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14,015 TRANSITIONS ANALYZED#1 at 23%: Which Transition?The 100 most repeated chord transitions extracted from thousands of songs. Even the first 10 will transform your guitar practice routine.

Harry Chapin - Cat’s In The Cradle Chords

DATA-DRIVENWhich Chord Comes Next?Learn the most likely chord transitions on guitar and start playing songs with confidence.
ChordsG, Bb, C, F, Dm
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 key to play this song with easier chords.

GMychildarrivedjusttheBbotherday
HeCcametotheworldintheGusualway
ButtherewereGplanestocatchandBbbillstopay
HeClearnedtowalkwhileIGwasaway
AndhewasFtalkin’‘foreIknewitandDmashegrew
He’dsayBbI’mgonnaDmbelikeGyoudad
YouBbknowI’mgonnaDmbelikeGyou
AndtheGcat’sinthecradleandtheFsilverspoon
BbLittleboyblueandtheCmaninthemoon
GWhenyoucomin’homedadIFdon’tknowwhen
ButBbwe’llget DmtogetherGthenson
YouBbknowwe’llhaveaDmgoodtimeGthen
GMysonturnedtenjusttheBbotherday
HesaidCThanksfortheballDadcomeGonlet’splay
GCanyouteachmetothrowIsaidBbnottoday
IgotaClottodohesaidGthat’sOK
AndheFwalkedawaybuthisDmsmileneverdimmed
AndsaidBbI’mgonnaDmbelikeGhimyeah
YouBbknowI’mgonnaDmbelikeGhim
AndtheGcat’sinthecradleandtheFsilverspoon
BbLittleboyblueandtheCmaninthemoon
GWhenyoucomin’homedadIFdon’tknowwhen
ButBbwe’llget DmtogetherGthenson
YouBbknowwe’llhaveaDmgoodtimeGthen
GWellhecamefromcollegejusttheBbotherday
SoCmuchlikeamanIjustGhadtosay
GSonI’mproudofyoucanyouBbsitforawhile
HeCshookhisheadandGhesaidwithasmile
WhatI’dFreallylikeDadistoDmborrowthecarkeys
BbSeeyouDmlatercanIGhavethemplease
AndtheGcat’sinthecradleandtheFsilverspoon
BbLittleboyblueandtheCmaninthemoon
GWhenyoucomin’homedadIFdon’tknowwhen
ButBbwe’llget DmtogetherGthenson
YouBbknowwe’llhaveaDmgoodtimeGthen
GI’velongsinceretiredmyBbson’smovedaway
ICcalledhimupjusttheGotherday
IsaidI’dGliketoseeyouifBbyoudon’tmind
HesaidI’dClovetoDadifIcouldGfindthetime
YouseemyFnewjob’sahassleandtheDmkidshavetheflu
Butit’sBbsureniceDmtalkingtoGyouDad
It’sbeenBbsureniceDmtalkingtoGyou
AndasIFhungupthephoneit Dmoccurredtome
He’dBbgrownupDmjustlikeGmemyBbboywasDmjustlikeGme
AndtheGcat’sinthecradleandtheFsilverspoon
BbLittleboyblueandtheCmaninthemoon
GWhenyoucomin’homesonIFdon’tknowwhen
ButBbwe’llget DmtogetherGthenDad
YouBbknowwe’llhaveaDmgoodtimeGthen
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.
ArtistHarry Chapin
AlbumVerities & Balderdash
GenresFolk, Folk Rock, Rock, Soft Rock
Year1974
KeyG
DifficultyAdvanced

How to play Cat's In The Cradle on Guitar (Step-by-step)

Harry Chapin - Cat's In The Cradle on guitar requires 5 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.

Cat's In The Cradle uses these transitions most often: Bb → Dm (17), Dm → G (17), and G → Bb (16). 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 - Bb chord transition.

1. G → Bb chord transition

Guitar G chord diagram Fingering: 3-2-0-0-0-3Guitar G 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 G to Bb:

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

This transition appears in the verse, played 16 times.

G to Bb

2. Bb → C chord transition

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

Here's how to move from Bb to C:

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

This transition appears in the verse, played 12 times.

Bb to C

3. C → G chord transition

Guitar C chord diagram Fingering: x-3-2-0-1-0Guitar C chord diagram
Guitar G chord diagram Fingering: 3-2-0-0-0-3Guitar G chord diagram

Here's how to move from C to G:

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

This transition appears in the verse, played 12 times.

C to G

4. G → F chord transition

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

Here's how to move from G to F:

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

This transition appears in the verse, played 13 times.

G to F

5. F → Dm chord transition

To move from F to Dm:

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

This transition appears in the verse, played 5 times.

6. Dm → Bb chord transition

Switching from Dm 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 B string fret 3 and place it on G string fret 3.
  4. Place pinky on B string fret 3.

This transition appears in the verse, played 5 times.

7. Dm → G chord transition

Switching from Dm to G:

  1. Lift your index finger from E 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 B string fret 3 and place it on E string fret 3.

This transition appears in the verse, played 17 times.

8. F → Bb chord transition

Here's how 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.

This transition appears in the chorus, played 8 times.

Cat's In The Cradle chord transition analysis

A short, data-driven summary of the chord flow in Cat's In The Cradle.

  • Cat's In The Cradle includes 105 chord transitions, 8 of them unique.
  • These transitions represent 0.03% of all chord transitions in Chordier.
  • Cat's In The Cradle contains 2 of the top 10 transitions across Chordier.
  • These transition patterns show how Cat's In The Cradle connects to the rest of Chordier. Mastering them helps you move to similar songs faster.
    After G, the most likely next chords across Chordier are C (25%), D (24%), and Am (13%).
    • G → F: 9%
    • G → Bb: 0%
    After Bb, the most likely next chords across Chordier are F (34%), C (20%), and Dm (9%).
    • Bb → C: 20%
    • Bb → Dm: 9%
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.