Lyr/Chords: Dark Eyed Molly (Archie Fisher)

Subject: song request - Dark Eye Molly
From: felix
Date: 26 Nov 97 - 08:01 PM

Does anyone have the lyrics and chords to Dark Eye Molly (I think it's an Archie Fisher tune but everybody seems to have covered it).

Thanks,

Felix

Subject: RE: song request - Dark Eye Molly
From: rosebrook
Date: 27 Nov 97 - 02:41 AM

From Justina and Joyce's cover off of their "So Strong" CD:

Deep and dark are my true love's eyes,
Blacker still is the winter's turning,
As the sadness of parting proves.
And brighter now is the lantern's burning,
That lightens my path to love.

No fiddle tune can take the air,
But I see her swift feet a-dancing,
And the swirl of her long, brown hair.
Her smiling face and her dark eyes glancing,
As we stepped out Blinkbonnie Faire.

And if my waiting prove in vain,
I will pack, and track ever take me.
And the long road will ease my pain.
No gem of womankind will make me,
E'er whisper love's words again.

For in song I'll keep good company,
My ears will ring with the tavern's laughter.
And I'll hear not her last sweet sigh.
Then who's to know in the morning after,
That I long for her dear, dark eyes.

Sorry, I don't know how to submit in a better format. I absolutely love this song! Justine and Joyce do a real swoony, heartfelt rendition. Such regal voices!

Rosebrook

Subject: RE: song request - Dark Eye Molly
From: rosebrook
Date: 27 Nov 97 - 02:44 AM

silly, impetuous me! AFTER I submitted the above, I looked in the DT and lo and behold!!!

Subject: RE: song request - Dark Eye Molly
From: rastrelnikov
Date: 27 Nov 97 - 06:57 PM

felix, i can send you Stan Roger's chords for the song. If you join up here (no charge), then people can send personal messages to you and you don't have to give them your email address.

Subject: RE: song request - Dark Eye Molly
From:
Date: 29 Nov 97 - 12:18 AM

It is is indeed in the database, but you might have missed it because it is called "Dark Eyed Molly".

Both Archie Fisher's original on "The Man With A Rhyme" (now happily released on CD) and Stan Roger's cover on "Turnaround" are very good versions indeed. Listening to the two, I can't decide which of the two I like better. I swing between Fisher's subtle version and Stan's rich deep voice.

It is my all-time favourite love song, and I wish that I had written it.

Subject: RE: song request - Dark Eye Molly
From: Felix
Date: 02 Dec 97 - 06:25 PM

Has anyone heard the cover of it by Fairport Convention? Since I have only heard it there, how different/similar is it to Archie Fisher's original version (on the liner notes for Red and Gold it says 'arranged by Fairport Convention' or some such thing, so who knows what they did to it!!!). Thanks!!!

Subject: Lyr Add: DARK EYED MOLLY (Archie Fisher)
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 11 Mar 18 - 11:39 AM

Archie Fisher sings a few words differently than Justina and Joyce did. (See Rosebrook's message above.) This is my transcription from Archie Fisher himself:

DARK EYED MOLLY
(Archie Fisher)
As recorded by Archie Fisher on "The Man with a Rhyme" (1976)

Deep and dark are my true love's eyes.
Blacker still is the winter turning,
As the sadness of parting proves;
And brighter now is the lantern burning,
That lightens my path to love.

No fiddle tune will take the air,
But I'll see her swift feet a-dancing,
And the swirl of her long, brown hair,
Her smiling face and her dark eyes glancing,
As we stepped out Blink Bonny Fair.*

And if my waiting prove in vain,
Then I will pack, and track ever take me,
And the long road will ease my pain.
No gem of womankind will make me
E'er whisper love's words again.

For in drink I'll seek good company.
My ears will ring with the tavern's laughter,
And I'll hear not her last sweet sighs.
Then who's to know, in the morning after,
That I long for her dear, dark eyes?

[* I'm not sure how to spell "Blink Bonny Fair." There was a famous racehorse named Blink Bonny, so I took my cue from that. The song seems to imply there is a fiddle tune by this name, but I was unable to find it.]

Subject: RE: Lyr/Chords Req: Dark Eyed Molly (Archie Fisher)
From: Tattie Bogle
Date: 11 Mar 18 - 05:33 PM

Blinkbonny is usualy all one word: there are several places of this name in Scotland: near Currie, a suburb of Edinburgh, Falkirk, in the central belt, and in Orkney, as well as in England. The suggestion is that the name came from the Norse for "fair view". Couldn't find which Blinkbonny had the fair, though! (Or whether it was a hose-trading fair!)

Subject: RE: Lyr/Chords Req: Dark Eyed Molly (Archie Fisher)
From: Gallus Moll
Date: 11 Mar 18 - 06:20 PM

--also a house near Dunoon called Blinkbonny, think it was built as a wedding present for the daughter of a (Glasgow?) business man possibly ship builder back in the days when Dunoon/Kirn/Hunter's Quay etc were the place to go for the summer season!

Subject: RE: Lyr/Chords Req: Dark Eyed Molly (Archie Fisher)
From: GUEST
Date: 12 Mar 18 - 03:27 AM

The chords are probably pretty basic, but as discussed above, it was in Stan Rogers’ songbook. The tuning was DADGAD. I suspect Archie’s is the same tuning, but Stan’s version is slightly different from Archie’s.

Subject: RE: Lyr/Chords Req: Dark Eyed Molly (Archie Fisher)
From: GUEST,Kristoffer Ross
Date: 13 Mar 18 - 08:14 AM

Yes, it's in the Stan Rogers songbook (now out of print, sadly). He uses a capo on the 2nd, although most would like to move it up one or two frets to avoid having to hit an E2 every verse.
    I've seen Archie sing it once, and he also was in DADGAD, capoed up 2, but explained that his voice had requested fewer high notes that day.
    Kristoffer

Subject: RE: Lyr/Chords Req: Dark Eyed Molly (Archie Fisher)
From: Catamariner
Date: 14 Feb 21 - 03:48 PM

I'd like to point out that the lyrics are adapted/extended considerably from a Gaelic poem and the tune is borrowed from a Basque lullaby, so in many ways this is a "trad adaptation" by Archie Fisher, who is AWESOME. His 1976 liner notes on it: “The compatibility of unrequited love and strong drink has been the theme of many a traditional song. Speaking from experience, it doesn't help in the long run, but think of the songs we'd miss without the experiment. The melody is that of a Basque lullaby and the words are my reconstruction from a line or two of Gaelic poetry.”

I have a fairly contralto chest voice, so I like to sing this one in Bb, thus I had to figure out chords for that. Try this, each line is separated by a "/" but you will have to figure out exactly where the changes are because formatting that in mudcat is horrible beyond descriptions of frustration... each verse has the same pattern, though. Luck! - Heather P


Bb / Cm F Bb / Bb Cm F-Bb / Cm F Bb /Bb Cm F-Bb

Deep and dark are my true love’s eyes,
Blacker still is the winter’s turning,
As the sadness of parting proves.
And brighter now is the lantern burning
That lightens my path to love.

Subject: RE: Lyr/Chords: Dark Eyed Molly (Archie Fisher)
From: GUEST
Date: 17 May 23 - 06:01 PM

Oh, my my my. One can't mention this song without bringing up Eva Cassidy's version. Such a beautiful lady with a great voice who died too young.