John Prine - Illegal Smile Ukulele Chords
Before you play, tune your ukulele and use the tools below to set up your view and flow.
Ukulele C chord diagram
Ukulele G chord diagram
Ukulele F chord diagram
[Opening]
[C]When I woke up this [G]morning, [F]things were lookin’ [C]bad
[F]Seem like total [C]silence was the [G]only friend I [C]had
[G]Bowl of oatmeal [F]tried to stare me [C]down [F]and [C]won
And it was [G]twelve o’clock before I [F]realized
That I was [C]havin’ [F]no [C]fun
[chorus]
But [G]fortunately I [C]have the key to es[F]cape re[G]ali[C]ty
And you may [F]see me tonight with an [C]illegal smile
It don’t [G]cost very much, but it [C]lasts a long while
Won’t you [F]please tell the man I didn’t [C]kill anyone
No I’m [G]just tryin’ to [F]have me some [C]fun
[section 2]
Last [C]time I checked my [G]bankroll,
[F]It was gettin’ [C]thin
Some[F]times it seems like the [C]bottom
Is the [G]only place I’ve [C]been
I [G]chased a rainbow [F]down a one-way [C]street [F]dead [C]end
And [G]all my friends turned [F]out to be in[C]surance [F]sales[C]men
[chorus]
But [G]fortunately I [C]have the key to es[F]cape re[G]ali[C]ty
And you may [F]see me tonight with an [C]illegal smile
It don’t [G]cost very much, but it [C]lasts a long while
Won’t you [F]please tell the man I didn’t [C]kill anyone
No I’m [G]just tryin’ to [F]have me some [C]fun
[section 3]
Well, I [C]sat down in my [G]closet with [F]all my over[C]alls
[F]Tryin’ to get a[C]way
From all the [G]ears inside my [C]walls
I [G]dreamed the police [F]heard
Everything I [C]thought [F]what [C]then?
Well I [G]went to court
And the [F]judge’s name [C]was [F]Hoff[C]man
[Closing]
But [G]fortunately I [C]have the key to es[F]cape re[G]ali[C]ty
And you may [F]see me tonight with an [C]illegal smile
It don’t [G]cost very much, but it [C]lasts a long while
Won’t you [F]please tell the man I didn’t [C]kill anyone
No I’m [G]just tryin’ to [F]have me some [C]fun
Well done, son of a gun, hot dog bun, Attila the Hun, my sister’s a nun [F] [C]
How to play Illegal Smile on Ukulele (Step-by-step)
John Prine - Illegal Smile 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.
Illegal Smile uses these transitions most often: F → C (28), C → G (21), and C → F (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 C - G chord transition.
1. C → G chord transition
To move from C to G;
- Lift your ring finger from A string fret 3 and place it on E string fret 3.
- Place index finger on C string fret 2.
- Place middle finger on A string fret 2.
2. G → F chord transition
To move from G to F;
- While playing G, lift your ring finger from E string fret 3.
- Lift your index finger from C string fret 2 and place it on E string fret 1.
- Slide your middle finger from A string fret 2 to G string fret 2.
3. F → C chord transition
To move from F to C;
- While playing F, first lift your index finger and middle finger.
- Place ring finger on A string fret 3.
Illegal Smile chord transition analysis
A short, data-driven summary of the chord flow in Illegal Smile.
- Illegal Smile includes 95 chord transitions, 3 of them unique.
- These transitions represent 0.03% of all chord transitions in Ukulelearn.
- Illegal Smile contains 3 of the top 10 transitions across Ukulelearn.
- These transition patterns show how Illegal Smile 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 F, the most likely next chords across Ukulelearn are C (40%), G (21%), and Am (11%).- F → C: 40%
- F → G: 21%