Origins: The Skye Boat Song

Subject: RE: The Skye Boat Song
From: Bert Hansell
Date: 12 Jun 97 - 10:55 AM

Thanks Peter, I'll try that when I get home.
Bert

Subject: RE: The Skye Boat Song
From: Peter Timmerman
Date: 12 Jun 97 - 10:19 AM

If you don't mind transposing it over to the key of D on the guitar, there is a dead simple strumming trick for this song I was taught years ago by a Scotsman, where you begin a fast strum on a standard D, open the second string (officially going to D6) and then shifting to A7sus 4 (that is an open A7 with the finger that is usually on the second fret of the second string moved up one fret to behind the 3rd fret) and then back to A7. It gives a haunting little opening, like a boat scudding through the water -- at least it does to me! Yours, Peter

Subject: RE: The Skye Boat Song
From:
Date: 12 Jun 97 - 03:25 AM

Here's a slightly different arrangement.

SKYE BOAT SONG

CHORUS

[G] Speed, bonnie boat, like a [D7] bird on the wing

[G] Onward! The [C] sailors [G] cry ---

[G] Carry the lad who was [D7] born to be King

[G] Over the [C] sea to [G] Skye.---

[Em] Loud the winds howl, [Am] loud the waves roar

[Em] Thunder claps [E] rend the [Em] air ---

[G] Baffled, our foes [Am] stand by the shore

[Em] Follow -- they [Am] will not [Em] dare. ---

Though the waves leap, soft shall ye sleep

Ocean's a royal bed

Rock'd in the deep, Flora will keep ---

Watch by your weary head. (CHORUS)

Burned are our homes, exile and death ---

Scatter the loyal men

Yet ere the sword cool in the sheath

Charlie will come again. (CHORUS)

Note. This song was sung by the followers of Prince Charles who (routed by the Duke of Cumberland) escaped to the Island of Skye - in the Hebrides. - Gene

Subject: Chords Add: SKYE BOAT SONG
From:
Date: 10 Jun 97 - 09:24 PM

Try these:

Speed bonnie boat like a bird on the wing

Onward the sailors cry

Carry the lad that's born to be king

Over the sea to Skye

C - G - / C F C G / C - G - / C F C -

Loud the winds howl, loud the waves roar

Thunderclouds rend the air

Baffled our foes stand on the shore

Follow they will not dare

Am - Dm - / Am F Am - / Am - Dm - / Am F Am G

If you haven't followed this type of tab before, the chords and dashes each represent the down beats in each line. A dash means that the chord does not change at that downbeat. Experiment and have fun.

Subject: The Skye Boat Song
From: vmalin
Date: 10 Jun 97 - 08:42 PM

Hi I'm trying to find the guitar chords to this song.