Country

Shouldve Been a Cowboy Chords

Toby Keith Beginner Key of G 4 Chords 3 min read

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Key

G Major

Difficulty

Beginner

Capo

None

Chords

G · C · D · Em

Toby Keith’s hit song about romanticizing the life of an Old West cowboy. Beginner difficulty in the key of G.

Country Strum (4/4 Time)

↓↓↑↑↓↑

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Tip: Use a capo on the 2nd fret to match the original recording’s key of A, but play the G, C, and D shapes shown.

Lyrics & Chords

Full Song

Verse 1

G C

I bet you’ve never heard ol’ Marshall Dillon say

G D

Miss Kitty have you ever thought of runnin’ away

C

Settlin’ down, would you marry me

G D

If I asked you twice and begged you pretty please

C G

She’d have said yes in a New York minute

C G

They never tied the knot, his heart wasn’t in it

C G

He just stole a kiss as he rode away

D G

He never hung his hat up at Kitty’s place

Chorus

G

I should’ve been a cowboy

C

I should’ve learned to rope and ride

G

Wearin’ my six-shooter, ridin’ my pony on a cattle drive

D

Stealin’ the young girls’ hearts

G

Just like Gene and Roy

C

Singin’ those campfire songs

D G

Oh, I should’ve been a cowboy

Verse 2

G C

I might of had a sidekick with a funny name

G D

Ridin’ shotgun to the spot where it’s still the same

C G D

And singin’ whoop-de-ti-yi-ay, like the cowboys do

G C G D G

I might of had a badge and a gun and a horse and a whistle too

Chorus

G

I should’ve been a cowboy

C

I should’ve learned to rope and ride

G

Wearin’ my six-shooter, ridin’ my pony on a cattle drive

D

Stealin’ the young girls’ hearts

G

Just like Gene and Roy

C

Singin’ those campfire songs

D G

Oh, I should’ve been a cowboy

Bridge

C G

Ropin’ and ridin’ and livin’ the dream

C G D

Up at the crack of dawn and ridin’ the range all day

C G

Sleepin’ out there under the west Texas stars

D

Ridin’ into the sunset

Verse 3

G C

I could see the light of a million campfires

G D

Biscuits and beans and a side of jerked meat

C G D

And I’d sit on a log, listen to my old Haggard tape

G C G D G

I might of had a badge and a gun and a horse and a whistle too

Chorus

G

I should’ve been a cowboy

C

I should’ve learned to rope and ride

G

Wearin’ my six-shooter, ridin’ my pony on a cattle drive

D

Stealin’ the young girls’ hearts

G

Just like Gene and Roy

C

Singin’ those campfire songs

D G

Oh, I should’ve been a cowboy

Outro

G

I should’ve been a cowboy

C

I should’ve learned to rope and ride

G

Wearin’ my six-shooter, ridin’ my pony on a cattle drive

D

Stealin’ the young girls’ hearts

G

Just like Gene and Roy

C

Singin’ those campfire songs

D G

Oh, I should’ve been a cowboy

D G

Oh, I should’ve been a cowboy

Practice tip: The chord progression G, C, D is used throughout; practice switching between these three chords smoothly before adding the lyrics.

Gtap to play

Ctap to play

Dtap to play

Emtap to play

Key

G Major

Difficulty

Beginner

Tuning

G-C-E-A

Chords

G · C · D · Em

Toby Keith’s hit song about romanticizing the life of an Old West cowboy. Beginner difficulty in the key of G.

Country Strum (4/4 Time)

↓↓↑↑↓↑

123456

Tip: Use a capo on the 2nd fret to match the original recording’s key of A, but play the G, C, and D shapes shown.

Lyrics & Chords

Full Song

Verse 1

G C

I bet you’ve never heard ol’ Marshall Dillon say

G D

Miss Kitty have you ever thought of runnin’ away

C

Settlin’ down, would you marry me

G D

If I asked you twice and begged you pretty please

C G

She’d have said yes in a New York minute

C G

They never tied the knot, his heart wasn’t in it

C G

He just stole a kiss as he rode away

D G

He never hung his hat up at Kitty’s place

Chorus

G

I should’ve been a cowboy

C

I should’ve learned to rope and ride

G

Wearin’ my six-shooter, ridin’ my pony on a cattle drive

D

Stealin’ the young girls’ hearts

G

Just like Gene and Roy

C

Singin’ those campfire songs

D G

Oh, I should’ve been a cowboy

Verse 2

G C

I might of had a sidekick with a funny name

G D

Ridin’ shotgun to the spot where it’s still the same

C G D

And singin’ whoop-de-ti-yi-ay, like the cowboys do

G C G D G

I might of had a badge and a gun and a horse and a whistle too

Chorus

G

I should’ve been a cowboy

C

I should’ve learned to rope and ride

G

Wearin’ my six-shooter, ridin’ my pony on a cattle drive

D

Stealin’ the young girls’ hearts

G

Just like Gene and Roy

C

Singin’ those campfire songs

D G

Oh, I should’ve been a cowboy

Bridge

C G

Ropin’ and ridin’ and livin’ the dream

C G D

Up at the crack of dawn and ridin’ the range all day

C G

Sleepin’ out there under the west Texas stars

D

Ridin’ into the sunset

Verse 3

G C

I could see the light of a million campfires

G D

Biscuits and beans and a side of jerked meat

C G D

And I’d sit on a log, listen to my old Haggard tape

G C G D G

I might of had a badge and a gun and a horse and a whistle too

Chorus

G

I should’ve been a cowboy

C

I should’ve learned to rope and ride

G

Wearin’ my six-shooter, ridin’ my pony on a cattle drive

D

Stealin’ the young girls’ hearts

G

Just like Gene and Roy

C

Singin’ those campfire songs

D G

Oh, I should’ve been a cowboy

Outro

G

I should’ve been a cowboy

C

I should’ve learned to rope and ride

G

Wearin’ my six-shooter, ridin’ my pony on a cattle drive

D

Stealin’ the young girls’ hearts

G

Just like Gene and Roy

C

Singin’ those campfire songs

D G

Oh, I should’ve been a cowboy

D G

Oh, I should’ve been a cowboy

Practice tip: The chord progression G, C, D is used throughout; practice switching between these three chords smoothly before adding the lyrics.

Gtap to play

Ctap to play

Dtap to play

Emtap to play

Key

G Major

Difficulty

Beginner

Left Hand

Root notes

Chords

G · C · D · Em

Toby Keith’s hit song about romanticizing the life of an Old West cowboy. Beginner difficulty in the key of G.

Country Strum (4/4 Time)

↓↓↑↑↓↑

123456

Tip: Use a capo on the 2nd fret to match the original recording’s key of A, but play the G, C, and D shapes shown.

Lyrics & Chords

Full Song

Verse 1

G C

I bet you’ve never heard ol’ Marshall Dillon say

G D

Miss Kitty have you ever thought of runnin’ away

C

Settlin’ down, would you marry me

G D

If I asked you twice and begged you pretty please

C G

She’d have said yes in a New York minute

C G

They never tied the knot, his heart wasn’t in it

C G

He just stole a kiss as he rode away

D G

He never hung his hat up at Kitty’s place

Chorus

G

I should’ve been a cowboy

C

I should’ve learned to rope and ride

G

Wearin’ my six-shooter, ridin’ my pony on a cattle drive

D

Stealin’ the young girls’ hearts

G

Just like Gene and Roy

C

Singin’ those campfire songs

D G

Oh, I should’ve been a cowboy

Verse 2

G C

I might of had a sidekick with a funny name

G D

Ridin’ shotgun to the spot where it’s still the same

C G D

And singin’ whoop-de-ti-yi-ay, like the cowboys do

G C G D G

I might of had a badge and a gun and a horse and a whistle too

Chorus

G

I should’ve been a cowboy

C

I should’ve learned to rope and ride

G

Wearin’ my six-shooter, ridin’ my pony on a cattle drive

D

Stealin’ the young girls’ hearts

G

Just like Gene and Roy

C

Singin’ those campfire songs

D G

Oh, I should’ve been a cowboy

Bridge

C G

Ropin’ and ridin’ and livin’ the dream

C G D

Up at the crack of dawn and ridin’ the range all day

C G

Sleepin’ out there under the west Texas stars

D

Ridin’ into the sunset

Verse 3

G C

I could see the light of a million campfires

G D

Biscuits and beans and a side of jerked meat

C G D

And I’d sit on a log, listen to my old Haggard tape

G C G D G

I might of had a badge and a gun and a horse and a whistle too

Chorus

G

I should’ve been a cowboy

C

I should’ve learned to rope and ride

G

Wearin’ my six-shooter, ridin’ my pony on a cattle drive

D

Stealin’ the young girls’ hearts

G

Just like Gene and Roy

C

Singin’ those campfire songs

D G

Oh, I should’ve been a cowboy

Outro

G

I should’ve been a cowboy

C

I should’ve learned to rope and ride

G

Wearin’ my six-shooter, ridin’ my pony on a cattle drive

D

Stealin’ the young girls’ hearts

G

Just like Gene and Roy

C

Singin’ those campfire songs

D G

Oh, I should’ve been a cowboy

D G

Oh, I should’ve been a cowboy

Practice tip: The chord progression G, C, D is used throughout; practice switching between these three chords smoothly before adding the lyrics.

