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.

Tracy Chapman - Fast Car Ukulele Chords

DATA-DRIVENWhich Chord Comes Next?Learn the most likely chord transitions on the ukulele and start playing songs with confidence.
ChordsCmaj7, G, Em, D, C
Strumming↓-↓↑-↓↑-↓↑

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

Cmaj7YougotafastGcar.
EmIwantatickettoDanywhere.
Cmaj7MaybewemakeaGdeal,
EmMaybetogetherwecanDgetsomewhere.
Cmaj7AnyplaceisGbetter.
EmStartingfromzero,gotDnothingtolose.
Cmaj7Maybewe'llmakeGsomething,
EmMemyself,IgotDnothingtoprove.
Cmaj7GEmDx2
Cmaj7YougotafastGcar.
EmIgotaplantoDgetusoutofhere:
Cmaj7IbeenworkingattheGconveniencestore,
EmManagedtosavejustaDlittlebitofmoney.
Cmaj7Won'thavetodrivetooGfar
EmJust'crosstheborderandDintothecity,
Cmaj7YouandIcanGbothgetjobs
AndEmfinallyseewhatitDmeanstobeliving.
Cmaj7GEmDx2
Yousee,Cmaj7myoldman'sgotaGproblem:
HeEmlivewiththebottle,that’stheDwayitis.
HeCmaj7sayshisbody'stoooldforGworking,
HisEmbody'stooyoungtoDlooklikehis.
MyCmaj7mamawentoffandGlefthim,sheEmwantedmorefromlifethanDhecouldgive,
Isaid, Cmaj7"Somebody'sgottotakeGcareofhim."
SoEmIquitschoolandthat'sDwhatIdid.
Cmaj7GEmDx2
Cmaj7YougotafastGcar.
ButisitEmfastenoughsowecanDflyaway?
Cmaj7Wegottamakea Gdecision:
EmLeavetonightorliveandDdiethisway.
Cmaj7GEmD
Cmaj7GEm
EmCEm*C
SoIrememberwhen:weweredriving,drivinginyourcar,
Em*C
ThespeedsofastIfeltlikeIwasdrunk,
EmCitylightslayCoutbeforeus
AndyourEmarmfeltnicewrapped C'roundmyshoulder.
AndCIEmhadaDfeelingthatIbelonged
AndCIEmhadaDfeelingIcould--Embesomeone,Cbesomeone,Embesomeone.
Cmaj7GEmDx2
Cmaj7YougotafastGcar.
AndEmwegocruisingto Dentertainourselves;
Cmaj7youstillain'tgotaGjob
AndIEmworkinamarketasaDcheckoutgirl.
Cmaj7IknowthingswillgetGbetter:
EmYou'llfindworkandDI'llgetpromoted,
Cmaj7We'llmoveoutoftheGshelter
EmBuyabiggerhouseandDliveinthesuburbs.
Cmaj7GEmD
Cmaj7GEm
EmSoI Crememberwhen:wewereEmdriving,drivingCinyourcar,
TheEmspeedsofastIfeltlikeCIwasdrunk,
EmCitylightslayCoutbeforeus
AndyourEmarmfeltnicewrapped C'roundmyshoulder.
AndCIEmhadaDfeelingthatIbelonged
AndCIEmhadaDfeelingIcould--Embesomeone,Cbesomeone,Embesomeone.
Cmaj7GEmDx2
Cmaj7YougotafastGcar.
AndEmIgotajobthatDpaysallourbills.
Cmaj7YoustayoutdrinkingGlateatthebar,
YouseeEmmoreyourfriendsthanyouDdoyourkids.
Cmaj7I'dalwayshopedforGbetter,
EmThoughtmaybetogetherDyouandmewouldfindit,
Cmaj7IgotnoplansIain'tGgoingnowhere,
soEmtakeyourfastcarandDkeepondriving.
Cmaj7GEmD
Cmaj7GEm
EmSoI Crememberwhen:wewereEmdriving,drivingCinyourcar,
TheEmspeedsofastIfeltlikeCIwasdrunk,
EmCitylightslayCoutbeforeus
AndyourEmarmfeltnicewrapped C'roundmyshoulder.
AndCIEmhadaDfeelingthatIbelonged
AndCIEmhadaDfeelingIcould--Embesomeone,Cbesomeone,Embesomeone.
Cmaj7GEmDx2
Cmaj7YougotafastGcar.
ButisitEmfastenoughsoyoucanDflyaway?
Cmaj7Yougottamakea Gdecision:
EmLeavetonightorliveandDdiethisway.
Cmaj7GEmDx3
Cmaj7G
Alternatechords:
or
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.
ArtistTracy Chapman
AlbumSingle
Year2004
KeyA
DifficultyEasy

How to play Fast Car on Ukulele (Step-by-step)

Tracy Chapman - Fast Car on ukulele requires 5 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.

Fast Car uses these transitions most often: Em → D (33), Cmaj7 → G (31), and G → Em (30). 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 Cmaj7 - G chord transition.

1. Cmaj7 → G chord transition

Ukulele Cmaj7 chord diagram Fingering: 0-0-0-2Ukulele Cmaj7 chord diagram
Ukulele G chord diagram Fingering: 0-2-3-2Ukulele G chord diagram

To move from Cmaj7 to G:

  1. Keep middle finger on A string fret 2.
  2. Place index finger on C string fret 2.
  3. Place ring finger on E string fret 3.

This transition appears in the section, played 31 times.

Cmaj7 to G

2. G → Em chord transition

Ukulele G chord diagram Fingering: 0-2-3-2Ukulele G chord diagram
Ukulele Em chord diagram Fingering: 0-4-3-2Ukulele Em chord diagram

Switching from G to Em:

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

This transition appears in the section, played 30 times.

G to Em

3. Em → D chord transition

Ukulele Em chord diagram Fingering: 0-4-3-2Ukulele Em chord diagram
Ukulele D chord diagram Fingering: 2-2-2-0Ukulele D chord diagram

Switching from Em to D:

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

This transition appears in the section, played 33 times.

Em to D

4. D → Cmaj7 chord transition

Ukulele D chord diagram Fingering: 2-2-2-0Ukulele D chord diagram
Ukulele Cmaj7 chord diagram Fingering: 0-0-0-2Ukulele Cmaj7 chord diagram

To move from D to Cmaj7:

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

This transition appears in the section, played 27 times.

D to Cmaj7

5. Em → C chord transition

To move from Em to C:

  1. While playing Em, first lift your index finger and middle finger.
  2. Lift your ring finger from C string fret 4 and place it on A string fret 3.

This transition appears in the chorus, played 15 times.

6. D → C chord transition

Here's how to move from D to C:

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

This transition appears in the chorus, played 3 times.

7. Em → Cmaj7 chord transition

Switching from Em to Cmaj7:

  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 A string fret 2.

This transition appears in the section, played 3 times.

Fast Car chord transition analysis

A short, data-driven summary of the chord flow in Fast Car.

  • Fast Car includes 163 chord transitions, 7 of them unique.
  • These transitions represent 0.04% of all chord transitions in Ukulelearn.
  • Fast Car contains 3 of the top 10 transitions across Ukulelearn.
  • These transition patterns show how Fast Car connects to the rest of Ukulelearn. Mastering them helps you move to similar songs faster.
    After Em, the most likely next chords across Ukulelearn are C (27%), G (18%), and D (18%).
    • Em → C: 27%
    • Em → D: 18%
    After D, the most likely next chords across Ukulelearn are G (28%), A (17%), and Em (17%).
    • D → Em: 17%
    • D → C: 14%
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.