Seelie Court - The Wreck of the Nancy Lee 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 C,F keys to play this song with easier chords.
Ukulele G chord diagram
Ukulele D7 chord diagram
Ukulele Am chord diagram
Ukulele Em chord diagram
Ukulele C chord diagram
Ukulele A chord diagram
Ukulele D chord diagram
[Opening]
l’lI [G]tell you the tale of the [D7]Nancy Lee
The ship that got ship [G]wrecked at sea
And the bravest man was [Am]Captain Brown
’cause he [D7]played his ukulele as the [G]ship went down
[chorus]
[Em]All the crew were [C]in des[Em]pair
Some rushed here and [A]some rushed [D]there.
But the [G]captain sat in the [Am]captain’s chair
And he [D7]played his ukulele as the [G]ship went down
[section 2]
The [G]captain called to [D7]Seaman Jones
“You’d best put on your [G]working clothes.
While you can stand and [Am]play your hose,
l’|l [D7]play my ukulele as the [G]ship goes down”.
[chorus]
[Em]All the crew were [C]in des[Em]pair
Some rushed here and [A]some rushed [D]there.
But the [G]captain sat in the [Am]captain’s chair
And he [D7]played his ukulele as the [G]ship went down
[section 3]
The [G]owners signalled [D7]to the crew
Saying, “Do the best that [G]you can do.
We’re only insured for [Am]half a crown
So we’ll [D7]all be out of pocket if the [G]ship goes down”
[chorus]
[Em]All the crew were [C]in des[Em]pair
Some rushed here and [A]some rushed [D]there.
But the [G]captain sat in the [Am]captain’s chair
And he [D7]played his ukulele as the [G]ship went down
[section 4]
The [G]Captain’s wife was [D7]on board ship
And he was very [G]glad of it
But she could swim and [Am]might not drown
So they [D7]tied her to the anchor as the [G]ship went down
[chorus]
[Em]All the crew were [C]in des[Em]pair
Some rushed here and [A]some rushed [D]there.
But the [G]captain sat in the [Am]captain’s chair
And he [D7]played his ukulele as the [G]ship went down
[section 5]
The [G]crow’s nest fell and [D7]killed the crow
The starboard watch was [G]two hours slow
But the captain sang Fal [Am]oh di do
And he [D7]played his ukulele as the [G]ship went down
[chorus]
[Em]All the crew were [C]in des[Em]pair
Some rushed here and [A]some rushed [D]there.
But the [G]captain sat in the [Am]captain’s chair
And he [D7]played his ukulele as the [G]ship went down
[Closing]
And [G]that was the tale of the [D7]Nancy Lee
The ship that got ship [G]wrecked at sea
And Captain Brown was [Am]in command
Now he [D7]plays his ukulele in the [G]mermaid band
How to play The Wreck of the Nancy Lee on Ukulele (Step-by-step)
Seelie Court - The Wreck of the Nancy Lee on ukulele requires 7 chords and 8 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.
The Wreck of the Nancy Lee uses these transitions most often: D7 → G (17), Am → D7 (11), and G → Am (11). 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 G - D7 chord transition.
1. G → D7 chord transition
To move from G to D7;
- While playing G, lift your middle finger from A string fret 2.
- Lift your index finger from C string fret 2 and place it on G string fret 2.
- Slide your ring finger from E string fret 3 to A string fret 3.
2. G → Am chord transition
To move from G to Am;
- While playing G, first lift your index finger and ring finger.
- Lift your middle finger from A string fret 2 and place it on G string fret 2.
3. Am → D7 chord transition
To move from Am to D7;
- While playing Am, lift your middle finger from G string fret 2.
- Place index finger on G string fret 2.
- Place ring finger on A string fret 3.
4. G → Em chord transition
To move from G to Em;
- Lift your index finger from C string fret 2 and place it on A string fret 2.
- Slide your middle finger from A string fret 2 to E string fret 3.
- Lift your ring finger from E string fret 3 and place it on C string fret 4.
5. Em → C chord transition
To move from Em to C;
- While playing Em, first lift your index finger and middle finger.
- Lift your ring finger from C string fret 4 and place it on A string fret 3.
6. Em → A chord transition
To move from Em to A;
- While playing Em, lift your ring finger from C string fret 4.
- Lift your index finger from A string fret 2 and place it on C string fret 1.
- Slide your middle finger from E string fret 3 to G string fret 2.
7. A → D chord transition
To move from A to D;
- Lift your index finger from C string fret 1 and place it on G string fret 2.
- Slide your middle finger from G string fret 2 to C string fret 2.
- Place ring finger on E string fret 2.
8. D → G chord transition
To move from D to G;
- Lift your index finger from G string fret 2 and place it on C string fret 2.
- Slide your middle finger from C string fret 2 to A string fret 2.
- Slide your ring finger on E string from fret 2 to fret 3.
The Wreck of the Nancy Lee chord transition analysis
A short, data-driven summary of the chord flow in The Wreck of the Nancy Lee.
- The Wreck of the Nancy Lee includes 75 chord transitions, 8 of them unique.
- These transitions represent 0.02% of all chord transitions in Ukulelearn.
- The Wreck of the Nancy Lee contains 4 of the top 10 transitions across Ukulelearn.
- These transition patterns show how The Wreck of the Nancy Lee connects to the rest of Ukulelearn. Mastering them helps you move to similar songs faster.After G, the most likely next chords across Ukulelearn are C (25%), D (24%), and Am (13%).
- G → Am: 13%
- G → Em: 9%
After D7, the most likely next chords across Ukulelearn are G (51%), G7 (18%), and C (6%).- D7 → G: 51%