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John Prine - Sam Stone Chords

DATA-DRIVENWhich Chord Comes Next?Learn the most likely chord transitions on guitar and start playing songs with confidence.
ChordsC, F, Bb, G7, G, Gm, Dm
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 F chord diagram Fingering: 1-3-3-2-1-1 Barre at fret 1.Guitar F chord diagram
  • Guitar A# | B♭ chord diagram Fingering: x-1-3-3-3-1 Barre at fret 1.Guitar A# | B♭ chord diagram
  • Guitar G7 chord diagram Fingering: 3-2-0-0-0-1Guitar G7 chord diagram
  • Guitar G chord diagram Fingering: 3-2-0-0-0-3Guitar G chord diagram
  • Guitar Gm chord diagram Fingering: 3-1-0-0-3-3Guitar Gm chord diagram
  • Guitar Dm chord diagram Fingering: x-x-0-2-3-1Guitar Dm chord diagram

[Opening]
[C] [F]
[F]Sam Stone came home, to his [Bb]wife and family,
after [C]serving in the conflict over[F]seas.
And the [F]time that he served, had [Bb]shattered all his nerves,
and [C]left a little shrapnel in his [F]knee. [Bb] [F]

[verse 2]
But the mor[Bb]phine eased the pain,
and the [Bb]grass grew round his brain,
and [G7]gave him all the confidence he [C]lacked;
with a [G7]Purple Heart and a [G]monkey on his [C]back.

[chorus]
There’s a [F]hole in daddy’s arm where all the [Gm]money goes,
and [Bb]Jesus Christ died for nothin’ I sup[C]pose.
Little [F]pitchers have big ears,
don’t [Dm]stop to count the years,
sweet [G7]songs never last too [G]long on broken radi[C]os.
[C]Mmm [C] [C] [C]

[verse 3]
Sam [F]Stone’s welcome home, didn’t [Bb]last too long,
he [C]went to work when he’d spent his last [F]dime
And [F]Sammy took to stealing, when he [Bb]got that empty feeling,
for a [C]hundred dollar habit without over[F]time.

[verse 4]
And the [Bb]gold rolled through his veins,
like a [Bb]thousand railroad trains,
and [G7]eased his mind in the hours that he [C]chose;
while the [G]kids ran around [G7]wearin’ other peoples’ [C]clothes

[chorus]
There’s a [F]hole in daddy’s arm where all the [Gm]money goes,
and [Bb]Jesus Christ died for nothin’ I sup[C]pose.
Little [F]pitchers have big ears,
don’t [Dm]stop to count the years,
sweet [G7]songs never last too [G]long on broken radi[C]os. [C]Mmm [C] [C] [C]

[verse 5]
Sam [F]Stone was alone, when he [Bb]popped his last balloon,
[C]climbing walls while sitting in a [F]chair
Well, he [F]played his last request,
while the [Bb]room smelled just like death,
with an [C]overdose hovering in the [F]air

[Closing]
But [Bb]life had lost its fun, and there was [Bb]nothing to be done,
but [G7]trade his house that he bought on the G, I. [C]Bill;
for a [G]flag draped casket on a [G7]local heroes’ [C]hill

[chorus]
There’s a [F]hole in daddy’s arm where all the [Gm]money goes,
and [Bb]Jesus Christ died for nothin’ I sup[C]pose.
Little [F]pitchers have big ears,
don’t [Dm]stop to count the years,
sweet [G7]songs never last too [G]long on broken radi[C]os.
[C]Mmm [C] [C] [C]
[C]Mmm.[C] [C] [F]

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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 Prine
AlbumJohn Prine
GenresFolk
Year1971
KeyF

How to play Sam Stone on Guitar (Step-by-step)

John Prine - Sam Stone on guitar requires 7 chords and 11 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 Stone uses these transitions most often: C → F (16), F → Bb (10), and Bb → C (9). 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 - F chord transition.

1. C → F chord transition

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

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

2. F → Bb chord transition

Guitar F chord diagram Fingering: 1-3-3-2-1-1 Barre at fret 1.Guitar F chord diagram
Guitar A# | B♭ chord diagram Fingering: x-1-3-3-3-1 Barre at fret 1.Guitar A# | B♭ chord diagram

To move from F to Bb;

  1. Lift your index finger from E string fret 1 and place it on A string fret 1.
  2. Slide your middle finger from G string fret 2 to D string fret 3.
  3. Lift your ring finger from A string fret 3 and place it on G string fret 3.
  4. Slide your pinky from D string fret 3 to B string fret 3.
F to Bb

3. Bb → C chord transition

Guitar A# | B♭ chord diagram Fingering: x-1-3-3-3-1 Barre at fret 1.Guitar A# | B♭ chord diagram
Guitar C chord diagram Fingering: x-3-2-0-1-0Guitar C chord diagram

To move from Bb to C;

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

4. Bb → G7 chord transition

Guitar A# | B♭ chord diagram Fingering: x-1-3-3-3-1 Barre at fret 1.Guitar A# | B♭ chord diagram
Guitar G7 chord diagram Fingering: 3-2-0-0-0-1Guitar G7 chord diagram

To move from Bb to G7;

  1. While playing Bb, lift your pinky from B string fret 3.
  2. Slide your index finger on A string from fret 1 to fret 2.
  3. Slide your middle finger from D string fret 3 to E string fret 3.
  4. Lift your ring finger from G string fret 3 and place it on E string fret 1.
Bb to G7

5. G7 → C chord transition

To move from G7 to C;

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

6. G7 → G chord transition

To move from G7 to G;

  1. Keep index finger on A string fret 2.
  2. Keep middle finger on E string fret 3.
  3. Slide your ring finger on E string from fret 1 to fret 3.

7. G → C chord transition

To move from G to C;

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

8. F → Gm chord transition

To move from F to Gm;

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

9. Gm → Bb chord transition

To move from Gm to Bb;

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

10. F → Dm chord transition

To move from F to Dm;

  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 E string fret 1.
  3. Keep middle finger on G string fret 2.
  4. Slide your ring finger from A string fret 3 to B string fret 3.

11. Dm → G7 chord transition

To move from Dm to G7;

  1. Lift your index finger from E 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. Lift your ring finger from B string fret 3 and place it on E string fret 1.

Sam Stone chord transition analysis

A short, data-driven summary of the chord flow in Sam Stone.

  • Sam Stone includes 69 chord transitions, 11 of them unique.
  • These transitions represent 0.02% of all chord transitions in Chordier.
  • Sam Stone contains 2 of the top 10 transitions across Chordier.
  • These transition patterns show how Sam Stone 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 → G: 35%
    • C → F: 16%
    After F, the most likely next chords across Chordier are C (40%), G (21%), and Am (11%).
    • F → Dm: 5%
    • F → Bb: 5%
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.