The Irish Ballad Chords by Tom Lehrer
Tempo:
122.4 bpm
Chords used:
Dm
C
Gm
D
A
Tuning:Standard Tuning (EADGBE)Capo:+0fret
Start Jamming...
One of the more important aspects of public folk singing is audience participation,
and this happens to be a good song for group singing.
So if any of you feel like joining in with me on this song, I'd appreciate it if you would leave right now.
[C] [C] [Dm]
About a maid I'll sing a song, sing [D] rickety tickety tin.
[Gm] About a [Dm] maid I'll sing a song, who didn't have her [A] family long.
Not [C] only did she [Gm] do them wrong, [Dm] she did every one [Dm] of them in.
[C] She did every one of them in.
One morning in a fit of peak, sing rickety tickety tin.
[Gm] One morning in a fit of peak, she [C] drowned her father in [Dm] the creek.
The water tasted bad for a [Gm]
week, and we had to make [Dm] do with gin.
With [C] gin, we had to make do with gin.
Her mother she could never stand, sing rickety tickety tin.
Her [Gm] mother she could never stand, and [C] so a cyanide [Dm] soup she planned.
[C] The mother died with [Dm] a spoon in her hand, and her face [C] in a [Dm] hideous grin.
Her [C] face in a [Dm] hideous grin.
She set her sister's hair on fire, rickety tickety tin.
[Gm] She set her [Dm] sister's hair on fire, and as [C] the smoke and [Dm] flame rose higher,
danced around [Dm] the funeral [Gm]
pyre, playing [C] a violin.
[Dm]
Playing a violin.
[D]
She [Dm] whetted her brother down with stones, rickety tickety tin.
She whetted her brother down with stones, and sent him off to Davy [C] Jones.
All they ever [Dm] found were some [Gm] bones, [Dm] and occasional [C] pieces of [Dm] skin.
Of [C] skin.
Occasional pieces of skin.
One day when she had nothing to do, sing rickety tickety [Dm] tin.
[Gm] One day when she had nothing to do, she cut her baby brother in two,
and [C] served him up as an Irish [Gm] stew.
[Dm] And invited the neighbors in.
[C] Invited [C] the neighbors [Dm] in.
And when at last the police came by, sing rickety tickety tin.
[Gm] And when at last the police came by, her [C] little pranks she did not deny.
To do so she would have had [Gm] to lie.
And [C] lying she knew [Dm] was a sin.
[C] A sin.
[Dm] Lying she knew was a sin.
My tragic tale I won't prolong, rickety tickety tin.
My tragic tale I won't prolong, and if you do not enjoy my song,
give yourselves the blame if it's [Gm] too long.
[Dm] You should [C] never have let me begin.
Begin.
[C] You should [Dm] never have [C] let me [Dm] begin.
[N]
and this happens to be a good song for group singing.
So if any of you feel like joining in with me on this song, I'd appreciate it if you would leave right now.
[C] [C] [Dm]
About a maid I'll sing a song, sing [D] rickety tickety tin.
[Gm] About a [Dm] maid I'll sing a song, who didn't have her [A] family long.
Not [C] only did she [Gm] do them wrong, [Dm] she did every one [Dm] of them in.
[C] She did every one of them in.
One morning in a fit of peak, sing rickety tickety tin.
[Gm] One morning in a fit of peak, she [C] drowned her father in [Dm] the creek.
The water tasted bad for a [Gm]
week, and we had to make [Dm] do with gin.
With [C] gin, we had to make do with gin.
Her mother she could never stand, sing rickety tickety tin.
Her [Gm] mother she could never stand, and [C] so a cyanide [Dm] soup she planned.
[C] The mother died with [Dm] a spoon in her hand, and her face [C] in a [Dm] hideous grin.
Her [C] face in a [Dm] hideous grin.
She set her sister's hair on fire, rickety tickety tin.
[Gm] She set her [Dm] sister's hair on fire, and as [C] the smoke and [Dm] flame rose higher,
danced around [Dm] the funeral [Gm]
pyre, playing [C] a violin.
[Dm]
Playing a violin.
[D]
She [Dm] whetted her brother down with stones, rickety tickety tin.
She whetted her brother down with stones, and sent him off to Davy [C] Jones.
All they ever [Dm] found were some [Gm] bones, [Dm] and occasional [C] pieces of [Dm] skin.
Of [C] skin.
Occasional pieces of skin.
One day when she had nothing to do, sing rickety tickety [Dm] tin.
[Gm] One day when she had nothing to do, she cut her baby brother in two,
and [C] served him up as an Irish [Gm] stew.
[Dm] And invited the neighbors in.
[C] Invited [C] the neighbors [Dm] in.
And when at last the police came by, sing rickety tickety tin.
[Gm] And when at last the police came by, her [C] little pranks she did not deny.
To do so she would have had [Gm] to lie.
And [C] lying she knew [Dm] was a sin.
[C] A sin.
[Dm] Lying she knew was a sin.
My tragic tale I won't prolong, rickety tickety tin.
My tragic tale I won't prolong, and if you do not enjoy my song,
give yourselves the blame if it's [Gm] too long.
[Dm] You should [C] never have let me begin.
Begin.
[C] You should [Dm] never have [C] let me [Dm] begin.
[N]
Key:
Dm
C
Gm
D
A
Dm
C
Gm
_ _ One of the more important aspects of public folk singing is audience participation,
and this happens to be a good song for group singing.
So if any of you feel like joining in with me on this song, I'd appreciate it if you would leave right now. _ _ _ _ _
[C] _ _ _ [C] _ _ [Dm] _ _ _
_ _ About a maid I'll sing a song, sing [D] rickety tickety tin.
[Gm] About a [Dm] maid I'll sing a song, who didn't have her [A] family long.
Not [C] only did she [Gm] do them wrong, _ [Dm] she did every one [Dm] of them in. _
[C] _ She did every one of them in. _ _
One morning in a fit of peak, sing rickety tickety tin.
[Gm] One morning in a fit of peak, she [C] drowned her father in [Dm] the creek.
The water tasted bad for a [Gm]
week, and we had to make [Dm] do with gin.
With [C] gin, we had to make do with gin. _ _
Her mother she could never stand, sing rickety tickety tin.
Her [Gm] mother she could never stand, and [C] so a cyanide [Dm] soup she planned.
[C] The mother died with [Dm] a spoon in her hand, and her face [C] in a [Dm] hideous grin.
Her [C] _ _ face in a [Dm] hideous grin. _ _
She set her sister's hair on fire, rickety tickety tin.
[Gm] She set her [Dm] sister's hair on fire, and as [C] the smoke and [Dm] flame rose higher,
danced around [Dm] the funeral [Gm] _
pyre, playing [C] a violin.
[Dm] _
Playing _ a violin.
[D] _ _ _
She [Dm] whetted her brother down with stones, rickety tickety tin.
She whetted her brother down with stones, and sent him off to Davy [C] Jones.
All they ever [Dm] found were some [Gm] _ bones, _ [Dm] and occasional [C] pieces of [Dm] skin.
Of [C] skin.
_ Occasional pieces of skin. _ _
_ _ One day when she had nothing to do, sing rickety tickety [Dm] tin.
[Gm] One day when she had nothing to do, she cut her baby brother in two,
and [C] served him up as an Irish [Gm] stew.
_ _ [Dm] And invited the neighbors in.
_ [C] _ Invited [C] the neighbors [Dm] in.
_ And when at last the police came by, sing rickety tickety tin.
[Gm] And when at last the police came by, her [C] little pranks she did not deny.
To do so she would have had [Gm] to lie.
And [C] lying she knew [Dm] was a sin.
[C] A sin.
[Dm] Lying she knew was a sin. _
My tragic tale I won't prolong, rickety tickety tin.
My tragic tale I won't prolong, and if you do not enjoy my song,
give yourselves the blame if it's [Gm] too long.
[Dm] You should [C] never have let me begin.
Begin.
[C] _ You should [Dm] never have [C] let me [Dm] begin. _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ [N] _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
and this happens to be a good song for group singing.
So if any of you feel like joining in with me on this song, I'd appreciate it if you would leave right now. _ _ _ _ _
[C] _ _ _ [C] _ _ [Dm] _ _ _
_ _ About a maid I'll sing a song, sing [D] rickety tickety tin.
[Gm] About a [Dm] maid I'll sing a song, who didn't have her [A] family long.
Not [C] only did she [Gm] do them wrong, _ [Dm] she did every one [Dm] of them in. _
[C] _ She did every one of them in. _ _
One morning in a fit of peak, sing rickety tickety tin.
[Gm] One morning in a fit of peak, she [C] drowned her father in [Dm] the creek.
The water tasted bad for a [Gm]
week, and we had to make [Dm] do with gin.
With [C] gin, we had to make do with gin. _ _
Her mother she could never stand, sing rickety tickety tin.
Her [Gm] mother she could never stand, and [C] so a cyanide [Dm] soup she planned.
[C] The mother died with [Dm] a spoon in her hand, and her face [C] in a [Dm] hideous grin.
Her [C] _ _ face in a [Dm] hideous grin. _ _
She set her sister's hair on fire, rickety tickety tin.
[Gm] She set her [Dm] sister's hair on fire, and as [C] the smoke and [Dm] flame rose higher,
danced around [Dm] the funeral [Gm] _
pyre, playing [C] a violin.
[Dm] _
Playing _ a violin.
[D] _ _ _
She [Dm] whetted her brother down with stones, rickety tickety tin.
She whetted her brother down with stones, and sent him off to Davy [C] Jones.
All they ever [Dm] found were some [Gm] _ bones, _ [Dm] and occasional [C] pieces of [Dm] skin.
Of [C] skin.
_ Occasional pieces of skin. _ _
_ _ One day when she had nothing to do, sing rickety tickety [Dm] tin.
[Gm] One day when she had nothing to do, she cut her baby brother in two,
and [C] served him up as an Irish [Gm] stew.
_ _ [Dm] And invited the neighbors in.
_ [C] _ Invited [C] the neighbors [Dm] in.
_ And when at last the police came by, sing rickety tickety tin.
[Gm] And when at last the police came by, her [C] little pranks she did not deny.
To do so she would have had [Gm] to lie.
And [C] lying she knew [Dm] was a sin.
[C] A sin.
[Dm] Lying she knew was a sin. _
My tragic tale I won't prolong, rickety tickety tin.
My tragic tale I won't prolong, and if you do not enjoy my song,
give yourselves the blame if it's [Gm] too long.
[Dm] You should [C] never have let me begin.
Begin.
[C] _ You should [Dm] never have [C] let me [Dm] begin. _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ [N] _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _