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Ray Charles - Hit the Road Jack Chords

DATA-DRIVENWhich Chord Comes Next?Learn the most likely chord transitions on guitar and start playing songs with confidence.
ChordsAm, G, F, E7
Strumming↓-↓↑-↑↓↑

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

  • Guitar Am chord diagram Fingering: x-0-2-2-1-0Guitar Am chord diagram
  • 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
  • Guitar E7 chord diagram Fingering: 0-2-0-1-0-0Guitar E7 chord diagram

[Opening]
[Am] [G] [F] [E7]
Hit the [Am]road [G]Jack and [F]don’t you come [E7]back no
[Am]more no [G]more no [F]more no [E7]more
Hit the [Am]road [G]Jack and [F]don’t you come [E7]back no [Am]more [G]
[F]What you [E7]say?

[chorus]
Hit the [Am]road [G]Jack and [F]don’t you come [E7]back no
[Am]more no [G]more no [F]more no [E7]more
Hit [Am]the road [G]Jack and [F]don’t you come [E7]back no [Am]more

[verse 2]
[G] [F] [E7]
Whoa [Am]woman oh [G]woman don’t [F]treat me so [E7]mean!
You’re the [Am]meanest [G]woman that I’ve [F]ever [E7]seen
I [Am]guess if [G]you say [F]so.. [E7]
I’ll [Am]have to pack my [G]things and [F]go (That’s [E7]right!)

[verse 3]
Hit the [Am]road [G]Jack and [F]don’t you come [E7]back no
[Am]more no [G]more no [F]more no [E7]more
Hit the [Am]road [G]Jack and [F]don’t you come [E7]back no [Am]more [G]
[F]What you [E7]say?

[chorus]
Hit the [Am]road [G]Jack and [F]don’t you come [E7]back no
[Am]more no [G]more no [F]more no [E7]more
Hit [Am]the road [G]Jack and [F]don’t you come [E7]back no [Am]more

[chorus]
[G] [F] [E7]
Now [Am]baby listen [G]baby don’t [F]treat me this [E7]way
For [Am]I’ll be [G]back on my [F]feet some [E7]day

[chorus]
Don’t [Am]care if you [G]do cause it’s [F]under[E7]stood,
You ain’t got [Am]got no [G]money you [F]just ain’t go [E7]good

[chorus]
Well I [Am]guess if [G]you say [F]so [E7]
I’ll [Am]have to pack my [G]things and [F]go (That’s [E7]right!)

[verse 4]
Hit the [Am]road [G]Jack and [F]don’t you come [E7]back no
[Am]more no [G]more no [F]more no [E7]more
Hit the [Am]road [G]Jack and [F]don’t you come [E7]back no [Am]more [G]
[F]What you [E7]say?

[chorus]
Hit the [Am]road [G]Jack and [F]don’t you come [E7]back no
[Am]more no [G]more no [F]more no [E7]more
Hit [Am]the road [G]Jack and [F]don’t you come [E7]back no [Am]more

[chorus]
[G] [F] [E7]
Now [Am]baby, listen [G]baby, don’t a [F]treat me this a [E7]way
For [Am]I’ll be [G]back on my [F]feet some [E7]day

[chorus]
Don’t [Am]care if you [G]do ’cause it’s [F]under [E7]stood
You [Am]ain’t got no [G]money you just [F]ain’t no [E7]good

[chorus]
I [Am]guess if [G]you say [F]say [E7]so
I’ll [Am]have to [G]pack my [F]things and [E7]go (that’s right)

[verse 5]
Hit the [Am]road [G]Jack and [F]don’t you come [E7]back no
[Am]more no [G]more no [F]more no [E7]more
Hit the [Am]road [G]Jack and [F]don’t you come [E7]back no [Am]more [G]
[F]What you [E7]say?

[chorus]
Hit the [Am]road [G]Jack and [F]don’t you come [E7]back no
[Am]more no [G]more no [F]more no [E7]more
Hit [Am]the road [G]Jack and [F]don’t you come [E7]back no [Am]more

[Closing]
[G] [F] [E7]
[F]Don’t you come [E7]back no [Am]more [G]
[F]Don’t you come [E7]back no [Am]more [G]
[F]Don’t you come [E7]back no [Am]more [G]
[F] [E7] [Am]

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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.
ArtistRay Charles
AlbumSingle
GenresR&B, Soul
Year1961
KeyAm

How to play Hit the Road Jack on Guitar (Step-by-step)

Ray Charles - Hit the Road Jack on guitar requires 4 chords and 4 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.

Hit the Road Jack uses these transitions most often: F → E7 (53), Am → G (52), and E7 → Am (52). 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 Am - G chord transition.

1. Am → G chord transition

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

To move from Am 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 G string fret 2 and place it on E string fret 3.
Am to G

2. 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

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.
G to F

3. F → E7 chord transition

Guitar F chord diagram Fingering: 1-3-3-2-1-1 Barre at fret 1.Guitar F chord diagram
Guitar E7 chord diagram Fingering: 0-2-0-1-0-0Guitar E7 chord diagram

To move from F to E7;

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

4. E7 → Am chord transition

Guitar E7 chord diagram Fingering: 0-2-0-1-0-0Guitar E7 chord diagram
Guitar Am chord diagram Fingering: x-0-2-2-1-0Guitar Am chord diagram

To move from E7 to Am;

  1. Lift your index finger from G string fret 1 and place it on B string fret 1.
  2. Slide your middle finger from A string fret 2 to D string fret 2.
  3. Place ring finger on G string fret 2.
E7 to Am

Hit the Road Jack chord transition analysis

A short, data-driven summary of the chord flow in Hit the Road Jack.

  • Hit the Road Jack includes 210 chord transitions, 4 of them unique.
  • These transitions represent 0.06% of all chord transitions in Chordier.
  • Hit the Road Jack contains 2 of the top 10 transitions across Chordier.
  • These transition patterns show how Hit the Road Jack connects to the rest of Chordier. Mastering them helps you move to similar songs faster.
    After Am, the most likely next chords across Chordier are F (26%), G (21%), and C (16%).
    • Am → G: 21%
    After F, the most likely next chords across Chordier are C (40%), G (21%), and Am (11%).
    • F → E7: 1%
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.