Daoiri Farrell - The Little Drummer Chords

 The Little Drummer is a song from Daoiri's first album "The First Turn" 

Here's a solo version 

And a fantastic live version with Keeva feat. Alan Doherty, Tola Custy and Gerry Paul

 

{t:The Little Drummer}

{st:Daoiri Farrell}

#Studio Version

O[Dm]ne fine summer's morning, both gallant and gay,

[Dm]Twenty-four ladies went [C]out on the quay,

And a [Bb]regiment of soldiers did [Am]soon pass them [C]by,

[Bb]A drummer and [C]one of them [Am]soon caught his [Dm]eye.

 

He [Dm]went to his comrades and [Am]to them did [Dm]say,

"Tw[Dm]enty-four ladies I [C]saw yesterday,

And [Dm]one of those ladies she [C]has me heart won,

And [Bb]if she den[C]ies me then s[Am]urely I'm [G]done." [F][G][Am]

 

"Go [Dm]off to this woman and [Am]tell her your [Dm]blight

[Dm]Tell her she's wounded your [Am]poor heart inside.

Go and [Bb]tell her she's wounded your [C]poor heart, full sore,

And [Bb]if she de[C]nies you what [Am]can you do [Dm]more?"

 

So [Dm]early next morning this [Am]young man arose,[Dm] 

And he [Dm]dressed himself up in a fine[Am] suit of clothes,

With a [Bb]watch in his pocket and a [Am]cane in his hand,

He sal[Bb]uted those [C]ladies as he [Am]walked down the [G]strand. [F][G][Am]

 

Well he [Dm]walked up to her and he says [Am]"Pardon [Dm]me,

[Dm]Pardon me lady for [C]making so free,

Me fi[Bb]ne honored lady, you [Am]have me heart won,

And [Bb]if you deny [C]me I'm [Am]surely un[Dm]done."

 

"Go [Dm]off little drummer, now [Am]what do you [Dm]mean?

For I[Dm]'m the lord's daughter of [Am]Ballycasteen.

[Bb]I'm the lord's daughter of [Am]honour, you see,

Go[Bb] little [C]drummer, you're [Am]making too [G]free." [F][G][Am]

 

So he [Dm]put on his hat and he [Am]bade her fare[Dm]well

Saying "[Dm]I'll send my soul down to [Am]heaven or hell.

For [Dm]with this long pistol that [C]hangs by my side,

[Bb]I'll put an [C]end to my [Am]own dreary [G]life."

 

 

[Dm]"Come back little drummer, now [Am]what do you [Dm]mean,

[Dm]For I do not want to be [Am]guilty of sin,

[Dm]To be guilty of innocent [Am]blood for to spill.

Come [Bb]back little [C]drummer, I'm [Am]here at your [Bb]will."[C][Bb][A5]

 

"We'[Bb]ll hire a [C]car and to [Am]Bansheer we'll [Dm]go.

[Dm]There we'll be married in s[Am]pite of our foes.

But [Bb]what can they say when it's o[Am]ver and done,

But [Bb]I fell in [C]love with the [Am]roll of your drum?[Dm]"

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.

Here's a tutorial video by Brent Matusik where he explains how to play it:

I asked chatgpt to make a search for the origins of the song. After all I let it write a short text about what it found out. It took some time and help until chatgpt found some more information:

The Little Drummer is a traditional folk song that has been performed by artists like Daoirí Farrell, Christy Moore (with Planxty), and other folk groups including Reel More, Fialla, and Inish. The song tells a romantic narrative: a young drummer courts a noblewoman, is initially rejected due to class, threatens to take his own life, and eventually wins her love.

The song has been catalogued in the Roud Folk Song Index as Roud 2749, confirming its place in the oral folk tradition. One early recording comes from Martin Gorman, a singer from County Sligo, recorded in London in 1966. His version appears in The Voice of the People series, a respected anthology of traditional British and Irish folk song.

While no definitive 19th-century broadside version has been identified yet, the song’s presence in field recordings and its appearance in multiple regional repertoires suggest that it circulated widely in oral tradition. Its classification as “Trad. / Arr.” in recordings further supports its traditional roots.

“The Little Drummer” remains a staple in Irish folk circles, offering a blend of romance, class conflict, and timeless melody that continues to resonate with modern audiences.