Jump to:
- Itsy Bitsy Spider
- Row, Row, Row Your Boat
- Mary Had a Little Lamb
- The Wheels on the Bus
- London Bridge
- Three Blind Mice
- Buffalo Gals
- Do Your Ears Hang Low?
- He’s Got the Whole World in His Hands
- Hokey Pokey
When you are just beginning on the ukulele, it’s important to have simple songs to play that fit the chords you know. Two chord ukulele songs are the perfect place to get started playing.
These songs only use two chords and are transposed to be played with the easiest ukulele chord pair: F and C7.
In order to play any of the songs below, all you need are two ukulele chords:
F
Be sure to use your index finger for the 1st fret in the F chord so you can easily hop it down to C7 – and back.
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When you see the same chord shown twice in a row – for instance, at the end of a line, then the beginning of the next line – just continue playing the same chord.
Itsy Bitsy Spider
F C7 FThe itsy bitsy spider went up the water spoutF C7 FDown came the rain and washed the spider outF C7 FOut came the sun and dried up all the rain F C7 Fand the itsy bitsy spider went up the spout again
Be sure to think ahead to the next chord so your fingers can be ready for the movement. Waiting until the last minute to mentally and physically prepare will get you into trouble!
Row, Row, Row Your Boat
F Row, row, row your boatFGently down the streamFmerrily, merrily, merrily, merrily C7 FLife is but a dream
If you have trouble getting to F in time, just leave your finger off the top string of your ukulele for a one-finger, “F-ish” chord.
Mary Had a Little Lamb
FMary had a little lamb,C7 FLittle lamb, little lamb,FMary had a little lamb, C7 FIts fleece was white as snow FEverywhere that Mary went,C7 FMary went, Mary went,FEverywhere that Mary went C7 FThe lamb was sure to go FIt followed her to school one dayC7 FSchool one day, school one day FIt followed her to school one day C7 FWhich was against the rules
When moving from C7 to F, hop your index finger up to the 2nd string before trying to place the middle finger.
The Wheels on the Bus
FThe wheels on the bus go round and round, C7 FRound and round, round and roundFThe wheels on the bus go round and round,C7 FAll through the town FThe money on the bus goes clink, clink, clink, C7 Fclink, clink, clink, clink, clink, clinkFThe money on the bus goes clink, clink, clink, C7 FAll through the town FThe wipers on the bus go swish, swish, swish,C7 FSwish, swish, swish, swish, swish, swishFThe wipers on the bus go swish, swish, swish, C7 FAll through the town FThe driver on the bus goes "Move on back!"C7 F"Move on back!" "Move on back!"FThe driver on the bus goes "Move on back!" C7 FAll through the town FThe people on the bus go up and down, C7 Fup and down, up and downFThe people on the bus go up and down, C7 FAll through the town
Wheels on the Bus is available in my Single String Songbook
It’s more important to play simple songs well on your uke than to play “cool” songs poorly. Work with these until you’re really comfortable before moving onto more hip, but challenging songs.
London Bridge
F C7 FLondon Bridge is falling down, falling down, falling downF C7 FLondon Bridge is falling down, my fair lady F C7 FBuild it up with iron and steel, iron and steel, iron and steel,F C7 FBuild it up with iron and steel, my fair lady.
Three Blind Mice is much faster than the other songs with chord changes happening on almost every beat. You can think of the whole song as F C7 F F repeated over and over, with one strum per chord except the last F, which gets two strums in a row.
Three Blind Mice
F C7 FThree blind miceF C7 FThree blind miceF C7 FSee how they runF C7 FSee how they runF C7 FThey all ran after the farmer's wife F C7 FWho cut off their tails with a carving knife F C7 FHave you ever seen such a sight in your life F C7 FAs three blind mice?
In a song like Buffalo Gals with a repeating chorus, I like to only write it once (marked with “Chorus:”) and reference it with “Chorus>” to keep the sheet shorter. When you see “Chorus>”, jump back to the section following “Chorus:”
Buffalo Gals
FAs I was walking down the street,C7 FDown the street, down the street,FA pretty little gal I chanced to meet,C7 FOh, she was so fair. Chorus:FBuffalo Gals, won't you come out tonight,C7 FCome out tonight, come out tonight.FBuffalo Gals, won't you come out tonightC7 FAnd dance by the light of the moon. FI stopped her and we had a talk,C7 FHad a talk, had a talk,FHer feet took up the whole sidewalkC7 FAnd left no room for me. Chorus> FI asked her if she'd have a dance,C7 FHave a dance, have a dance,FI thought that I might have a chanceC7 FTo shake a foot with her. Chorus> FI danced with a gal with a hole in her stockin',C7 FAnd her heel kept a-knockin', and her toes kept a-rockin'FI danced with a gal with a hole in her stockin'C7 FAnd we danced by the light of the moon. Chorus>
Instead of trying to do a complicated strum, stick with something simple like a thumb downstrum on the beat.
Do Your Ears Hang Low?
FDo your ears hang low?FDo they wobble to and fro?FCan you tie them in a knot? C7Can you tie them in a bow? FCan you throw them o’er your shoulderFLike a continental soldier? F C7 FDo your ears hang low?
To keep the time it can help to get a part of your body moving with the music. Tapping your foot is common, but you can also bob your head or shake your hips.
He's Got the Whole World in His Hands
FHe's got the whole world in His hands C7He's got the whole world in His hands FHe's got the whole world in His hands C7 FHe's got the whole world in His hands
Many of these songs like He’s Got the Whole World in His Hands and Hokey Pokey have additional words. The music is exactly the same and the chords don’t change, so if you want to sing more of the song, you can look up more lyrics.
Hokey Pokey
FYou put your right foot inYou put your right foot outYou put your right foot in C7And you shake it all aboutYou do the hokey pokey and you turn yourself around FThat's what it's all about!
To get all the songs in one spot, download my free printable songbook that contains all these songs in an easy-to-read format.
