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George Formby - You Don’t Need a License For That Chords

ChordsC, A7, G7, D7, E7, A, Dm
Strumming↓-↓↑-↓↑-↓↑

Before you play, tune your guitar and use the tools below to set up your view and flow.

CIfyou’veapuborasmallhotel,A7youneedalicenseforallyousell
YouG7maythinkI’m Cromancing,but
D7theyeventaxyouforG7singinganddancing.
CYouneedaE7licenseAwhateveryouCdo,
AoneortwoA7thingsthey’veDmexemptedit’sG7true,
CLumbago,thegoutoraE7touchoftheA7flu,
youD7don’tneedalicenseforG7that.
NowCI’vegotaE7licenseforAchickenstoA7lay,
AoneofthemA7satonaDmbrick G7yesterday,
AndCthenstartedclucking,asE7muchastoA7say,
heD7won’tneedaG7licenseforCthat.
E7We’dhaveagoodtime,awinesinthewoodtime,
A7ifitweredutyfree.
D7We’dcutthetaxes,withourbattle-axes,
thenrolloutthebarrelforG7me.
CDairiesmustE7licenseyouAbetonyourA7life,
IfAyou’veaA7cowthenthere’sDmtroubleandG7strife
AsCFarmerDeansaidwhenheE7lookedathisA7wife,
“BygumD7I’llnotneedaG7licenseforCthat!”
CYouneedaE7licenseforAshootingdownA7game,
ButAI’dratherA7flirtwithaDmbeautifulG7dame,
CauseCIgetthesportwiththeE7birdsjusttheA7same
AndID7don’tneedaG7licenseforCthat
CWesitinthepictures,aswarmasaglove,
A7inthebackrowofthecircleabove,
D7Twobob’sworthofdarkandaG7basinofClove
andID7don’tneedalicenseforG7that.
E7We’dhaveagoodtime,awinesinthewoodtime,A7ifitweredutyfree.
D7We’dcutthetaxes,withourbattle-axes,thenrolloutthebarrelforG7me.
CFishingatE7RichmondisAlicensedbyA7law,
AAchaptohisA7girlsaid,“NowDmyouholdyourG7jaw”.
YouCknowexactlywhatE7I’mfishingA7for,
andID7don’tneedalicenseforG7that.
Nosir,ID7don’tneedaG7licenseforCthat
AlbumSingle
GenresPop
Year1936
KeyC
DifficultyAdvanced

How to play You Don't Need a License For That on Guitar (Step-by-step)

George Formby - You Don't Need a License For That on guitar requires 7 chords and 14 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.

You Don't Need a License For That uses these transitions most often: G7 → C (15), C → E7 (11), and D7 → G7 (11). 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 - A7 chord transition.

1. C → A7 chord transition

Switching from C to A7:

  1. While playing C, lift your ring finger from A string fret 3.
  2. Lift your index finger from B string fret 1 and place it on D string fret 2.
  3. Slide your middle finger from D string fret 2 to B string fret 2.

This transition appears in the verse, played 2 times.

C to A7

2. A7 → G7 chord transition

To move from A7 to G7:

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

This transition appears in the verse.

A7 to G7

3. G7 → C chord transition

Switching from G7 to C:

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

This transition appears in the verse, played 15 times.

G7 to C

4. C → D7 chord transition

Switching from C to D7:

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

This transition appears in the verse, played 2 times.

C to D7

5. D7 → G7 chord transition

To move from D7 to G7:

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

This transition appears in the verse, played 11 times.

6. C → E7 chord transition

Here's how to move from C to E7:

  1. While playing C, lift your ring finger from A string fret 3.
  2. Lift your index finger from B string fret 1 and place it on G string fret 1.
  3. Slide your middle finger from D string fret 2 to A string fret 2.

This transition appears in the verse, played 11 times.

7. E7 → A chord transition

To move from E7 to A:

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

This transition appears in the verse, played 5 times.

8. A → C chord transition

Switching from A to C:

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

This transition appears in the verse.

9. A → A7 chord transition

Here's how to move from A to A7:

  1. While playing A, lift your ring finger from B string fret 2.
  2. Keep index finger on D string fret 2.
  3. Lift your middle finger from G string fret 2 and place it on B string fret 2.

This transition appears in the verse, played 9 times.

10. A7 → Dm chord transition

To move from A7 to Dm:

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

This transition appears in the verse, played 5 times.

11. Dm → G7 chord transition

To move from Dm to G7:

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

This transition appears in the verse, played 5 times.

12. E7 → A7 chord transition

Switching from E7 to A7:

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

This transition appears in the verse, played 7 times.

13. A7 → D7 chord transition

To move from A7 to D7:

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

This transition appears in the verse, played 8 times.

14. G7 → E7 chord transition

Switching from G7 to E7:

  1. While playing G7, lift your ring finger from E string fret 1.
  2. Lift your index finger from A string fret 2 and place it on G string fret 1.
  3. Slide your middle finger from E string fret 3 to A string fret 2.

This transition appears in the chorus.

A short, data-driven summary of the chord flow in You Don't Need a License For That.

  • You Don't Need a License For That includes 89 chord transitions, 14 of them unique.
  • These transitions represent 0.02% of all chord transitions in Chordier.
  • You Don't Need a License For That contains 1 of the top 25 transitions across Chordier.
  • These transition patterns show how You Don't Need a License For That 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 → D7: 1%
    • C → E7: 1%
    After A7, the most likely next chords across Chordier are D (41%), D7 (18%), and Dm (13%).
    • A7 → D7: 18%
    • A7 → Dm: 13%