Christy Moore songs
Back Home in Derry - Christy Moore
Am Em
In 1803 we sailed out to sea
G D Am
Out from the sweet town of Derry
Am Em
For Australia bound if we didn’t all drown
G D Am
And the marks of our fetters we carried
Am Em
In our rusty iron chains we sighed for our weans
Am Em
Our good women we left in sorrow
Am Em
As the mainsails unfurled, our curses we hurled
G D Am
On the English, and thoughts of tomorrow
|[CHORUS]
|
|C G Am G Am
|Oh….. I wish I was back home in Derry
|C G Am G Am
|Oh….. I wish I was back home in Derry
Am Em
At the mouth of the Foyle, bid farewell to the soil
G D Am
As down below decks we were lying
Am Em
O’Doherty screamed, woken out of a dream
G D Am
By a vision of bold Robert dying
Am Em
The sun burned cruel as we dished out the gruel
Am Em
Dan O’Connor was down with a fever
Am Em
Sixty rebels today bound for Botany Bay
G D Am
How many will meet their re-ceiver
Black is the Colour - Christy Moore
|[Chorus]
|[Am] Black is the [F] colour, [G] of my true love's [Am] hair,
|Her lips are [F] like [G] some roses [Am] fair,
|She has the sweetest [F] smile [G], and the gentlest [Am] hands,
|And I love the [F] ground [G] where on she [Am] stands,
Verse 1:
I love my [F] love, [G] and well she [Am] knows,
I love the [F] ground [G] whereon she [Am] goes,
I wish the [F] day [G] it soon would [Am] come,
When she and [F] I [G] could be as [Am] one
Verse 2:
I go to the [F] Clyde [G] and moan and [Am] weep,
For satis[F]fied [G] I ne’er can [Am] be,
I write her a [F] letter, [G] just a few short [Am] lines,
And I suffer [F] death [G] a thousand [Am] times
|[Chorus]
|[Am] Black is the [F] colour, [G] of my true love's [Am] hair,
|Her lips are [F] like [G] some roses [Am] fair,
|She has the sweetest [F] smile [G], and the gentlest [Am] hands,
|And I love the [F] ground [G] where on she [Am] stands
Lakes of Pontchartrain - Trad / Paul Brady
It was [G] on one [D] fine March [C] morn-[G] ing, when I [Em] bid New [D] Orleans a[G]dieu
And I took [D] the road to [C] Jackson [Em] town, my [G] fortunes to [C] renew
I [G] cursed all [D] foreign [C] money [Em], no [G]credit could I [C] gain,
Which [G] filled my [D] heart with [C] longing [Em]for The [C] lakes of [D] Pontchar-[G]train
I [G] stepped on [D] board a [C] railroad [G] car be-[Em] neath the [D] morning [G] sun.
I rode the [D] rails ‘til [C] even-[Em] ing and [G] lay me down a-[C] gain.
All [G] strangers [D] there, no [C] friends to [Em] me, ‘til a [G] dark girl towards me [C] came.
And I [G] fell in [D] love with a [C] Creole [Em] girl on the [C] lakes of [D] Pontchar-[G] train.
I [G] said "my [D] pretty [C] Creole [G] girl, My [Em] money [D] here's no [G] good,
If it weren't for the [D] alli-[C] ga-[Em] tors, I’d [G] sleep out in the [C] wood.”
“You’re [G] welcome [D] here, kind [C] stran-[Em] ger, our [G] house is very [C] plain,
But [G] we never [D] turn a [C] stranger [Em] out on the [C] lakes of [D] Pontchar-[G] train.
She [G] took me [D] to her [C] mammy’s [G] house, and [Em] treated [D] me right [G] well.
Her hair [D] upon her [C] shoulders, in [G] jet black ringlets [C] fell.
To [G] try to [D] paint her [C] beau-[Em] ty, I'm [G] sure ‘twould be in [C] vain
So [G] handsome [D] was my [C] Creole [Em] girl on the [C] lakes of [D] Pontchar-[G] train.
