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John Williamson - A Bushman Can’t Survive Chords

DATA-DRIVENWhich Chord Comes Next?Learn the most likely chord transitions on guitar and start playing songs with confidence.
ChordsF, Bb, C7
Strumming↓-↓↑-↑↓↑

Before you play, tune your guitar and use the tools below to set up your view and flow. Using the Transpose tool, switch to A,D,E keys to play this song with easier chords.

  • Guitar F chord diagram Fingering: 1-3-3-2-1-1 Barre at fret 1.Guitar F chord diagram
  • Guitar A# | B♭ chord diagram Fingering: x-1-3-3-3-1 Barre at fret 1.Guitar A# | B♭ chord diagram
  • Guitar C7 chord diagram Fingering: x-3-2-3-1-0Guitar C7 chord diagram

[Opening]
[F] [Bb] [C7] [F]
[F]A city girl is happy with her [Bb]friends [C7]and family [F]life
[F]Appreciates a [C7]wine with him at [F]night
She [F]tries to find the sparkle, she [Bb]searches [C7]but it’s [F]gone
With [F]lots of love she [C7]hopes he’ll be al[F]right

[verse 2]
Her [F]man has gone all quiet he’s not at [Bb]ease
He [C7]doesn’t feel at home he’s hard to [F]please
[F]He gets itchy feet he’s tired of [Bb]noises in the street
He [C7]needs to walk for hours through the [F]trees

[chorus]
You see a bushman can’t survive on city [Bb]lights
[F]Opera rock and [C7]roll and height of [F]heights
[F]His moon shines on the silver brigalow
[Bb]Shimmers down the inland river flow
[C7]Out there where the yellow belly [F]bites [F] [Bb] [C7] [F]

[verse 3]
[F]He’s working with his hands today [Bb]on a [C7]building [F]site
[F]He can smell the [C7]Cypress on the [F]floor
[F]It takes him to a sandy ridge [Bb]out amongst the [F]pines
No [F]shearin’ no [C7]ploughin’ any[F]more

[verse 4]
His [F]kelpie dog is tired and fast asleep [Bb]
[C7]Sick of searchin’ gardens for the [F]sheep
His [F]master doesn’t whistle tunes [Bb]he’s not in the mood
His [C7]love for open spaces runs too [F]deep

[chorus]
No a bushman can’t survive on city [Bb]lights
[F]Opera rock and [C7]roll and height of [F]heights
[F]His moon shines on the silver brigalow
[Bb]Shimmers down the inland river flow
[C7]Out there where the yellow belly [F]bites

[verse 5]
[F]He tries to please his woman the [Bb]lady of his [F]life
[F]He’s standing at a [C7]party with a [F]plate
She [F]finds him on the balcony [Bb]staring [C7]at the [F]moon
An old familiar [C7]face he can re[F]late

[Closing]
His [F]moon shines on the silver brigalow
[Bb]Shimmers down the inland river flow
[C7]Out there where the yellow belly [F]bites

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SONG DATA3 Chords, 200 Chains, 1 BookDiscover the most-used three-chord combinations in songs and build real command on guitar.
14,015 TRANSITIONS ANALYZED#1 at 23%: Which Transition?Master guitar today with the most repeated high-impact chord transitions.
ArtistJohn Williamson
AlbumWaratah St.
GenresCountry
Year1991
KeyF

How to play A Bushman Can't Survive on Guitar (Step-by-step)

John Williamson - A Bushman Can't Survive on guitar requires 3 chords and 3 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.

A Bushman Can't Survive uses these transitions most often: C7 → F (21), F → Bb (17), and Bb → C7 (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 F - Bb chord transition.

1. F → Bb chord transition

Guitar F chord diagram Fingering: 1-3-3-2-1-1 Barre at fret 1.Guitar F chord diagram
Guitar A# | B♭ chord diagram Fingering: x-1-3-3-3-1 Barre at fret 1.Guitar A# | B♭ chord diagram

To move from F to Bb;

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

2. Bb → C7 chord transition

Guitar A# | B♭ chord diagram Fingering: x-1-3-3-3-1 Barre at fret 1.Guitar A# | B♭ chord diagram
Guitar C7 chord diagram Fingering: x-3-2-3-1-0Guitar C7 chord diagram

To move from Bb to C7;

  1. Lift your index finger from A string fret 1 and place it on B string fret 1.
  2. Slide your middle finger on D string from fret 3 to fret 2.
  3. Lift your ring finger from G string fret 3 and place it on A string fret 3.
  4. Slide your pinky from B string fret 3 to G string fret 3.
Bb to C7

3. C7 → F chord transition

Guitar C7 chord diagram Fingering: x-3-2-3-1-0Guitar C7 chord diagram
Guitar F chord diagram Fingering: 1-3-3-2-1-1 Barre at fret 1.Guitar F chord diagram

To move from C7 to F;

  1. Lift your index finger from B string fret 1 and place it on E string fret 1.
  2. Slide your middle finger from D string fret 2 to G string fret 2.
  3. Keep ring finger on A string fret 3.
  4. Lift your pinky from G string fret 3 and place it on D string fret 3.
C7 to F

A Bushman Can't Survive chord transition analysis

A short, data-driven summary of the chord flow in A Bushman Can't Survive.

  • A Bushman Can't Survive includes 63 chord transitions, 3 of them unique.
  • These transitions represent 0.02% of all chord transitions in Chordier.
  • A Bushman Can't Survive contains 1 of the top 25 transitions across Chordier.
  • These transition patterns show how A Bushman Can't Survive connects to the rest of Chordier. Mastering them helps you move to similar songs faster.
    After F, the most likely next chords across Chordier are C (40%), G (21%), and Am (11%).
    • F → Bb: 5%
    • F → C7: 1%
    After C7, the most likely next chords across Chordier are F (62%), C (4%), and Gm (4%).
    • C7 → F: 62%
SONG DATA3 Chords, 200 Chains, 1 BookThe 200 most popular three-chord chains from real songs. See which songs use each chain and expand your repertoire with patterns that actually matter.