You Never Can Tell | Chords + Lyrics
Intro
| C F6/C | C G7 |
Verse 1
| C (C6) | C (C6) | C (C6) | C (C6) |
It was a teenage wedding, and the old folks wished them well.
| C (C6) | C (C6) | G (G6) | G (G6) |
You could see that Pierre did truly love the mademoiselle.
| G (G6) | G (G6) | G (G6) | G (G6) |
And now the young monsieur and madame have rung the chapel bell.
| G (G6) | G (G6) | C (C6) | C (C6) |
“C’est la vie”, say the old folks, it goes to show you never can tell.
Verse 2
They furnished off an apartment with a two-room Roebuck sale.
The coolerator was crammed with TV dinners and ginger ale.
But when Pierre found work, the little money comin’ worked out well.
“C’est la vie”, say the old folks, it goes to show you never can tell.
Verse 3
They had a hi-fi phono, boy, did they let it blast.
Seven hundred little records, all rock, rhythm, and jazz.
But when the sun went down, the rapid tempo of the music fell.
“C’est la vie”, say the old folks, it goes to show you never can tell.
Verse 4
They bought a souped-up jitney, ’twas a cherry red ’53.
They drove it down to Orleans to celebrate the anniversary.
It was there where Pierre was married to the lovely mademoiselle.
“C’est la vie”, say the old folks, it goes to show you never can tell.
Solo
| C (C6) | C (C6) | C (C6) | C (C6) |
| C (C6) | C (C6) | G (G6) | G (G6) |
| G (G6) | G (G6) | G (G6) | G (G6) |
| G (G6) | G (G6) | C (C6) | C (C6) |
Verse 5
They had a teenage wedding and the old folks wished them well.
You could see that Pierre did truly love the mademoiselle.
And now the young monsieur and madame have rung the chapel bell.
“C’est la vie”, say the old folks, it goes to show you never can tell.
Outro
| C (C6) | C (C6) | C (C6) | C (C6) |
| C (C6) | C (C6) | G (G6) | G (G6) | to fade
You Never Can Tell Chords: Learn the progressions
Chuck Berry‘s You Never Can Tell is a 16-bar blues that uses only I and V chords. Apart from the intro, the chords remain the same for all five verses and the solo.
Here’s the full chord progression in the key of C:
||: C (C6) | C (C6) | C (C6) | C (C6) |
| C (C6) | C (C6) | G (G6) | G (G6) |
| G (G6) | G (G6) | G (G6) | G (G6) |
| G (G6) | G (G6) | C (C6) | C (C6) :||
Over each chord, you “honky-tonk” by playing the chord, adding the 6th, taking it away, then adding it again.
This is a signature Chuck Berry technique, used in many of his songs. In my guitar courses, we explore this approach in depth when studying I Can’t Stand The Rain.
Here’s a chord chart—mainly useful for keeping track of the structure: intro, four verses, solo, one verse, and the outro. The actual chords for You Never Can Tell are so easy to remember!
You Never Can Tell Chord Chart | PDF + iReal Pro
Download my chart as a PDF or iReal Pro file if you want to change the key.
Johnnie Johnson: The Unsung Architect of Chuck Berry’s Sound
Johnnie Johnson was the secret ingredient behind Chuck Berry’s biggest hits. A blues and boogie-woogie pianist with an effortless groove, he gave Berry’s songs their signature bounce, laying down the rhythmic foundation that made them irresistible. But while Chuck became the face of rock ‘n’ roll, Johnnie spent most of his life in the background—until he decided to speak up.
In the early days, it was Johnnie who hired Chuck Berry to play in his trio, not the other way around. But when Chuck’s songwriting and showmanship took centre stage, the band’s name changed, and Johnnie faded into the background. Still, his piano work was all over Roll Over Beethoven, Sweet Little Sixteen, No Particular Place to Go, and of course, Johnny B. Goode—a song many believe was actually written about Johnnie himself.
Despite being the backbone of Berry’s sound, Johnnie never received songwriting credits. Decades later, he filed a lawsuit claiming that he had co-written many of Berry’s biggest hits, but the case was dismissed due to the statute of limitations. By then, Johnnie had spent years out of the music business, working as a bus driver in St. Louis, his career derailed by struggles with alcohol.
It wasn’t until the late ‘80s, when Keith Richards put together the Hail! Hail! Rock ‘n’ Roll concert for Berry’s 60th birthday, that Johnnie made a proper comeback. He played alongside some of the world’s biggest rock stars, finally getting the recognition he had always deserved. From there, he recorded albums of his own, toured with stars like Eric Clapton, and was eventually inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame—though only as a sideman.
Johnnie Johnson’s story is one of incredible talent overshadowed by a bigger personality. Whether he co-wrote those songs or not, his piano playing shaped them. Chuck Berry may have been the poet of rock ‘n’ roll, but Johnnie was its pulse.
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