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John Mellencamp - Small Town Ukulele Chords

ChordsG, D, C, Am
Strumming↓-↓↑-↑↓↑

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

  • Ukulele G chord diagram Fingering: 0-2-3-2Ukulele G chord diagram
  • Ukulele D chord diagram Fingering: 2-2-2-0Ukulele D chord diagram
  • Ukulele C chord diagram Fingering: 0-0-0-3Ukulele C chord diagram
  • Ukulele Am chord diagram Fingering: 2-0-0-0Ukulele Am chord diagram


[G]I was [D]born in a [C]small town
[G]and I [D]live in a [C]small town
[G]probably [D]die in a [C]small town
oh, a [Am]small communi[D]ty
[G]all my [D]friends are so [G]small town
[G]my parents [D]live in the [C]same small town
[G]my [D]job is so [C]small town
provides [Am]little opportuni[D]ty


[G]educated [D]in a [C]small town
[G]taught to fear [D]Jesus in a [C]small town
[G]used to day[G]dream in [C]that small town
another [Am]born romantic , that’s [D]me
I’ve [G]seen it [D]all in a[C]small town
[G]had myself a [D]ball in a [C]small town
[G]married an [D]LA darling, brought her [C]to this small town
a [Am]small town, just like [D]me


[C]I cannot [G]forget from [C]where it is I [G]come from
[C]I cannot forget the [G]people who [D]love me
I can [C]be my[G]self, yeah, [C]in a small [G]town
and [C]people let me [G]be just what I [D]wanna be
Oh, my, my, [Am]yeah


[D] [Am] [D] [Am] [D] [G]


[G]got nothing a[D]gainst the [C]big town
[G]still hayseed [D]enough to say [C]“look who’s in the big town”
[G]my [D]bed is in a [C]small town
that’s [Am]good enough for [D]me
[G]I was [D]born in a [C]small town
[G]and I can [D]breathe in a [C]small town
[G]gonna [D]die in a [C]small town
and that’s [Am]probably where they’ll bury [D]me


[G] [D] [C]

AlbumScarecrow
GenresRock
Year1985
KeyG
DifficultyEasy

How to play Small Town on Ukulele (Step-by-step)

John Mellencamp - Small Town 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.

Small Town uses these transitions most often: G → D (20), D → C (19), and C → G (17). 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 G - D chord transition.

1. G → D chord transition

To move from G to D;

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

2. D → C chord transition

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.
D to C

3. C → G chord transition

To move from C to G;

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

4. C → Am chord transition

To move from C to Am;

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

5. Am → D chord transition

To move from Am to D;

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

A short, data-driven summary of the chord flow in Small Town.

  • Small Town includes 86 chord transitions, 5 of them unique.
  • These transitions represent 0.02% of all chord transitions in Ukulelearn.
  • Small Town contains 3 of the top 10 transitions across Ukulelearn.
  • These transition patterns show how Small Town connects to the rest of Ukulelearn. Mastering them helps you move to similar songs faster.
    After D, the most likely next chords across Ukulelearn are G (28%), A (17%), and Em (17%).
    • D → G: 28%
    • D → C: 14%
    After G, the most likely next chords across Ukulelearn are C (25%), D (24%), and Am (13%).
    • G → C: 25%
    • G → D: 24%