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 perfect tune, hitting all the cliche chords for each section, proudly claiming all tricks as its own.
The verse uses the trick of borrowing the IV chord from each chord of a blues in the key of C (compare this to Can I Get A Witness for a more extreme version).
C quickly finds F, F finds Bb, and G finds C, 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 sticks to the I, IV and V chords, but changes the order, like this:
| G (V) | G | F (IV) | C (I) |
| F | D7/F# (IIx/3) | G C/G |
The D7/F# is a nice variation to the more common F#dim7.
The chorus goes from V – I before it uses 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 only part we haven’t looked at is the intro, I feel it’s best to do this with TAB as it helps understand how to play the rest of the tune so here’s a link to that part of the lesson: Rhinestone Cowboy – Guitar Lesson with TAB.
After studying the TAB and playing with Glen, all you need to bring to the gig is this chord chart.
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 iReal Pro. Using this and the iRealPro app, you can change the key.
Rhinestone Cowboy – A Country Standard!
Released in 1975, Rhinestone Cowboy instantly became a proper country standard, claiming the top spot in the U.S.
Remarkably, it reached #12 in the U.K., which is impressive as the country scene on this side of the pond is not that big.
Since then, Rhinestone Cowboy has been a standard on the working band’s setlist, both in the U.S. and the U.K., and come to represent Glen Campbell as his signature song even though he didn’t actually write it, Larry Weiss did (he also wrote Hi Ho Silver Lining).
When Glen passed in 2017, Rhinestone Cowboy went back in the charts, peaking at #12, almost five decades after its initial release.
Rhinestone Cowboy Chords | Related Pages
Rhinestone Cowboy | Guitar Lesson + TAB
In this lesson, there’s a full chord analysis and 3 bits of TAB. This is all you need to play Glen Campbell’s signature song, Rhinestone Cowboy.
| C (F/C) | C (F/C) |
I’ve been walkin’ these streets so long…
Five similar tunes | Chords + Lyrics
- The Gambler chords by Kenny Rogers
- King Of The Road chords by Roger Miller
- Lyin’ Eyes chords by the Eagles
- On The Road Again chords by Willie Nelson
- Take Me Home, Country Roads chords by John Denver
Glen Campbell tunes
In the early ’60s, Glen Campbell became a session guitarist for the Wrecking Crew, as well as started to release tunes in his own name.
His best tunes include Rhinestone Cowboy, Wichita Lineman, By the Time I Get to Phoenix, Galveston, and I Wanna Live.
Glen Campbell on the web
About me | Dan Lundholm
This was a guitar lesson about Rhinestone Cowboy chords, by Dan Lundholm. Discover more about him and how you can learn guitar with Spytunes.
Most importantly, find out why you should learn guitar through playing tunes, not practising scales, and studying theory in isolation.