Gtap to play

Ctap to play

Dtap to play

Emtap to play

Key

G Major

Difficulty

Beginner

Tuning

gDGBD (Open G)

Chords

G · C · D · Em

Toby Keith’s hit song about romanticizing the life of an Old West cowboy. Beginner difficulty in the key of G.

Country Strum (4/4 Time)

↓↓↑↑↓↑

123456

Tip: Use a capo on the 2nd fret to match the original recording’s key of A, but play the G, C, and D shapes shown.

Lyrics & Chords

Full Song

Verse 1

G C

I bet you’ve never heard ol’ Marshall Dillon say

G D

Miss Kitty have you ever thought of runnin’ away

C

Settlin’ down, would you marry me

G D

If I asked you twice and begged you pretty please

C G

She’d have said yes in a New York minute

C G

They never tied the knot, his heart wasn’t in it

C G

He just stole a kiss as he rode away

D G

He never hung his hat up at Kitty’s place

Chorus

G

I should’ve been a cowboy

C

I should’ve learned to rope and ride

G

Wearin’ my six-shooter, ridin’ my pony on a cattle drive

D

Stealin’ the young girls’ hearts

G

Just like Gene and Roy

C

Singin’ those campfire songs

D G

Oh, I should’ve been a cowboy

Verse 2

G C

I might of had a sidekick with a funny name

G D

Ridin’ shotgun to the spot where it’s still the same

C G D

And singin’ whoop-de-ti-yi-ay, like the cowboys do

G C G D G

I might of had a badge and a gun and a horse and a whistle too

Chorus

G

I should’ve been a cowboy

C

I should’ve learned to rope and ride

G

Wearin’ my six-shooter, ridin’ my pony on a cattle drive

D

Stealin’ the young girls’ hearts

G

Just like Gene and Roy

C

Singin’ those campfire songs

D G

Oh, I should’ve been a cowboy

Bridge

C G

Ropin’ and ridin’ and livin’ the dream

C G D

Up at the crack of dawn and ridin’ the range all day

C G

Sleepin’ out there under the west Texas stars

D

Ridin’ into the sunset

Verse 3

G C

I could see the light of a million campfires

G D

Biscuits and beans and a side of jerked meat

C G D

And I’d sit on a log, listen to my old Haggard tape

G C G D G

I might of had a badge and a gun and a horse and a whistle too

Chorus

G

I should’ve been a cowboy

C

I should’ve learned to rope and ride

G

Wearin’ my six-shooter, ridin’ my pony on a cattle drive

D

Stealin’ the young girls’ hearts

G

Just like Gene and Roy

C

Singin’ those campfire songs

D G

Oh, I should’ve been a cowboy

Outro

G

I should’ve been a cowboy

C

I should’ve learned to rope and ride

G

Wearin’ my six-shooter, ridin’ my pony on a cattle drive

D

Stealin’ the young girls’ hearts

G

Just like Gene and Roy

C

Singin’ those campfire songs

D G

Oh, I should’ve been a cowboy

D G

Oh, I should’ve been a cowboy

Practice tip: The chord progression G, C, D is used throughout; practice switching between these three chords smoothly before adding the lyrics.

Gtap to play

Ctap to play

Dtap to play

Emtap to play

Key

G Major

Difficulty

Beginner

Tuning

G-D-A-E

Chords

G · C · D · Em

Toby Keith’s hit song about romanticizing the life of an Old West cowboy. Beginner difficulty in the key of G.

Country Strum (4/4 Time)

↓↓↑↑↓↑

123456

Tip: Use a capo on the 2nd fret to match the original recording’s key of A, but play the G, C, and D shapes shown.