I [G] asked her [D] if she’d [C] marry [G] me,
She [Em] said that it [D] ne’er could [G] be,
for she had [D] got a [C] lov-[Em] er,
and [G] he was off at [C] sea
she [G] said that [D] she would [C] wait for [Em] him
and [G] true she would re[C] main
Til [G] he’d re-[D]turn to his [C] Creole [Em] girl
by the [C] lakes of [D] Pontchar-[G] train.
So [G] fare thee [D] well my [C] Creole [G] girl
I’ll [Em] never [D] see you [G] more
But I wont for[D] get your [C] kind-[Em] ness
in the [G] cottage by the [C] shore
and [G] at each [D] social [C] gather-[Em] ing
a [G] flowing glass I'll [C] drain,
and [G] drink the [D] health to my [C] Creole [Em] girl
on the [C] lakes of [D] Pontchar-[G] train.
McIlhatton - Christy Moore
Intro: [G] [A] [G] [A]
G A G A
In Glenravel’s Glen there lives a man whom some would call a god
G A G D
For he could cure your shakes with a bottle of his stuff would cost you thirty bob
G A G A
Come winter, summer, frost all over, a jiggin’ Spring on the breeze
D G D A
In the dead of night a man steps by, “McIlhatton, if you please”
|[CHORUS]
|
|D C G D
|McIlhatton you blurt we need you, cry a million shaking men
|D G D C
|Where are your sacks of barley, will your likes be seen again?
|D G D G
|Heres a jig to the man and a reel to the drop and a swing to the girl he loves
| D A G A
|May your fiddle play and poitín cure your company up above
G A G A
Theres a wisp of smoke to the south of the Glen and the poitín is on the air
G A G D
The birds in the burrows and the rabbits in the sky and there’s drunkards every-where
G A G A
At Skerries Rock the fox is out and be-god he’s chasing the hounds
D G D A
And the only thing in decent shape is buried beneath the ground
CHORUS
G A G A
At McIlhatton’s house the fairies are out and dancing on the hobs
G A G D
The goat’s collapsed and the dog has run away and there’s salmon down the bogs
G A G A
He has a million gallons of wash and the peelers are on the Glen
D G D A
But they’ll never catch that hackler cos he’s not comin’ home again
Nancy Spain
Of [G] all the stars that ever shone,not [C] one does twinkle [G] like your pale blue[D] eyes,
Like [C] golden corn at [D] harvest time your [G] hair,
[G] Sailing in my boat, the wind [C]gently[ G] blows and fills my[D] sail,
Your [C] sweet scented [D] breath is every [G]where.
[G] Daylight peeping through the curtain [C] of the passing [G] night time is your [D] smile,
The [C] sun in the [D] sky is like your [G] laugh,
Come back to me my Nancy,and [C] linger for [G] just a little [D] while,
Since you [C] left these [D] shores I've known no peace or [G] joy.
Chorus:
No [G] matter where I wonder I’m still [C] haunted by your [D]name,
The [C] portrait of your [D] beauty stays the [G] same,
Standing by the ocean wondering [C]where you’ve gone, if [G] you'll return [D] again,
Where [C] is the ring I [D] gave to Nancy [G] Spain.
[G] On a day in spring time when [C] snow starts to [G] melt and streams do [D] flow,
[C] With the [D] birds I'll sing a [G] song,
In a while I'll wander, [C] down by Bluebell [G] grove where wild flowers [D] grow,
And I [C] hope that lovely [D] Nancy will re[G]turn.
Chorus:
Raggle Taggle Gipsy
[Am] There were three old gypsies came to our house door.
They came brave and [Em] boldly-o
And the [G] one sang [Am] high and the other sang low.
And the [G] other sang [Em] raggle taggle [Am] gypsy-o
[Am] It was upstairs, downstairs the lady went.
Put on her suit of [Em] leather-o
And there [G] was a [Am] cry from around the door.
