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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.

John Prine - Sam Stone Ukulele Chords

DATA-DRIVENWhich Chord Comes Next?Learn the most likely chord transitions on the ukulele and start playing songs with confidence.
ChordsC, F, Bb, G7, G, Gm, Dm
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 G key to play this song with easier chords.

CF
FSamStonecamehome,tohisBbwifeandfamily,
afterCservingintheconflict Foverseas.
AndtheFtimethatheserved,hadBbshatteredallhisnerves,
andCleftalittleshrapnelinhisFknee.BbF
Butthe Bbmorphineeasedthepain,
andtheBbgrassgrewroundhisbrain,
andG7gavehimalltheconfidenceheClacked;
withaG7PurpleHeartandaGmonkeyonhisCback.
There’saFholeindaddy’sarmwherealltheGmmoneygoes,
andBbJesusChristdiedfornothin’I Csuppose.
LittleFpitchershavebigears,
don’tDmstoptocounttheyears,
sweetG7songsneverlasttooGlongonbroken Cradios.
CMmmCCC
SamFStone’swelcomehome,didn’tBblasttoolong,
heCwenttoworkwhenhe’dspenthislastFdime
AndFSammytooktostealing,whenheBbgotthatemptyfeeling,
foraChundreddollarhabitwithout Fovertime.
AndtheBbgoldrolledthroughhisveins,
likeaBbthousandrailroadtrains,
andG7easedhismindinthehoursthatheCchose;
whiletheGkidsranaroundG7wearin’otherpeoples’Cclothes
There’saFholeindaddy’sarmwherealltheGmmoneygoes,
andBbJesusChristdiedfornothin’I Csuppose.
LittleFpitchershavebigears,
don’tDmstoptocounttheyears,
sweetG7songsneverlasttooGlongonbroken Cradios.CMmmCCC
SamFStonewasalone,whenheBbpoppedhislastballoon,
CclimbingwallswhilesittinginaFchair
Well,heFplayedhislastrequest,
whiletheBbroomsmelledjustlikedeath,
withanCoverdosehoveringintheFair
ButBblifehadlostitsfun,andtherewasBbnothingtobedone,
butG7tradehishousethatheboughtontheG,I.CBill;
foraGflagdrapedcasketonaG7localheroes’Chill
There’saFholeindaddy’sarmwherealltheGmmoneygoes,
andBbJesusChristdiedfornothin’I Csuppose.
LittleFpitchershavebigears,
don’tDmstoptocounttheyears,
sweetG7songsneverlasttooGlongonbroken Cradios.
CMmmCCC
CMmm.CF
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.
ArtistJohn Prine
AlbumJohn Prine
GenresFolk
Year1971
KeyF
DifficultyIntermediate

How to play Sam Stone on Ukulele (Step-by-step)

John Prine - Sam Stone on ukulele requires 7 chords and 11 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.

Sam Stone uses these transitions most often: C → F (16), F → Bb (10), and Bb → C (9). 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 C - F chord transition.

1. C → F chord transition

Ukulele C chord diagram Fingering: 0-0-0-3Ukulele C chord diagram
Ukulele F chord diagram Fingering: 2-0-1-0Ukulele F chord diagram

Here's how to move from C to F:

  1. While playing C, lift your ring finger from A string fret 3.
  2. Place index finger on E string fret 1.
  3. Place middle finger on G string fret 2.

This transition appears in the section, played 16 times.

C to F

2. F → Bb chord transition

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

Switching from F to Bb:

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

This transition appears in the section, played 10 times.

F to Bb

3. Bb → C chord transition

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

Switching 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 section, played 9 times.

Bb to C

4. Bb → G7 chord transition

Ukulele A# | B♭ chord diagram Fingering: 3-2-1-1 Barre at fret 1.Ukulele A# | B♭ chord diagram
Ukulele G7 chord diagram Fingering: 0-2-1-2Ukulele G7 chord diagram

To move from Bb to G7:

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

This transition appears in the section, played 3 times.

Bb to G7

5. G7 → C chord transition

Here's how to move from G7 to C:

  1. While playing G7, first lift your index finger and middle finger.
  2. Slide your ring finger on A string from fret 2 to fret 3.

This transition appears in the section, played 5 times.

6. G7 → G chord transition

To move from G7 to G:

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

This transition appears in the section, played 4 times.

7. G → C chord transition

To move from G to C:

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

This transition appears in the section, played 4 times.

8. F → Gm chord transition

Here's how to move from F to Gm:

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

This transition appears in the chorus, played 3 times.

9. Gm → Bb chord transition

To move from Gm to Bb:

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

This transition appears in the chorus, played 3 times.

10. F → Dm chord transition

Here's how to move from F to Dm:

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

This transition appears in the chorus, played 3 times.

11. Dm → G7 chord transition

Switching from Dm to G7:

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

This transition appears in the chorus, played 3 times.

Sam Stone chord transition analysis

A short, data-driven summary of the chord flow in Sam Stone.

  • Sam Stone includes 69 chord transitions, 11 of them unique.
  • These transitions represent 0.02% of all chord transitions in Ukulelearn.
  • Sam Stone contains 2 of the top 10 transitions across Ukulelearn.
  • These transition patterns show how Sam Stone connects to the rest of Ukulelearn. Mastering them helps you move to similar songs faster.
    After C, the most likely next chords across Ukulelearn are G (35%), F (16%), and D (11%).
    • C → G: 35%
    • C → F: 16%
    After F, the most likely next chords across Ukulelearn are C (40%), G (21%), and Am (11%).
    • F → Dm: 5%
    • F → Bb: 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.