Lyrics & Chords

Full Song

Verse 1

G C

I bet you’ve never heard ol’ Marshall Dillon say

G D

Miss Kitty have you ever thought of runnin’ away

C

Settlin’ down, would you marry me

G D

If I asked you twice and begged you pretty please

C G

She’d have said yes in a New York minute

C G

They never tied the knot, his heart wasn’t in it

C G

He just stole a kiss as he rode away

D G

He never hung his hat up at Kitty’s place

Chorus

G

I should’ve been a cowboy

C

I should’ve learned to rope and ride

G

Wearin’ my six-shooter, ridin’ my pony on a cattle drive

D

Stealin’ the young girls’ hearts

G

Just like Gene and Roy

C

Singin’ those campfire songs

D G

Oh, I should’ve been a cowboy

Verse 2

G C

I might of had a sidekick with a funny name

G D

Ridin’ shotgun to the spot where it’s still the same

C G D

And singin’ whoop-de-ti-yi-ay, like the cowboys do

G C G D G

I might of had a badge and a gun and a horse and a whistle too

Chorus

G

I should’ve been a cowboy

C

I should’ve learned to rope and ride

G

Wearin’ my six-shooter, ridin’ my pony on a cattle drive

D

Stealin’ the young girls’ hearts

G

Just like Gene and Roy

C

Singin’ those campfire songs

D G

Oh, I should’ve been a cowboy

Bridge

C G

Ropin’ and ridin’ and livin’ the dream

C G D

Up at the crack of dawn and ridin’ the range all day

C G

Sleepin’ out there under the west Texas stars

D

Ridin’ into the sunset

Verse 3

G C

I could see the light of a million campfires

G D

Biscuits and beans and a side of jerked meat

C G D

And I’d sit on a log, listen to my old Haggard tape

G C G D G

I might of had a badge and a gun and a horse and a whistle too

Chorus

G

I should’ve been a cowboy

C

I should’ve learned to rope and ride

G

Wearin’ my six-shooter, ridin’ my pony on a cattle drive

D

Stealin’ the young girls’ hearts

G

Just like Gene and Roy

C

Singin’ those campfire songs

D G

Oh, I should’ve been a cowboy

Outro

G

I should’ve been a cowboy

C

I should’ve learned to rope and ride

G

Wearin’ my six-shooter, ridin’ my pony on a cattle drive

D

Stealin’ the young girls’ hearts

G

Just like Gene and Roy

C

Singin’ those campfire songs

D G

Oh, I should’ve been a cowboy

D G

Oh, I should’ve been a cowboy

Practice tip: The chord progression G, C, D is used throughout; practice switching between these three chords smoothly before adding the lyrics.

Gtap to play

Ctap to play

Dtap to play

Emtap to play

Key

G Major

Difficulty

Beginner

Harp Key

C Diatonic

Chords

G · C · D · Em

Toby Keith’s hit song about romanticizing the life of an Old West cowboy. Beginner difficulty in the key of G.

Country Strum (4/4 Time)

↓↓↑↑↓↑

123456

Tip: Use a capo on the 2nd fret to match the original recording’s key of A, but play the G, C, and D shapes shown.

Lyrics & Chords

Full Song

Verse 1

G C

I bet you’ve never heard ol’ Marshall Dillon say

G D

Miss Kitty have you ever thought of runnin’ away

C

Settlin’ down, would you marry me

G D

If I asked you twice and begged you pretty please

C G

She’d have said yes in a New York minute

C G

They never tied the knot, his heart wasn’t in it

C G

He just stole a kiss as he rode away

D G

He never hung his hat up at Kitty’s place

Chorus

G

I should’ve been a cowboy

C

I should’ve learned to rope and ride

G

Wearin’ my six-shooter, ridin’ my pony on a cattle drive

D

Stealin’ the young girls’ hearts

G

Just like Gene and Roy

C

Singin’ those campfire songs

D G

Oh, I should’ve been a cowboy

Verse 2

G C

I might of had a sidekick with a funny name

G D

Ridin’ shotgun to the spot where it’s still the same

C G D

And singin’ whoop-de-ti-yi-ay, like the cowboys do

G C G D G

I might of had a badge and a gun and a horse and a whistle too

Chorus

G

I should’ve been a cowboy

C

I should’ve learned to rope and ride

G

Wearin’ my six-shooter, ridin’ my pony on a cattle drive

D

Stealin’ the young girls’ hearts

G

Just like Gene and Roy

C

Singin’ those campfire songs

D G

Oh, I should’ve been a cowboy

Bridge

C G

Ropin’ and ridin’ and livin’ the dream

C G D

Up at the crack of dawn and ridin’ the range all day

C G

Sleepin’ out there under the west Texas stars

D

Ridin’ into the sunset

Verse 3

G C

I could see the light of a million campfires

G D

Biscuits and beans and a side of jerked meat

C G D

And I’d sit on a log, listen to my old Haggard tape

G C G D G

I might of had a badge and a gun and a horse and a whistle too

Chorus

G

I should’ve been a cowboy

C

I should’ve learned to rope and ride

G

Wearin’ my six-shooter, ridin’ my pony on a cattle drive

D

Stealin’ the young girls’ hearts

G

Just like Gene and Roy

C

Singin’ those campfire songs

D G

Oh, I should’ve been a cowboy

Outro

G

I should’ve been a cowboy

C

I should’ve learned to rope and ride

G

Wearin’ my six-shooter, ridin’ my pony on a cattle drive

D

Stealin’ the young girls’ hearts

G

Just like Gene and Roy

C

Singin’ those campfire songs

D G

Oh, I should’ve been a cowboy

D G

Oh, I should’ve been a cowboy

Practice tip: The chord progression G, C, D is used throughout; practice switching between these three chords smoothly before adding the lyrics.