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Dave Van Ronk - Sporting Life Blues Ukulele Chords

DATA-DRIVENWhich Chord Comes Next?Learn the most likely chord transitions on the ukulele and start playing songs with confidence.
ChordsC7, F, F7, Bb, Bbm, C
Strumming↓-↓↑-↑↓↑

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

  • Ukulele C7 chord diagram Fingering: 0-0-0-1Ukulele C7 chord diagram
  • Ukulele F chord diagram Fingering: 2-0-1-0Ukulele F chord diagram
  • Ukulele F7 chord diagram Fingering: 2-3-1-3Ukulele F7 chord diagram
  • Ukulele A# | B♭ chord diagram Fingering: 3-2-1-1 Barre at fret 1.Ukulele A# | B♭ chord diagram
  • Ukulele A#m | B♭m chord diagram Fingering: 3-1-1-1 Barre at fret 1.Ukulele A#m | B♭m chord diagram
  • Ukulele C chord diagram Fingering: 0-0-0-3Ukulele C chord diagram

[Opening]
[C7]I got a [F]letter from my [F7]home
Most of my [Bb]good friends are dead and [Bbm]gone
It’ll make you [F]worry
It’ll make you [C]wonder about days to [F]come [Bb] [F] [C7]

[section 2]
My mother [F]used to say to [F7]me
So young and [Bb]foolish and I could not [Bbm]see
I have no [F]mother
My sisters and [C]brothers won’t talk to [F]me [Bb] [F] [C7]

[Closing]
She used to [F]fall on her knees and [F7]pray
These are the [Bb]very words she used to [Bbm]say
She said, oh [F]Johnny
My precious [C]Johnny, please change your [F]ways [Bb] [F] [C7]

[chorus]
I’m getting’ [F]tired of runnin’ [F7]around
Think I’ll get [Bb]married and settle [Bbm]down
This ole [F]night life,
This sportin’ [C]life, it’s killin’ [F]me [Bb] [F] [C7]

[chorus]
I’ve been [F]gambler and a cheater [F7]too
But now it’s [Bb]come my time to [Bbm]lose
This ole [F]sportin’ life
Has got the [C]best hand, what can I [F]do? [Bb] [F] [C7]

[chorus]
There ain’t but [F]one thing that I think that I done [F7]wrong
I lived that [Bb]sportin’ life, my friend, too [Bbm]long
I said, it’s [F]no good
Please [C]believe me, please leave it a[F]lone [Bb] [F] [C7]

[chorus]
I’m getting’ [F]tired of runnin’ [F7]around
Think I’ll get [Bb]married and settle [Bbm]down
This ole [F]night life,
This sportin’ [C]life, it’s killin’ [F]me [Bb] [F] [C7]

[chorus]
I’ve been [F]gambler and a cheater [F7]too
But now it’s [Bb]come my time to [Bbm]lose
This ole [F]sportin’ life
Has got the [C]best hand, what can I [F]do? [Bb] [F] [C7]

[chorus]
There ain’t but [F]one thing that I think that I done [F7]wrong
I lived that [Bb]sportin’ life, my friend, too [Bbm]long
I said, it’s [F]no good
Please [C]believe me, please leave it a‐[F]lone [Bb] [F] [C7]

[chorus]
I’m getting’ [F]tired of runnin’ [F7]around
Think I’ll get [Bb]married and settle [Bbm]down
This ole [F]night life, this sportin’ [C]life, it’s killin’ [F]me [Bb] [F]

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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.
ArtistDave Van Ronk
Album...And the Tin Pan Bended and the Story Ended...
GenresFolk
Year2004
KeyC7

How to play Sporting Life Blues on Ukulele (Step-by-step)

Dave Van Ronk - Sporting Life Blues on ukulele requires 6 chords and 7 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.

Sporting Life Blues uses these transitions most often: Bb → Bbm (10), Bb → F (10), and Bbm → F (10). 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 C7 - F chord transition.

1. C7 → F chord transition

Ukulele C7 chord diagram Fingering: 0-0-0-1Ukulele C7 chord diagram
Ukulele F chord diagram Fingering: 2-0-1-0Ukulele F chord diagram

To move from C7 to F;

  1. Lift your index finger from A string fret 1 and place it on E string fret 1.
  2. Place middle finger on G string fret 2.
C7 to F

2. F → F7 chord transition

Ukulele F chord diagram Fingering: 2-0-1-0Ukulele F chord diagram
Ukulele F7 chord diagram Fingering: 2-3-1-3Ukulele F7 chord diagram

To move from F to F7;

  1. Keep index finger on E string fret 1.
  2. Keep middle finger on G string fret 2.
  3. Place ring finger on C string fret 3.
  4. Place pinky on A string fret 3.
F to F7

3. F7 → Bb chord transition

Ukulele F7 chord diagram Fingering: 2-3-1-3Ukulele F7 chord diagram
Ukulele A# | B♭ chord diagram Fingering: 3-2-1-1 Barre at fret 1.Ukulele A# | B♭ chord diagram

To move from F7 to Bb;

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

4. Bb → Bbm chord transition

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

To move from Bb to Bbm;

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

5. Bbm → F chord transition

To move from Bbm to F;

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

6. F → C chord transition

To move from F to C;

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

7. F → Bb chord transition

To move from F to Bb;

  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. Place ring finger on G string fret 3.

Sporting Life Blues chord transition analysis

A short, data-driven summary of the chord flow in Sporting Life Blues.

  • Sporting Life Blues includes 99 chord transitions, 7 of them unique.
  • These transitions represent 0.03% of all chord transitions in Ukulelearn.
  • Sporting Life Blues contains 1 of the top 10 transitions across Ukulelearn.
  • These transition patterns show how Sporting Life Blues connects to the rest of Ukulelearn. Mastering them helps you move to similar songs faster.
    After F, the most likely next chords across Ukulelearn are C (40%), G (21%), and Am (11%).
    • F → C: 40%
    • F → Bb: 5%
    After Bb, the most likely next chords across Ukulelearn are F (34%), C (20%), and Dm (9%).
    • Bb → F: 34%
    • Bb → Bbm: 2%
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.