Skip to song content
Ukulelearn homepage
14,015 TRANSITIONS ANALYZED#1 at 23%: Which Transition?We analyzed 14,015 chord transitions and ranked the 100 most repeated ones. Even the first 10 will transform your practice routine. The top transition appears in 23% of all songs.

Paul Simon - 50 Ways to Leave Your Lover Ukulele Chords

DATA-DRIVENWhich Chord Comes Next?Learn the most likely chord transitions on the ukulele and start playing songs with confidence.
ChordsG, D, C7, B7, Em, D#, Am, Bb, C
Strumming↓-↓↓↑

Before you play, tune your ukulele and use the tools below to set up your view and flow.

G”TheproblemisDallinsideyourC7head”,shesaidtoB7me,
Em”TheanswerisD#easyifyouC7takeit B7logically.
GI’dliketoDhelpyouinyourC7struggletobeB7free.
Theremustbe,EmfiftyAmwaystoleaveyourEmlover”
GShesaid:“It’sDreallynotmyC7habitto B7intrude,
EmFurthermoreIhopemyD#meaningwon’tbeC7lostor B7misconstrued,
ButI’ll Grepeatmyself,DattheC7riskofbeingB7crude.
Theremustbe,EmfiftyAmwaystoleaveyourEmlover
EmFiftyAmwaystoleaveyourEmlover”
YoujustslipouttheGbackJack,makeanewBbplanStan,
Youdon’tneedtobeCcoyRoy,justgetyourselfGfree
HopontheGbusGus,youdon’tneedto Bbdiscussmuch,
JustdropofftheCkeyLee,andgetyourselfGfree.
SlipouttheGbackJack,makeanewBbplanStan,
Youdon’tneedtobeCcoyRoy,youjustlistentoGme
HopontheGbusGus,youdon’tneedto Bbdiscussmuch,
JustdropofftheCkeyLee,andgetyourselfGfree.
GShesaid:“ItDgrievesmesotoC7seeyouinsuchB7pain.
IwishtherewasEmsomethingIcouldD#dotoC7makeyousmile B7again.”
Isaid:“I GappreciateDthatandC7wouldyouplease B7explain
Aboutthe,Emfiftyways”AmEm
GShesaid:“WhyDdon’twebothjustC7sleeponit B7tonight,
AndI EmbelievethatintheD#morningyou’ll C7begintoseetheB7light.”
ThensheGkissedmeandIDrealized,sheC7probablywasB7right,
TheremustbeEmfiftyAmwaystoleaveyourEmlover,
EmFiftyAmwaystoleaveyourEmlover
YoujustslipouttheGbackJack,makeanewBbplanStan,
Youdon’tneedtobeCcoyRoy,justgetyourselfGfree
HopontheGbusGus,youdon’tneedto Bbdiscussmuch,
JustdropofftheCkeyLee,andgetyourselfGfree.
SlipouttheGbackJack,makeanewBbplanStan,
Youdon’tneedtobeCcoyRoy,youjustlistentoGme
HopontheGbusGus,youdon’tneedto Bbdiscussmuch,
JustdropofftheCkeyLee,andgetyourselfGfree.
SONG DATA3 Chords, 200 Chains, 1 BookDiscover the most-used three-chord combinations in songs and build real command on the ukulele.
14,015 TRANSITIONS ANALYZED#1 at 23%: Which Transition?Master ukulele today with the 100 most repeated chord transitions from 14,015 analyzed.
ArtistPaul Simon
AlbumStill Crazy After All These Years
GenresPop
Year1975
KeyG
DifficultyAdvanced

How to play 50 Ways to Leave Your Lover on Ukulele (Step-by-step)

Paul Simon - 50 Ways to Leave Your Lover on ukulele requires 9 chords and 12 core chord transitions. You can find the full step-by-step guide below. Before you start, tune your instrument. The song uses the ↓-↓↓↑ pattern; practice it muted first, or simplify to downstrokes while you learn the changes.

50 Ways to Leave Your Lover uses these transitions most often: C7 → B7 (12), B7 → Em (8), and Bb → C (8). These transitions may feel a little challenging at first, but with steady practice you can play this song quickly.When you are ready, begin with G - D chord transition.

1. G → D chord transition

Ukulele G chord diagram Fingering: 0-2-3-2Ukulele G chord diagram
Ukulele D chord diagram Fingering: 2-2-2-0Ukulele D chord diagram

Switching from G to D:

  1. Lift your index finger from C string fret 2 and place it on G string fret 2.
  2. Slide your middle finger from A string fret 2 to C string fret 2.
  3. Slide your ring finger on E string from fret 3 to fret 2.

This transition appears in the section, played 8 times.

