Chord Req: Paddy's Lamentation

Subject: Chord Req: Paddy's Lamentation
From: GUEST,Phil
Date: 30 Oct 02 - 02:26 PM

Seeking chords to Paddy's Lament - can anyone help?

Subject: RE: Chord Req: Paddy's Lamentation
From: Áine
Date: 30 Oct 02 - 06:50 PM

Here you go, Phil. Click here and then click on the title of the song.

Hope this helps!

All the best, Áine

Subject: RE: Chord Req: Paddy's Lamentation
From: Alice
Date: 30 Oct 02 - 08:04 PM

Phil, if you go to that link for the chords and you already know the song you will notice that the lyrics have an error. It should not be General Mark, but General Meagher, a real person, leader of the Irish Brigade in the US Civil War. Here is an earlier discussion of Paddy's Lamentation and history about Meagher. Paddy's Lamentation. (It includes a link to how I sing it unaccompanied.)

Alice

Subject: RE: Chord Req: Paddy's Lamentation
From: Declan
Date: 31 Oct 02 - 11:17 AM

Paul Brady did a lovely arrangement for this on Piano a good while ago (late 70s). The chords would be quite different to those linked to above - a much more minor feel to the whole thing. I think it was recorded but not on a PB album but a compilation - maybe one called Feed the Folk. I'll check the vinyl and get back to you.

Subject: RE: Chord Req: Paddy's Lamentation
From: lamarca
Date: 31 Oct 02 - 11:42 AM

Declan, it was a compilation album called "The Gathering" - had lots of good stuff on it, I remember. However, Paul took a modal traditional tune and made it into a straight minor key.

The song (and tune) were collected from O. J. Abbott in the Ottawa Valley by Edith Foulk. The tune he used has some really neat twists and intervals that Irish revival musicians have sort of smoothed out. One of the better renditions that's close to Mr. Abbott's is by Frank Harte, a capella. Ian Robb and Margaret Christl perform it on their Folk Legacy album, but make the tempo entirely too bouncy for my taste. As a singer, I'm hopeless with chords - I leave that up to my husband the guitarist. This is one song we sing unaccompanied to preserve the modal tune.

Subject: RE: Chord Req: Paddy's Lamentation
From: Declan
Date: 31 Oct 02 - 11:50 AM

Thanks lamarca.

I know and love Frank Harte's version of this, but I also really like the way Paul has done it. It must be the guitarist in me.

Subject: RE: Chord Req: Paddy's Lamentation
From: GUEST,Les B.
Date: 31 Oct 02 - 12:11 PM

Awww - Alice - you beat me to putting in some Montana history. Good catch.

I have one question on the chords as laid out at the site - are the small case "a" and "e" chords too, or a base run, or what?

If only the upper case "C" "F" and "G" are used, it doesn't sound modal, as I've normally heard it done ??

Subject: RE: Chord Req: Paddy's Lamentation
From: Alice
Date: 31 Oct 02 - 12:14 PM

lower case a is Aminor, lower case e, Eminor. I think if anyone wants to discuss the song more it would be a good idea to go over to the existing thread linked above. (Hi, Les, is there snow on Meagher's statue today?)

Alice

Subject: RE: Chord Req: Paddy's Lamentation
From: Declan
Date: 31 Oct 02 - 12:19 PM

Les,

Looking at it again - and I don't have an instrument here to check, it looks like Upper case is for Major and lower case is for minor. This isn't a convention I'm familiar with, but it seems to make sense. And if this is the case its probably quite close to the chords I play in trying to emulate the Paul Brady version on the guitar. I'll check later.

Subject: RE: Chord Req: Paddy's Lamentation
From: GUEST,Phil
Date: 31 Oct 02 - 12:25 PM

Thanks Aine

Subject: RE: Chord Req: Paddy's Lamentation
From: GUEST,Les B.
Date: 31 Oct 02 - 05:37 PM

Alice - I think the snow is melted off all but the horse's nether regions!

Thanks for the explanation about lower case for minor -- those chords would make it more haunting. It's a great song.

Subject: Chord Req: Paddy's Lament
From: GUEST,Yenna tha Cat
Date: 26 Mar 03 - 05:34 PM

Hi,
I've heard Paddy's Lament(ation) by Sinead O'Connor that I found fantastic. Unfortunately I have chords for some other versions of this song and they seem not to fit this version. Does anybody have this specific one? Please help.
Yenna

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I moved this message here from another thread on the same topic.
-Joe Offer-

Subject: RE: Chord Req: Paddy's Lamentation
From: GUEST
Date: 12 Nov 06 - 01:06 PM

Bm7
Well it's by the hush me boys
    A
And that's to mind your noise
      Bm       F#                         Bm7 F#
And listen to poor Paddy's sad narration
Bm7                                 A
I was by hunger pressed and in poverty distressed
      G             F#                      Bm7
So I took a thought I'd leave the Irish nation
Well I sold me horse and cow, my little pigs and sow
My fathers fatherland I then departed
And to my sweetheart Bid McGee, I'm afraid I'll never see
For I left her there that morning brokenhearted

(Chorus)
Bm7    G    F#
Here me boys, now take my advice
Bm         F#                            Bm7 F#
To America I'd have you's not be coming
Bm7                            A
There is nothing here but war, where the murderin' cannon roar
    G       F#                                 Bm7
And I wish I was at home in dear old Dublin.

Subject: RE: Chord Req: Paddy's Lamentation
From: Brendy
Date: 12 Nov 06 - 02:10 PM

Apropos Paul Brady's piano version, I tried to use his version as a starting point for my approach to it on the guitar.
I only played it on stage for a short time, and nowadays I would have to sit down for a half an hour and re-familiarise myself with the progressions.

Mick Foley (that long time supporter of the Irish Trad scene in Scandinavia) recorded a gig I did in his pub in Copenhagen about 7 odd years ago, and 'Paddy's Lamentation On The Emerald Isle' got stuck in there along the line.

There's a few 'unforced errors' in this recording, so it's only a referance, really. The guitar is tuned DAFDAD, and you can download a 5MB file of it here

.... it's only a few ideas, thrown onto a fretboard...

B.