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Ramblin’ Jack Elliott - St. James Infirmary Blues Ukulele Chords

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

Before you play, tune your ukulele and use the tools below to set up your view and flow. Using the Transpose tool, switch to A,D keys to play this song with easier chords.

EmIwentdowntoB7OldJoe’sEmBarroom.
EmOnthecornerAmbytheB7square.
TheywereEmservingB7drinksasEmusual.
AndtheC7usualB7crowdwasEmthere.
EmOnmyleftstoodB7Joe EmMacKennedy.
EmHiseyeswereAmbloodshotB7red.
HeEmturnedtotheB7crowd Emaroundhim
AndC7thesearetheB7wordsthatheEmsaid.
EmIwentdowntoB7St.JamesEmInfirmary.
EmIsawmyAmbabyB7there.
EmLyingonaB7longwhiteEmtable,
SoC7sweet,B7socold,Emsofair.
EmIwentuptoB7seetheEmdoctor.
Em’She’sveryAmlow,’heB7said.
EmIwentbacktoB7seemyEmbaby
AndgreatC7godshewasB7lyingthereEmdead.
EmLethergo,letherB7go,GodEmblessher.
EmWhereverAmshemayB7be.
ShemayEmsearchthisB7wideworldEmover
Butshe’llneverC7findanotherB7manlikeEmme.
EmWhenIB7diepleaseEmburyme
EmInahightopAmstetsonB7hat.
PutaEmgoldpieceB7onmyEmwatchchain.
Sothey’llC7knowIdiedB7standingEmpat.
EmGetsixgamblerstoB7carrymyEmcoffin.
EmSixchorusgirlstoAmsingmyB7song.
PutaEmjazzbandB7onmyEmtailgate
ToraiseC7hellasweB7roll Emalong.
EmThisistheB7endofmyEmstory.
EmSolet’shaveanotherAmroundofB7booze.
AndifEmanyoneshouldB7askyoujustEmtellthem
I’vegottheC7St.JamesB7InfirmaryEmBlues.
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.
ArtistRamblin' Jack Elliott
AlbumThe Long Ride
GenresFolk
Year2006
KeyEm
DifficultyIntermediate

How to play St. James Infirmary Blues on Ukulele (Step-by-step)

Ramblin' Jack Elliott - St. James Infirmary Blues on ukulele requires 4 chords and 5 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.

St. James Infirmary Blues uses these transitions most often: B7 → Em (32), Em → B7 (16), and Am → B7 (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 Em - B7 chord transition.

1. Em → B7 chord transition

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

Switching from Em to B7:

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

This transition appears in the section, played 16 times.

Em to B7

2. Em → Am chord transition

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

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 8 times.

Em to Am

3. Am → B7 chord transition

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

To move from Am to B7:

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

This transition appears in the section, played 8 times.

Am to B7

4. Em → C7 chord transition

Ukulele Em chord diagram Fingering: 0-4-3-2Ukulele Em chord diagram
Ukulele C7 chord diagram Fingering: 0-0-0-1Ukulele C7 chord diagram

Here's how to move from Em to C7:

  1. While playing Em, first lift your middle finger and ring finger.
  2. Slide your index finger on A string from fret 2 to fret 1.

This transition appears in the section, played 8 times.

Em to C7

5. C7 → B7 chord transition

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 8 times.

St. James Infirmary Blues chord transition analysis

A short, data-driven summary of the chord flow in St. James Infirmary Blues.

  • St. James Infirmary Blues includes 80 chord transitions, 5 of them unique.
  • These transitions represent 0.02% of all chord transitions in Ukulelearn.
  • St. James Infirmary Blues contains 1 of the top 25 transitions across Ukulelearn.
  • These transition patterns show how St. James Infirmary Blues 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 → Am: 12%
    • Em → B7: 1%
    After B7, the most likely next chords across Ukulelearn are Em (58%), E7 (10%), and C (8%).
    • B7 → Em: 58%
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.