John Prine - Sam Stone Ukulele Chords
Before you play, tune your ukulele and use the tools below to set up your view and flow. Using the Transpose tool, switch to G key to play this song with easier chords.
Ukulele C chord diagram
Ukulele F chord diagram
Ukulele A# | B♭ chord diagram
Ukulele G7 chord diagram
Ukulele G chord diagram
Ukulele Gm chord diagram
Ukulele Dm chord diagram
[Opening]
[C] [F]
[F]Sam Stone came home, to his [Bb]wife and family,
after [C]serving in the conflict over[F]seas.
And the [F]time that he served, had [Bb]shattered all his nerves,
and [C]left a little shrapnel in his [F]knee. [Bb] [F]
[section 2]
But the mor[Bb]phine eased the pain,
and the [Bb]grass grew round his brain,
and [G7]gave him all the confidence he [C]lacked;
with a [G7]Purple Heart and a [G]monkey on his [C]back.
[chorus]
There’s a [F]hole in daddy’s arm where all the [Gm]money goes,
and [Bb]Jesus Christ died for nothin’ I sup[C]pose.
Little [F]pitchers have big ears,
don’t [Dm]stop to count the years,
sweet [G7]songs never last too [G]long on broken radi[C]os.
[C]Mmm [C] [C] [C]
[section 3]
Sam [F]Stone’s welcome home, didn’t [Bb]last too long,
he [C]went to work when he’d spent his last [F]dime
And [F]Sammy took to stealing, when he [Bb]got that empty feeling,
for a [C]hundred dollar habit without over[F]time.
[section 4]
And the [Bb]gold rolled through his veins,
like a [Bb]thousand railroad trains,
and [G7]eased his mind in the hours that he [C]chose;
while the [G]kids ran around [G7]wearin’ other peoples’ [C]clothes
[chorus]
There’s a [F]hole in daddy’s arm where all the [Gm]money goes,
and [Bb]Jesus Christ died for nothin’ I sup[C]pose.
Little [F]pitchers have big ears,
don’t [Dm]stop to count the years,
sweet [G7]songs never last too [G]long on broken radi[C]os. [C]Mmm [C] [C] [C]
[section 5]
Sam [F]Stone was alone, when he [Bb]popped his last balloon,
[C]climbing walls while sitting in a [F]chair
Well, he [F]played his last request,
while the [Bb]room smelled just like death,
with an [C]overdose hovering in the [F]air
[Closing]
But [Bb]life had lost its fun, and there was [Bb]nothing to be done,
but [G7]trade his house that he bought on the G, I. [C]Bill;
for a [G]flag draped casket on a [G7]local heroes’ [C]hill
[chorus]
There’s a [F]hole in daddy’s arm where all the [Gm]money goes,
and [Bb]Jesus Christ died for nothin’ I sup[C]pose.
Little [F]pitchers have big ears,
don’t [Dm]stop to count the years,
sweet [G7]songs never last too [G]long on broken radi[C]os.
[C]Mmm [C] [C] [C]
[C]Mmm.[C] [C] [F]
How to play Sam Stone on Ukulele (Step-by-step)
John Prine - Sam Stone on ukulele requires 7 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.
Sam Stone uses these transitions most often: C → F (16), F → Bb (10), and Bb → C (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 C - F chord transition.
1. 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.
2. 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.
3. 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.
4. Bb → G7 chord transition
To move from Bb to G7;
- Keep index finger on E string fret 1.
- Keep middle finger on C string fret 2.
- Lift your ring finger from G string fret 3 and place it on A string fret 2.
5. G7 → C chord transition
To move from G7 to C;
- While playing G7, first lift your index finger and middle finger.
- Slide your ring finger on A string from fret 2 to fret 3.
6. G7 → G chord transition
To move from G7 to G;
- Lift your index finger from E string fret 1 and place it on C string fret 2.
- Slide your middle finger from C string fret 2 to A string fret 2.
- Lift your ring finger from A string fret 2 and place it on E string fret 3.
7. G → C chord transition
To move from G to C;
- While playing G, first lift your index finger and middle finger.
- Lift your ring finger from E string fret 3 and place it on A string fret 3.
8. F → Gm chord transition
To move from F to Gm;
- Lift your index finger from E string fret 1 and place it on A string fret 1.
- Slide your middle finger from G string fret 2 to C string fret 2.
- Place ring finger on E string fret 3.
9. Gm → Bb chord transition
To move from Gm to Bb;
- Lift your index finger from A string fret 1 and place it on E string fret 1.
- Keep middle finger on C string fret 2.
- Slide your ring finger from E string fret 3 to G string fret 3.
10. F → Dm chord transition
To move from F to Dm;
- Keep index finger on E string fret 1.
- Keep middle finger on G string fret 2.
- Place ring finger on C string fret 2.
11. Dm → G7 chord transition
To move from Dm to G7;
- 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.
- Slide your ring finger from C string fret 2 to A string fret 2.
Sam Stone chord transition analysis
A short, data-driven summary of the chord flow in Sam Stone.
- Sam Stone includes 69 chord transitions, 11 of them unique.
- These transitions represent 0.02% of all chord transitions in Ukulelearn.
- Sam Stone contains 2 of the top 10 transitions across Ukulelearn.
- These transition patterns show how Sam Stone 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 → Dm: 5%
- F → Bb: 5%