She's [G] away with the [Em] raggle taggle [Am] gypsy-o
Instrumental verse:
[Am] It was late that night when the lord came in.
Inquiring for his [Em]lady-o
And the [G] servant [Am] girl she says to the lord.
She's [G] away with the [Em] raggle taggle [Am] gypsy-o
[Am] Well, he rode east, and he rode west,
He rode north and [Em] south also
Un[G] til he [Am] came to a wide-open field.
It was [G] there that he [Em] spied his [Am]lady-o
[Am] "Tell me, how could you leave your goosefeather bed
Your blankets strewn so [Em]comely-o
[G] How could you [Am] leave your newly-wedded lord,
[G] All for a [Em]raggle taggle [Am] gypsy-o?"
[Am] "Well, what care I for my goose-feather bed
For my blankets strewn so [Em] comely-o?
[G] Tonight I [Am] lie in a wide-open field.
In the [G] arms of a [Em] raggle taggle [Am] gypsy-o"
[Am] "Tell me, how could you leave your house and your land,
How could you leave your [Em] money-o
[G] How could you [Am] leave your only wedded lord,
[G] All for a [Em] raggle taggle [Am] gypsy-o?"
[Am] "Well, what care I for my house and my land,
And what care I for [Em] money-o?
I'd [G] rather have a [Am] kiss from the yellow gypsy's lips,
I'm [G] away with the [Em] raggle taggle [Am] gypsy-o!"
Instrumental verse:
Ride On - Christy Moore
Intro:
[Am] [F] [G] [Am] x2
Verse 1:
True [Am] you ride the finest horse, I've [F] ever seen
[G] Standing sixteen one or two, with eyes [Am] wild and green
And [Am] you ride the horse so well, hands [F] light to the touch
[G] I could never go with you no matter how I [Am] wanted to
|Chorus:
|[Am] Ride on, [F] see you,
|[G] I could never go with you no matter how I [Am] wanted to
|[Am] Ride on, [F] see you,
|[G] I could never go with you no matter how I [Am] wanted to
Verse 2:
[Am] When you ride into the night, [F] without a trace behind
[G] Run your claw along my gut, [Am] one last time
I [Am] turn to face an empty space, [F] where you used to lie
And [G] look for the spark to light the night through a [Am] teardrop in my eye.
|Chorus:
|[Am] Ride on, [F] see you,
|[G] I could never go with you no matter how I [Am] wanted to
|[Am] Ride on, [F] see you,
|[G] I could never go with you no matter how I [Am] wanted to
|Chorus:
|[Am] Ride on, [F] see you,
|[G] I could never go with you no matter how I [Am] wanted to
|[Am] Ride on, [F] see you,
|[G] I could never go with you no matter how I [Am] wanted to
[SLOWING DOWN LAST LINE]
The Voyage
Christy Moore
[G] I am a[D] Sailor[C] you're my first [G] mate,
We [Em] signed on to[D]gether we [C] coupled our [D] fate,
[C] Hauled up our [D] anchors [C] determined not to [G] fail,
[G] For the hearts [D] treasure to[C]gether we set [G] sail.
With[G]no maps to[D] guide us we [C] steered our own [G] course,
[Em] Rode out the[D] storms when the[C] winds were gale[D] force,
[C] Sat out the[D] doldrums in[C] patience and[G] hope,
[G] Working to[D]gether we [C] learned how to [G] cope.
Chorus:
[Bm] Life is an[Em] ocean and[Bm] love is a[Em] boat,
[Dm] In troubled waters it[C] keeps us[D] afloat,
When we [C] started the[D] voyage there was [Bm] just me and [Em] you,
[C] Now gathered round us, we[D] have our own [G] crew.
To[G]gether we're [D]in this[C] relation[G]ship,
We [Em] built it with [D] care to [C] last the whole[D] trip,
Our [C] true desti[D] nation's not [C] marked on any [G] charts,
[G] We're navi[D] gating for the [C] shores of the[G] heart.
Chorus: x2