Seven Nation Army | Chords + Lyrics
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.
| 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.
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.
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 :|| Em |
Seven Nation Army Chords: Learn the progressions
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.
For such an incredibly famous song like Seven Nation Army, you’d think there would be more chords, but there aren’t!
Here’s a chord chart.
Seven Nation Army Chord Chart | PDF + iReal Pro
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?
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 is a track from the band’s fourth album, Elephant.
Easily Jack White’s most famous song, Seven Nation Army is centred around a bass line riff, played by a guitar using an octave pedal—so it’s actually not a bass.
Released in 2003, Seven Nation Army has become a part of popular culture, often chanted at sports and political events, sometimes replacing the bass line with words or simply the famous “ohs.”
The incredible success of the song must have been a surprise to Jack White. When he first played it for his A&R man, he was told, “I don’t hear a single.” Jack decided to save it for a possible future James Bond theme.
After realising this might be unlikely (though it did happen five years later), he recorded it for Elephant, released the following year.
The music video, which won Best Editing In A Video at the 2003 MTV Video Music Awards, also played a significant role in its success.
If you’re in an indie rock band and looking for a guaranteed crowd-pleaser, Seven Nation Army is the song. The best part? You can teach anyone the chords in just three seconds.
I’ve written the bass line in brackets and as 5 chords to help thicken up the part.
Seven Nation Army Chords | Related Pages
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