Joni Mitchell - Big Yellow Taxi Ukulele Chords
Before you play, tune your ukulele and use the tools below to set up your view and flow.
Ukulele F chord diagram
Ukulele A# | B♭ chord diagram
Ukulele C chord diagram
[chorus]
[F]Don’t it always seem to go
That you [Bb]don’t know what you’ve got
Till it’s [F]gone..
They [Bb]paved paradise
And [C]put up a parking [F]lot
[F]Ooo park, park, park, park
[Opening]
They [Bb]paved paradise
And put up a parking [F]lot
With a [Bb]pink hotel, a [C]boutique
and a [F]swinging hot spot
[chorus]
[F]Don’t it always seem to go
That you [Bb]don’t know what you’ve got
Till it’s [F]gone..
They [Bb]paved paradise
And [C]put up a parking [F]lot
[F]Ooo park, park, park, park
[section 2]
They [Bb]took all the trees
And put them in a tree [F]museum
And they [Bb]charged the people
A [C]dollar and a half just to [F]see them
[chorus]
[F]Don’t it always seem to go
That you [Bb]don’t know what you’ve got
Till it’s [F]gone..
They [Bb]paved paradise
And [C]put up a parking [F]lot
[F]Ooo park, park, park, park
[section 3]
Hey [Bb]farmer farmer
Put away that D.D.T. [F]now
Give me [Bb]spots on my apples
But [C]leave me the birds and the [F]bees, Please..!
[chorus]
[F]Don’t it always seem to go
That you [Bb]don’t know what you’ve got
Till it’s [F]gone..
They [Bb]paved paradise
And [C]put up a parking [F]lot
[section 4]
[F]Ooo park, park, park, park
[Closing]
[Bb]Late last night
I heard the screen door [F]slam
And a [Bb]big yellow taxi
[C]Took away my old [F]man
[chorus]
[F]Don’t it always seem to go
That you [Bb]don’t know what you’ve got
Till it’s [F]gone..
They [Bb]paved paradise
And [C]put up a parking [F]lot
[F]Ooo park, park, park, park
How to play Big Yellow Taxi on Ukulele (Step-by-step)
Joni Mitchell - Big Yellow Taxi 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.
Big Yellow Taxi uses these transitions most often: F → Bb (18), Bb → C (9), and Bb → F (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 F - Bb chord transition.
1. F → Bb chord transition
To move from F to Bb;
- Keep index finger on E string fret 1.
- Lift your middle finger from G string fret 2 and place it on C string fret 2.
- Place ring finger on G string fret 3.
2. Bb → C chord transition
To move from Bb to C;
- While playing Bb, first lift your index finger and middle finger.
- Lift your ring finger from G string fret 3 and place it on A string fret 3.
3. C → F chord transition
To move from C to F;
- While playing C, lift your ring finger from A string fret 3.
- Place index finger on E string fret 1.
- Place middle finger on G string fret 2.
Big Yellow Taxi chord transition analysis
A short, data-driven summary of the chord flow in Big Yellow Taxi.
- Big Yellow Taxi includes 45 chord transitions, 3 of them unique.
- These transitions represent 0.01% of all chord transitions in Ukulelearn.
- Big Yellow Taxi contains 1 of the top 10 transitions across Ukulelearn.
- These transition patterns show how Big Yellow Taxi connects to the rest of Ukulelearn. Mastering them helps you move to similar songs faster.After F, the most likely next chords across Ukulelearn are C (40%), G (21%), and Am (11%).
- F → Bb: 5%
After Bb, the most likely next chords across Ukulelearn are F (34%), C (20%), and Dm (9%).- Bb → F: 34%
- Bb → C: 20%