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Joan Baez - There But For Fortune Ukulele Chords

DATA-DRIVENWhich Chord Comes Next?Learn the most likely chord transitions on the ukulele and start playing songs with confidence.
ChordsA, Dm, F#m, B, E7, D, Bm, C#m
Strumming↓-↓↑-↓↑-↓↑

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

  • Ukulele A chord diagram Fingering: 2-1-0-0Ukulele A chord diagram
  • Ukulele Dm chord diagram Fingering: 2-2-1-0Ukulele Dm chord diagram
  • Ukulele F#m | G♭m chord diagram Fingering: 2-1-2-0Ukulele F#m | G♭m chord diagram
  • Ukulele B chord diagram Fingering: 4-3-2-2 Barre at fret 2.Ukulele B chord diagram
  • Ukulele E7 chord diagram Fingering: 1-2-0-2Ukulele E7 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 C#m | D♭m chord diagram Fingering: 1-4-4-4Ukulele C#m | D♭m chord diagram

[Opening]
[A] [Dm] [A] [Dm]
[A]Show me the [Dm]prison, [A]show me the [Dm]jail
[A]Show me the [F#m]prisoner, whose [B]life has gone [E7]stale
And I’ll [A]show you, young [F#m]man,
With so [D]many reasons [Bm]why
[C#m]There but for [F#m]fortune, go [B]you or [E7]I,
mh [A]mh [Dm] [A]

[section 2]
[A]Show me the [Dm]alley, [A]show me the [Dm]train
[A]Show me the [F#m]hobo, who [B]sleeps out in the [E7]rain
And I’ll [A]show you, young [F#m]man,
With so [D]many reasons [Bm]why
[C#m]There but for [F#m]fortune, go [B]you or [E7]I,
mh [A]mh [Dm] [A]

[section 3]
[A]Show me the [Dm]whiskey [A]stains on the [Dm]floor
[A]Show me the [F#m]drunkard, as he [B]stumbles out the [E7]door
And I’ll [A]show you, young [F#m]man
With so [D]many reasons [Bm]why
[C#m]There but for [F#m]fortune, go [B]you or [E7]I, mh [A]mh [Dm] [A]

[Closing]
[A]Show me the [Dm]country, where the [A]bombs had to [Dm]fall
[A]Show me the [F#m]ruins of the [B]buildings, once so [E7]tall
And I’ll [A]show you, young [F#m]land
With so [D]many reasons [Bm]why
[C#m]There but for [F#m]fortune, go [B]you and [E7]I,
you and [A]I
[A] [Dm] [A] [A]

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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.
ArtistJoan Baez
AlbumJoan Baez/5
GenresFolk
Year1965
KeyA

How to play There But For Fortune on Ukulele (Step-by-step)

Joan Baez - There But For Fortune on ukulele requires 8 chords and 9 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.

There But For Fortune uses these transitions most often: A → Dm (14), Dm → A (14), and A → F#m (8). 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 A - Dm chord transition.

1. A → Dm chord transition

Ukulele A chord diagram Fingering: 2-1-0-0Ukulele A chord diagram
Ukulele Dm chord diagram Fingering: 2-2-1-0Ukulele Dm chord diagram

To move from A to Dm;

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

3. F#m → B chord transition

Ukulele F#m | G♭m chord diagram Fingering: 2-1-2-0Ukulele F#m | G♭m chord diagram
Ukulele B chord diagram Fingering: 4-3-2-2 Barre at fret 2.Ukulele B chord diagram

To move from F#m to B;

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

4. B → E7 chord transition

Ukulele B chord diagram Fingering: 4-3-2-2 Barre at fret 2.Ukulele B chord diagram
Ukulele E7 chord diagram Fingering: 1-2-0-2Ukulele E7 chord diagram

To move from B to E7;

  1. Lift your index finger from E string fret 2 and place it on G string fret 1.
  2. Slide your middle finger on C string from fret 3 to fret 2.
  3. Lift your ring finger from G string fret 4 and place it on A string fret 2.
B to E7

5. E7 → A chord transition

To move from E7 to A;

  1. While playing E7, lift your ring finger from A string fret 2.
  2. Lift your index finger from G string fret 1 and place it on C string fret 1.
  3. Slide your middle finger from C string fret 2 to G string fret 2.

6. F#m → D chord transition

To move from F#m to D;

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

7. D → Bm chord transition

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.

8. Bm → C#m chord transition

To move from Bm to C#m;

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

9. C#m → F#m chord transition

To move from C#m to F#m;

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

There But For Fortune chord transition analysis

A short, data-driven summary of the chord flow in There But For Fortune.

  • There But For Fortune includes 76 chord transitions, 9 of them unique.
  • These transitions represent 0.02% of all chord transitions in Ukulelearn.
  • There But For Fortune contains 1 of the top 25 transitions across Ukulelearn.
  • These transition patterns show how There But For Fortune connects to the rest of Ukulelearn. Mastering them helps you move to similar songs faster.
    After A, the most likely next chords across Ukulelearn are D (29%), G (13%), and E (12%).
    • A → F#m: 6%
    • A → Dm: 2%
    After Dm, the most likely next chords across Ukulelearn are C (18%), G (16%), and Am (14%).
    • Dm → A: 3%
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.