Skip to song content
Chordier homepage
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.

John Prine - Illegal Smile Chords

DATA-DRIVENWhich Chord Comes Next?Learn the most likely chord transitions on guitar and start playing songs with confidence.
ChordsC, G, F
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,G keys to play this song with easier chords.

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

[Opening]
[C]When I woke up this [G]morning, [F]things were lookin’ [C]bad
[F]Seem like total [C]silence was the [G]only friend I [C]had
[G]Bowl of oatmeal [F]tried to stare me [C]down [F]and [C]won
And it was [G]twelve o’clock before I [F]realized
That I was [C]havin’ [F]no [C]fun

[chorus]
But [G]fortunately I [C]have the key to es[F]cape re[G]ali[C]ty
And you may [F]see me tonight with an [C]illegal smile
It don’t [G]cost very much, but it [C]lasts a long while
Won’t you [F]please tell the man I didn’t [C]kill anyone
No I’m [G]just tryin’ to [F]have me some [C]fun

[verse 2]
Last [C]time I checked my [G]bankroll,
[F]It was gettin’ [C]thin
Some[F]times it seems like the [C]bottom
Is the [G]only place I’ve [C]been
I [G]chased a rainbow [F]down a one-way [C]street [F]dead [C]end
And [G]all my friends turned [F]out to be in[C]surance [F]sales[C]men

[chorus]
But [G]fortunately I [C]have the key to es[F]cape re[G]ali[C]ty
And you may [F]see me tonight with an [C]illegal smile
It don’t [G]cost very much, but it [C]lasts a long while
Won’t you [F]please tell the man I didn’t [C]kill anyone
No I’m [G]just tryin’ to [F]have me some [C]fun

[verse 3]
Well, I [C]sat down in my [G]closet with [F]all my over[C]alls
[F]Tryin’ to get a[C]way
From all the [G]ears inside my [C]walls
I [G]dreamed the police [F]heard
Everything I [C]thought [F]what [C]then?
Well I [G]went to court
And the [F]judge’s name [C]was [F]Hoff[C]man

[Closing]
But [G]fortunately I [C]have the key to es[F]cape re[G]ali[C]ty
And you may [F]see me tonight with an [C]illegal smile
It don’t [G]cost very much, but it [C]lasts a long while
Won’t you [F]please tell the man I didn’t [C]kill anyone
No I’m [G]just tryin’ to [F]have me some [C]fun
Well done, son of a gun, hot dog bun, Attila the Hun, my sister’s a nun [F] [C]

Report Error
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 Prine
AlbumJohn Prine
GenresFolk
Year1971
KeyC

How to play Illegal Smile on Guitar (Step-by-step)

John Prine - Illegal Smile 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.

Illegal Smile uses these transitions most often: F → C (28), C → G (21), and C → F (19). 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 C - G chord transition.

1. 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

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.
C 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 → C chord transition

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

To move from F to C;

  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 B string fret 1.
  3. Slide your middle finger from G string fret 2 to D string fret 2.
  4. Keep ring finger on A string fret 3.
F to C

Illegal Smile chord transition analysis

A short, data-driven summary of the chord flow in Illegal Smile.

  • Illegal Smile includes 95 chord transitions, 3 of them unique.
  • These transitions represent 0.03% of all chord transitions in Chordier.
  • Illegal Smile contains 3 of the top 10 transitions across Chordier.
  • These transition patterns show how Illegal Smile connects to the rest of Chordier. Mastering them helps you move to similar songs faster.
    After C, the most likely next chords across Chordier are G (35%), F (16%), and D (11%).
    • C → G: 35%
    • C → F: 16%
    After F, the most likely next chords across Chordier are C (40%), G (21%), and Am (11%).
    • F → C: 40%
    • F → G: 21%
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.