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Loudon Wainwright III - The Ukulele Song Ukulele Chords

ChordsBb, F7, C, Eb, Ebmaj7, Bb7, C7
Strumming↓↑-↓↑-↓↑-↓↑

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

BbF7BbF7Bb
BbGotaukulele,CnowI’mnotafraidee
F7CatincaseIgetaboutofBbbluesF7
BbIntheeventIget’em,Cthere’snowaythatI’lllet’em
F7Bringmedown,noway,I’lljustBbrefuse,F7believeme
BbCosaukuleleCislikealittlebaby
F7YoucradleitinyourarmsandyouBbsingF7
ABblullabyorditty,Cwhenyou’refeelingshitty
F7itwillcheeryouupit’sjusttheBbthing.
LifeEbcouldEbmaj7beEbbrightEbmaj7andEbbreezy
BbWhenitshouldbelightandeasy
F7There’snothinghardorheavyaboutaBbukeBb7
EbIEbmaj7don’tEbplayEbmaj7bullEbfiddle
BbNomystery,noriddle
C7Shleppingthatthing,youlooklikeaF7kook,gotta’believeme!
BbFourstringsmadeofnylonCalwaysputasmileon
F7Anybody’sfacewho’sfeelingBbblueF7yeah
BbWhenyourmindstartsslummingCstartalittlestrumming
F7OnyourukeandyourgonnafeelbrandBbnewF7yougotta’believeme!
BbEventhoughit’srainingCquitallyourcomplaining
F7yourroof’snotleaking,nothingsgettingBbinF7
BbYeahthisaxeisahatchet,Cthere’smagicyoucancatchit
F7onyourukeyoucan’tloseyoujustBbwin
LifeEbcouldEbmaj7beEbbrightEbmaj7andEbbreezy
Bbwhenitshouldbelightandeasy
F7there’snothinghardorheavyaboutaBbukeBb7
EbIEbmaj7don’tEbplayEbmaj7theEbtuba
Bbtubasdoittoya’
C7justthethoughtoftubasmakesmeF7puke
KindBbsirsandgentleladies,Cgrabyourukuleles
F7IsuspectbynowyouknowmyBbsongF7
BbAndthenexttimethatIdoitCgetdownandgetintoit
F7ItrustyouallwillsingandstrumaBblongF7yougotta’believeme
IBbGotaukulele,CnowI’mnotafraidee
F7CatincaseIgetaboutofBbbluesF7
BbIntheeventIget’em,Cthere’snowayI’lllet’em
F7(1strumandstop)Bringmedown,noway,I’lljustrefuse.
BbBeC7leeF7eeveBb7me.
AlbumSingle
GenresFolk
Year2010
KeyBb
DifficultyAdvanced

How to play The Ukulele Song on Ukulele (Step-by-step)

Loudon Wainwright III - The Ukulele Song on ukulele requires 7 chords and 10 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.

The Ukulele Song uses these transitions most often: F7 → Bb (27), Bb → F7 (13), and Bb → C (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 Bb - F7 chord transition.

1. Bb → F7 chord transition

Here's how to move from Bb to F7:

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

This transition appears in the section, played 13 times.

Bb to F7

2. Bb → C chord transition

Here's how to move 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 12 times.

Bb to C

3. C → F7 chord transition

Here's how to move from C to F7:

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

This transition appears in the section, played 12 times.

C to F7

4. Bb → Eb chord transition

Here's how to move from Bb to Eb:

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

This transition appears in the section, played 2 times.

Bb to Eb

5. Eb → Ebmaj7 chord transition

Switching from Eb to Ebmaj7:

  1. While playing Eb, lift your pinky from E string fret 3.
  2. Lift your index finger from A string fret 1 and place it on G string fret 3.
  3. Slide your ring finger from C string fret 3 to A string fret 5.

This transition appears in the section, played 8 times.

6. Bb → Bb7 chord transition

Switching from Bb to Bb7:

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

This transition appears in the section, played 2 times.

7. Bb7 → Eb chord transition

Switching from Bb7 to Eb:

  1. While playing Bb7, lift your middle finger from C string fret 2.
  2. Lift your index finger from G string fret 1 and place it on A string fret 1.
  3. Place ring finger on C string fret 3.
  4. Place pinky on E string fret 3.

This transition appears in the section, played 2 times.

8. Bb → C7 chord transition

Here's how to move from Bb to C7:

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

This transition appears in the section, played 3 times.

9. C7 → F7 chord transition

Here's how to move from C7 to F7:

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

This transition appears in the section, played 3 times.

10. F7 → Bb7 chord transition

To move from F7 to Bb7:

  1. While playing F7, first lift your ring finger and pinky.
  2. Lift your index finger from E string fret 1 and place it on G string fret 1.
  3. Slide your middle finger from G string fret 2 to C string fret 2.

This transition appears in the section.

A short, data-driven summary of the chord flow in The Ukulele Song.

  • The Ukulele Song includes 97 chord transitions, 10 of them unique.
  • These transitions represent 0.03% of all chord transitions in Ukulelearn.
  • These transition patterns show how The Ukulele Song connects to the rest of Ukulelearn. Mastering them helps you move to similar songs faster.
    After Bb, the most likely next chords across Ukulelearn are F (34%), C (20%), and Dm (9%).
    • Bb → C: 20%
    • Bb → Eb: 5%
    After F7, the most likely next chords across Ukulelearn are Bb (51%), C (10%), and C7 (8%).
    • F7 → Bb: 51%
    • F7 → Bb7: 0%