G to D

2. D → C7 chord transition

Ukulele D chord diagram Fingering: 2-2-2-0Ukulele D chord diagram
Ukulele C7 chord diagram Fingering: 0-0-0-1Ukulele C7 chord diagram

Switching from D to C7:

  1. While playing D, first lift your middle finger and ring finger.
  2. Lift your index finger from G string fret 2 and place it on A string fret 1.

This transition appears in the section, played 8 times.

D to C7

3. C7 → B7 chord transition

Ukulele C7 chord diagram Fingering: 0-0-0-1Ukulele C7 chord diagram
Ukulele B7 chord diagram Fingering: 2-3-2-2 Barre at fret 2.Ukulele B7 chord diagram

Here's how to move from C7 to B7:

  1. Lift your index finger from A string fret 1 and place it on G string fret 2.
  2. Place middle finger on C string fret 3.

This transition appears in the section, played 12 times.

C7 to B7

4. B7 → Em chord transition

Ukulele B7 chord diagram Fingering: 2-3-2-2 Barre at fret 2.Ukulele B7 chord diagram
Ukulele Em chord diagram Fingering: 0-4-3-2Ukulele Em chord diagram

Switching from B7 to Em:

  1. Lift your index finger from G string fret 2 and place it on A string fret 2.
  2. Slide your middle finger from C string fret 3 to E string fret 3.
  3. Place ring finger on C string fret 4.

This transition appears in the section, played 8 times.

B7 to Em

5. Em → D# chord transition

Switching from Em to D#:

  1. While playing Em, lift your middle finger from E string fret 3.
  2. Slide your index finger on A string from fret 2 to fret 1.
  3. Slide your ring finger on C string from fret 4 to fret 3.
  4. Place pinky on E string fret 3.

This transition appears in the section, played 4 times.

6. D# → C7 chord transition

Here's how to move from D# to C7:

  1. While playing D#, first lift your ring finger and pinky.
  2. Keep index finger on A string fret 1.

This transition appears in the section, played 4 times.

7. B7 → G chord transition

To move from B7 to G:

  1. Lift your index finger from G string fret 2 and place it on C string fret 2.
  2. Slide your middle finger from C string fret 3 to A string fret 2.
  3. Place ring finger on E string fret 3.

This transition appears in the section, played 4 times.

8. Em → Am chord transition

To move from Em to Am:

  1. While playing Em, first lift your index finger and ring finger.
  2. Lift your middle finger from E string fret 3 and place it on G string fret 2.

This transition appears in the section, played 6 times.

9. Em → G chord transition

To move from Em to G:

  1. Lift your index finger from A string fret 2 and place it on C string fret 2.
  2. Slide your middle finger from E string fret 3 to A string fret 2.
  3. Lift your ring finger from C string fret 4 and place it on E string fret 3.

This transition appears in the section, played 4 times.

10. G → Bb chord transition

Switching from G to Bb:

  1. Lift your index finger from C string fret 2 and place it on E string fret 1.
  2. Slide your middle finger from A string fret 2 to C string fret 2.
  3. Lift your ring finger from E string fret 3 and place it on G string fret 3.

This transition appears in the chorus, played 8 times.

11. Bb → C chord transition

To move from Bb to C:

  1. While playing Bb, first lift your index finger and middle finger.
  2. Lift your ring finger from G string fret 3 and place it on A string fret 3.

This transition appears in the chorus, played 8 times.

12. C → G chord transition

To move from C to G:

  1. Lift your ring finger from A string fret 3 and place it on E string fret 3.
  2. Place index finger on C string fret 2.
  3. Place middle finger on A string fret 2.

This transition appears in the chorus, played 8 times.

50 Ways to Leave Your Lover chord transition analysis

A short, data-driven summary of the chord flow in 50 Ways to Leave Your Lover.

  • 50 Ways to Leave Your Lover includes 88 chord transitions, 12 of them unique.
  • These transitions represent 0.02% of all chord transitions in Ukulelearn.
  • 50 Ways to Leave Your Lover contains 2 of the top 10 transitions across Ukulelearn.
  • These transition patterns show how 50 Ways to Leave Your Lover connects to the rest of Ukulelearn. Mastering them helps you move to similar songs faster.
    After G, the most likely next chords across Ukulelearn are C (25%), D (24%), and Am (13%).
    • G → D: 24%
    • G → Bb: 0%
    After Em, the most likely next chords across Ukulelearn are C (27%), G (18%), and D (18%).
    • Em → G: 18%
    • Em → Am: 12%
SONG DATA3 Chords, 200 Chains, 1 BookThe 200 most popular three-chord chains extracted from real songs. See which songs use each chain, learn the finger transitions, and expand your repertoire with patterns that actually matter.