Johnny Cash - Sam Hall 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 A,E,D keys to play this song with easier chords.
Guitar C chord diagram
Guitar G7 chord diagram
Guitar C7 chord diagram
Guitar F chord diagram
Guitar Fm chord diagram
[Opening]
[C]Well my name it is Sam Hall, Sam Hall
Yes my name it is Sam Hall, it is Sam [G7]Hall
My [C]name it is Sam [C7]Hall, and I [F]hate you one and all
And I [C]hate you one and [G7]all, damn your [C]eyes.
[verse 2]
[C]I killed a man they said, so they said
I killed a man they said, so they [G7]said
I [C]killed a man they [C7]said, and I [F]smashed in his [Fm]head
And I [C]left him laying [G7]dead, damn his [C]eyes.
[verse 3]
[C]Well a-swingin I must go, I must go
A-swingin I must go, I must [G7]go
A-[C]swingin I must [C7]go, while you [F]critters down be[Fm]low
Yell out [C]“Sam I told you [G7]so”, well damn your [C]eyes.
[verse 4]
[C]I saw Molly in the crowd, in the crowd
I saw Molly in the crowd, in the [G7]crowd
I saw [C]Molly in the [C7]crowd, and I [F]hollered right out [Fm]loud
Hey there [C]Molly ain’t you [G7]proud, damn your [C]eyes.
[verse 5]
[C]Then the Sheriff he came too, he came too
Aw yeah, the Sheriff he came too, he came [G7]too
The [C]Sheriff he come [C7]too, [F]and he said “Sam how are [Fm]you?”
And I said “[C]Well Sheriff how are [G7]you? Damn your [C]eyes.”
[Closing]
[C]My name is Samuel, Samuel
My name is Samuel, Samu[G7]el
My [C]name is Samu[C7]el, and I’ll [F]see you all in [Fm]hell
And I’ll [C]see you all in [G7]hell, damn your [C]eyes.
How to play Sam Hall on Guitar (Step-by-step)
Johnny Cash - Sam Hall on guitar requires 5 chords and 6 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.
Sam Hall uses these transitions most often: C → G7 (12), G7 → C (12), and C → C7 (6). 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;
- Lift your index finger from B string fret 1 and place it on A string fret 2.
- Slide your middle finger from D string fret 2 to E string fret 3.
- Lift your ring finger from A string fret 3 and place it on E string fret 1.
2. C → C7 chord transition
To move from C to C7;
- Keep index finger on B string fret 1.
- Keep middle finger on D string fret 2.
- Keep ring finger on A string fret 3.
- Place pinky on G string fret 3.
3. C7 → F chord transition
To move from C7 to F;
- Lift your index finger from B string fret 1 and place it on E string fret 1.
- Slide your middle finger from D string fret 2 to G string fret 2.
- Keep ring finger on A string fret 3.
- Lift your pinky from G string fret 3 and place it on D string fret 3.
4. 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.
5. F → Fm chord transition
To move from F to Fm;
- While playing F, lift your middle finger from G string fret 2.
- Keep index finger on E string fret 1.
- Keep ring finger on A string fret 3.
- Keep pinky on D string fret 3.
6. Fm → C chord transition
To move from Fm to C;
- While playing Fm, 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.
- Keep ring finger on A string fret 3.
- Place middle finger on D string fret 2.
Sam Hall chord transition analysis
A short, data-driven summary of the chord flow in Sam Hall.
- Sam Hall includes 47 chord transitions, 6 of them unique.
- These transitions represent 0.01% of all chord transitions in Chordier.
- Sam Hall contains 1 of the top 10 transitions across Chordier.
- These transition patterns show how Sam Hall 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%