Chords + Lyrics | Seven Nation Army
Intro
||: Em (E G E D) | C5 B5 :|| x4
Verse 1
||: Em (E G E D) | C5 B5 :||
I’m gonna fight ’em all. A seven nation army couldn’t hold me back.
They’re gonna rip it off. Taking their time right behind my back.
And I’m talking to myself at night because I can’t forget.
Back and forth through my mind behind a cigarette.
Bridge 1
| G5 | A5 |
And the message coming from my eyes says “Leave it alone”.
Instrumental 1
||: E5 G5 E5 D5 | C5 B5 | E5 G5 E5 D5 | C5 D5 C5 B5 :||
| G5 | A5 |
||: Em (E G E D) | C5 B5 :|| x4
Verse 2
Don’t wanna hear about it, every single one’s got a story to tell.
Everyone knows about it, from the Queen of England to the Hounds of Hell.
And if I catch it coming back my way, I’m gonna serve it to you.
And that ain’t what you want to hear but that’s what I’ll do.
Bridge 2
And the feeling coming from my bones says “Find a home”.
Instrumental 2
||: E5 G5 E5 D5 | C5 B5 | E5 G5 E5 D5 | C5 D5 C5 B5 :|| x4
| G5 | A5 |
||: Em (E G E D) | C5 B5 :|| x4
Verse 3
I’m going to Wichita. Far from this opera forevermore.
I’m gonna work the straw. Make the sweat drip out of every pore.
And I’m bleeding, and I’m bleeding, and I’m bleeding right before the Lord.
All the words are gonna bleed from me and I will sing no more.
Bridge 3
And the stains coming from my bloods tell me, “Go back home”.
Instrumental 3
||: E5 G5 E5 D5 | C5 B5 |
| E5 G5 E5 D5 | C5 D5 C5 B5 :|| E5 |
Seven Nation Army: Chords, Riff, and 432Hz Tuning
Not really a chord progression—more of a bass line over an Em. I’d recommend adding some 5 chords to thicken it up, especially if you don’t have an octave pedal but do have a bass player!
Apart from the riff, which is in Aeolian, there are two additional chords: a G5 chord and an A5 chord.
If Em is chord VI, then G is I and A is II. Turning them into 5 chords hides the fact that A should technically be minor.
To get four ideas per section, check the TAB lesson here: Seven Nation Army – Guitar Lesson with TAB.
For such an incredibly famous song like Seven Nation Army, you’d think there would be more chords, but there aren’t!
As you play along with the recording, you’ll notice how you’ll be sharp in relation to Jack. To fix this, tune down to the magical frequency of the universe: 432Hz.
Alternatively, use Serato and tune the track down 2% while you stay at 440Hz. The advantage of this approach is that you can remove the chords and in doing so play the guitar as Jack sings and Meg drums.
Here’s a chord chart.
Seven Nation Army Chord Chart | PDF + iReal Pro Download
Do you need to download this chart or can you just remember it? What about the structure, do you need to see it or can you just adapt to whatever the band does?
Seven Nation Army TAB | Course Preview
In the course, you get four ideas per section. Practise these and you’ll be able to move around the neck, finding the part that works best for each moment of Seven Nation Army.
As a preview, here’s the easiest way to play the main riff.
The White Stripes’ A&R Man Didn’t Hear a Single When Jack White Played Him Seven Nation Army!
The iconic Seven Nation Army by The White Stripes appears on the band’s fourth album, Elephant. Easily Jack White’s most famous track, it’s built around a now-legendary “bass line” riff—played by a guitar using an octave pedal—so it’s actually not a bass.
Released in 2003, Seven Nation Army quickly became part of global popular culture. The riff has been chanted in football stadiums, political rallies, and festivals worldwide, often replaced with lyrics, slogans, or simply the unmistakable “ohs.”
Ironically, its success came as a surprise. When Jack first played the song to his A&R man, the response was: “I don’t hear a single.” Jack shelved it, thinking it might work as a future James Bond theme. When that seemed unlikely (even though he did end up writing a Bond theme five years later), he recorded it for Elephant anyway.
The striking music video went on to win Best Editing in a Video at the 2003 MTV Video Music Awards, further propelling the song’s rise.
For indie rock bands, Seven Nation Army is the ultimate crowd-pleaser—instant recognition, massive energy, and deceptively simple to teach. The beauty of it? You can show someone the chords in about three seconds.
Above, I’ve written the bass line both in brackets and as 5 chords to help thicken up the part.
Seven Nation Army Chords: Continue Learning
Want to master this song? Check out the full TAB lesson here: Seven Nation Army (The White Stripes) Guitar Lesson with TAB.
Alternatively, here are five similar tunes you might enjoy:
