Goofus
Lyrics - Gus Kahn
Key: C
Music - Wayne King and William Harold
Copyright - 1930

Chords and Lyrics Provided by Judy Muldawer
For Educational Purposes Only
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File Created 1-17-2026

Verse 1:

G7    G6        G7          G6
I was born on a farm out in I-o-way
  C       Am            C               Am
A flaming youth who was bound that he’d fly away
  G7        G6       G7
I packed my grip and I
           G6  G7C
grabbed my sax-o-phone

G7         G6           G7       G6
Can’t read notes, but I play any-thing by ear
  C       Am           C             Am
I made up tunes on the sounds that I used to hear
     A7           A    D7
When I’d start to play folks used to say
G7               G6        C  FC
“Sounds a little Goofus to me”

Chorus:

C
Corn-fed chords appeal to me
B
I like rustic harmony
Bb
Hold the note and change the key
A7     D7     G     G7
That’s called “Goof-us”

C
Not according to the rules
B
That you learn at music schools
Bb
But the folks just dance like fools
A7   D7 G     G7
They go “Goof-us”

Verse 2:

G7    G6       G7            G6
Got a job but Ijust couldn’t keep it long
    C      Am          C              Am
The leader said that I played all the music wrong
  G7        G6
SoI stepped out
        G7     G6 G7C
with an outfit of myown

G7     G6       G7          G6
Got to-gether a new kind of orchestree
    C      Am              C             Am
And we all played just the same “goofus” harmony
   A7        A   D7
AndI must ad-mit we made a hit
G7                G6       C  FC
“Goofus” has been lucky for me

Chorus Repeat:
Verse 1 Repeat:

Several Suggested Ukulele Chord Shapes: