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Johnny Mandel - Suicide Is Painless Ukulele Chords

DATA-DRIVENWhich Chord Comes Next?Learn the most likely chord transitions on the ukulele and start playing songs with confidence.
ChordsEm7, A7, D, Bm, Em, Bm7, B7, G7, F#m
Strumming↓-↓↑-↓↑-↓↑

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

  • Ukulele Em7 chord diagram Fingering: 0-2-0-2Ukulele Em7 chord diagram
  • Ukulele A7 chord diagram Fingering: 0-1-0-0Ukulele A7 chord diagram
  • Ukulele D chord diagram Fingering: 2-2-2-0Ukulele D chord diagram
  • Ukulele Bm chord diagram Fingering: 4-2-2-2 Barre at fret 2.Ukulele Bm chord diagram
  • Ukulele Em chord diagram Fingering: 0-4-3-2Ukulele Em chord diagram
  • Ukulele Bm7 chord diagram Fingering: 2-2-2-2 Barre at fret 2.Ukulele Bm7 chord diagram
  • Ukulele B7 chord diagram Fingering: 2-3-2-2 Barre at fret 2.Ukulele B7 chord diagram
  • Ukulele G7 chord diagram Fingering: 0-2-1-2Ukulele G7 chord diagram
  • Ukulele F#m | G♭m chord diagram Fingering: 2-1-2-0Ukulele F#m | G♭m chord diagram

[Opening]
[Em7]Through early morning [A7]fog I see, [D]visions of the [Bm]things to be
The [Em]pains that are with [A7]held for me,
I [D]realize and [Bm7]I can see [B7]
That [Em7]suicide is [A7]painless,
it [D]brings on many [Bm7]changes
And [G7]I can [F#m]take or [Em]leave it [A7]if I [Bm]please [Bm]

[section 2]
I [Em7]try to find a [A7]way to make [D]all our little [Bm]joys relate
[Em]Without that ever [A7]present hate.
But [D]now I know that [Bm7]it’s too late,
and [B7]that [Em7]suicide is [A7]painless it [D]brings on many [Bm7]changes
And [G7]I can [F#m]take or [Em]leave it [A7]if I [Bm]please [Bm]

[section 3]
The [Em7]game of life is [A7]hard to play, [D]I’m gonna lose it [Bm7]anyway
[Em]The losing card I’ll [A7]someday lay, so [D]this is all I have to [Bm7]say [B7]
That [Em7]suicide is [A7]painless, it [D]brings on many [Bm7]changes
And [G7]I can [F#m]take or [Em]leave it [A7]if I [Bm]please [Bm]

[section 4]
[Em7]The only way to win is [A7]cheat
And [D]lay it down [Bm7]before I’m beat
And [Em]to another [A7]give my seat
For [D]that’s the only painless [Bm7]feat [B7]
That [Em7]suicide is [A7]painless, it [D]brings on many [Bm7]changes
And [G7]I can [F#m]take or [Em]leave it [A7]if I [Bm]please [Bm]

[section 5]
The [Em7]sword of time will [A7]pierce our skins
It [D]doesn’t hurt when [Bm7]it begins
But [Em]as it works its [A7]way on in
The [D]pain grows [Bm7]stronger watch it grin,[B7]
That [Em7]suicide is [A7]painless, it [D]brings on many [Bm7]changes
And [G7]I can [F#m]take or [Em]leave it [A7]if I [Bm]please [Bm]

[section 6]
A [Em7]brave man once [A7]requested me
To [D]answer questions [Bm7]that are key
Is [Em]it to be or [A7]not to be ?
And [D]I replied “Oh, [Bm7]why ask me?” [B7]
That [Em7]suicide is [A7]painless, it [D]brings on many [Bm7]changes
And [G7]I can [F#m]take or [Em]leave it [A7]if I [Bm]please [Bm]

[Closing]
And you can [F#m]do the [Em]same thing, [A7]if you [Bm]please [Bm]

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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.
ArtistJohnny Mandel
AlbumM*A*S*H (Original Soundtrack Recording)
GenresPop
Year1970
KeyEm7

How to play Suicide Is Painless on Ukulele (Step-by-step)

Johnny Mandel - Suicide Is Painless on ukulele requires 9 chords and 15 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.

