Talking Heads - Once in a Lifetime: Ukulele Chords

Learn to play "Once in a Lifetime" 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 Once in a Lifetime 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 "Once in a Lifetime" smoothly on your ukulele.

A                        F#m
And you may find yourself living in a shotgun shack
And you may find yourself in another part of
the world
And you may find yourself behind the wheel of
a large automobile
And you may find yourself in a beautiful house,
with a beautiful wife
And you may ask yourself,
“Well, how did I get here?”

Chorus:
D                      G
Letting the days go by, let the water hold me down
Letting the days go by, water flowing underground
Into the blue again after the money's gone
Once in a lifetime, water flowing underground

And you may ask yourself,
“How do I work this?”
And you may ask yourself,
“Where is that large automobile?”
And you may tell yourself,
“This is not my beautiful house”
And you may tell yourself,
“This is not my beautiful wife”

Chorus

Same as it ever was, same as it ever was
Same as it ever was, same as it ever was
Same as it ever was, same as it ever was
Same as it ever was, same as it ever was

Water dissolving and water removing
There is water at the bottom of the ocean
Under the water, carry the water
Remove the water at the bottom of the ocean
Water dissolving and water removing

Chorus:
Letting the days go by, let the water hold me down
Letting the days go by, water flowing underground
Into the blue again, into the silent water
Under the rocks and stones,
there is water underground
Letting the days go by, let the water hold me down
Letting the days go by, water flowing underground
Into the blue again after the money's gone
Once in a lifetime, water flowing underground

You may ask yourself,
“What is that beautiful house?”
You may ask yourself,
“Where does that highway go to?”
And you may ask yourself,
“Am I right? Am I wrong?”
And you may say to yourself,
“My God! What have I done?”

Chorus:
Letting the days go by, let the water hold me down
Letting the days go by, water flowing underground
Into the blue again, into the silent water
Under the rocks and stones,
there is water underground
Letting the days go by, let the water hold me down
Letting the days go by, water flowing underground
Into the blue again after the money's gone
Once in a lifetime, water flowing underground

Same as it ever was, same as it ever was
Same as it ever was and look where my hand was
Time isn't holding up, time isn't after us
Same as it ever was, same as it ever was
Same as it ever was, same as it ever was
Same as it ever was, same as it ever was
Letting the days go by, same as it ever was
Here a twister comes, here comes the twister
Same as it ever was, same as it ever was
(Letting the days go by)
Same as it ever was, same as it ever was
(Letting the days go by)
Once in a lifetime (Let the water hold me down)
Letting the days go by (Water flowing underground)
Into the blue again

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Ukulele Chord Diagrams

A

Ukulele chord A

Am

Ukulele chord Am

D

Ukulele chord D

F#m

Ukulele chord F#m

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 "Once in a Lifetime" on the guitar, check out the chords on our sister site: Guitar Chords for "Once in a Lifetime" by Talking Heads.