shows that transcription as-is: the analysis below is generated directly from it by code, not written by AI. Consecutive repeats of a chord are shown once, and the piano voicings are our playable arrangement of each chord symbol, not a note-for-note transcription.

Section by section

Intro

• C♯m – G♯ – C♯m
  vi – III – vi

Verse 1

• E – C♯m (×2)
  I – vi
• A – E – C♯m – A – E
  IV – I – vi – IV – I

Verse 2

Same chords as Verse 1.

Verse 3

Same chords as Verse 1.

Verse 4

Same chords as Verse 1.

Verse 5

Same chords as Verse 1.

Verse 6

Same chords as Verse 1.

Verse 7

Same chords as Verse 1.

Verse 8

• E – C♯m (×2)
  I – vi
• A – E – C♯m – A – E (×2)
  IV – I – vi – IV – I
• C♯m
  vi

Chord vocabulary

Harmonic highlights

• G♯ acts as V/vi: it resolves to C♯m.

Sources & accuracy

• Chords and sections: the McGill Billboard Project (Burgoyne, Wild & Fujinaga, 2011). Expert transcription by trained musicians (song 0814, CC0), via ChoCo.
• Not verified: only one expert transcription of this song is available so far.
• Rhythm and chord durations aren't shown; each step is one chord change.