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 Backing Track | Chord Analysis
Above, you’ll find backing tracks to use when learning Seven Nation Army. I’ve used stem separation to extract the guitar while keeping the drums, bass, and vocals intact.
After studying the chords and TAB, use my backing tracks to prepare for playing this tune with a band.
Should you want to play along with the original recording instead, you need to tune your guitar sharp to 441Hz. In the backing track, I’ve done this job for you by detuning it to 440Hz.
Chord Progression – What’s Going On?
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!
To get four ideas per section, check the TAB further down this guitar lesson.
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
There are only three sections in this tune, so let’s make sure we can play each one in several different ways.
Main riff
This is probably the most comfortable way to play the main riff.
Here we move it down the neck to get some open strings. Experiment with letting some of them bleed into the next note.
Next, let’s turn that line into power chords using A shapes.
Lastly, we adapt those power chords to use open strings.
Instrumental
The only variation here is the fourth bar. Let’s start by moving it up an octave to increase the intensity. Experiment with an octave-up and/or octave-down pedal here, as well as fuzz.
Next, we move it down — again, find those crazy effects!
Now, let’s play it as power chords in the open position. When you can do this, can you move it to use only A shapes?
Finally, let’s go wild and play a Wes Montgomery–style octave version!
Bridge
The last section is the bridge, which also appears during the instrumental sections. The most straightforward way to play this is to use E shapes.
Here is the same part, but moved to an open-position A.
Now then, this is not what Jack White does, but I like adding some accents by playing a bigger 5 chord, like this:
Finally, let’s move it up the octave — and maybe switch on that octave pedal!
When you can play all this TAB, play along with the backing tracks and experience playing with The White Stripes. Aim to be free as you switch between different areas of the neck.
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
Step-by-step Guitar Courses
Master guitar by studying real tunes. Build your skills with video lessons, eBooks and practice routines that connect theory with the music you love!
Explore SpyTunes step-by-step Guitar Courses.
Five similar tunes | Chords + Lyrics
