Chords: Black is the colour

Subject: Black is the colour
From: GUEST,Roger
Date: 23 Sep 00 - 05:19 AM

Does anyone have the chords for this great song?

Subject: RE: Black is the colour
From: Thomas the Rhymer
Date: 23 Sep 00 - 05:33 AM

Joan Baez...

Em(+F#)----D-Em(+F#)
--Am-----
-Em(+G, then Em+F#)---Am

Chorus
Em(+F#)----D--Em(+G, then Em+F#)--

Confusing,...?

Subject: RE: Chords: Black is the colour
From: GUEST
Date: 28 Jul 06 - 09:46 AM

Subject: RE: Chords: Black is the colour
From: GUEST,leeneia
Date: 28 Jul 06 - 01:40 PM

Thanks, Roger, for making this request. Since you reminded me of this song, I have worked it up to play on my piano.

This song moves stepwise a lot and doesn't lend itself to continued strumming in an accompaniment. It's best to play a chord, then let it die away if the dissonance gets to be too much.

Hence "the infamous p chord." When we get together and play, the p chord (short, of course, for "piano", which means soft in Italian) means that the guitarist should lay off for a while. Some guitarists seem to think it unthinkable, but it can be done.

Here's how I play "Black is the color."


Dm                p       C         Dm
Black is the color of my true love's hair.

                        Gm
His eyes are some-thing won-drous fair.

p    Dm    Gm or C   p       Gm          Dm
The pur-est lips      and the gen-tl-est hands.

                      Gm
I love the ground on where he stands.

   Dm            p    C Am   Dm
I love my love and well he   knows.

          Gm                                       
If he on earth no more I'd see,

   Dm                  Gm
my life would quick-ly fade a-way.

Dm                  p      Dm          C    Am    Dm
Black, black, black is the color of my true love's hair.

1. You should be warned that arguing over this song is nearly a cottage industry on the Internet.

2. If you don't like these chords, you can download a tilt-a-whirl that converts them. Would somebody kindly post a link to a site that provides one of those?

Subject: RE: Chords: Black is the colour
From: Clinton Hammond
Date: 28 Jul 06 - 02:07 PM

Starting on Am....

Black is the (F)color (G) of my true love`s (Am)hair
Her lips are (F)like (G)some roses (E)fair
She`s the sweetest (F) smile(G) and the gentlest(E) hands.
I love the (F) ground (G) whereon she (Am)stands

Subject: RE: Chords: Black is the colour
From: clairerise
Date: 28 Jul 06 - 03:38 PM

What are the origins of this song? is it traditional?

Subject: RE: Chords: Black is the colour
From: Don Firth
Date: 28 Jul 06 - 03:55 PM

John Jacob Niles claims to have written it and is often given credit for it. He may have altered or "folk processed" it, but he certainly didn't write it, as is evidenced by the fact that there are versions, particulary English versions, that were around long before J. J. Niles was.

Niles has some great stuff, but don't believe a word he says about where it came from.

Don Firth

Subject: RE: Chords: Black is the colour
From: GUEST,Jenna
Date: 17 Sep 06 - 08:26 PM

I need to sing this soong in Chorus Black is the color of my true k
love hair by: Tom Fettke does anyone have the music (melody)? I can not read sheet music and a copy of this song would really help me out, thanks..

Jenna grade 6 Hudson NH

Subject: RE: Chords: Black is the colour
From: GUEST
Date: 17 Sep 06 - 08:35 PM

Link to song here. Words and melody.

Subject: RE: Chords: Black is the colour
From: Leadfingers
Date: 18 Sep 06 - 06:50 AM

One of my 'All Time Hates' is when this is inroduced as a Christie Moore song ! I have heard a 'live' album where Christie admits to the song being traditional , and saying he was given the song by Alex Atterson !

Subject: RE: Chords: Black is the colour
From: Big Al Whittle
Date: 18 Sep 06 - 12:20 PM

hamish Imlach when I heard who gave it him, but maybe not. hamish always used these bluesy sort of St James Infirmary style chords, which actually sounded pretty good. - in fact thats the way I always thought of it for about 30 years til I heard Christy.

Subject: RE: Chords: Black is the colour
From: Maryrrf
Date: 18 Sep 06 - 12:24 PM

Whatever the case about JJ Niles and his possible deception about the origin of the song, I really like the Niles version the best.

Subject: RE: Chords: Black is the colour
From: maple_leaf_boy
Date: 09 Nov 10 - 07:45 PM

I'm partial to the Aengus Finnan version that I heard on Galaxie
Folk Roots. Cara Dillon and the Corrs also do nice versions of this
song.

Subject: RE: Chords: Black is the colour
From: MGM·Lion
Date: 10 Nov 10 - 04:40 AM

Cecil Sharp collected my favourite version from Mrs Lizzie Roberts of Hot Springs, N Carolina, I think in 1915. I have lost my treasured copy of the paperback {Penguin?} digest of Sharp's Appalachian collection, which is somewhat confusingly entitled "80 English Folk Songs"; but if you can find a copy, or look up the Sharp in the VWL or equivalent, you will find it there.

~Michael~

Subject: RE: Chords: Black is the colour
From: MGM·Lion
Date: 10 Nov 10 - 04:43 AM

I feel bound to add that, unlike above poster Maryrrf, I hate Niles' typically overarranged, navel-gazing version with a horrible hate. But each to his/her own, of course.

~M~

Subject: RE: Chords: Black is the colour
From: alex s
Date: 10 Nov 10 - 05:15 AM

Hamish was the man for this song

Subject: RE: Chords: Black is the colour
From: GUEST,Alien Hoop
Date: 06 Dec 10 - 08:44 AM

Hejsan, there fore it´s neccessary to know that this beautiful song isn´t an american one, it´s a scottish song.
By reading the lyrics you might understand ...( Clyde is a river in scotland )
But now to the question wich chords to use.
I play it in "D minor", but its just my own oppinion ´bout a song sounds and therefore I prefer the version by Paul Weller.
Dm, Bb, C, A,
             Bb    C                  Dm
Black is the collour of my true love´s hair
             Bb    C            A
her lips are like    some roses fair
             Bb          C                  Dm
she has the sweetest smile and the gentliest hands
            Bb   C            Dm
I love the ground whereon she stands


It maybe hasn´t no more that touch of a traditional folk song but I like that best reasonly by the story of that song.
Mostly it sounds to happy, she´s waitin´for her LOVE coming back home from war, there´s fear and hope, sadness and the knowledge ´bout she´ll never live on when he´s dead......YEAH! THAT´S A LOVE SONG ISN´T IT?"

Subject: RE: Chords: Black is the colour
From: Nick
Date: 06 Dec 10 - 01:46 PM

My favourite version is Karan Casey off Transatlantic sessions 4 (Black is the Colour
)- I think it's on Youtube with a beautiful flute solo in the middle.