Chords + Lyrics | Blue Suede Shoes
Verse 1
| N.C (E G) | A5 N.C (E G) | A5 N.C | N.C |
Well, it’s a one for the money, two for the show, three to get ready now go, cat, go.
| D | D | A | A |
But don’t you step on my blue suede shoes.
| E7 | E7 | A | A (E G) |
Well, you can do anything but lay off of my blue suede shoes.
Verse 2
| A5 N.C (E G) | A5 N.C (E G) | A5 N.C (E G) | A5 N.C (E G) |
Well, you can knock me down, step in my face, slander my name all over the place.
| A5 N.C (E G) | A5 N.C (E G) | A5 N.C | N.C |
We’ll do anything that you wanna do, but uh-uh Honey, lay off of them shoes.
| D | D | A | A |
And don’t you step on my blue suede shoes.
| E7 | E7 | A | A |
Well, you can do anything but lay off of my blue suede shoes. Let’s go cats!
Solo 1
| A | A | A | A |
Oh, walk the dogs.
| D | D | A | A |
| E7 | E7 | A | A (E G) |
Verse 3 (as verse 2)
Well, you can burn my house, steal my car. Drink my liquor from an old fruit jar.
We’ll do anything that you wanna do, but uh-uh Honey, lay off of my shoes.
And don’t you step on my blue suede shoes.
Well, you can do anything but lay off of my blue suede shoes. Rock it!
Solo 2
| A | A | A | A |
Yeah.
| D | D | A | A |
| E7 | E7 | A | A (E G) |
Verse 4 (as verse 1)
Well, it’s a one for the money, two for the show, three to get ready now go, go, go.
But don’t you step on my blue suede shoes.
Well, you can do anything but lay-ay off of my blue suede shoes.
Outro
| A | A | A | A |
Well, it’s blue, blue, blue suede shoes. Blue, blue, blue suede shoes, yeah.
| D | D | A | A |
Blue, blue, blue suede shoes, baby. Blue, blue, blue suede shoes.
| E7 | E7 | A | A |
Well, you do anything but lay off of my blue suede shoes.
Blue Suede Shoes Chords: Master the 12-Bar Blues Progression
At its core, Blue Suede Shoes follows a standard 12-bar blues progression with stops, played in the key of A, extended to 16-bars in verse 2 and 3.
A key feature is the build-up bass line leading into the A chord: E – G. These notes (the 5th and b7th) suggest that A is functioning as a dominant 7th chord, though the actual stop is played as A5.
The D and E (IV and V) are extended to dom7.
Here’s how the chords line up for verses 1 and 3:
||: N.C (E G) | A5 N.C (E G) | A5 N.C | N.C |
| D7 | D7 | A | A |
| E7 | E7 | A | A (E G) :||
For verses 2 and 4, there are more stops, the rest of the rhythm is identical. During the outro, there are no stops.
The two solos follow the same 12-bar structure as the outro, keeping the arrangement simple and effective.
To get TAB for how to play all the comping and both solos, check the TAB lesson: Blue Suede Shoes – Guitar Lesson with TAB.
When you can play the TAB, use this chord chart to put it all together.
Blue Suede Shoes Chord Chart | PDF + iReal Pro Download
My chord chart for Blue Suede Shoes is available in two formats: a static PDF and iReal Pro.
Using the iReal Pro app, you can change the key, which is useful if you want to match a singer’s range or experiment with the arrangement.
Blue Suede Shoes TAB | Course Preview
In the TAB lesson, we cover all sections of Blue Suede Shoes, including both solos. Whether you’re into rock ’n’ roll, country, or blues guitar, there’s a lot to learn here!
A key takeaway is how the solos blend the minor pentatonic and major pentatonic scales, add a maj7 for colour, but deliberately avoid the b5—this is essential for that classic rockabilly sound.
As a preview of how this works in practise, here’s the first solo:
Once you’ve mastered this, you can tackle the full TAB in the course, combining riffs, comping, and the second solo, using the chord chart to play along with the original recording.
One of the songs that made Elvis
One of the songs that made Elvis a star, Blue Suede Shoes was originally released by Carl Perkins in January 1956, reaching #2 on the charts.
Elvis was initially hesitant to record it, respecting Perkins and Sun Records’ Sam Phillips, but by September 1956, his version was out with Tutti Frutti as the B-side. Having moved to RCA, Elvis now had wider distribution and stronger radio connections.
That year alone, his hits included Heartbreak Hotel, I Want You, I Need You, I Love You, Don’t Be Cruel, Hound Dog, and Love Me Tender. Blue Suede Shoes opened his debut album, Elvis Presley, cementing his place in rock ’n’ roll history—the King was born.
Blue Suede Shoes Chords: Continue Learning
Want to master this song? Check out the full TAB lesson here: Blue Suede Shoes (Elvis) Guitar Lesson with TAB.
Alternatively, here are five similar tunes you might enjoy:
