Lesson Beeswing by Johannes Broborn

 Johannes Broborn made a new lesson on how to play the Richard Thompson song Beeswing. This song is often heard in sessions. 

Here are the lyrics to the song:

I was nineteen when I came to town, they called it the Summer of Love
They were burning babies, burning flags, the hawks against the doves
I took a job in the steamie down on Cauldrum Street
And I fell in love with a laundry girl who was working next to me

Oh she was a rare thing, fine as a bee′s wing
So fine a breath of wind might blow her away
She was a lost child, oh she was running wild
She said "as long as there's no price on love, I′ll stay
And you wouldn't want me any other way"

Brown hair zig-zag around her face and a look of half-surprise
Like a fox caught in the headlights, there was animal in her eyes
She said "Young man, oh can't you see I′m not the factory kind
If you don′t take me out of here I'll surely lose my mind"

Oh she was a rare thing, fine as a bee′s wing
So fine that I might crush her where she lay
She was a lost child, she was running wild
She said "as long as there's no price on love, I′ll stay
And you wouldn't want me any other way"

We busked around the market towns and picked fruit down in Kent
And we could tinker lamps and pots and knives wherever we went
And I said that we might settle down, get a few acres dug
Fire burning in the hearth and babies on the rug
She said "Oh man, you foolish man, it surely sounds like hell
You might be lord of half the world, you′ll not own me as well"

Oh she was a rare thing, fine as a bee's wing
So fine a breath of wind might blow her away
She was a lost child, oh she was running wild
She said "as long as there's no price on love, I′ll stay
And you wouldn′t want me any other way"

We was camping down the Gower one time, the work was pretty good
She thought we shouldn't wait for the frost and I thought maybe we should
We was drinking more in those days and tempers reached a pitch
And like a fool I let her run with the rambling itch

Oh the last I heard she′s sleeping rough back on the Derby beat
White Horse in her hip pocket and a wolfhound at her feet
And they say she even married once, a man named Romany Brown
But even a gypsy caravan was too much settling down
And they say her flower is faded now, hard weather and hard booze
But maybe that's just the price you pay for the chains you refuse

Oh she was a rare thing, fine as a bee′s wing
And I miss her more than ever words could say
If I could just taste all of her wildness now
If I could hold her in my arms today
Well I wouldn't want her any other way

Gabriel McArdle & Fintan McManus - Willie Rambler, Tab of Intro and first verse

 What a beautiful song, wonderful sung and played. 

These are the lyrics I found at Mudcat.org (Not the lyrics Gabriel McArdle sings!)

When I was young and foolish, my age being 24,

I left Lough Erne's lovely banks. To England I sailed o'er.

'Twas there I met a lady gay of honour and renown,

And of her I did ask the way to famous London town.

"What would you take, young man," she said, "along with me to stray?

And we'll talk about old Ireland and Lough Erne another day.

I have ranches down in Texas. I have horses by the score;

And I'll take you down the Rio Grande. It's far from Erne's shore."

"Oh, no, kind lady. Pardon me. Your wealth I do disdain.

I'll go with you another day your fond love to maintain.

There is no night nor hour bright is half so fair as you,

But Erin's fens and plains and glens to leave them I would rue.

"How could I leave Lough Erne's banks where my young Molly dwells?

Your mansions and your castles are to me like prison cells.

Were you ever on Lough Erne's banks when the sun is setting low,

With the purple of the heather and the moon a fiery glow?

"The fair in Enniskillen is the greatest fair of all,

Where the cailins are the fairest and the boys are straight and tall;

So I'll bid adieu to Texas, too. I'll see it never more,

For I'm going back to Ireland and lovely Erne's shore."

And here's the tab to the Intro (you can download the whole pdf here):

And today I tabbed the first verse. I had lots of trouble to put in the lyrics in Tabledit, so they may not be at the correct places. You can download the full pdf here.

There's a mistake in the tab, in Tacet 11 the chord has to be G!

The Lowlands Of Holland - new lesson by Robin Jones

Robin Jones's new lesson is online. His version of "The Lowlands Of Holland" is based on the version of Ye Vagabonds. You'll learn a melodic variation and the rhythmic accompanyment of the song. Also lots of other stuff, so check out part 2 on his website.

Ye Lovers All - Tutorial by Kevin Elam

 Kevin Elam just posted a Lesson in which you can learn his accompaniment to the Song "Ye Lovers All", an emigration song which has been sung by a lot of artists. 

These are the lyrics as sung by the Chieftains

Ye lovers all both great and small
Who dwell in Ireland
Oh I pray you pay attention
Whilst I my pen command
It was my father's anger
That drove my love away
But I still have hopes
We'll meet again in North Americay

My love he was fair and handsome
And to him I gave my heart
Ah but little was our notion
That we would ever part
It was in my father's garden
That this flower it did decay
But I still have hopes twill bloom again
In North Americay

Now I did not want for money 
Kind fortune on me shone
So out of my father's castle
I took five hundred pounds
It was in the town of Belfast
My passage I did pay
And then set sail across the sea
To far Americay

Now the captain's wife was kind to me
As you may understand
And she kept me in her cabin
Until we reached dry land
It was in the town of Quebec
We landed on the cay
But I knew not where to seek my love
In all Americay

Now I being sick and sore and tired 
Well I went into an inn
And it was there I found my William 
The lad I loved within
He took me gently by the hand 
And to me he did say
Oh I never thought I'd see your face 
In North Americay

Now I hear this couple has got wed 
As you may understand
And I hear they live quite happily 
In a town they call St. Johns
And the money that she took from home 
Well in gold she paid it down
And they think no more of Ireland
Nor Enniskillen town.

More Information on Mudcat.org

John Davies - Some Songs accompanied on the bouzouki

 I just like to share a few videos by John Davies, a singer, guitar and bouzouki player. I did not find any information about him on the web.

Here' "Tippin it up to Nancy"

Crazy Love by Van Morrison

Rambling Rover by Andy M. Stewart

Holmfirth Anthem, a tradtional Yorkshire folk song

If Not For You by Bob Dylan

Fairytale Of New York

Daoiri Farrell - The Unquiet Grave - Lyrics and Chords

“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.

Daoiri Farrell - Collected chordsheets and Tabs

Over the years, I have made and collected several tabs and chord sheets from Daoiri Farrell. Over the last 10 years, he has undoubtedly become one of Ireland's most influential singers. 

I first met him in 2011 at a weekend workshop and was impressed by his manner and musicality. At the time, he was still relatively unknown and had just released his first CD, which I had to purchase immediately. 

I still have a video of him playing my bouzouki made by Heiner Dreizehnter and singing the song ‘Paddy's Green Shamrock Shore’. I had requested this song because he had sung it at the ceilidh the night before. You can also find this video on YouTube.

Here are the links to my chordsheets and tabs:

A Pint Of Plain

Biddy Mulligan

Blackwaterside / New Tabs!

Bogie's Bonnie Belle

Boozin'

The Creggan White Hare

Farewell To The Gold

Galway Girl

The Galway Shawl

The Galway Shawl - Intro and chords

The Hills Of Granemore

Fergie McCormack

John O'Dreams

The Little Drummer

McShane

The Mickey Dam

Paddy's Green Shamrock Shore and here

Pat Rainey

The Shady Woods Of Truagh

Sonny's Dream

Sweet Portadown

Tipping It Up To Nancy

The Unquiet Grave

Valentine O'Hara

The Wedding Above In Glencree

When The Breakers Go Back On Full Time

Windmills

Young Emmet

Here's a link to a concert I filmed with his Trio in 2019. This is an excerpt, The Blue Tar Road.