Dire Straits - Sultans of Swing Ukulele Chords
Before you play, tune your ukulele and use the tools below to set up your view and flow.
Ukulele Dm chord diagram
Ukulele C chord diagram
Ukulele A# | B♭ chord diagram
Ukulele A chord diagram
Ukulele A7 chord diagram
Ukulele F chord diagram
[Opening]
[Dm]You get a shiver in the dark,
It’s a [C]raining in the [Bb]park but mean[A]time [A7] [A]
[Dm]South of the river you [C]stop and you hold every[Dm]thing [A7] [A]
[F]A band is blowing Dixie, double [C]four time
[Bb]You feel alright when you hear the music [Dm]ring [Bb] [C]
[section 2]
Well now you [Dm]step inside but you [C]don’t see [Bb]too many [A]faces [A7]
[Dm]Coming in out of the [C]rain they hear the [Bb]jazz go [A]down [A7]
[F]Competition in other [C]places
Uh [Bb]but the horns they blowin’ that [Dm]sound
[Bb] [C]Way on downsouth
[Bb] [C]Way on downsouth London town
[section 3]
Check out [Dm]guitar george, [C]he knows [Bb]all the [Dm]chords [A7]
[Dm]Mind he’s strictly rhythm
He doesn’t [C]want to make them [Bb]cry or [A]sing [A7] [A]
[F]They said an old guitar is [C]all he can afford
[Bb]When he gets up under the lights to play his [Dm]thing [Bb] [C]
[section 4]
And [Dm]Harry doesn’t [C]mind, if [Bb]he doesn’t [A]make the scene [A7] [A]
[Dm]He’s got a [C]daytime [Bb]job, he’s doing al[A]right [A7] [A]
[F]He can play the honky tonk like any[C]thing
[Bb]Savin’ it up, for Friday [Dm]night
[section 5]
[Bb] [C]With the Sultans
[Bb] [C]We’re the Sultans of Swing
[section 6]
[Dm]Then a crowd a young boys they’re a [C]foolin’ a[Bb]round in the [A]corner [A7] [A]
[Dm]Drunk and dressed in their best brown [C]baggies
And their [Bb]platform [Dm]soles [A7] [A]
[F]They don’t give a damn about any [C]trumpet playin’ band
[Bb]It ain’t what they call rock and [Dm]roll
[section 7]
[Bb] [C]Then the Sultans, [Bb] [C]Yeah the Sultans they play creole, creole
[Dm]And then the man he [C]steps right [Bb]up to the [A]microphone
[Dm]And says at [C]last just as the [Bb]time bell [A]rings [A7] [A]
[F]Goodnight, now it’s [C]time to go home
[Bb]And he makes it fast with one [Dm]more thing
[Closing]
[Bb] [C]We are the Sultans
[Bb] [C]We are the Sultans of [Dm]Swing
How to play Sultans of Swing on Ukulele (Step-by-step)
Dire Straits - Sultans of Swing on ukulele requires 6 chords and 10 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.
Sultans of Swing uses these transitions most often: C → Bb (21), Dm → C (12), and Bb → C (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 Dm - C chord transition.
1. Dm → C chord transition
To move from Dm to C;
- While playing Dm, first lift your index finger and middle finger.
- Lift your ring finger from C string fret 2 and place it on A string fret 3.
2. C → Bb chord transition
To move from C to Bb;
- Lift your ring finger from A string fret 3 and place it on G string fret 3.
- Place index finger on E string fret 1.
- Place middle finger on C string fret 2.
3. Bb → A chord transition
To move from Bb to A;
- While playing Bb, lift your ring finger from G string fret 3.
- Lift your index finger from E string fret 1 and place it on C string fret 1.
- Slide your middle finger from C string fret 2 to G string fret 2.
4. A → A7 chord transition
To move from A to A7;
- While playing A, lift your middle finger from G string fret 2.
- Keep index finger on C string fret 1.
5. A → Dm chord transition
To move from A to Dm;
- Lift your index finger from C string fret 1 and place it on E string fret 1.
- Keep middle finger on G string fret 2.
- Place ring finger on C string fret 2.
6. Dm → A7 chord transition
To move from Dm to A7;
- While playing Dm, first lift your middle finger and ring finger.
- Lift your index finger from E string fret 1 and place it on C string fret 1.
7. A → F chord transition
To move from A to F;
- Lift your index finger from C string fret 1 and place it on E string fret 1.
- Keep middle finger on G string fret 2.
8. 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.
9. Bb → Dm chord transition
To move from Bb to Dm;
- Keep index finger on E string fret 1.
- Lift your middle finger from C string fret 2 and place it on G string fret 2.
- Slide your ring finger from G string fret 3 to C string fret 2.
10. A7 → F chord transition
To move from A7 to F;
- Lift your index finger from C string fret 1 and place it on E string fret 1.
- Place middle finger on G string fret 2.
Sultans of Swing chord transition analysis
A short, data-driven summary of the chord flow in Sultans of Swing.
- Sultans of Swing includes 110 chord transitions, 10 of them unique.
- These transitions represent 0.03% of all chord transitions in Ukulelearn.
- Sultans of Swing contains 1 of the top 10 transitions across Ukulelearn.
- These transition patterns show how Sultans of Swing 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 → Dm: 5%
- C → Bb: 2%
After Bb, the most likely next chords across Ukulelearn are F (34%), C (20%), and Dm (9%).- Bb → C: 20%
- Bb → Dm: 9%