Dec92020

Laverne And Shirley – Jolliest Fat Man Chords on Piano & Ukulele

Updated January 8, 2026

KeyKeyCapo

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[Intro]
D  A  D   x2

[Verse]
       D             A     
It was Christmas Eve night 
      D         Am7
at the poorhouse,
    G          A            D    A
And all of the paupers were there
   D         A             D
I stepped in because it was snowing,
    Bm           A           D
And snow always screws up my hair
       Bm                 
By the pot-bellied stove, 
      F#m
sat a pot-bellied man,
   G               A     
He spoke with some lumps 
      D     F#7
in his throat
    Bm
His story was sad,
        F#m
And his diction was bad,
    G         A                   D
And here is a song that he wrote:

[Verse]
  D            A       D      Am7
I once was the jolliest fat-man
     G        A         D     A
With roses in all of my cheeks.
    D           A         D
I'd load up my sled every Christmas
    Bm      A             D
and go on a drunk for two weeks
   Bm                
My friends said they 
          F#m
saw me on rooftops
    G            
and sliding down 
A          D     F#7
chimneys at dawn
        Bm
With my reindeer in hand
        F#m
I would glide 'cross the land
    G          A         D
and wake up on somebody's lawn.

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[Verse]
    D          A    
One morning my wife 
         D      Am7
left this message
      G         
“Each Christmas 
     A          D
I've spent by myself.
    D       
I'm sick of 
     A         D
your stupid traditions
        Bm         A     
so I've run off to Spain 
       D
with a elf.”
     Bm            
Just then, the old 
            F#m
man started dyin'
   G         
He screamed, 
         A            D   F#7
"May the Lord take my soul"
   Bm
We went through his wallet
   F#m
to see who he was
    G            A       
His address read simply, 
          D
"North Pole"

[Verse]
        D             A  
So, the next time you go 
              D        Am7
by the poorhouse,
G         A            D
If by the poorhouse you go,
     Bm
Just take off your hat,
     F#m
To a dead guy who's fat,
    G         A              D
And whisper a silent... "HO, HO".

Feel free to use our free Chord Shape Generator to see every chord in this song on guitar, ukulele and piano.

How to play Jolliest Fat Man: key, chords and progression

These are the chords for Jolliest Fat Man by Laverne And Shirley on Piano, Ukulele, Guitar, and Keyboard

Jolliest Fat Man by Laverne And Shirley is built around D major (two sharps: F♯, C♯), with 7 chords in all: D, A, Am7, G, Bm, F#m and F#7.

The progression the song keeps returning to is Bm – F#m – G – A (vi – iii – IV – V in D major). In solfa, that is lah – mi – fah – soh. Learn these 4 changes first and most of the song falls into place.

Easier on guitar: put a capo on the 7th fret and play the shapes G, D, Dm7, C, Em, Bm, B7 (86% of the chords become easy open shapes, against 57% without a capo). It sounds exactly the same.

Chord diagrams

Am7 chord on guitar (x02010) — Am7A C E G

F#m chord on guitar (244222) — F♯mF♯ A C♯

F#7 chord on guitar (242322) — F♯7F♯ A♯ C♯ E

Jolliest Fat Man chords: questions

What key is Jolliest Fat Man in?

Jolliest Fat Man by Laverne And Shirley is centred on D major (two sharps: F♯, C♯).

What chords are in Jolliest Fat Man?

Jolliest Fat Man uses 7 chords: D, A, Am7, G, Bm, F#m, F#7.

What is the chord progression of Jolliest Fat Man?

The main progression is Bm – F#m – G – A (vi – iii – IV – V).

Is Jolliest Fat Man easy to play on guitar?

Yes, with a capo: put a capo on the 7th fret and play the shapes G, D, Dm7, C, Em, Bm, B7 (86% of the chords become easy open shapes, against 57% without a capo).

How to play Jolliest Fat Man: key, chords and progression

Chord diagrams

Jolliest Fat Man chords: questions

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