Johnny Cash - A Boy Named Sue Ukulele Chords
Before you play, tune your ukulele and use the tools below to set up your view and flow.
Ukulele G chord diagram
Ukulele C chord diagram
Ukulele D chord diagram
[Opening]
[G]My daddy left home when I was three
[C]And he didn’t leave much to ma and me
[D]Just this old guitar and an empty bottle of [G]booze.
[G]Now, I don’t blame him cause he run and hid
[C]But the meanest thing that he ever did
[D]Was before he left, he went and named me “[G]Sue.”
[section 2]
[G]Well, he must o’ thought that is quite a joke
[C]And it got a lot of laughs from a’ lots of folk,
[D]It seems I had to fight my whole life [G]through.
[G]Some gal would giggle and I’d get red
[C]And some guy’d laugh and I’d bust his head,
I tell ya, [D]life ain’t easy for a boy named “[G]Sue.”
[section 3]
[G]Well, I grew up quick and I grew up mean,
[C]My fist got hard and my wits got keen,
[D]I’d roam from town to town to hide my [G]shame.
[G]But I made a vow to the moon and stars
[C]That I’d search the honky tonks and bars
[D]And kill that man who gave me that awful [G]name.
[section 4]
[G]Well, it was Gatlinburg in mid July
[C]And I just hit town and my throat was dry,
[D]I thought I’d stop and have myself a [G]brew.
[G]At an old saloon on a street of mud,
[C]There at a table, dealing stud,
[D]Sat the dirty, mangy dog that named me “[G]Sue.”
[section 5]
[G]Well, I knew that snake was my own sweet dad
[C]From a worn out picture that my mother’d had,
[D]And I knew that scar on his cheek and his [G]evil eye.
[G]He was big and bent and gray and old,
[C]And I looked at him and my blood ran cold
[D]And I said: “My name is ‘Sue!’ [G]How do you do!
Now you gonna die!!”
[section 6]
[G]Well, I hit him hard right between the eyes
[C]And he went down, but to my surprise,
[D]He come up with a knife and cut off a [G]piece of my ear.
[G]But I busted a chair right across his teeth
[C]And we crashed through the wall and into the street
[D]Kicking and a’ gouging in the mud and the blood and [G]the beer.
[section 7]
[G]I tell ya, I’ve fought tougher men
[C]But I really can’t remember when,
[D]He kicked like a mule and he bit like a [G]crocodile.
[G]I heard him laugh and then I heard him cuss,
[C]He went for his gun and I pulled mine first,
[D]He stood there looking at me and I saw him [G]smile.
[section 8]
[G]And he said: “Son, this world is rough
[C]And if a man’s gonna make it, he’s gotta be tough
[D]And I knew I wouldn’t be there to help ya [G]along.
[G]So I give ya that name and I said goodbye
[C]I knew you’d have to get tough or die
[D]And it’s the name that helped to make you [G]strong.”
[section 9]
[G]He said: “Now you just fought one hell of a fight
[C]And I know you hate me, and you got the right
[D]To kill me now, and I wouldn’t blame you if you [G]do.
[G]But ya ought to thank me, before I die,
[C]For the gravel in ya guts and the spit in ya eye
[D]Cause I’m the son of a bitch that named you “[G]Sue.'”
[Closing]
[G]I got all choked up and I threw down my gun
[C]And I called him my pa, and he called me his son,
[D]And I came away with a different point of [G]view.
[G]And I think about him, now and then,
[C]Every time I try and every time I win,
And if I ever have a son, I think I’m gonna name him
[G]Bill or George! Anything but Sue! I still hate that name!
How to play A Boy Named Sue on Ukulele (Step-by-step)
Johnny Cash - A Boy Named Sue 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.
A Boy Named Sue uses these transitions most often: G → C (20), C → D (19), and D → G (19). 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 - C chord transition.
1. G → C chord transition
To move from G to C;
- While playing G, first lift your index finger and middle finger.
- Lift your ring finger from E string fret 3 and place it on A string fret 3.
2. C → D chord transition
To move from C to D;
- Lift your ring finger from A string fret 3 and place it on E string fret 2.
- Place index finger on G string fret 2.
- Place middle finger on C string fret 2.
3. D → G chord transition
To move from D to G;
- Lift your index finger from G string fret 2 and place it on C string fret 2.
- Slide your middle finger from C string fret 2 to A string fret 2.
- Slide your ring finger on E string from fret 2 to fret 3.
A Boy Named Sue chord transition analysis
A short, data-driven summary of the chord flow in A Boy Named Sue.
- A Boy Named Sue includes 59 chord transitions, 3 of them unique.
- These transitions represent 0.02% of all chord transitions in Ukulelearn.
- A Boy Named Sue contains 3 of the top 10 transitions across Ukulelearn.
- These transition patterns show how A Boy Named Sue connects to the rest of Ukulelearn. Mastering them helps you move to similar songs faster.After G, the most likely next chords across Ukulelearn are C (25%), D (24%), and Am (13%).
- G → C: 25%
After C, the most likely next chords across Ukulelearn are G (35%), F (16%), and D (11%).- C → G: 35%
- C → D: 11%