Chords for How To Play Willie Nelson My Heroes Have Always Been Cowboys (full lesson)
Tempo:
111.7 bpm
Chords used:
D
A
G
Eb
B
Tuning:Standard Tuning (EADGBE)Capo:+0fret
Start Jamming...
My heroes have always been cowboys is a nice easy one.
We're gonna hear you playing this in [Eb] no time at all
It's the country bass and strum pattern that Willie Nelson is so fond of and
We're going to play it in three beats to the bar and [G] we're in the key of D
So we're going to start off with the intro like this
[D]
Very [F] straightforward here.
We're picking the bass note [Eb] of the chord in this case the fourth [D] string and
down down
And then we're going [F] to alternate that in bar two with the second the alternating bass note the [A] fifth string and [D] down down up
So we're going four down down five down down up four down down five
down down up
[A] Just in case the rhythm helps you [D] one two three one two three and one two three
one two three
Continue [Cm] playing the D exactly that way as you begin to sing
[D]
So that was four more bars [B] of D
Two times around the pattern and now we're going [C] to go to a G chord
We're going to [G] go six down down up six down down up
And back [D] to D as we played it before
Waze
Notice [A] if you want to get very picky here that at bars 11 and 12 bar [D] 11 is going bass down down up as well
So four down down up five down down up consider consider bass down down and bass
Down down up to be [E] interchangeable in this song.
Either of them will work fine at any point in the song
[Eb] Now we're going to continue with D the line that begins at bar 13 of the tab
[D] Pursuing the life of a high rider, heroes at heart.
[Eb] Now we want an E7 chord.
An E [F] plus the second string, third fret.
We're going [E] to go 6 down, down, up, 5 down, down, up.
I burned up my childhood.
An A7, normal A7 [A] shape.
5 down, down, up, [B] 6 down, down, up.
[A] Days.
[Em]
And that [A] sends us back to D [Eb] again as we continue with the verse, staying on D for 4 bars.
[D] I learned all the rules, with a modern day drifter.
[G] G for 2 bars.
To hold on to nothing, too.
[B] And 2 bars of D.
This time if you want to be really technical, he doesn't alternate the bass note 4 to 5, he stays on [C] 4.
Too [D] long.
If you did go to 5 it really won't matter.
[Cm] Now G as we played it before.
Take [G] what you need from [Eb] the
1 bar of [D] D.
Bass is 4, down, down, up, and we'll go straight to G, 6, down, down, up.
Ladies [G] then leave him with a
[B] D over A, we simply [F] make a D chord and we pick the 5th string bass note.
[D]
Words of
[A]
[B] To A7 and we're going to go 5 down, down, up.
[A] Sad country.
And D.
[D] We'll go bass, down, down, so 4 down, down, and then a little bass run.
4th string, [E] 6th string open, 6th string [Gb] 2nd fret.
That little bass [F] run leads us into the chorus that you [Cm] can see at bar 37.
So let's come from the ladies [B] then leave them.
[D] Ladies [G] then leave them [D] with their words of [A] a sad country song.
[E]
[G] My heroes
You hear [D] that climb up is going 1, 2, 3, G, down, down, up.
So 6, [B] down, down, up on a G chord.
We're in the chorus now.
Stay on that G chord for 2 bars.
My heroes have always been [Eb] cowboys.
So it goes to D, [F] 4 down, down, up, 5 down, down, up.
Or 4 down, down, 5 down, down, up.
[D] Cowboys.
[B] E7 as we played it [E] before.
They still are it seems.
[Eb] And A7.
And [F] A7 will stay on the [A] 5th string.
5 down, down, up, 5 down, down, up.
[B] So with the [E] E7.
They [Bm] still are [A] it seems.
[G] 2 bars of G.
Sadly in search but.
And now D [A] for 1 bar to G for 1 bar in the same way we did it at bar 31 and 2.
[D] One step [G] and back up him.
[Eb] And we'll finish the chorus as we finish the verse.
D over A.
Remember 5 [D] down, down, up on the D chord.
[A] A7, 5 down, down, up.
And then we'll [B] go D 2 times around our pattern [D] of 4 down, down, 5 down, down, up.
[Eb] So the final line of the chorus from bar 47.
[D] One step and [G] back up [D] themselves.
And [B] their slow moving [D] dreams.
