Jambalaya by Hank Williams is a natural fit for ʻukulele! It only uses two chords and is immediately recognizable to most folks!
To get started, just use a chalangalang strum and make sure your fingers know where to go for C and G7 (chord charts here: major, 7th).
To start, try to focus on just getting the chord changes down. If you have to skip a few strums to get to the chords on time, that’s fine. The good news is that the original recording is in the key of C so you can play along with Hank on your uke and still use easy chords.
Do this for a while before you try to sing while playing. Trying to sing and play at once is much harder and you need to be very confident with your strumming and chords, otherwise you’ll get thrown off as you try to remember the words too!
C G7
Goodbye, Joe, me gotta go, me oh my oh
C
Me gotta go, pole the pirogue down the bayou
G7
My Yvonne, the sweetest one, me oh my oh.
C
Son of a gun, we'll have big fun on the bayou.
Chorus:
C G7
Jambalaya and a crawfish pie and fillet gumbo
C
'Cause tonight I'm gonna see my ma cher amio
G7
Pick guitar, fill fruit jar and be gay-o
C
Son of a gun, gonna have big fun on the bayou
Solo: C G7 C G7 C
C G7
Thibodaux, Fontaineaux, the place is buzzin'
C
Kinfolk come to see Yvonne by the dozen
G7
Dress in style and go hog wild, me oh my oh
C
Son of a gun, we'll have big fun on the bayou
Chorus>
Solo>
Chorus>
