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Lovin’ Spoonful - Jug Band Music Chords

ChordsC, G7, D7, 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 D,A,E keys to play this song with easier chords.

  • Guitar C chord diagram Fingering: x-3-2-0-1-0Guitar C chord diagram
  • Guitar G7 chord diagram Fingering: 3-2-0-0-0-1Guitar G7 chord diagram
  • Guitar D7 chord diagram Fingering: x-x-0-2-1-2Guitar D7 chord diagram
  • Guitar F chord diagram Fingering: 1-3-3-2-1-1 Barre at fret 1.Guitar F chord diagram


I was [C]down in Savannah, eating cream and bananas
When the [G7]heat just made me faint
I [G7]began to get cross eyed, I thought I was lost, I’d
Begun to see things as they [C]ain’t


As the [C]relatives gathered to see what’s the matter
The doctor came to see was I [D7]dying
But the [C]doctor said, “Give him jug band music
It [G7]seems to make him feel [C]just fine”


I was [G7]told a little tale about a skinny as a rail
Eight foot cowboy with a [C]headache
He was [G7]hung up in the desert swatting rats and trying to get
A drink of water with his knees a getting [C]mud caked
And I’ll [C]tell you in a sentence how he stumbled in to Memphis,


Tennessee, hardly crawling, looking [F]dust baked
We [F]gave him a little water, a little bit of wine
He [C]opened up his eyes, but they didn’t seem to shine
Then the [C]doctor said, “Give him jug band music
It [G7]seems to make him feel [C]just fine”


[C]So if you ever get sickly, get Sis to run quickly
To the [G7]dusty closet shelf
And [G7]pull out a washboard, and play a guitar chord
And do a little do it your [C]self


And [C]call on your neighbors to put down their labors
And come and play the hardware in [D7]time
‘Cause the [C]doctor said, “Give him jug band music
It [G7]seems to make him feel [C]just fine”


I was [G7]floating in the ocean greased with suntan lotion
When I got wiped out by a [C]beach boy
He was [G7]surfing when he hit me but jumped off his board to get me
And he dragged me by the armpit like a [C]child’s toy
As we [C]staggered into land with all the waiters eating sandwiches


He tried to mooch a towel from the [F]hoi polloi
He [F]emptied out his eardrums, I emptied out mine
And [C]everybody knows that the very last line
Is “the [C]doctor said, ‘Give him jug band music
It [G7]seems to make him feel just [C]fine'”


And the [C]doctor said “give him jug band music
It [G7]seems to make him feel [C]just fine”

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AlbumDaydream
Year1966
KeyC

How to play Jug Band Music on Guitar (Step-by-step)

The Lovin' Spoonful - Jug Band Music on guitar requires 4 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.

Jug Band Music uses these transitions most often: C → G7 (11), G7 → C (11), and C → D7 (2). 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 - G7 chord transition.

1. C → G7 chord transition

To move from C to G7;

  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 1.
C to G7

2. C → D7 chord transition

To move from C to D7;

  1. Keep index finger on B string fret 1.
  2. Lift your middle finger from D string fret 2 and place it on G string fret 2.
  3. Slide your ring finger from A string fret 3 to E string fret 2.
C to D7

3. C → F chord transition

To move from C 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. Place pinky on D string fret 3.
C to F

A short, data-driven summary of the chord flow in Jug Band Music.

  • Jug Band Music includes 30 chord transitions, 3 of them unique.
  • These transitions represent 0.01% of all chord transitions in Chordier.
  • Jug Band Music contains 1 of the top 10 transitions across Chordier.
  • These transition patterns show how Jug Band Music 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 → F: 16%
    • C → G7: 2%
    After G7, the most likely next chords across Chordier are C (69%), C7 (5%), and F (5%).
    • G7 → C: 69%