Again on D and into verse 2.
Verse [F] 2 is the same as [Db] the way you played verse 1.
The following chorus is the same.
And the outro of the song, part D, right at the end, the last line of the tap.
He repeats that final refrain line.
Sadly in [A] search but one step and [Eb] back up.
So you'll play it the same way until you get to the D over A chord.
You see that?
So repeating the refrain come from bar [G] 45.
Sadly in search.
[D] One [G] step and back up them.
And now come down to the outro [E] of bar 53.
[B] The D over A to A7 is the same.
[D] Themselves [A] and their slow moving dreams.
But on dreams, instead of going to the D chord, [C] we go to G.
[Cm] We'll alternate [G] the pattern 6 down, down, up, 4 down, down, up.
And again.
And finish on a D chord [Db] with one strum.
[D]
One slow down, what's spread out down strum of the D chord.
[Db] So we're finishing.
Themselves [A] and their slow [G] moving dreams.
[D]
[Eb] Very easy one to play.
We might almost say a beginner's
We're gonna hear you playing this in [Eb] no time at all
It's the country bass and strum pattern that Willie Nelson is so fond of and
We're going to play it in three beats to the bar and [G] we're in the key of D
So we're going to start off with the intro like this
[D]
Very [F] straightforward here.
We're picking the bass note [Eb] of the chord in this case the fourth [D] string and
down down
And then we're going [F] to alternate that in bar two with the second the alternating bass note the [A] fifth string and [D] down down up
So we're going four down down five down down up four down down five
down down up
[A] Just in case the rhythm helps you [D] one two three one two three and one two three
one two three
Continue [Cm] playing the D exactly that way as you begin to sing
[D]
So that was four more bars [B] of D
Two times around the pattern and now we're going [C] to go to a G chord
We're going to [G] go six down down up six down down up
And back [D] to D as we played it before
Waze
Notice [A] if you want to get very picky here that at bars 11 and 12 bar [D] 11 is going bass down down up as well
So four down down up five down down up consider consider bass down down and bass
Down down up to be [E] interchangeable in this song.
Either of them will work fine at any point in the song
[Eb] Now we're going to continue with D the line that begins at bar 13 of the tab
[D] Pursuing the life of a high rider, heroes at heart.
[Eb] Now we want an E7 chord.
An E [F] plus the second string, third fret.
We're going [E] to go 6 down, down, up, 5 down, down, up.
I burned up my childhood.
An A7, normal A7 [A] shape.
5 down, down, up, [B] 6 down, down, up.
[A] Days.
[Em]
And that [A] sends us back to D [Eb] again as we continue with the verse, staying on D for 4 bars.
[D] I learned all the rules, with a modern day drifter.
[G] G for 2 bars.
To hold on to nothing, too.
[B] And 2 bars of D.
This time if you want to be really technical, he doesn't alternate the bass note 4 to 5, he stays on [C] 4.
Too [D] long.
If you did go to 5 it really won't matter.
[Cm] Now G as we played it before.
Take [G] what you need from [Eb] the
1 bar of [D] D.
Bass is 4, down, down, up, and we'll go straight to G, 6, down, down, up.
Ladies [G] then leave him with a
[B] D over A, we simply [F] make a D chord and we pick the 5th string bass note.
[D]
Words of
[A]
[B] To A7 and we're going to go 5 down, down, up.
[A] Sad country.
And D.
[D] We'll go bass, down, down, so 4 down, down, and then a little bass run.
4th string, [E] 6th string open, 6th string [Gb] 2nd fret.
That little bass [F] run leads us into the chorus that you [Cm] can see at bar 37.
So let's come from the ladies [B] then leave them.
[D] Ladies [G] then leave them [D] with their words of [A] a sad country song.
[E]
[G] My heroes
You hear [D] that climb up is going 1, 2, 3, G, down, down, up.
So 6, [B] down, down, up on a G chord.
We're in the chorus now.
Stay on that G chord for 2 bars.
My heroes have always been [Eb] cowboys.
So it goes to D, [F] 4 down, down, up, 5 down, down, up.
Or 4 down, down, 5 down, down, up.
[D] Cowboys.
[B] E7 as we played it [E] before.
They still are it seems.
[Eb] And A7.
And [F] A7 will stay on the [A] 5th string.
5 down, down, up, 5 down, down, up.
[B] So with the [E] E7.
They [Bm] still are [A] it seems.
[G] 2 bars of G.
Sadly in search but.
And now D [A] for 1 bar to G for 1 bar in the same way we did it at bar 31 and 2.
[D] One step [G] and back up him.
[Eb] And we'll finish the chorus as we finish the verse.
D over A.
Remember 5 [D] down, down, up on the D chord.
[A] A7, 5 down, down, up.
And then we'll [B] go D 2 times around our pattern [D] of 4 down, down, 5 down, down, up.
[Eb] So the final line of the chorus from bar 47.
[D] One step and [G] back up [D] themselves.
And [B] their slow moving [D] dreams.
Again on D and into verse 2.
Verse [F] 2 is the same as [Db] the way you played verse 1.
The following chorus is the same.
And the outro of the song, part D, right at the end, the last line of the tap.
He repeats that final refrain line.
Sadly in [A] search but one step and [Eb] back up.
So you'll play it the same way until you get to the D over A chord.
You see that?
So repeating the refrain come from bar [G] 45.
Sadly in search.
[D] One [G] step and back up them.
And now come down to the outro [E] of bar 53.
[B] The D over A to A7 is the same.
[D] Themselves [A] and their slow moving dreams.
But on dreams, instead of going to the D chord, [C] we go to G.
[Cm] We'll alternate [G] the pattern 6 down, down, up, 4 down, down, up.
And again.
And finish on a D chord [Db] with one strum.
[D]
One slow down, what's spread out down strum of the D chord.
[Db] So we're finishing.
Themselves [A] and their slow [G] moving dreams.
[D]
[Eb] Very easy one to play.
We might almost say a beginner's
Key:
D
A
G
Eb
B
D
A
G
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ My heroes have always been cowboys is a nice easy one.
We're gonna hear you playing this in [Eb] no time at all
It's the country bass and strum pattern that Willie Nelson is so fond of and
We're going to play it in three beats to the bar and [G] we're in the key of D
So we're going to start off with the intro like this
[D] _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
Very [F] straightforward here.
We're picking the bass note [Eb] of the chord in this case the fourth [D] string and
_ down down
And then we're going [F] to alternate that in bar two with the second the alternating bass note the [A] fifth string and [D] down down up
_ So we're going four down down five down down up four down down five
down down up _
_ [A] Just in case the rhythm helps you [D] one two three one two three and one two three
one two three
Continue [Cm] playing the D exactly that way as you begin to sing
_ [D] _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ So _ that was four more bars [B] of D
_ Two times around the pattern and now we're going [C] to go to a G chord
We're going to [G] go six down down up six down down up _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ And back [D] to D as we played it before
_ _ Waze _
_ Notice [A] if you want to get very picky here that at bars 11 and 12 bar [D] 11 is going bass down down up as well
So four down down up five down down up consider consider bass down down and bass
Down down up to be [E] interchangeable in this song.
Either of them will work fine at any point in the song
_ _ [Eb] Now we're going to continue with D the line that begins at bar 13 of the tab
[D] _ Pursuing the life of a high rider, _ heroes at heart.
_ [Eb] Now we want an E7 chord.
An E [F] plus the second string, third fret.
We're going [E] to go 6 down, down, up, 5 down, down, up.
I burned up my childhood.
_ An A7, normal A7 [A] shape.
5 down, down, up, [B] 6 down, down, up.
[A] _ Days.
[Em] _ _ _
_ _ _ And that [A] sends us back to D [Eb] again as we continue with the verse, staying on D for 4 bars.
[D] I learned all the rules, with a modern day drifter.
_ _ _ _ [G] G for 2 bars.
_ _ To hold on to nothing, too.
_ [B] And 2 bars of D.
This time if you want to be really technical, he doesn't alternate the bass note 4 to 5, he stays on [C] 4.
Too [D] long. _ _ _ _ _
If you did go to 5 it really won't matter.
[Cm] Now G as we played it before.
Take [G] what you need from [Eb] the_
1 bar of [D] D.
Bass is 4, down, down, up, and we'll go straight to G, 6, down, down, up.
_ _ Ladies [G] then leave him with a_
_ [B] D over A, we simply [F] make a D chord and we pick the 5th string bass note.
