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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.

Johnny Cash - Chicken In Black Ukulele Chords

DATA-DRIVENWhich Chord Comes Next?Learn the most likely chord transitions on the ukulele and start playing songs with confidence.
ChordsA, D, E7, Bb, Eb, F7
Strumming↓-↓↑-↓↑-↓↑

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

AFortwolongyearsmyheadhurtbad
SoaDdoctorcheckedmeanheshookhishead
HesaidE7I’msorrytotellyou
Butyourbody’soutlivedyourAbrain
HesaidIknowthisdoctorinNewYork,son
Andhe’llDfixyourightupwithabrandnewone
SotheE7headdoctormetme
WhenIsteppeddownoffoftheAtrain.
AHesaidwehadthisbankrobberkilledlastnight
HisDbody’sshotbuthisbrain’salright
I’llE7giveyouatransplant,boy
Andyou’llbeAOK
IgotmynewbraininandIwasfeelinggreat
IwentDrightbacktoNashvillewithnoheadache
ButsomethingE7strangehappened
WhenIwalkedinthebankoneAday.
IsaidDstickthemupeverybodyI’mrobbingthisplace
DropAallofyourmoneyinmyguitarcase
Don’tDnobodymoveanddon’tnobodyreachforthatE7door
AAladysaid,whyyou’reJohnnyCash
IsaidDnomadam,I’mtheManhattanFlash
AndIE7amthebestbankrobberinNewAYork.
ANowtheothernightRoyAcuffcalledme
HesaidDJohnI’dlikeforyoutodotheOpry
SoIE7wentoutonthestage,butIcouldn’tAsing
Igotintoahalfaverseof“IWalkTheLine”
AndDsomethingsnappedinthisheadofmine
IyelledE7stick’emup
Givemeyourmoney,yourwatchesandArings.
BbEbF7
BbWell,IcalledNewYorkandtalkedtothatbrainquack
AndsaidEbDocIgottahavemyoldbrainback
HesaidI’mF7sorrythere,Mr.Cash,butIcan’tdoBbthat
HesaidIputyourbraininachickenlastmonday
He’sEbsingingyoursongsandmakinglotsofmoney
AndIgothimF7signedtoaten-yearrecording Bbcontract.
BbNowfriendsifyouseemewalkingdownthestreet
RememberEbwhatyouseeain’tnecessarilyme
AndifIF7trytoholdyouup,don’tpaymenoBbmind
Butwhenyougottenbucksthatyoucanblow
YououghtaEbcatchthatJohnnyChickenshow
He’sdoingF7fairsandconcertdates
AllupanddowntheBbline.
IsaidEbstickthemupeverybodyI’mrobbingthisplace
DropBballofyourmoneyinmyguitarcase
Don’tEbnobodymoveanddon’tnobodyreachforthatF7door
ABbladysaid,whyyou’reJohnnyCash
IsaidEbnoma’am,I’mtheManhattanFlash
AndIF7amthebestbankrobberinNewBbYork.
Well,Idon’tpayanyincometax…
Youdon’tpaytaxonmoneyyousteal…
YououghtacatchthatJohnnyChickenshow…
Chickeninblack!hmm!
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.
ArtistJohnny Cash
AlbumA Boy Named Sue and Other Story Songs
GenresCountry
Year1998
KeyA
DifficultyIntermediate

How to play Chicken In Black on Ukulele (Step-by-step)

Johnny Cash - Chicken In Black on ukulele requires 6 chords and 7 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.

Chicken In Black uses these transitions most often: A → D (9), Bb → Eb (8), and D → E7 (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 A - D chord transition.

1. A → D chord transition

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

Switching from A to D:

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

This transition appears in the section, played 9 times.

A to D

2. D → E7 chord transition

Ukulele D chord diagram Fingering: 2-2-2-0Ukulele D chord diagram
Ukulele E7 chord diagram Fingering: 1-2-0-2Ukulele E7 chord diagram

To move from D to E7:

  1. Slide your index finger on G string from fret 2 to fret 1.
  2. Keep middle finger on C string fret 2.
  3. Slide your ring finger from E string fret 2 to A string fret 2.

This transition appears in the section, played 8 times.

D to E7

3. E7 → A chord transition

Ukulele E7 chord diagram Fingering: 1-2-0-2Ukulele E7 chord diagram
Ukulele A chord diagram Fingering: 2-1-0-0Ukulele A chord diagram

To move from E7 to A:

  1. While playing E7, lift your ring finger from A string fret 2.
  2. Lift your index finger from G string fret 1 and place it on C string fret 1.
  3. Slide your middle finger from C string fret 2 to G string fret 2.

This transition appears in the section, played 8 times.

E7 to A

4. A → Bb chord transition

Ukulele A chord diagram Fingering: 2-1-0-0Ukulele A chord diagram
Ukulele A# | B♭ chord diagram Fingering: 3-2-1-1 Barre at fret 1.Ukulele A# | B♭ chord diagram

Switching from A to Bb:

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

This transition appears in the interlude.

A to Bb

5. Bb → Eb chord transition

Here's how to move from Bb to Eb:

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

This transition appears in the interlude, played 8 times.

6. Eb → F7 chord transition

Here's how to move from Eb to F7:

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

This transition appears in the interlude, played 7 times.

7. F7 → Bb chord transition

Here's how to move from F7 to Bb:

  1. While playing F7, lift your pinky from A string fret 3.
  2. Keep index finger on E string fret 1.
  3. Lift your middle finger from G string fret 2 and place it on C string fret 2.
  4. Slide your ring finger from C string fret 3 to G string fret 3.

This transition appears in the section, played 7 times.

Chicken In Black chord transition analysis

A short, data-driven summary of the chord flow in Chicken In Black.

  • Chicken In Black includes 50 chord transitions, 7 of them unique.
  • These transitions represent 0.01% of all chord transitions in Ukulelearn.
  • Chicken In Black contains 1 of the top 10 transitions across Ukulelearn.
  • These transition patterns show how Chicken In Black connects to the rest of Ukulelearn. Mastering them helps you move to similar songs faster.
    After A, the most likely next chords across Ukulelearn are D (29%), G (13%), and E (12%).
    • A → D: 29%
    • A → Bb: 0%
    After Bb, the most likely next chords across Ukulelearn are F (34%), C (20%), and Dm (9%).
    • Bb → Eb: 5%
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.