“The Unquiet Grave” is a centuries-old ballad, believed to date back to at least the 17th century, and catalogued as Child Ballad 78 and Roud 51. Deeply rooted in the British and Irish folk tradition, it explores themes of grief, love beyond death, and the danger of clinging to the past.
The song tells the story of a mourner who sits at the grave of a lost lover for “a twelve-month and a day.” On that final day, the ghost of the deceased speaks, asking the mourner to move on, warning that excessive grief “will not let me sleep.” The mourner asks for one final kiss, but the ghost replies that such a kiss would be fatal. The song ends with a bittersweet truth: even the strongest love must yield to death and decay.
Daoirí Farrell recorded this haunting ballad on his 2016 album True Born Irishman. His version features a sparse, atmospheric arrangement with pipes, whistle, cello, and banjo, capturing the ethereal tone of the lyrics. Farrell’s expressive voice brings emotional depth to the ancient dialogue, offering a powerful meditation on mourning, memory, and the limits of love across the boundary between life and death.
I couldn't find a live version of Daoiri singing this song with only bouzouki backing. So here is the album version.
{t:The Unquiet Grave}
{st:Daoiri Farrell}
Oh, the [D]Wind doth [G]blows [Em]today my [A]love
[G]A few small [D]drops of [A]rain
And [D]never have I [A]had but [D]one true [G]love
Now In [D]cold clay [A]she is [D]lain[D/G] [D]
And I'll [D]do as [G]much for my [Em]own true [A]love
[G]As any [D]young man [A]will
I'll [D]sit all [A]on my [D]true loves [G]grave
For [D]twelve months [A]and a [D]day [D/G] [D]
At [D]twelve [G]months and a [Em]day being [A]gone
A [G]voice it [D]spoke from the [A]deep
"Who [D]is it [A]sits all [D]on my [G]grave
And [D]will not [A]let me [D]slee[D/G]p?" [D]
Oh, tis [D]I, tis [G]I, my [Em]own true [A]love
That [G]sits all [D]on your [A]grave
I [D]crave one [A]kiss from [D]your sweet [G]lips
And [D]that is [A]all I [D]crav[D/G]e [D]
"Well if you [D]had one [G]kiss from my [Em]clay cold [A]lips
My [G]breath it is [D]earthly [A]strong
And [D]had you but one [A]kiss from [D]my cold [G]lips
You're [D]time on [A]earth would soon be [D]done[D/G]" [D]
Oh my [D]time being [G]long, or my [Em]time being [A]short
[G]Tomorrow [D]or to[A]day
[D]May God in [A]heaven take [D]all of my [G]soul
For I'll [D]kiss your [A]lips of [G]clay
See [Em]down in [A]yonder [G9]garden [A]fair
[Em]Where we [G9]used to [A]walk
Oh, the [D]sweetest [A]flower that [D]ever did [G]grow
Is [D]withered [A]to the [D]stal[D/G]k [D]
And that [D]stalk is [G]withered [Em]dry now my [A]love
[G]And so our [D]hearts they must de[A]cay
So [D]make your[A]self con[D]tent, now my [G]love
Until [D]God takes [A]you aw[D]ay."[D/G] [D]
Oh, the [D]wind doth [G]blow t[Em]oday my [A]love
A [G]few small [D]drops of [A]rain
And [D]never have I [A]had but [D]one true [G]love
Now In [D]cold clay [A]she is [G]lain [D]
If you copy these lyrics and import them into an lyrics and chords app like Songbook you can see the chords above the lyrics, transpose etc. In the Songbook app you can define Bouzouki as instrument and it has chords implemented so you can see how to play them. You even can define your own chords, which is really handy sometimes. The app is available for most platforms.
Here I have collected some videos how this app works.
