Ricky Nelson - Travelin’ Man Chords
Before you play, tune your guitar and use the tools below to set up your view and flow.
Guitar Bm chord diagram
Guitar D chord diagram
Guitar G chord diagram
Guitar A7 chord diagram
Guitar A chord diagram
Guitar F#m | G♭m chord diagram
Guitar E7 chord diagram
[Opening]
[Bm] [D] [Bm]
I’m a [D]travelin’ man
I’ve [Bm]made a lot of stops, [D]all over the [Bm]world
And in [D]every port I [G]own the heart,
of at [D]least one [A7]lovely [A]girl
[verse 2]
I’ve a [D]pretty Senorita, [Bm]waiting for me
[D]down in old Mexi[Bm]co
If you’re [D]ever in Alaska [G]stop and see,
my [D]cute little [A7]Eski[D]mo
[chorus]
Oh, my [G]sweet Fraulien down in [F#m]Berlin town
[G]makes my heart start to [D]yearn
And my [G]China doll down in [F#m]old Hong Kong,
[E7]waits for my re[A7]turn
[chorus]
Pretty [D]Polynesian baby [Bm]over the sea,
[D]I remember the [A7]night
When we [Bm]walked in the sands of the [G]Waikiki,
and [D]I held you [A7]oh so [D]tight
[chorus]
Oh my [G]sweet Fraulien down in [F#m]Berlin town
[G]makes my heart start to [D]yearn
And my [G]China doll down in [F#m]old Hong Kong,
[E7]waits for my re[A7]turn
[chorus]
Pretty [D]Polynesian baby [Bm]over the sea
[D]I remember the [A7]night
When we [Bm]walked in the sands of the [G]Waikiki,
and [D]I held you [A7]oh so [D]tight
[Closing]
[D]Oh, I’m a [Bm]travelin’ man
[D]Yes, I’m a [Bm]travelin’ man
[D]Yes, I’m a [Bm]travelin’ man
[D] [A] [D]
How to play Travelin' Man on Guitar (Step-by-step)
Ricky Nelson - Travelin' Man on guitar requires 7 chords and 10 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.
Travelin' Man uses these transitions most often: Bm → D (11), D → Bm (10), and D → A7 (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 Bm - D chord transition.
1. Bm → D chord transition
To move from Bm to D;
- While playing Bm, lift your pinky from G string fret 4.
- Lift your index finger from E string fret 2 and place it on G string fret 2.
- Slide your middle finger from B string fret 3 to E string fret 2.
- Lift your ring finger from D string fret 4 and place it on B string fret 3.
2. D → G chord transition
To move from D to G;
- Lift your index finger from G string fret 2 and place it on A string fret 2.
- Slide your middle finger from E string fret 2 to E string fret 3.
- Lift your ring finger from B string fret 3 and place it on E string fret 3.
3. D → A7 chord transition
To move from D to A7;
- While playing D, lift your ring finger from B string fret 3.
- Lift your index finger from G string fret 2 and place it on D string fret 2.
- Slide your middle finger from E string fret 2 to B string fret 2.
4. A7 → A chord transition
To move from A7 to A;
- Keep index finger on D string fret 2.
- Lift your middle finger from B string fret 2 and place it on G string fret 2.
- Place ring finger on B string fret 2.
5. A → D chord transition
To move from A to D;
- Lift your index finger from D string fret 2 and place it on G string fret 2.
- Slide your middle finger from G string fret 2 to E string fret 2.
- Slide your ring finger on B string from fret 2 to fret 3.
6. G → F#m chord transition
To move from G to F#m;
- While playing G, lift your middle finger from E string fret 3.
- Lift your index finger from A string fret 2 and place it on E string fret 2.
- Slide your ring finger from E string fret 3 to A string fret 4.
- Place pinky on D string fret 4.
7. F#m → E7 chord transition
To move from F#m to E7;
- While playing F#m, first lift your ring finger and pinky.
- Lift your index finger from E string fret 2 and place it on G string fret 1.
- Place middle finger on A string fret 2.
8. E7 → A7 chord transition
To move from E7 to A7;
- Lift your index finger from G string fret 1 and place it on D string fret 2.
- Slide your middle finger from A string fret 2 to B string fret 2.
9. A7 → Bm chord transition
To move from A7 to Bm;
- Lift your index finger from D string fret 2 and place it on E string fret 2.
- Slide your middle finger on B string from fret 2 to fret 3.
- Place ring finger on D string fret 4.
- Place pinky on G string fret 4.
10. Bm → G chord transition
To move from Bm to G;
- While playing Bm, lift your pinky from G string fret 4.
- Lift your index finger from E string fret 2 and place it on A string fret 2.
- Slide your middle finger from B string fret 3 to E string fret 3.
- Lift your ring finger from D string fret 4 and place it on E string fret 3.
Travelin' Man chord transition analysis
A short, data-driven summary of the chord flow in Travelin' Man.
- Travelin' Man includes 62 chord transitions, 10 of them unique.
- These transitions represent 0.02% of all chord transitions in Chordier.
- Travelin' Man contains 2 of the top 10 transitions across Chordier.
- These transition patterns show how Travelin' Man connects to the rest of Chordier. Mastering them helps you move to similar songs faster.After D, the most likely next chords across Chordier are G (29%), A (17%), and Em (17%).
- D → G: 29%
- D → A: 17%
After Bm, the most likely next chords across Chordier are G (25%), A (19%), and Em (13%).- Bm → G: 25%
- Bm → D: 12%