Chords + Lyrics | These Boots Are Made for Walkin’
Intro
||: E | E :|| x4
Verse 1
| E | E | E | E |
You keep sayin’ you’ve got somethin’ for me.
| E | E | E | E |
Somethin’ you call love but confess.
| A5 | A5 | A5 | A5 |
You’ve been a-messin’ where you shouldn’t have been a-messin’.
| E | E | E | E |
And now someone else is getting all your best.
Chorus 1
| G /F# | E /F# | G /F# | E /F# |
These boots are made for walkin’, and that’s just what they’ll do.
| G /F# | E N.C | N.C |
One of these days these boots are gonna walk all over you.
Instrumental 1
||: E | E :|| x4
Yeah.
Verse 2
You keep lyin’ when you oughta be truthin’.
And you keep losing when you oughta not bet.
You keep samin’ when you oughta be a-changin’.
Now what’s right is right but you ain’t been right yet.
Chorus 2
These boots are made for walkin’, and that’s just what they’ll do.
One of these days these boots are gonna walk all over you.
Instrumental 2
||: E7 | E7 :|| x4
Verse 3
| E7 (E6) | E7 (E6) | E7 (E6) | E7 (E6) |
You keep playin’, where you shouldn’t be playin’.
| E7 (E6) | E7 (E6) | E7 (E6) | E7 (E6) |
And you keep thinkin’ that you’ll never get burnt, ha.
| A7 (A6) | A7 (A6) | A7 (A6) | A7 (A6) |
I just found me a brand new box of matches, yeah.
| E7 (E6) | E7 (E6) | E7 (E6) | E7 (E6) |
And what he knows you ain’t had time to learn.
Chorus 3
These boots are made for walkin’, and that’s just what they’ll do.
One of these days these boots are gonna walk all over you.
Outro
||: E | E :|| x4
Are you ready, boots? Start walkin’.
||: E7 outro riff :|| to fade
These Boots Are Made for Walkin’ Chords: Exploring the Progressions and Horn Riff
This track is an unexpected gem! I love playing the chords for These Boots Are Made for Walkin’ because they offer great opportunities for development as the song progresses.
Verse
Start verses 1 and 2 by playing the following in the key of E:
||: E (I) :|| x8
||: A5 (IV) :|| x4
||: E :|| x4
By verse 3, incorporate the horn riff and the chords shift to this:
||: E7 (E6) :|| x8
||: A7 (A6) :|| x4
||: E7 (E6) :|| x4
Chorus
In between, the chorus mainly features a bass line moving between I and VI in the new key of G, where chord VI is major (VIx), creating tension. In its simplest form, it looks like this:
||: G (I) /F# | E (VIx) /F# :||
While the chord riff can be played on just one guitar, it’s the horn riff that adds the signature fun to the song.
I’ve designed some TAB to guide you through all of this. Here’s the link: These Boots Are Made for Walkin’ – Guitar Lesson with TAB.
Once you’ve studied the TAB, a simple chord chart will be all you need as a reminder, like this one.
These Boots Are Made for Walkin’ Chord Chart | PDF + iReal Pro Download
If you’d like to download the chord chart, here’s a PDF: These Boots Are Made for Walkin’ chord chart PDF.
This chord chart was created using iReal Pro, and you can find the file here: These Boots Are Made for Walkin’ iReal Pro.
With iReal Pro, you can change the key—though, if you do, how will you incorporate the iconic horn riff?
These Boots Are Made for Walkin’ TAB | Course Preview
In the course, you get TAB for all sections—I’ve even arranged the horn parts for guitar so you can play this awesome tune in any band.
As a preview, here’s the simplest section: the chorus.
Nancy Sinatra’s Swinging 60s Classic
Nancy Sinatra’s These Boots Are Made for Walkin’ is not only her signature song but also her breakthrough single.
Being Frank Sinatra’s daughter, the immense success of the song must have been a relief for Nancy, as she had big shoes to fill. The track, along with its iconic video, became emblematic of the swinging ’60s, capturing the era’s shift as women began to find their independent voice.
An unexpected cover that always resonates well, I highly recommend adding this track to your band’s setlist.
If you’re looking to engage the crowd, why not have them line dance, even if your band isn’t a country band? Audience participation is key to the success of any working band.
These Boots Are Made for Walkin’ Chords: Continue Learning
Want to master this song? Check out the full TAB lesson here: These Boots Are Made For Walkin’ (Nancy Sinatra) Guitar Lesson with TAB.
Alternatively, here are five similar tunes you might enjoy:
