Irish Songs in a Woman's Key: The Water is Wide

This is a series of folk and particularly Irish songs, in keys that are suitable for women.  

The Water Is Wide 

has been recorded by many many people - from Joan Baez and Bob Dylan to Maura O'Connell, James Taylor, Hayley Westenra and many more.   

This is a magic version recorded at Pete Seeger's 90th birthday in Madison Square Gardens featuring some of my all time favourite singers.   To play along in this key we will do the song in the key of D and put a capo on the 1st fret.   The notes and chords are below.

And if you're interested in the background of songs - this wonderful page has the history of the song

There are many sets of words for this song - I've given both the regular version and the Pete Seeger version as sung in the video above.    First the more simple version that is usually sung around the British Isles.

The Water Is Wide

D                         G                     D

The water is wide;    I can’t cross o’er

             Bm    Em                   A

Neither have            I wings to fly

                  F#m  G                      D       

Give me a boat        that will carry two

         G             D   G        A         D

And both shall row,     my love and I

Love is gentle and love is kind

And love is sweet when first it’s true

But love grows old and when it’s cold

And fades away like the morning dew

There is a ship and she sails the sea

She’s loaded deep as deep can be

But not as deep as the love I’m in

I know not how I sink or swim

The water is wide; I can’t cross o’er

And neither have I wings to fly

Give me a boat that will carry two

And both shall row, my love and I

And the Pete Seeger version

The water is wide, I cannot get over
And neither have I wings to fly
Give me a boat that can carry two
And both shall row, my love and I

A ship there is and she sails the sea
She's loaded deep as deep can be
But not so deep as the love I'm in
And I know not how I sink or swim

I leaned my back up against some young oak
Thinking he was a trusty tree
But first he bended and then he broke
And thus did my false love to me

I put my hand into some soft bush
Thinking the sweetest flower to find
I pricked my finger to the bone
And left the sweetest flower alone

Oh, love is handsome and love is fine
Gay as a jewel when first it is new
But love grows old and waxes cold
And fades away like summer dew

The water is wide, I cannot get over
And neither have I wings to fly
Build me a boat that can carry two
And both shall row, my love and I

Irish Songs in a Woman's Key: The Connemara Cradle Song

All the guitar books that I've come across, for folk or particularly for Irish songs, annotate the songs in keys that are suitable for men.   Women who are starting to play guitar and who haven't mastered the art of transposing yet ( a subject for another post) try to play the songs and give up really quickly because either the song is way too low or way too high.  This song is part of a series here with particular focus on Irish songs, both traditional and contemporary.  These keys are the keys in which I play and sing the songs.   

The Connemara Cradle Song is a beautiful lullaby first recorded by Delia Murphy in the 1930s. The chords are simple and can be made more simple by leaving out the Am/B move and just playing C on the word 'wind' and G on the word 'deep' and so on which makes it a 2 chord song - always useful to have.   I did a picture post about it here during the A to Z challenge - it includes my recording of the song.

The Connemara Cradle Song 

                             C     Am/B    Am                G

On wings of the wind o’er the dark rolling deep

                                                            C

Angels are coming to watch o’er thy sleep

                          Am/B   Am              G

Angels are com-ing to watch over thee

                                                            C

So list to the wind coming over the sea

G                       C     Am/B    Am                  G        

Hear the wind blow dear,       hear the wind blow

                                                            C

Lean your head and hear the wind blow

Oh wings of the night may your fury be crossed

May no-one that’s dear to our island be lost

Blow the wind gently calm be the foam

Shine the light brightly and guide them to home

Hear the wind blow dear, hear the wind blow

Lean your head and hear the wind blow

The currachs are sailing way out in the blue

Laden with herring of silvery hue

Silver the herring and silver the sea

And soon there’ll be silver for baby and me

Hear the wind blow dear, hear the wind blow

Lean your head and hear the wind blow

The currachs tomorrow will stand on the shore

And Daddy goes sailing, a sailing no more

The nets will be drying the nets heaven blessed

And safe in my arms dear contented he’ll rest

Hear the wind blow dear, hear the wind blow

Lean your head and hear the wind blow

This image isn't great - I will have to find a better way of picturing the sheet music.

All the best till next week.

Irish Songs in a Woman's Key: Go Lassie Go

All the guitar books that I've come across, for folk or particularly for Irish songs, annotate the songs in keys that are suitable for men.   Women who are starting to play guitar and who haven't mastered the art of transposing yet ( a subject for another post) try to play the songs and give up really quickly because either the song is way too low or way too high.  

Several of my female students ask me for the chords of songs so I thought it'd be good to start a series here with particular focus on Irish songs, both traditional and contemporary.  These keys are the keys in which I play and sing the songs.   

I play this one with the capo on the 3rd fret.   To move it higher, move the capo up another fret or two, or to sing it lower move it back a couple of frets.  Men will usually sing this in the key of C or D


Go Lassie Go is a song with lots of controversy around it. France McPeake from Belfast collected the song in the 1950s - there have been versions around Northern Ireland for a long time before that as well.  But in Scotland the song The Braes of Ballquider has almost identical lyrics.   At one point Rod Stewart took the case to court claiming Scottish origins.

Whatever the case may be, it is still one of the most beautiful love songs in the tradition of these islands and a song that everyone knows and can sing along with. 

Will You Go Lassie Go (traditional, arranged McPeake) 

             G          C          G

Oh the summer time is coming

                   C                             G

And the trees are sweetly blooming                                     

                  C     D             Em

And the wild mountain thyme

                  Am          Am/B      C

Grows around the blooming heather

                G    C     G

Will you go lassie go

Chorus

                  C            G

And we’ll all go together

                C        D           Em

To pluck wild mountain thyme

            Am          Am/B          C

All around the blooming heather

               G      C      G

Will you go lassie go

           G             C        G

I will build my love a tower

                  C                    G

Near yon pure crystal fountain

        C     D            Em

And on it I   will   pile

    Am    Am/B       C

All the flowers    of    the mountain

               G      C      G

Will you go lassie go

 Chorus

          G           C                G

If my true love he were gone

                C                 G

I would surely find another

              C       D        Em

Where wild mountain thyme

    Am           Am/B       C

Grows around the blooming heather

               G      C      G

Will you go lassie go

 Chorus

This is the most beautiful version of the song that I could find on You Tube - unfortunately it's not in my key - but in the key of D.   Emmylou has a high enough voice to be able to stretch to this key.   If you learn it in G shapes, then you can move your capo up to the 7th fret to play along with this version. 

This blog is Day 29 of my 30 day blog challenge

If you are enjoying this series, please do write and let me know.  

Irish Songs in a Woman's Key: Teddy O'Neill

All the guitar books that I've come across, for folk or particularly for Irish songs, annotate the songs in keys that are suitable for men.   Women who are starting to play guitar and who haven't mastered the art of transposing yet ( a subject for another post) try to play the songs and give up really quickly because either the song is way too low or way too high.  

Several of my female students ask me for the chords of songs so I thought it'd be good to start a series here with particular focus on Irish songs, both traditional and contemporary.  These keys are the keys in which I play and sing the songs.   I play this one with the capo on the 3rd fret.   To move it higher, move the capo up another fret or two, or to sing it lower move it back a couple of frets.

Teddy O'Neill is one of my all time favourite songs - I'm sure it was written in America in the 1930s, maybe earlier; the words are really corny, but the sentiment and the melody are just perfect.   I first heard it sung by the wonderful Dolores Keane.   (Sometimes it is sung with Verse 2 sung first).

Teddy O’Neill

Capo Fret 3

  

      G                   Em                Am               D

I dreamt but last night, ah bad cess to my dreaming

        G          Em                  Am                D

I’d die if I thought it would e'er come to pass

        G                    Em                  Am                         D

I dreamt while the tears down my pale cheeks were streaming

            G             Em         Am      D    G

That Teddy was courting another fair lass

        D                                     C                  G

Ah didn’t I wake with such weeping and wailing

         Em                                          Am            D

The thought of that dream was too much to endure

          G                    Em            Am                 D

My mother cried, ‘Nora child, what has you ailing?’

       G               Em                Am  D    G

But all I could answer was Teddy O’Neill

I’ve seen the mud cabin he danced his wild jigs in

As neat a mud cabin as ever was seen

Considering ‘twas used to keep poultry and pigs in

I’m sure you’d allow ‘twas both tidy and clean

But now all around seems so sad and so weary

So sad and so silent, no piper, no reel,

Not even the sun through the casement shines cheerly

Since I lost my own darling boy, Teddy O’Neill

Shall I ever forget when the big ship was ready

And the moment had come for my love to depart

I cried like a spalpeen, ‘Goodbye to you Teddy’

With a tear in my eyes and a stone in my heart

He says ‘tis to better his fortune he’s leaving

But what would be gold to the joy I would feel

To see him come back to me, honest and loving

Still poor, but my own darling Teddy O’Neill.

This blog is Day 22 of Sarah Allen's 30 day blog challenge