_ [D] _ _
Words of_
_ [A] _ _ _ _
[B] To A7 and we're going to go 5 down, down, up.
[A] _ Sad country.
_ _ _ And D.
[D] We'll go bass, down, down, so 4 down, down, and then a little bass run.
4th string, [E] 6th string open, 6th string [Gb] 2nd fret.
That little bass [F] run leads us into the chorus that you [Cm] can see at bar 37.
So let's come from the ladies [B] then leave them. _
[D] Ladies [G] then leave them [D] with their words of [A] a sad country song.
_ [E] _
_ [G] My heroes_
You hear [D] that climb up is going 1, 2, 3, G, down, down, up.
So 6, [B] down, down, up on a G chord.
We're in the chorus now.
Stay on that G chord for 2 bars.
My heroes have always been [Eb] cowboys.
So it goes to D, _ [F] _ 4 down, down, up, 5 down, down, up.
Or 4 down, down, 5 down, down, up.
_ [D] Cowboys. _
_ _ [B] E7 as we played it [E] before. _ _
They still are it seems.
[Eb] And A7.
And [F] A7 will stay on the [A] 5th string.
5 down, down, up, 5 down, down, up.
_ [B] So with the [E] E7.
_ They [Bm] still are [A] it seems.
_ _ _ _ [G] 2 bars of G.
_ Sadly in search _ but.
And now D [A] for 1 bar to G for 1 bar in the same way we did it at bar 31 and 2.
_ [D] One step [G] and back up him.
[Eb] And we'll finish the chorus as we finish the verse.
D over A.
Remember 5 [D] down, down, up on the D chord.
[A] A7, 5 down, down, up.
And then we'll [B] go D 2 times around our pattern [D] of 4 down, down, 5 down, down, up.
_ [Eb] So the final line of the chorus from bar 47.
[D] One step and [G] back up [D] themselves.
And [B] their slow moving [D] _ dreams.
_ Again on D and _ _ into verse 2.
Verse [F] 2 is the same as [Db] the way you played verse 1.
The following chorus is the same.
And the outro of the song, part D, right at the end, the last line of the tap.
_ _ He repeats that final refrain line.
Sadly in [A] search but one step and [Eb] back up.
So you'll play it the same way until you get to the D over A chord.
You see that?
So repeating the refrain come from bar [G] 45.
_ Sadly in search.
_ [D] One [G] step and back up them.
And now come down to the outro [E] of bar 53.
[B] The D over A to A7 is the same.
_ _ [D] Themselves [A] and their slow moving dreams.
But on dreams, instead of going to the D chord, [C] we go to G.
_ [Cm] We'll alternate [G] the pattern 6 down, down, up, 4 down, down, up.
And again. _ _
_ And finish on a D chord [Db] with one strum.
[D] _
_ One slow down, what's spread out down strum of the D chord.
[Db] So we're finishing.
_ Themselves [A] and their slow [G] moving dreams. _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ [D] _ _ _
_ _ [Eb] Very easy one to play.
We might almost say a beginner's
_ _ _ My heroes have always been cowboys is a nice easy one.
We're gonna hear you playing this in [Eb] no time at all
It's the country bass and strum pattern that Willie Nelson is so fond of and
We're going to play it in three beats to the bar and [G] we're in the key of D
So we're going to start off with the intro like this
[D] _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
Very [F] straightforward here.
We're picking the bass note [Eb] of the chord in this case the fourth [D] string and
_ down down
And then we're going [F] to alternate that in bar two with the second the alternating bass note the [A] fifth string and [D] down down up
_ So we're going four down down five down down up four down down five
down down up _
_ [A] Just in case the rhythm helps you [D] one two three one two three and one two three
one two three
Continue [Cm] playing the D exactly that way as you begin to sing
_ [D] _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ So _ that was four more bars [B] of D
_ Two times around the pattern and now we're going [C] to go to a G chord
We're going to [G] go six down down up six down down up _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ And back [D] to D as we played it before
_ _ Waze _
_ Notice [A] if you want to get very picky here that at bars 11 and 12 bar [D] 11 is going bass down down up as well
So four down down up five down down up consider consider bass down down and bass
Down down up to be [E] interchangeable in this song.
