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14,015 TRANSITIONS ANALYZED#1 at 23%: Which Transition?The 100 most repeated chord transitions extracted from thousands of songs. Even the first 10 will transform your guitar practice routine.

John Prine - That’s The Way The World Goes Round Chords

DATA-DRIVENWhich Chord Comes Next?Learn the most likely chord transitions on guitar and start playing songs with confidence.
ChordsF, F7, Bb, C, C7
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 A,D keys to play this song with easier chords.

FF7BbFCC7F
FWell,Iknowaguywho’sgotalottolose,
he’saBbprettynicefella,kindaconfused,
He’sgotFmusclesinhishead,neverbeenused,
thinksheownshalfofthisCtown.C7
FStartsdrinkin’heavy,gotabigrednose,
Bbbeatshisoldladywitharubberhose,
ThenheFtakesherouttodinner,buyshernewclothes,
that’sthewaytheC7worldgoesFround
FThat’sthewaytheworldgoesF7round,
you’reBbuponeday,thenextyou’redown,
It’sFhalfaninchofwater,butyouthinkyou’regonnadrown
that’sthewaytheC7worldgoesFround.
FSittin’inmybathtub,countin’myF7toes
whentheBbradiatorbroke,thewaterallfroze
IgotFstuckintheicewithoutmyclothes
nakedastheeyesofaCclown.C7
IwasFcryin’icecubes,hopin’I’dcroak,
whentheBbsuncamethroughthewindow,theiceallbroke,
FIstoodupandlaughed,thoughtitwasajoke,
that’sthewaytheC7worldgoesF’round.
FThat’sthewaytheworldgoesF7round,
you’reBbuponeday,thenextyou’redown,
It’sFhalfaninchofwater,butyouthinkyou’regonnadrown
that’sthewaytheC7worldgoesFround.
FF7BbFCC7FF7BbFC7F
FThat’sthewaytheworldgoesF7round,
you’reBbuponeday,thenextyou’redown,
It’sFhalfaninchofwater,butyouthinkyou’regonnadrown
that’sthewaytheC7worldgoesFround.
That’sthewaytheC7worldgoesF’round.
That’sthewaytheC7worldgoesF’round.
FF7BbFC7F
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
AlbumBruised Orange
GenresFolk
Year1978
KeyF
DifficultyAdvanced

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

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.

This transition appears in the verse, played 8 times.

F to F7

2. 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.

This transition appears in the verse, played 8 times.

F7 to Bb

3. Bb → F chord transition

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

To move from Bb 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 D string fret 3 to G string fret 2.
  3. Lift your ring finger from G string fret 3 and place it on A string fret 3.
  4. Slide your pinky from B string fret 3 to D string fret 3.

This transition appears in the verse, played 11 times.

Bb 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

Here's how 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.

This transition appears in the verse, played 4 times.

F to C

5. C → C7 chord transition

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.

This transition appears in the verse, played 4 times.

6. C7 → F chord transition

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.

This transition appears in the verse, played 13 times.

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%
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.