Johnny Cash - Don't Go Near The Water: Ukulele Chords

Learn to play "Don't Go Near The Water" 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 Don't Go Near The Water 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 "Don't Go Near The Water" smoothly on your ukulele.

Chorus:
D#
Don't go near the water children,
                                A#
see the fish all dead upon the shore.
D#
Don't go near the water,
           F                     A#
cause the water isn't water any-more.

          A#
From the fountains in the mountains
                         F                  A#
comes the water running cool and clear and blue.
        A#
And it comes down from the hills
                         F                  A#
and it goes down to the towns and passes through.

         D#
When it gets down to the cities,
                                   A#
then the water turns into a dirty gray.
It's poisoned and polluted
                     F              A#
by the people as it goes along its way.

Chorus

I took my boy fishin'
to my old favorite fishin' hole.
I had caught many a fish
out of that deep, clear water,
From the time I was a boy like him.
After we'd fished a few minutes,
he said: "Did you get a bite yet daddy?"
I said: "I think I got a nibble son."
"Me too", he said.
Then he said:
"Daddy if we catch a fish can we eat it?"
I said: "Well there was a time son.
This water's bad now and
I might not be safe to eat the fish,
but there was a time."

There was a time the air was clean
and you could see forever cross the plains.
The wind was sweet as honey
and no one had ever heard of acid rain.

We're torturin' the earth
and pourin' every kind of evil in the sea.
We violated nature
and our children have to pay the penalty.

Chorus - x2

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Ukulele Chord Diagrams

A#

Ukulele chord A#

D#

Ukulele chord D#

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 "Don't Go Near The Water" on the guitar, check out the chords on our sister site: Guitar Chords for "Don't Go Near The Water" by Johnny Cash.

Johnny Cash Song List