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Bing Crosby - Brother Can You Spare A Dime Ukulele Chords

DATA-DRIVENWhich Chord Comes Next?Learn the most likely chord transitions on the ukulele and start playing songs with confidence.
ChordsAm, Dm, E, E7, A7, D, G7, C, F7, Gm6, D7
Strumming↓-↓↑-↑↓↑

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

  • Ukulele Am chord diagram Fingering: 2-0-0-0Ukulele Am chord diagram
  • Ukulele Dm chord diagram Fingering: 2-2-1-0Ukulele Dm chord diagram
  • Ukulele E chord diagram Fingering: 4-4-4-2 Barre at fret 4.Ukulele E chord diagram
  • Ukulele E7 chord diagram Fingering: 1-2-0-2Ukulele E7 chord diagram
  • Ukulele A7 chord diagram Fingering: 0-1-0-0Ukulele A7 chord diagram
  • Ukulele D chord diagram Fingering: 2-2-2-0Ukulele D chord diagram
  • Ukulele G7 chord diagram Fingering: 0-2-1-2Ukulele G7 chord diagram
  • Ukulele C chord diagram Fingering: 0-0-0-3Ukulele C chord diagram
  • Ukulele F7 chord diagram Fingering: 2-3-1-3Ukulele F7 chord diagram
  • Ukulele Gm6 chord diagram Fingering: 0-2-0-1Ukulele Gm6 chord diagram
  • Ukulele D7 chord diagram Fingering: 2-2-2-3 Barre at fret 2.Ukulele D7 chord diagram

[Opening]
[Am]They used to tell me I was [Dm]building a [E]dream [E7]
[Am]And so I followed the [Dm]mob.
[Am]When there was earth to plow or [Dm]guns to bear,
I was [E]always there, right on the job. [E7]

[section 2]
[Am]They used to tell me I was [Dm]building a [E]dream [E7]
[Am]With peace and glory a[Dm]head
Why should [Am]I be [Am]standing in [E7]line,
[Am]just waiting for [E]bread? [E7]

[section 3]
[Am]Once I built a railroad, [E7]made it [A7]run,
[D]Made it [G7]race against [C]time; [E7]
[Dm]Once I build a [E7]railroad [Am]now it’s [F7]done.
[Dm]Brother, can you [E7]spare a [Am]dime?

[section 4]
[Am]Once I built a tower [E7]up to the [A7]sun,
[D]Brick and [G7]rivet and [C]lime; [E7]
[Dm]Once I build a [E7]tower [Am]now it’s [F7]done.
[Dm]Brother, can you [E7]spare a [Am]dime?

[section 5]
[A7]Once, in khaki suits, gee, we looked swell,
Full of that Yankee Doodle de[Gm6]dum; [A7]
[D7]Half a million boots went slogging through Hell
[Am]I was the kid with the [F7]drum. [E7]

[Closing]
[Am]Say, don’t you remember, they [E7]called me [A7]Al?
[D]It was Al [G7]all the [C]time. [E7]
[Dm]Say, don’t you re[E7]member? [Am]I’m your [F7]pal.
[Dm]Brother can you [E7]spare a [Am]dime?

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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.
ArtistBing Crosby
AlbumSongs from the Last Century
GenresPop
Year1999
KeyAm

How to play Brother Can You Spare A Dime on Ukulele (Step-by-step)

Bing Crosby - Brother Can You Spare A Dime on ukulele requires 11 chords and 18 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.

Brother Can You Spare A Dime uses these transitions most often: E7 → Am (12), Dm → E7 (6), and Am → Dm (5). 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 Am - Dm chord transition.