Either of them will work fine at any point in the song
_ _ [Eb] Now we're going to continue with D the line that begins at bar 13 of the tab
[D] _ Pursuing the life of a high rider, _ heroes at heart.
_ [Eb] Now we want an E7 chord.
An E [F] plus the second string, third fret.
We're going [E] to go 6 down, down, up, 5 down, down, up.
I burned up my childhood.
_ An A7, normal A7 [A] shape.
5 down, down, up, [B] 6 down, down, up.
[A] _ Days.
[Em] _ _ _
_ _ _ And that [A] sends us back to D [Eb] again as we continue with the verse, staying on D for 4 bars.
[D] I learned all the rules, with a modern day drifter.
_ _ _ _ [G] G for 2 bars.
_ _ To hold on to nothing, too.
_ [B] And 2 bars of D.
This time if you want to be really technical, he doesn't alternate the bass note 4 to 5, he stays on [C] 4.
Too [D] long. _ _ _ _ _
If you did go to 5 it really won't matter.
[Cm] Now G as we played it before.
Take [G] what you need from [Eb] the_
1 bar of [D] D.
Bass is 4, down, down, up, and we'll go straight to G, 6, down, down, up.
_ _ Ladies [G] then leave him with a_
_ [B] D over A, we simply [F] make a D chord and we pick the 5th string bass note.
_ [D] _ _
Words of_
_ [A] _ _ _ _
[B] To A7 and we're going to go 5 down, down, up.
[A] _ Sad country.
_ _ _ And D.
[D] We'll go bass, down, down, so 4 down, down, and then a little bass run.
4th string, [E] 6th string open, 6th string [Gb] 2nd fret.
That little bass [F] run leads us into the chorus that you [Cm] can see at bar 37.
So let's come from the ladies [B] then leave them. _
[D] Ladies [G] then leave them [D] with their words of [A] a sad country song.
_ [E] _
_ [G] My heroes_
You hear [D] that climb up is going 1, 2, 3, G, down, down, up.
So 6, [B] down, down, up on a G chord.
We're in the chorus now.
Stay on that G chord for 2 bars.
My heroes have always been [Eb] cowboys.
So it goes to D, _ [F] _ 4 down, down, up, 5 down, down, up.
Or 4 down, down, 5 down, down, up.
_ [D] Cowboys. _
_ _ [B] E7 as we played it [E] before. _ _
They still are it seems.
[Eb] And A7.
And [F] A7 will stay on the [A] 5th string.
5 down, down, up, 5 down, down, up.
_ [B] So with the [E] E7.
_ They [Bm] still are [A] it seems.
_ _ _ _ [G] 2 bars of G.
_ Sadly in search _ but.
And now D [A] for 1 bar to G for 1 bar in the same way we did it at bar 31 and 2.
_ [D] One step [G] and back up him.
[Eb] And we'll finish the chorus as we finish the verse.
D over A.
Remember 5 [D] down, down, up on the D chord.
[A] A7, 5 down, down, up.
And then we'll [B] go D 2 times around our pattern [D] of 4 down, down, 5 down, down, up.
_ [Eb] So the final line of the chorus from bar 47.
[D] One step and [G] back up [D] themselves.
And [B] their slow moving [D] _ dreams.
_ Again on D and _ _ into verse 2.
Verse [F] 2 is the same as [Db] the way you played verse 1.
The following chorus is the same.
And the outro of the song, part D, right at the end, the last line of the tap.
_ _ He repeats that final refrain line.
Sadly in [A] search but one step and [Eb] back up.
So you'll play it the same way until you get to the D over A chord.
You see that?
So repeating the refrain come from bar [G] 45.
_ Sadly in search.
_ [D] One [G] step and back up them.
And now come down to the outro [E] of bar 53.
[B] The D over A to A7 is the same.
_ _ [D] Themselves [A] and their slow moving dreams.
But on dreams, instead of going to the D chord, [C] we go to G.
_ [Cm] We'll alternate [G] the pattern 6 down, down, up, 4 down, down, up.
And again. _ _
_ And finish on a D chord [Db] with one strum.
[D] _
_ One slow down, what's spread out down strum of the D chord.
[Db] So we're finishing.
_ Themselves [A] and their slow [G] moving dreams. _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ [D] _ _ _
_ _ [Eb] Very easy one to play.
We might almost say a beginner's