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Paul Anka - Papa Ukulele Chords

DATA-DRIVENWhich Chord Comes Next?Learn the most likely chord transitions on the ukulele and start playing songs with confidence.
ChordsDm, Gm, A7, A#, C, F
Strumming↓-↓↑-↓↑-↓↑

Before you play, tune your ukulele and use the tools below to set up your view and flow. Using the Transpose tool, switch to A key to play this song with easier chords.

  • Ukulele Dm chord diagram Fingering: 2-2-1-0Ukulele Dm chord diagram
  • Ukulele Gm chord diagram Fingering: 0-2-3-1Ukulele Gm chord diagram
  • Ukulele A7 chord diagram Fingering: 0-1-0-0Ukulele A7 chord diagram
  • Ukulele A# | B♭ chord diagram Fingering: 3-2-1-1 Barre at fret 1.Ukulele A# | B♭ chord diagram
  • Ukulele C chord diagram Fingering: 0-0-0-3Ukulele C chord diagram
  • Ukulele F chord diagram Fingering: 2-0-1-0Ukulele F chord diagram

[Opening]
[Dm]Everyday my papa would work, [Gm]to try to make ends meet
[A7]To see that we would eat, keep those [Dm]shoes upon my feet
[Dm]Every night my papa would take me, [Gm]and tuck me in my bed
[A7]Kiss me on my head, after [Dm]all my prayers were said

[section 2]
[A#]And there were [C]years, of [A7]sadness and of [Dm]tears
[A#]Through it all, [C]together we were [F]strong
We were [A7]strong, [A#]times were [C]rough
But [A7]Papa he was [Dm]tough, [A#]mama stood be [Gm]side him all a [A7]long

[section 3]
[Dm]Growing up with them was easy, [Gm]the time had flew on by
The [A7]years began to fly, they [Dm]aged and so did I
[A#]And I could [C]tell, that [A7]mama she wasn’t [Dm]well
[A#]Papa knew and [C]deep down so did [F]she, so did [A7]she
[A#]When she [C]died, [A7]Papa broke down and he [Dm]cried
And [A#]all he could say was, [Gm]”God, why her? Take [A7]me!”

[Closing]
[Dm]Everyday he sat there sleeping [Gm]in a rocking chair
[A7]He never went upstairs, [Dm]because she wasn’t there
[Dm]Then one day my Papa said, “Son, I’m [Gm]proud of how you’ve grown”
[A7]He said, “Go out and make it on your own. Don’t [Dm]worry. I’m O.K. alone.”
He said, [Dm]”There are things that you must do”, he said, [Gm]”There’s places you must see”
And his [A7]eyes were sad as he, as he [Dm]said goodbye to me
[Dm]Every time I kiss my children, [Gm]Papa’s words ring true
He said, [A7]”Children live through you. Let them [Dm]grow! They’ll leave you, too”
[Dm]I remember every word [Gm]Papa used to say, I [A7]kiss my kids and pray
That they’ll [Dm]think of [A#]me, [C]that [Dm]way, [Gm] [Dm]someday [A#] [C] [Dm]

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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.
ArtistPaul Anka
AlbumAnka
GenresRock
Year1974
KeyDm

How to play Papa on Ukulele (Step-by-step)

Paul Anka - Papa on ukulele requires 6 chords and 11 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.

Papa uses these transitions most often: A7 → Dm (14), Gm → A7 (10), and Dm → Gm (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 Dm - Gm chord transition.

1. Dm → Gm chord transition

Ukulele Dm chord diagram Fingering: 2-2-1-0Ukulele Dm chord diagram
Ukulele Gm chord diagram Fingering: 0-2-3-1Ukulele Gm chord diagram

To move from Dm to Gm;

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

2. Gm → A7 chord transition

Ukulele Gm chord diagram Fingering: 0-2-3-1Ukulele Gm chord diagram
Ukulele A7 chord diagram Fingering: 0-1-0-0Ukulele A7 chord diagram

To move from Gm to A7;

  1. While playing Gm, first lift your middle finger and ring finger.
  2. Lift your index finger from A string fret 1 and place it on C string fret 1.
Gm to A7

3. A7 → Dm chord transition

Ukulele A7 chord diagram Fingering: 0-1-0-0Ukulele A7 chord diagram
Ukulele Dm chord diagram Fingering: 2-2-1-0Ukulele Dm chord diagram

To move from A7 to Dm;

  1. Lift your index finger from C string fret 1 and place it on E string fret 1.
  2. Place middle finger on G string fret 2.
  3. Place ring finger on C string fret 2.
A7 to Dm

4. Dm → A# chord transition

Ukulele Dm chord diagram Fingering: 2-2-1-0Ukulele Dm chord diagram
Ukulele A# | B♭ chord diagram Fingering: 3-2-1-1 Barre at fret 1.Ukulele A# | B♭ chord diagram

To move from Dm to A#;

  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 G string fret 3.
Dm to A#

5. A# → C chord transition

To move from A# to C;

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

6. C → A7 chord transition

To move from C to A7;

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

7. C → F chord transition

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.

8. F → A7 chord transition

To move from F to A7;

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

9. A7 → A# chord transition

To move from A7 to A#;

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

10. A# → Gm chord transition

To move from A# to Gm;

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

11. C → Dm chord transition

To move from C to Dm;

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

Papa chord transition analysis

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

  • Papa includes 64 chord transitions, 11 of them unique.
  • These transitions represent 0.02% of all chord transitions in Ukulelearn.
  • Papa contains 1 of the top 10 transitions across Ukulelearn.
  • These transition patterns show how Papa connects to the rest of Ukulelearn. Mastering them helps you move to similar songs faster.
    After Dm, the most likely next chords across Ukulelearn are C (18%), G (16%), and Am (14%).
    • Dm → Gm: 5%
    • Dm → A#: 1%
    After A7, the most likely next chords across Ukulelearn are D (42%), D7 (18%), and Dm (12%).
    • A7 → Dm: 12%
    • A7 → A#: 0%
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.