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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.

Lonnie Donegan - Lost John Chords

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

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

ANowthishere’sastoryaboutanescapedconvict
CalledLongGone,LostJohn
AItsgotagreatchorussojoinin.
Singitfor‘emboys!Yeah!
He’saAlongAdimlongE7longAgone,
ANowhe’sAlongAdimlongE7longAgone
(Here’swhathappenedtohim)
ANowLostJohnstandingontherailroadtrack
AWaitingforthefreighttrainE7tocomeAback
AThefreighttraincomebacknevermadeastop.
LostJohnthoughthe’dhavetorideontop,
AHe’salongAdimlongE7longAgone,
ANowhe’sAlongAdimlongE7longAgoneyeah
ANowLostJohncametoacountrywoman’shouse
ASatthereE7quietasaAmouse
ASaidI’mMrLongJohnbemyFriend
BemyfrienduntiltheendCos,I’m…
AlongAdimlongE7longAgone,
ANowhe’sAlongAdimlongE7longAgone
ANowshesaidLostJohnhavesomebeer
AI’llsendtheporterandI’llE7bringitAhere
AHesaidnowwomandon’tyoubuynobeer
Thecopsismytrailandthey’llsoonbehereandI’ma…
AlongAdimlongE7longAgone,
ANowhe’sAlongAdimlongE7longAgone
AHey,LostJohnneedsapairofshoesofhisown
AThefinestshoesthatE7everwereAworn
AHeelsonthefront,heelsbehind
Youcouldn’ttellwhichwayLostJohnhadgone,nowhe’s…
AlongAdimlongE7longAgone,
AHe’saAlongAdimlongE7longAgone
AandtheycaughtLostJohnputhiminthepen
AThesummerbeenagoingnowhe’sE7out Aagain
AIfanybodyaskyouwhosungthissong
TellthemLonnieDoneganbeenhereandgone
AlongAdimlongE7longAgone,
ANowI’mAlongAdimlongE7longAgone
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.
ArtistLonnie Donegan
AlbumSingle
GenresRock
Year1956
KeyA
DifficultyEasy

How to play Lost John on Guitar (Step-by-step)

Lonnie Donegan - Lost John 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.

Lost John uses these transitions most often: E7 → A (17), A → Adim (12), and Adim → E7 (12). 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 A - Adim chord transition.

1. A → Adim chord transition

Guitar A chord diagram Fingering: x-0-2-2-2-0Guitar A chord diagram
Guitar Adim chord diagram Fingering: x-0-1-2-1-xGuitar Adim chord diagram

Here's how to move from A to Adim:

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

This transition appears in the verse, played 12 times.

A to Adim

2. Adim → E7 chord transition

Guitar Adim chord diagram Fingering: x-0-1-2-1-xGuitar Adim chord diagram
Guitar E7 chord diagram Fingering: 0-2-0-1-0-0Guitar E7 chord diagram

To move from Adim to E7:

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

This transition appears in the verse, played 12 times.

Adim to E7

3. E7 → A chord transition

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

To move from E7 to A:

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

This transition appears in the verse, played 17 times.

E7 to A

Lost John chord transition analysis

A short, data-driven summary of the chord flow in Lost John.

  • Lost John includes 46 chord transitions, 3 of them unique.
  • These transitions represent 0.01% of all chord transitions in Chordier.
  • These transition patterns show how Lost John connects to the rest of Chordier. Mastering them helps you move to similar songs faster.
    After A, the most likely next chords across Chordier are D (29%), G (13%), and E (12%).
    • A → E7: 4%
    • A → Adim: 0%
    After E7, the most likely next chords across Chordier are A (31%), Am (28%), and A7 (7%).
    • E7 → A: 31%
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.