SWEET HOME CHICAGO - Blues Brothers Soundtrack
Intro [B7] [A7] [E7]
Chorus
Come [E7]on
Oh [A7]baby don't you wanna [E7]go
Come [A7]on
Oh [A7]baby don't you wanna [E7]go
Back to that [B7]same old place
[A7]Sweet home Chi-[E7]cago
Chorus
Come [E7]on
[A7]Baby don't you wanna [E7]go
Hide-[A7]hey
[A7]Baby dont you wanna [E7]go
Back to that [B7]same old place
[A7]Sweet home Chi-[E7]cago
Verse 1
Well, [E7]one and one is two
Six and two is eight
Come on baby don't ya make me late
Hide-[A7]hey
[A7]Baby dont you wanna [E7]go
Back to that [B7]same old place
[A7]Sweet home Chi-[E7]cago
Chorus
Come [E7]on
Oh [A7]baby don't you wanna [E7]go
Well, come [A7]on
Oh [A7]baby don't you wanna [E7]go
Back to that [B7]same old place
[A7]Sweet home Chi-[E7]cago
Instrumental
[E7] [A7] [E7] [A7] [E7] [B7] [A7] [E7] [E7] [A7] [E7] [B7] [A7] [E7] [B7]
Verse 2
[E7]Six and three is nine
Nine and nine is eighteen
Look there brother baby and see what I’ve seen
Hide-[A7]hey
[A7]Baby dont you wanna [E7]go
Back to that [B7]same old place
[A7]Sweet home Chi-[E7]cago
Chorus
Oh, come [E7]on
[A7]Baby don't you wanna [E7]go
Come [A7]on
[A7]Baby dont you wanna [E7]go
Back to that [B7]same old place
[A7]Sweet home Chi-[E7]cago
Outro
[E7] [A7] [E7] [A7] [E7] [B7] [A7] [E7] [E7] [A7] [E7] [B7] [A7] [E7] (to the end)
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The Story Behind the Song
Not Entirely Original
Robert Johnson recorded the song in 1936, but he didn’t invent it from scratch. It builds on earlier blues songs, especially ones by Kokomo Arnold like “Old Original Kokomo Blues.” Johnson reworked the melody and lyrics into something tighter and more memorable.
A Musician’s Dream
For blues players in the 1930s:
Chicago represented success, audiences, and recording opportunities
Later it was to form the foundation of electric blues (though that happened after Johnson’s time)
So the song can be heard as:
A longing to leave hardship behind
A dream of making it somewhere bigger
Or even just a familiar blues theme of movement and escape
“Sweet Home Chicago” didn’t become a huge hit immediately, but it grew into one of the most famous blues standards ever.