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Roger Whittaker - Durham Town Ukulele Chords

DATA-DRIVENWhich Chord Comes Next?Learn the most likely chord transitions on the ukulele and start playing songs with confidence.
ChordsC, G, F, Em, Am, Fm
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 G chord diagram Fingering: 0-2-3-2Ukulele G chord diagram
  • Ukulele F chord diagram Fingering: 2-0-1-0Ukulele F chord diagram
  • Ukulele Em chord diagram Fingering: 0-4-3-2Ukulele Em chord diagram
  • Ukulele Am chord diagram Fingering: 2-0-0-0Ukulele Am chord diagram
  • Ukulele Fm chord diagram Fingering: 1-0-1-3Ukulele Fm chord diagram

[chorus]
[C]I’ve gotta [G]leave old [F]Durham [G]Town
[C]I’ve gotta [F]leave old [G]Durham [C]Town
[C]I’ve gotta [Em]leave old [Am]Durham [Fm]Town
And that [C]leaving’s gonna [G]get me [C]down

[Opening]
[C]Back in [G]nineteen [F]forty [G]four
[Am]I remember [Em]Daddy walking [Am]out the [Em]door
[C]Mama told [G]me he was [F]going to the [G]war, he was [Am]leaving
[Em]Leaving leaving leaving leaving [G]me

[chorus]
[C]I’ve gotta [G]leave old [F]Durham [G]Town
[C]I’ve gotta [F]leave old [G]Durham [C]Town
[C]I’ve gotta [Em]leave old [Am]Durham [Fm]Town
And that [C]leaving’s gonna [G]get me [C]down

[section 2]
When [C]I was a [G]boy I [F]spent my [G]time
[Am]Sitting on the [Em]banks of the [Am]river [Em]Tyne
[C]Watching all the [G]ships going [F]down the [G]line, they were [Am]leaving
[Em]Leaving leaving leaving leaving [G]me

[chorus]
[C]I’ve gotta [G]leave old [F]Durham [G]Town
[C]I’ve gotta [F]leave old [G]Durham [C]Town
[C]I’ve gotta [Em]leave old [Am]Durham [Fm]Town
And that [C]leaving’s gonna [G]get me [C]down

[section 3]
[C]Last week [G]momma [F]passed a[G]way
[Am]”Good bye [Em]son” is [Am]all she’d [Em]say
[C]”There’s no [G]call for [F]me to [G]stay so I’m [Am]leaving
[Em]Leaving leaving leaving leaving [G]free

[chorus]
[C]I’ve gotta [G]leave old [F]Durham [G]Town
[C]I’ve gotta [F]leave old [G]Durham [C]Town
[C]I’ve gotta [Em]leave old [Am]Durham [Fm]Town
And that [C]leaving’s gonna [G]get me [C]down

[chorus]
[C]I’ve gotta [G]leave old [F]Durham [G]Town
[C]I’ve gotta [F]leave old [G]Durham [C]Town
[C]I’ve gotta [Em]leave old [Am]Durham [Fm]Town
And that [C]leaving’s gonna [G]get me [C]down

[Closing]
[C]La lala[G]la la [F]lala [G]la
[C]La lala[F]la la [G]lala [C]la
[C]La lala[Em]la la [Am]lala [Fm]lala
Lala [C]lalalala [G]lalala[C]la

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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.
ArtistRoger Whittaker
AlbumNew World in the Morning
GenresFolk, Pop
Year1971
KeyC

How to play Durham Town on Ukulele (Step-by-step)

Roger Whittaker - Durham Town on ukulele requires 6 chords and 9 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.

Durham Town uses these transitions most often: G → C (21), C → G (18), and F → G (18). 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 - G chord transition.

1. C → G chord transition

Ukulele C chord diagram Fingering: 0-0-0-3Ukulele C chord diagram
Ukulele G chord diagram Fingering: 0-2-3-2Ukulele G chord diagram

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.
C to G

2. G → F chord transition

Ukulele G chord diagram Fingering: 0-2-3-2Ukulele G chord diagram
Ukulele F chord diagram Fingering: 2-0-1-0Ukulele F chord diagram

To move from G to F;

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

3. 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

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 → Am chord transition

To move from Em to Am;

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

6. Am → Fm chord transition

To move from Am to Fm;

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

7. Fm → C chord transition

To move from Fm to C;

  1. While playing Fm, first lift your index finger, middle finger, and pinky.
  2. Place ring finger on A string fret 3.

8. G → Am chord transition

To move from G to Am;

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

9. Em → G chord transition

To move from Em to G;

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

Durham Town chord transition analysis

A short, data-driven summary of the chord flow in Durham Town.

  • Durham Town includes 123 chord transitions, 9 of them unique.
  • These transitions represent 0.03% of all chord transitions in Ukulelearn.
  • Durham Town contains 5 of the top 10 transitions across Ukulelearn.
  • These transition patterns show how Durham Town 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 G, the most likely next chords across Ukulelearn are C (25%), D (24%), and Am (13%).
    • G → C: 25%
    • G → Am: 13%
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.