Rhinestone Cowboy | Chords + Lyrics
Intro
||: C F/C | C (F/C) :||
Verse 1
| C F/C | C F/C |
I’ve been walkin’ these streets so long.
| C F/C | C F/C |
Singin’ the same old song.
| C F/C | C F/C | G C/G | G C/G |
I know every crack in these dirty sidewalks of Broadway.
| F Bb/F | F Bb/F |
Where hustle’s the name of the game.
| F Bb/F | F Bb/F | C F/C | C F/C) |
And nice guys get washed away like the snow in the rain.
Bridge 1
| G | G |
There’s been a load of compromising.
| F | C |
On the road to my horizon.
| F | D7/F# | G C/G | G N.C G |
But I’m gonna be where the lights are shinin’ on me.
Chorus 1
| C F/C | C F/C |
Like a rhinestone cowboy.
| Cmaj7 | C6 | G C/G |
Riding out on a horse in a star-spangled rodeo.
| G | C F/C | C F/C |
Like a rhinestone cowboy.
| Cmaj7 | C6 | G C/G |
Getting cards and letters from people I don’t even know.
| G |
And offers comin’ over the phone.
Instrumental 1
| F C/E Dm7 | C G/B Am7 | G F C/E | Dm7 F G |
Verse 2
Well, I really don’t mind the rain.
And the smile can hide all the pain.
But you’re down when you’re ridin’ the train that’s takin’ the long way.
And I dream of the things I’ll do.
With a subway token and a dollar tucked inside my shoe.
Bridge 2
There’s been a load of compromising.
On the road to my horizon.
But I’m gonna be where the lights are shinin’ on me.
Chorus 2
Like a rhinestone cowboy.
Riding out on a horse in a star-spangled rodeo.
Like a rhinestone cowboy.
Gettin’ cards and letters from people I don’t even know.
And offers comin’ over the phone.
Instrumental 2
| F C/E Dm7 | C G/B Am7 | G F C/E | Dm7 F G |
Chorus 3 (to fade)
Like a rhinestone cowboy.
Riding out on a horse in a star-spangled rodeo.
Like a rhinestone cowboy.
Getting cards and letters from people I don’t even know.
And offers comin’ over the phone.
End (suggested)
| F C/E Dm7 | C G/B Am7 | G F C/E | Dm7 F G | C |
Rhinestone Cowboy Chords: Learn the progressions
Glen Campbell‘s Rhinestone Cowboy is a classic, making full use of familiar chord progressions and proudly embracing every musical trick in the book.
The verse borrows the IV chord from each chord of a blues progression in the key of C (for a more extreme example, compare this to Can I Get A Witness). The movement goes like this:
| C (I) (F/C) (IV/5) | C (F/C) |
| C (F/C) | C (F/C) |
| C (F/C) | C (F/C) | G (V) (C/G) (I/5) | G (C/G) |
| F (IV) (Bb/F) (bVIIx/5) | F (Bb/F) |
| F (Bb/F) | F (Bb/F) | C (F/C) | C (F/C) |
The bridge stays with the I, IV, and V chords but changes their order:
| G (V) | G | F (IV) | C (I) |
| F | D7/F# (IIx/3) | G C/G |
The D7/F# offers a nice variation to the more common F#dim7.
In the chorus, we go from V to I, before introducing a descending extension over the I chord (maj7 – 6), like this:
||: G (V) N.C G | C (I) F/C (IV/5) | C F/C |
| Cmaj7 | C6 | G (C/G) :||
The intro is best learned with TAB to help understand how it fits with the rest of the tune. Here’s a link to that part of the lesson: Rhinestone Cowboy – Guitar Lesson with TAB.
After studying the TAB and playing along with Glen, all you need to bring to the gig is this chord chart, and a cowboy hat, of course.
Rhinestone Cowboy Chord Chart | PDF + iReal Pro
Should you want to download this chart, here’s a PDF: Rhinestone Cowboy chord chart PDF.
This chord chart was created using iReal Pro, here’s a link to that file: Rhinestone Cowboy chord chart iReal Pro. Using this and the iRealPro app, you can change the key.
Rhinestone Cowboy – A Country Standard!
Released in 1975, Rhinestone Cowboy quickly became a country standard, reaching the top spot in the U.S.
Remarkably, it also reached #12 in the U.K., which is impressive given the smaller country music scene there.
Since then, Rhinestone Cowboy has been a staple on working band setlists in both the U.S. and the U.K. The song has come to define Glen Campbell’s career, despite him not being the writer—Larry Weiss, who also wrote Hi Ho Silver Lining, penned it.
When Glen Campbell passed away in 2017, Rhinestone Cowboy re-entered the charts, peaking at #12 nearly five decades after its original release.
Rhinestone Cowboy Chords: Continue Learning
Want to master this song? Check out the full TAB lesson here: Rhinestone Cowboy (Glen Campbell) Guitar Lesson with TAB.
Alternatively, here are five similar tunes you might enjoy: