Johnny Cash - The Hard Way: Ukulele Chords

Learn to play "The Hard Way" 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 The Hard Way 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 "The Hard Way" smoothly on your ukulele.

G        C             F
Oh, the hells I put myself through
     G                        C
The fights I didn't need to fight
                    G                F
This thick head of mine ya couldn't get through
               G                   C   G
Had to do it wrong just to get it right just
           C  G
to get it right

Chorus:
               C                F
I learned the Hard Way but the hard way
                    C
taught me well the hard way
      G
Sure put this boy through some hell
     C           F
The hard way it taught me how to tell
     C                   A#           G
The right way from the wrong and on which
          C
side I belong on

Deep are the memories as a young boy of
the lessons that I learned
My mama warnin' me that fire is no toy
Ya play with fire boy and you get burned
Oh I got burned

Chorus

     A                  G
What others learned in Sunday school
   A                   G
I learned by gettin' black n' blue

Chorus

Oh, the hells I put myself through
The fights I didn't need to fight
This thick head of mine ya couldn't get through
Had to do it wrong just to get it right
just to get it right

Chorus

The hard way I learned the hard way
I learned the hard way

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Ukulele Chord Diagrams

A

Ukulele chord A

A#

Ukulele chord A#

C

Ukulele chord C

F

Ukulele chord F

G

Ukulele chord G

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 "The Hard Way" on the guitar, check out the chords on our sister site: Guitar Chords for "The Hard Way" by Johnny Cash.

Johnny Cash Song List