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Nat King Cole - The Ballad Of Cat Ballou Ukulele Chords

DATA-DRIVENWhich Chord Comes Next?Learn the most likely chord transitions on the ukulele and start playing songs with confidence.
ChordsC, F, G7, Em, Dm, Am, G, C#
Strumming↓-↓↑-↑↓↑

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

  • Ukulele C chord diagram Fingering: 0-0-0-3Ukulele C chord diagram
  • Ukulele F chord diagram Fingering: 2-0-1-0Ukulele F chord diagram
  • Ukulele G7 chord diagram Fingering: 0-2-1-2Ukulele G7 chord diagram
  • Ukulele Em chord diagram Fingering: 0-4-3-2Ukulele Em chord diagram
  • Ukulele Dm chord diagram Fingering: 2-2-1-0Ukulele Dm chord diagram
  • Ukulele Am chord diagram Fingering: 2-0-0-0Ukulele Am chord diagram
  • Ukulele G chord diagram Fingering: 0-2-3-2Ukulele G chord diagram
  • Ukulele C# | D♭ chord diagram Fingering: 1-1-1-4 Barre at fret 1.Ukulele C# | D♭ chord diagram

[Opening]
[C] [F] [G7] [C]
[C]Well now friends just lend an ear for you’re
[F]now about to [C]hear the [F]ballad of Cat Ba[C]llou
It’s a [Em]song that’s newly made and Pro[Dm]fessor Sam The Shade
And the [C]Sunrise [Am]Kid are [F]singing [G7]it for [C]you

[section 2]
[C]Cat Ballou [Am]Cat Ba[F]llou [C]
It’s a [Am]hanging day in [C]Wolf City Wyoming Wolf City Wyoming
[F]eighteen ninety [C]four, they’re gonna [G]drop Cat Ballou
Through the ga[G]llows [C]floor [Am] [F] [G7] [C]

[section 3]
She [Am]killed a man in [C]Wolf City Wyoming Wolf City Wyoming
[F]killed a man it’s [C]true
And that is [G]why they’re a hanging
Hanging Cat Ba[C]llou [F] [G7] [C]

[chorus]
She has the
[C]smile of an angel [Am]fights like the devil
The [Dm]eyes of an [G7]angel [Dm]bites like the [G7]devil
The [C]face of an angel I [Am]say she’s the devil
She’s [Dm]mean and [G7]evil through and [C]through
Cat Ba[G7]llou Cat Ba[C]llou

[chorus]
She’s [G]mean and evil through and [C]through [C] [F] [G7] [C]

[section 4]
With her [Am]outlaw band they’re [C]now telling a story
Now telling a story [F]how she rode the [C]plain
The wildest [G]gal in the west
since Cal[G]amity [C]Jane [Am] [F] [G7] [C]

[Closing]
And to[Am]day’s the day that [C]she’s going to glory
She’s going to glory [F]for the way she [C]sinned
They’ll be a [G]speeding her soul..
On a wayward [C]wind [C#] [C]

[chorus]
She has the
[C]smile of an angel [Am]fights like the devil
The [Dm]eyes of an [G7]angel [Dm]bites like the [G7]devil
The [C]face of an angel I [Am]say she’s the devil
She’s [Dm]mean and [G7]evil through and [C]through
Cat Ba[G7]llou Cat Ba[C]llou

[chorus]
She’s [G]mean and evil through and [C]through [F] [G7] [C].

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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.
ArtistNat King Cole
AlbumCat Ballou Soundtrack
GenresJazz
Year1965
KeyC

How to play The Ballad Of Cat Ballou on Ukulele (Step-by-step)

Nat King Cole - The Ballad Of Cat Ballou on ukulele requires 8 chords and 12 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 Ballad Of Cat Ballou uses these transitions most often: G7 → C (13), C → Am (12), and C → F (10). 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

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.
C to F

2. F → G7 chord transition

Ukulele F chord diagram Fingering: 2-0-1-0Ukulele F chord diagram
Ukulele G7 chord diagram Fingering: 0-2-1-2Ukulele G7 chord diagram

To move from F 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. Place ring finger on A string fret 2.
F to G7

3. G7 → C chord transition

Ukulele G7 chord diagram Fingering: 0-2-1-2Ukulele G7 chord diagram
Ukulele C chord diagram Fingering: 0-0-0-3Ukulele C chord diagram

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.
G7 to C

4. C → Em chord transition

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

To move from C to Em;

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

5. Em → Dm chord transition

To move from Em to Dm;

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

6. Dm → C chord transition

To move from Dm to C;

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

7. 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.

8. Am → F chord transition

To move from Am to F;

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

9. 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.

10. Am → Dm chord transition

To move from Am to Dm;

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

11. Dm → G7 chord transition

To move 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.

12. C → C# chord transition

To move from C to C#;

  1. While playing C, lift your ring finger from A string fret 3.
  2. Place index finger on G string fret 1.
  3. Place pinky on A string fret 4.

The Ballad Of Cat Ballou chord transition analysis

A short, data-driven summary of the chord flow in The Ballad Of Cat Ballou.

  • The Ballad Of Cat Ballou includes 88 chord transitions, 12 of them unique.
  • These transitions represent 0.02% of all chord transitions in Ukulelearn.
  • The Ballad Of Cat Ballou contains 4 of the top 10 transitions across Ukulelearn.
  • These transition patterns show how The Ballad Of Cat Ballou 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 G7, the most likely next chords across Ukulelearn are C (69%), C7 (5%), and F (5%).
    • G7 → C: 69%
    • G7 → Dm: 3%
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.