Johnny Cash - Understand Your Man Chords
Before you play, tune your guitar and use the tools below to set up your view and flow.
Guitar C chord diagram
Guitar Am chord diagram
Guitar F chord diagram
Guitar G chord diagram
Guitar D chord diagram
Guitar G7 chord diagram
Guitar C7 chord diagram
Guitar Fm chord diagram
[Opening]
[C] [Am] [F] [G]
[C]Don’t call my name out your [Am]window, I’m leaving
[F]I won’t even turn my [G]head
[C]Don’t sent your kin folk to [Am]give me no talking
[D]I’ll be gone like I [G7]said
[verse 2]
[C]You’d just say the same old things that [C7]you been saying all along
[F]Lay there in your bed and keep your [Fm]mouth shut till I’m gone
[C]Don’t give me that old familiar [Am]cry and fuss and moan
[F]Under[G7]stand your [C]man
[verse 3]
I’m tired of your [Am]bad mouthing
[F]Under[G7]stand your [C]man
[interlude]
[C] [Am] [F] [G] [C] [Am] [D] [G7]
[verse 4]
[C]You can give my other suits to the [Am]Salvation Army
[F]And everything else I leave be[G]hind
[C]I ain’t taking nothing that’ll [Am]slow down my traveling
[D]While I’m untangling my [G]mind
[verse 5]
[C]I ain’t gonna repeat what I [C7]said any more
[F]While I’m breathing air that ain’t been [Fm]breathed before
[C]I’ll be as gone as the [Am]wild goose in winter
[F]Then you’ll under[G7]stand your [C]man
[verse 6]
Medi[Am]tate on it
[Closing]
[F]Under[G7]stand your [C]man
You hear me [Am]talking, honey?
[F]Under[G7]stand your [C]man
Hear what I [Am]told you?
How to play Understand Your Man on Guitar (Step-by-step)
Johnny Cash - Understand Your Man on guitar requires 8 chords and 13 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.
Understand Your Man uses these transitions most often: C → Am (13), Am → F (9), and G7 → C (7). 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 - Am chord transition.
1. C → Am chord transition
To move from C to Am;
- Keep index finger on B string fret 1.
- Keep middle finger on D string fret 2.
- Lift your ring finger from A string fret 3 and place it on G string fret 2.
2. Am → F chord transition
To move from Am 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.
- Lift your ring finger from G string fret 2 and place it on A string fret 3.
- Place pinky on D string fret 3.
3. F → G chord transition
To move from F to G;
- While playing F, lift your pinky from D string fret 3.
- Lift your index finger from E string fret 1 and place it on A string fret 2.
- Slide your middle finger from G string fret 2 to E string fret 3.
- Lift your ring finger from A string fret 3 and place it on E string fret 3.
4. G → C chord transition
To move from G to C;
- Lift your index finger from A string fret 2 and place it on B string fret 1.
- Slide your middle finger from E string fret 3 to D string fret 2.
- Lift your ring finger from E string fret 3 and place it on A string fret 3.
5. Am → D chord transition
To move from Am to D;
- Lift your index finger from B string fret 1 and place it on G string fret 2.
- Slide your middle finger from D string fret 2 to E string fret 2.
- Lift your ring finger from G string fret 2 and place it on B string fret 3.
6. D → G7 chord transition
To move from D to G7;
- 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 1.
7. G7 → C chord transition
To move from G7 to C;
- Lift your index finger from A string fret 2 and place it on B string fret 1.
- Slide your middle finger from E string fret 3 to D string fret 2.
- Lift your ring finger from E string fret 1 and place it on A string fret 3.
8. 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.
9. 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.
10. F → Fm chord transition
To move from F to Fm;
- While playing F, lift your middle finger from G string fret 2.
- Keep index finger on E string fret 1.
- Keep ring finger on A string fret 3.
- Keep pinky on D string fret 3.
11. Fm → C chord transition
To move from Fm to C;
- While playing Fm, 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.
- Keep ring finger on A string fret 3.
- Place middle finger on D string fret 2.
12. F → G7 chord transition
To move from F to G7;
- While playing F, lift your pinky from D string fret 3.
- Lift your index finger from E string fret 1 and place it on A string fret 2.
- Slide your middle finger from G string fret 2 to E string fret 3.
- Lift your ring finger from A string fret 3 and place it on E string fret 1.
13. 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.
Understand Your Man chord transition analysis
A short, data-driven summary of the chord flow in Understand Your Man.
- Understand Your Man includes 57 chord transitions, 13 of them unique.
- These transitions represent 0.02% of all chord transitions in Chordier.
- Understand Your Man contains 4 of the top 10 transitions across Chordier.
- These transition patterns show how Understand Your Man 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 → Am: 10%
- C → C7: 2%
After Am, the most likely next chords across Chordier are F (26%), G (21%), and C (16%).- Am → F: 26%
- Am → D: 7%