Belle and Sebastian - It Could Have Been a Brilliant Career: Ukulele Chords

Learn to play "It Could Have Been a Brilliant Career" on your ukulele with our detailed chord guide and lyrics. This page provides everything you need to play this song on the ukulele, including lyrics integrated with chords, chord diagrams, and a key transposer to match your vocal range.

Learn It Could Have Been a Brilliant Career ukulele chords and lyrics

This section will guide you through each part of the song, providing the ukulele chords placed directly above the lyrics for easy playing. Whether you are a beginner or an experienced player, these elements will help you perform "It Could Have Been a Brilliant Career" smoothly on your ukulele.

          E                   A
He had a stroke at the age of 24
               A                  E 
It could have been a brilliant career
          C#m          B             A
Painting lines in a school that was too well known
          C#m             B            E
Painting lines with a friend that had gone before
                         B
She challenged everyone to a fight
         A     E           B
But the people all backed down
          A       E      B
And they ran her out of town
              A         E        B
Because she drank and swore and spoke
        A         E       F#
Out of turn, she was the village joke

She had a stroke at the age of 24
It could have been a brilliant career
Getting clients to finance her strategies
She's filling time in the Safeway on Saturdays
She wears the clothes of an emperor
But her paintings are a sham
And they're going for a grand
When the dealers come to view
Do they ever see the real you?

He had a stroke at the age of 24
It could have been a brilliant career
Selling lies to the boys with the old dansettes
Pulling the wool, playing the fool,
it's no wonder that
He is dribbling spit tonight and
the one he sent away
Was the only one who stayed
With a spoon and a decent book
And you can tell by the way she looks
She is sorry and resigned
As he wets himself for the final time

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Ukulele Chord Diagrams

A

Ukulele chord A

B

Ukulele chord B

C#m

Ukulele chord C#m

D#

Ukulele chord D#

E

Ukulele chord E

F#

Ukulele chord F#

Here you can see detailed diagrams for each ukulele chord used in the song. Utilize our key transposer to adjust the chords to a key that better fits your singing range. Simply select the desired key, and the chords throughout this page will update automatically, ensuring you can play and sing comfortably.

If you are also interested in learning how to play "It Could Have Been a Brilliant Career" on the guitar, check out the chords on our sister site: Guitar Chords for "It Could Have Been a Brilliant Career" by Belle and Sebastian.

Belle and Sebastian Song List