John Prine - That’s The Way The World Goes Round 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,D keys to play this song with easier chords.
Guitar F chord diagram
Guitar F7 chord diagram
Guitar A# | B♭ chord diagram
Guitar C chord diagram
Guitar C7 chord diagram
[Opening]
[F] [F7] [Bb] [F] [C] [C7] [F]
[F]Well, I know a guy who’s got a lot to lose,
he’s a [Bb]pretty nice fella, kinda confused,
He’s got [F]muscles in his head, never been used,
thinks he owns half of this [C]town. [C7]
[verse 2]
[F]Starts drinkin’ heavy, got a big red nose,
[Bb]beats his old lady with a rubber hose,
Then he [F]takes her out to dinner, buys her new clothes,
that’s the way the [C7]world goes [F]round
[chorus]
[F]That’s the way the world goes [F7]round,
you’re [Bb]up one day, the next you’re down,
It’s [F]half an inch of water, but you think you’re gonna drown
that’s the way the [C7]world goes [F]round.
[verse 3]
[F]Sittin’ in my bathtub, countin’ my [F7]toes
when the [Bb]radiator broke, the water all froze
I got [F]stuck in the ice without my clothes
naked as the eyes of a [C]clown. [C7]
[verse 4]
I was [F]cryin’ ice cubes, hopin’ I’d croak,
when the [Bb]sun came through the window, the ice all broke,
[F]I stood up and laughed, thought it was a joke,
that’s the way the [C7]world goes [F]’round.
[chorus]
[F]That’s the way the world goes [F7]round,
you’re [Bb]up one day, the next you’re down,
It’s [F]half an inch of water, but you think you’re gonna drown
that’s the way the [C7]world goes [F]round.
[interlude]
[F] [F7] [Bb] [F] [C] [C7] [F] [F7] [Bb] [F] [C7] [F]
[chorus]
[F]That’s the way the world goes [F7]round,
you’re [Bb]up one day, the next you’re down,
It’s [F]half an inch of water, but you think you’re gonna drown
that’s the way the [C7]world goes [F]round.
[Closing]
That’s the way the [C7]world goes [F]’round.
That’s the way the [C7]world goes [F]’round.
[outro]
[F] [F7] [Bb] [F] [C7] [F]
How to play That's The Way The World Goes Round on Guitar (Step-by-step)
John Prine - That's The Way The World Goes Round 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.
That's The Way The World Goes Round uses these transitions most often: C7 → F (13), Bb → F (11), and F → C7 (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 F - F7 chord transition.
1. F → F7 chord transition
To move from F to F7;
- While playing F, lift your pinky from D string fret 3.
- Keep index finger on E string fret 1.
- Keep middle finger on G string fret 2.
- Keep ring finger on A string fret 3.
2. F7 → Bb chord transition
To move from F7 to Bb;
- Lift your index finger from E string fret 1 and place it on A string fret 1.
- Slide your middle finger from G string fret 2 to D string fret 3.
- Lift your ring finger from A string fret 3 and place it on G string fret 3.
- Place pinky on B string fret 3.
3. Bb → F chord transition
To move from Bb to F;
- Lift your index finger from A string fret 1 and place it on E string fret 1.
- Slide your middle finger from D string fret 3 to G string fret 2.
- Lift your ring finger from G string fret 3 and place it on A string fret 3.
- Slide your pinky from B string fret 3 to 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. 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.
6. 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.
That's The Way The World Goes Round chord transition analysis
A short, data-driven summary of the chord flow in That's The Way The World Goes Round.
- That's The Way The World Goes Round includes 60 chord transitions, 6 of them unique.
- These transitions represent 0.02% of all chord transitions in Chordier.
- That's The Way The World Goes Round contains 1 of the top 10 transitions across Chordier.
- These transition patterns show how That's The Way The World Goes Round 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 C7, the most likely next chords across Chordier are F (62%), C (4%), and Gm (4%).- C7 → F: 62%