1. Am → Dm chord transition

Ukulele Am chord diagram Fingering: 2-0-0-0Ukulele Am chord diagram
Ukulele Dm chord diagram Fingering: 2-2-1-0Ukulele Dm chord diagram

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.
Am to Dm

2. Dm → E chord transition

Ukulele Dm chord diagram Fingering: 2-2-1-0Ukulele Dm chord diagram
Ukulele E chord diagram Fingering: 4-4-4-2 Barre at fret 4.Ukulele E chord diagram

To move from Dm to E;

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

3. E → E7 chord transition

Ukulele E chord diagram Fingering: 4-4-4-2 Barre at fret 4.Ukulele E chord diagram
Ukulele E7 chord diagram Fingering: 1-2-0-2Ukulele E7 chord diagram

To move from E to E7;

  1. Slide your index finger on G string from fret 4 to fret 1.
  2. Slide your middle finger from A string fret 2 to C string fret 2.
  3. Place ring finger on A string fret 2.
E to E7

4. E7 → Am chord transition

Ukulele E7 chord diagram Fingering: 1-2-0-2Ukulele E7 chord diagram
Ukulele Am chord diagram Fingering: 2-0-0-0Ukulele Am chord diagram

To move from E7 to Am;

  1. While playing E7, first lift your index finger and ring finger.
  2. Lift your middle finger from C string fret 2 and place it on G string fret 2.
E7 to Am

5. Am → E chord transition

To move from Am to E;

  1. Lift your middle finger from G string fret 2 and place it on A string fret 2.
  2. Place index finger on G string fret 4.

6. E7 → A7 chord transition

To move from E7 to A7;

  1. While playing E7, first lift your middle finger and ring finger.
  2. Lift your index finger from G string fret 1 and place it on C string fret 1.

7. A7 → D chord transition

To move from A7 to D;

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

8. D → G7 chord transition

To move from D to G7;

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

9. G7 → C chord transition

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.

10. C → E7 chord transition

To move from C to E7;

  1. Slide your ring finger on A string from fret 3 to fret 2.
  2. Place index finger on G string fret 1.
  3. Place middle finger on C string fret 2.

11. E7 → Dm chord transition

To move from E7 to Dm;

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

12. Am → F7 chord transition

To move from Am to F7;

  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 3.
  4. Place pinky on A string fret 3.

13. F7 → Dm chord transition

To move from F7 to Dm;

  1. While playing F7, lift your pinky from A string fret 3.
  2. Keep index finger on E string fret 1.
  3. Keep middle finger on G string fret 2.
  4. Slide your ring finger on C string from fret 3 to fret 2.

14. Am → A7 chord transition

To move from Am to A7;

  1. While playing Am, lift your middle finger from G string fret 2.
  2. Place index finger on C string fret 1.

15. A7 → Gm6 chord transition

To move from A7 to Gm6;

  1. Lift your index finger from C string fret 1 and place it on A string fret 1.
  2. Place middle finger on C string fret 2.

16. A7 → D7 chord transition

To move from A7 to D7;

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

17. D7 → Am chord transition

To move from D7 to Am;

  1. While playing D7, first lift your index finger and ring finger.
  2. Place middle finger on G string fret 2.

18. F7 → E7 chord transition

To move from F7 to E7;

  1. While playing F7, lift your pinky from A string fret 3.
  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.
  4. Lift your ring finger from C string fret 3 and place it on A string fret 2.

Brother Can You Spare A Dime chord transition analysis

A short, data-driven summary of the chord flow in Brother Can You Spare A Dime.

  • Brother Can You Spare A Dime includes 68 chord transitions, 18 of them unique.
  • These transitions represent 0.02% of all chord transitions in Ukulelearn.
  • Brother Can You Spare A Dime contains 2 of the top 25 transitions across Ukulelearn.
  • These transition patterns show how Brother Can You Spare A Dime connects to the rest of Ukulelearn. Mastering them helps you move to similar songs faster.
    After Am, the most likely next chords across Ukulelearn are F (26%), G (21%), and C (16%).
    • Am → Dm: 8%
    • Am → E: 1%
    After E7, the most likely next chords across Ukulelearn are A (31%), Am (28%), and A7 (7%).
    • E7 → Am: 28%
    • E7 → A7: 7%
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.