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John Farnham - Sadie (The Cleaning Lady) Chords

DATA-DRIVENWhich Chord Comes Next?Learn the most likely chord transitions on guitar and start playing songs with confidence.
ChordsC, G7, C7, F, A7, D7
Strumming↓↑-↓↑-↓↑-↓↑

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

  • 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 C7 chord diagram Fingering: x-3-2-3-1-0Guitar C7 chord diagram
  • Guitar F chord diagram Fingering: 1-3-3-2-1-1 Barre at fret 1.Guitar F chord diagram
  • Guitar A7 chord diagram Fingering: x-0-2-0-2-0Guitar A7 chord diagram
  • Guitar D7 chord diagram Fingering: x-x-0-2-1-2Guitar D7 chord diagram

[Opening]
[C]Sadie, the cleaning [G7]lady,
With trusty scrubbing brush and pail of [C]water
[C7]Worked her [F]fingers to the bone,
for the [C]life she had at [A7]home
Pro[D7]viding at the same time for her [G7]daughter

[verse 2]
Ah [C]Sadie, the cleaning [G7]lady,
Her aching knees not getting any [C]younger
[C7]Well her [F]red detergent hands,
Had for [C]years not held a [A7]man’s
And [D7]time would find her heart expired of [G7]hunger

[chorus]
Scrub your [C]floors, do your chores, dear old [D7]Sadie
Looks as [G7]though you’ll always be a cleaning [C]lady
Can’t afford to get bored, dear old [D7]Sadie
Looks as [G7]though you’ll always be a cleaning [C]lady

[verse 3]
Ah [C]Sadie, the cleaning [G7]lady,
Her female mind would find a way of [C]trapping [C7]
Though as [F]gentle as a lamb, Sam the [C]elevator [A7]man
So she could spend the night by TV napping.

[Closing]
Ah [C]Sadie, the cleaning [G7]lady,
Her Sam was what she got hook, line and [C]sinker [C7]
To her [F]sorrow and dismay, She’s still [C]working to this [A7]day
Her [D7]Sam turned out to be a no good [G7]stinker

[chorus]
Scrub your [C]floors, do your chores, dear old [D7]Sadie
Looks as [G7]though you’ll always be a cleaning [C]lady
Can’t afford to get bored, dear old [D7]Sadie
Looks as [G7]though you’ll always be a cleaning [C]lady

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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.
ArtistJohn Farnham
AlbumSadie
GenresPop
Year1968
KeyC

How to play Sadie (The Cleaning Lady) on Guitar (Step-by-step)

John Farnham - Sadie (The Cleaning Lady) on guitar requires 6 chords and 8 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.

Sadie (The Cleaning Lady) uses these transitions most often: G7 → C (11), D7 → G7 (7), and C → A7 (4). 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

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

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 → C7 chord transition

Guitar C chord diagram Fingering: x-3-2-0-1-0Guitar C chord diagram
Guitar C7 chord diagram Fingering: x-3-2-3-1-0Guitar C7 chord diagram

To move from C to C7;

  1. Keep index finger on B string fret 1.
  2. Keep middle finger on D string fret 2.
  3. Keep ring finger on A string fret 3.
  4. Place pinky on G string fret 3.
C to C7

3. C7 → F chord transition

Guitar C7 chord diagram Fingering: x-3-2-3-1-0Guitar C7 chord diagram
Guitar F chord diagram Fingering: 1-3-3-2-1-1 Barre at fret 1.Guitar F chord diagram

To move from C7 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. Lift your pinky from G string fret 3 and place it on D string fret 3.
C7 to F

4. 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

5. C → A7 chord transition

To move from C to A7;

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

6. A7 → D7 chord transition

To move from A7 to D7;

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

7. D7 → G7 chord transition

To move from D7 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 G string fret 2 to E string fret 3.
  3. Slide your ring finger on E string from fret 2 to fret 1.

8. 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.

Sadie (The Cleaning Lady) chord transition analysis

A short, data-driven summary of the chord flow in Sadie (The Cleaning Lady).

  • Sadie (The Cleaning Lady) includes 46 chord transitions, 8 of them unique.
  • These transitions represent 0.01% of all chord transitions in Chordier.
  • Sadie (The Cleaning Lady) contains 1 of the top 10 transitions across Chordier.
  • These transition patterns show how Sadie (The Cleaning Lady) 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 → G7: 2%
    • C → C7: 2%
    After G7, the most likely next chords across Chordier are C (69%), C7 (5%), and F (5%).
    • G7 → C: 69%
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.