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Dave Van Ronk - Sporting Life Blues Chords

DATA-DRIVENWhich Chord Comes Next?Learn the most likely chord transitions on guitar and start playing songs with confidence.
ChordsC7, F, F7, Bb, Bbm, C
Strumming↓-↓↑-↑↓↑

Before you play, tune your guitar and use the tools below to set up your view and flow. Using the Transpose tool, switch to E key to play this song with easier chords.

  • 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 F7 chord diagram Fingering: 1-3-1-2-1-1 Barre at fret 1.Guitar F7 chord diagram
  • Guitar A# | B♭ chord diagram Fingering: x-1-3-3-3-1 Barre at fret 1.Guitar A# | B♭ chord diagram
  • Guitar A#m | B♭m chord diagram Fingering: x-1-3-3-2-1 Barre at fret 1.Guitar A#m | B♭m chord diagram
  • Guitar C chord diagram Fingering: x-3-2-0-1-0Guitar C chord diagram

[Opening]
[C7]I got a [F]letter from my [F7]home
Most of my [Bb]good friends are dead and [Bbm]gone
It’ll make you [F]worry
It’ll make you [C]wonder about days to [F]come [Bb] [F] [C7]

[verse 2]
My mother [F]used to say to [F7]me
So young and [Bb]foolish and I could not [Bbm]see
I have no [F]mother
My sisters and [C]brothers won’t talk to [F]me [Bb] [F] [C7]

[Closing]
She used to [F]fall on her knees and [F7]pray
These are the [Bb]very words she used to [Bbm]say
She said, oh [F]Johnny
My precious [C]Johnny, please change your [F]ways [Bb] [F] [C7]

[chorus]
I’m getting’ [F]tired of runnin’ [F7]around
Think I’ll get [Bb]married and settle [Bbm]down
This ole [F]night life,
This sportin’ [C]life, it’s killin’ [F]me [Bb] [F] [C7]

[chorus]
I’ve been [F]gambler and a cheater [F7]too
But now it’s [Bb]come my time to [Bbm]lose
This ole [F]sportin’ life
Has got the [C]best hand, what can I [F]do? [Bb] [F] [C7]

[chorus]
There ain’t but [F]one thing that I think that I done [F7]wrong
I lived that [Bb]sportin’ life, my friend, too [Bbm]long
I said, it’s [F]no good
Please [C]believe me, please leave it a[F]lone [Bb] [F] [C7]

[chorus]
I’m getting’ [F]tired of runnin’ [F7]around
Think I’ll get [Bb]married and settle [Bbm]down
This ole [F]night life,
This sportin’ [C]life, it’s killin’ [F]me [Bb] [F] [C7]

[chorus]
I’ve been [F]gambler and a cheater [F7]too
But now it’s [Bb]come my time to [Bbm]lose
This ole [F]sportin’ life
Has got the [C]best hand, what can I [F]do? [Bb] [F] [C7]

[chorus]
There ain’t but [F]one thing that I think that I done [F7]wrong
I lived that [Bb]sportin’ life, my friend, too [Bbm]long
I said, it’s [F]no good
Please [C]believe me, please leave it a‐[F]lone [Bb] [F] [C7]

[chorus]
I’m getting’ [F]tired of runnin’ [F7]around
Think I’ll get [Bb]married and settle [Bbm]down
This ole [F]night life, this sportin’ [C]life, it’s killin’ [F]me [Bb] [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.
ArtistDave Van Ronk
Album...And the Tin Pan Bended and the Story Ended...
GenresFolk
Year2004
KeyC7

How to play Sporting Life Blues on Guitar (Step-by-step)

Dave Van Ronk - Sporting Life Blues on guitar requires 6 chords and 7 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.

Sporting Life Blues uses these transitions most often: Bb → Bbm (10), Bb → F (10), and Bbm → F (10). 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 C7 - F chord transition.

1. 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

2. F → F7 chord transition

Guitar F chord diagram Fingering: 1-3-3-2-1-1 Barre at fret 1.Guitar F chord diagram
Guitar F7 chord diagram Fingering: 1-3-1-2-1-1 Barre at fret 1.Guitar F7 chord diagram

To move from F to F7;

  1. While playing F, lift your pinky from D string fret 3.
  2. Keep index finger on E string fret 1.
  3. Keep middle finger on G string fret 2.
  4. Keep ring finger on A string fret 3.
F to F7

3. F7 → Bb chord transition

Guitar F7 chord diagram Fingering: 1-3-1-2-1-1 Barre at fret 1.Guitar F7 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 F7 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. Place pinky on B string fret 3.
F7 to Bb

4. Bb → Bbm chord transition

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

To move from Bb to Bbm;

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

5. Bbm → F chord transition

To move from Bbm to F;

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

6. F → C chord transition

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.

7. F → Bb chord transition

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.

Sporting Life Blues chord transition analysis

A short, data-driven summary of the chord flow in Sporting Life Blues.

  • Sporting Life Blues includes 99 chord transitions, 7 of them unique.
  • These transitions represent 0.03% of all chord transitions in Chordier.
  • Sporting Life Blues contains 1 of the top 10 transitions across Chordier.
  • These transition patterns show how Sporting Life Blues 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 Bb, the most likely next chords across Chordier are F (34%), C (20%), and Dm (9%).
    • Bb → F: 34%
    • Bb → Bbm: 2%
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.