Suicide Is Painless uses these transitions most often: A7 → D (18), D → Bm7 (16), and Em → A7 (13). 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 Em7 - A7 chord transition.

1. Em7 → A7 chord transition

Ukulele Em7 chord diagram Fingering: 0-2-0-2Ukulele Em7 chord diagram
Ukulele A7 chord diagram Fingering: 0-1-0-0Ukulele A7 chord diagram

To move from Em7 to A7;

  1. While playing Em7, lift your middle finger from A string fret 2.
  2. Slide your index finger on C string from fret 2 to fret 1.
Em7 to A7

2. A7 → D chord transition

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

To move from A7 to D;

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

3. D → Bm chord transition

Ukulele D chord diagram Fingering: 2-2-2-0Ukulele D chord diagram
Ukulele Bm chord diagram Fingering: 4-2-2-2 Barre at fret 2.Ukulele Bm chord diagram

To move from D to Bm;

  1. While playing D, lift your middle finger from C string fret 2.
  2. Lift your index finger from G string fret 2 and place it on C string fret 2.
  3. Slide your ring finger from E string fret 2 to G string fret 4.
D to Bm

4. Bm → Em chord transition

Ukulele Bm chord diagram Fingering: 4-2-2-2 Barre at fret 2.Ukulele Bm chord diagram
Ukulele Em chord diagram Fingering: 0-4-3-2Ukulele Em chord diagram

To move from Bm to Em;

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

5. Em → A7 chord transition

To move from Em to A7;

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

6. D → Bm7 chord transition

To move from D to Bm7;

  1. While playing D, first lift your middle finger and ring finger.
  2. Keep index finger on G string fret 2.

7. Bm7 → B7 chord transition

To move from Bm7 to B7;

  1. Keep index finger on G string fret 2.
  2. Place middle finger on C string fret 3.

8. B7 → Em7 chord transition

To move from B7 to Em7;

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

9. Bm7 → G7 chord transition

To move from Bm7 to G7;

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

10. G7 → F#m chord transition

To move from G7 to F#m;

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

11. F#m → Em chord transition

To move from F#m to Em;

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

12. A7 → Bm chord transition

To move from A7 to Bm;

  1. Slide your index finger on C string from fret 1 to fret 2.
  2. Place ring finger on G string fret 4.

13. Bm → Em7 chord transition

To move from Bm to Em7;

  1. While playing Bm, lift your ring finger from G string fret 4.
  2. Keep index finger on C string fret 2.
  3. Place middle finger on A string fret 2.

14. Bm7 → Em chord transition

To move from Bm7 to Em;

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

15. Bm → F#m chord transition

To move from Bm to F#m;

  1. Slide your index finger on C string from fret 2 to fret 1.
  2. Slide your ring finger from G string fret 4 to E string fret 2.
  3. Place middle finger on G string fret 2.

Suicide Is Painless chord transition analysis

A short, data-driven summary of the chord flow in Suicide Is Painless.

  • Suicide Is Painless includes 111 chord transitions, 15 of them unique.
  • These transitions represent 0.03% of all chord transitions in Ukulelearn.
  • Suicide Is Painless contains 1 of the top 25 transitions across Ukulelearn.
  • These transition patterns show how Suicide Is Painless connects to the rest of Ukulelearn. Mastering them helps you move to similar songs faster.
    After A7, the most likely next chords across Ukulelearn are D (42%), D7 (18%), and Dm (12%).
    • A7 → D: 42%
    • A7 → Bm: 1%
    After D, the most likely next chords across Ukulelearn are G (29%), A (17%), and Em (17%).
    • D → Bm: 5%
    • D → Bm7: 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.