“Farewell to the Gold” is a contemporary folk ballad written by New Zealand songwriter Paul Metsers in the late 1960s. Though often mistaken for a traditional song, it was inspired by Metsers’ visit to the historic gold-mining region of Otago, in New Zealand’s South Island. The song gained wide recognition when Nic Jones recorded it in 1980 on his influential album Penguin Eggs.
The ballad tells the story of a failed gold prospector working along rivers like the Shotover and Cardrona. The narrator and his partner “Jimmy the prospector” dream of riches but find little success. Their hardship culminates in tragedy when a flood sweeps Jimmy away. The singer, disillusioned and grieving, bids farewell to both his lost friend and the dream of striking gold. The poignant chorus expresses a deep sense of loss and resignation: “Farewell to the gold that never I found... only when dreaming do I see you gleaming.”
Daoirí Farrell’s powerful interpretation retains the song’s emotional depth and haunting melody, helping to cement its place in the modern folk tradition. Though not centuries old, its timeless themes of hope, struggle, and loss have allowed it to blend seamlessly into the traditional song repertoire.
{t:Farewell To The Gold}
{st:Daoiri Farrell}
Capo 4
[D]Shotover [A]River, the [Bm]gold lies [F#m]waiting
It's [G]years since the [A]color I've [D]seen[A]
And it's [D]no use in [A]sitting or [Bm]Lady Luck [F#m]blaming
I'll [G]pack up and [A]make the break [D]clean
{soc}
[A]Farewell to the gold that [D]never I [A]found
[D]Goodbye to the [D/C#]nuggets that [Bm7]somewhere are [A]bound
For it's [D]only when [A]dreaming that [Bm]I'll see you [F#m]gleaming
Down [G]in the dark [A]deep under[D]ground
{eoc}
It's [D]nearly two [A]years since I [Bm]left my own [F#m]mother
For [G]excitement and [A]gold by the [D]poun[A]d
With [D]Jimmy the pro[A]spector, Oh [Bm]he was [F#m]another
And to the [G]hills of [A]Otago we were [D]bound
{soc}
[A]Farewell to the gold that [D]never I [A]found,
[D]Goodbye to the [D/C#]nuggets that [Bm7]somewhere are [A]bound
For it's [D]only when [A]dreaming that [Bm]I'll see you [F#m]gleaming
Down [G]in the dark [A]deep under[D]ground
{eoc}
Well we [D]worked the Car[A]drona's dry [Bm]valley all [F#m]over
[G]Old Jimmy [A]Williams and [D]me [A]
They were [D]panning good [A]dirt down on [Bm]winding [F#m]Shotover
So we [G]headed down [A]there just to [D]see
{soc}
[A]Farewell to the gold that [D]never I [A]found,
[D]Goodbye to the [D/C#]nuggets that [Bm7]somewhere are [A]bound
For it's [D]only when [A]dreaming that [Bm]I'll see you [F#m]gleaming
Down [G]in the dark [A]deep under[D]ground
{eoc}
We [D]sluiced and we [A]cradled for [Bm]day after [F#m]day
Barely [G]making e[A]nough to get [D]by [A]
And then a [D]terrible [A]flood washed poor [Bm]Jimmy [F#m]away
During [G]six stormy [A]days in [D]July
{soc}
[A]Farewell to the gold that [D]never I [A]found,
[D]Goodbye to the [D/C#]nuggets that [Bm7]somewhere are [A]bound
For it's [D]only when [A]dreaming that [Bm]I'll see you [F#m]gleaming
Down [G]in the dark [A]deep under[D]ground.
{eoc}
{soc}
[A]Farewell to the gold that [D]never I [A]found,
[D]Goodbye to the [D/C#]nuggets that [Bm7]somewhere are [A]bound
For it's [D]only when [A]dreaming that [Bm]I'll see you [F#m]gleaming
Down [G]in the dark [A]deep under[D]ground.
Down [G]in the dark [A]deep under[D]ground.
{eoc}
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.
