Lonnie Donegan - Lost John Ukulele Chords

ChordsA, Adim, E7

Strumming↓-↓↑-↓↑-↓↑

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

ANowthishere’sastoryaboutanescapedconvict

CalledLongGone,LostJohn

AItsgotagreatchorussojoinin.

Singitfor‘emboys!Yeah!

He’saAlongAdimlongE7longAgone,

ANowhe’sAlongAdimlongE7longAgone

(Here’swhathappenedtohim)

ANowLostJohnstandingontherailroadtrack

AWaitingforthefreighttrainE7tocomeAback

AThefreighttraincomebacknevermadeastop.

LostJohnthoughthe’dhavetorideontop,

AHe’salongAdimlongE7longAgone,

ANowhe’sAlongAdimlongE7longAgoneyeah

ANowLostJohncametoacountrywoman’shouse

ASatthereE7quietasaAmouse

ASaidI’mMrLongJohnbemyFriend

BemyfrienduntiltheendCos,I’m…

AlongAdimlongE7longAgone,

ANowhe’sAlongAdimlongE7longAgone

ANowshesaidLostJohnhavesomebeer

AI’llsendtheporterandI’llE7bringitAhere

AHesaidnowwomandon’tyoubuynobeer

Thecopsismytrailandthey’llsoonbehereandI’ma…

AlongAdimlongE7longAgone,

ANowhe’sAlongAdimlongE7longAgone

AHey,LostJohnneedsapairofshoesofhisown

AThefinestshoesthatE7everwereAworn

AHeelsonthefront,heelsbehind

Youcouldn’ttellwhichwayLostJohnhadgone,nowhe’s…

AlongAdimlongE7longAgone,

AHe’saAlongAdimlongE7longAgone

AandtheycaughtLostJohnputhiminthepen

AThesummerbeenagoingnowhe’sE7out Aagain

AIfanybodyaskyouwhosungthissong

TellthemLonnieDoneganbeenhereandgone

AlongAdimlongE7longAgone,

ANowI’mAlongAdimlongE7longAgone

ArtistLonnie Donegan

AlbumSingle

GenresRock

Year1956

KeyA

DifficultyEasy

How to play Lost John on Ukulele (Step-by-step)

Lonnie Donegan - Lost John on ukulele requires 3 chords and 3 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.

Lost John uses these transitions most often: E7 → A (17), A → Adim (12), and Adim → E7 (12). 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 - Adim chord transition.

1. A → Adim chord transition

Here's how to move from A to Adim:

Lift your index finger from C string fret 1 and place it on G string fret 2.
Slide your middle finger from G string fret 2 to C string fret 3.
Place ring finger on A string fret 3.
Place pinky on E string fret 5.

This transition appears in the section, played 12 times.

2. Adim → E7 chord transition

To move from Adim to E7:

While playing Adim, lift your pinky from E string fret 5.
Slide your index finger on G string from fret 2 to fret 1.
Slide your middle finger on C string from fret 3 to fret 2.
Slide your ring finger on A string from fret 3 to fret 2.

This transition appears in the section, played 12 times.

3. E7 → A chord transition

Switching from E7 to A:

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

This transition appears in the section, played 17 times.

Lost John chord transition analysis

A short, data-driven summary of the chord flow in Lost John.

Lost John includes 46 chord transitions, 3 of them unique.
These transitions represent 0.01% of all chord transitions in Ukulelearn.
These transition patterns show how Lost John 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 → E7: 4%
- A → Adim: 0%
After E7, the most likely next chords across Ukulelearn are A (31%), Am (28%), and A7 (7%).
- E7 → A: 31%