Malvina Reynolds - Little Boxes Chords
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 F chord diagram
Guitar A# | B♭ chord diagram
Guitar C7 chord diagram
Guitar C chord diagram
[Opening]
[F]Little boxes on the [F]hillside,
little [Bb]boxes made of [F]ticky tacky
Little [F]boxes on the [C7]hillside,
little [F]boxes all the [C7]same,.
[chorus]
Theres a [F]green one, a [F]pink one
and a [Bb]blue one, a [F]yellow one
And they are [F]all made out of [C7]ticky tacky
and they [F]all look [C7]just the [F]same.
[verse 2]
And the [F]people in the [F]houses all [Bb]went to the uni[F]versity
and they [F]all get put in [C7]boxes, little [F]boxes, all the [C7]same.
[verse 3]
And there’s [F]doctors, there’s [F]lawyers and [Bb]business e[F]xecutives
And they are [F]all made out of [C7]ticky tacky,
and they [F]all look [C7]just the [F]same.
[verse 4]
And they [F]all play on the [F]golf course, and [Bb]drink their mar[F]tinis dry
And they [F]all have pretty [C7]children and the [F]children go to [C7]school,
And the [F]children go to [F]summer camp and [Bb]then to the uni[F]versity
Where they [F]all get put in [C7]boxes
and they [F]come out all the [F]same.
[Closing]
And the [F]boys go into [F]business and [Bb]marry, raise a [F]family
And they [F]all get put in [C7]boxes, little [F]boxes, all the [C7]same,
[chorus]
Theres a [F]pink one, a [F]green one and a [Bb]blue one, a [F]yellow one
And they are [F]all made out of [C7]ticky tacky
and they [F]all look [C]just the [F]same.
How to play Little Boxes on Guitar (Step-by-step)
Malvina Reynolds - Little Boxes 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.
Little Boxes uses these transitions most often: C7 → F (14), F → C7 (14), and Bb → F (8). 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
To move from F to Bb;
- Lift your index finger from E string fret 1 and place it on A string fret 1.
- Slide your middle finger from G string fret 2 to D string fret 3.
- Lift your ring finger from A string fret 3 and place it on G string fret 3.
- Slide your pinky from D string fret 3 to B string fret 3.
2. F → C7 chord transition
To move from F to C7;
- Lift your index finger from E string fret 1 and place it on B string fret 1.
- Slide your middle finger from G string fret 2 to D string fret 2.
- Keep ring finger on A string fret 3.
- Lift your pinky from D string fret 3 and place it on G string fret 3.
3. F → C chord transition
To move from F to C;
- While playing F, lift your pinky from D string fret 3.
- Lift your index finger from E string fret 1 and place it on B string fret 1.
- Slide your middle finger from G string fret 2 to D string fret 2.
- Keep ring finger on A string fret 3.
Little Boxes chord transition analysis
A short, data-driven summary of the chord flow in Little Boxes.
- Little Boxes includes 46 chord transitions, 3 of them unique.
- These transitions represent 0.01% of all chord transitions in Chordier.
- Little Boxes contains 1 of the top 10 transitions across Chordier.
- These transition patterns show how Little Boxes 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 → C: 40%
- F → Bb: 5%
After C7, the most likely next chords across Chordier are F (62%), C (4%), and Gm (4%).- C7 → F: 62%