It’s time for some more playing in the key of D! I love this song and it is great on the banjo! Remember that frailing in the key of D is not as hard as it sounds. It’s fun and a great way to accompany yourself without putting on a capo and you can move the same progression up the next to play in different keys.

The Irish Pub Song Of The Day for Memorial Day, 2011 is Kelly, The Boy From Killane! Have fun and play along!!!

Kelly, The Boy From Killane MP3

Kelly, The Boy From Killane (PDF)

Kelly, The Boy From Killane

What’s the [D]news what’s the [G]news Oh me [D]bold Shelma[Bm]lier

With your [D]long barrelled [A]gun from the [D]sea

Say what wind from the [G]south brings his [D]messenger [Bm]here

With a [D]hymn of the [A]dawn for the [D]free

”Goodly [G]news ”goodly news do I [D]bring youth of forth

Goodly news shall you [G]hear bargy [A]man

For the [D]boys march at [G]morn from the [D]south to the [Bm]north

Led by [A]Kelly the boy from [D]Killane

Tell me who is that giant with the gold curly hair he who rides at the head of the band
Seven feet is his height with some inches to spare and he looks like a king in command
”Ah me boys that’s the pride of the bold Shelmaliers
Among our greatest of heroes a man
Fling your beavers aloft and give three ringing cheers
For John Kelly the boy from Killane

Enniscorthy’s in flames and old wexford is won and the Barrow tomorrow we will cross
On a hill ore that town we have planted a gun that will batter the gateway at Ross
All the forth men and bargy men march o’er the heath
With brave Harvey to lead on the van
But the foremost of all in that grim gap of death will be Kelly the boy from Killane

But the gold sun of freedom grew darkened at Ross
And is set by the Slaney’s red waves
And poor Wexford stripped naked hung high on a cross
And her heart pierced by traitors and slaves
‘Glory Oh ‘Glory Oh to her brave sons who died for the cause of long downtrodden land
Glory oh to mount Leinster’s own darling and pride dauntless Kelly the boy from Killane

The Folk Song Of The Week this time around is Do Lord. You can have fun with this song on clawhammer and frailing banjo.

Have fun and don’t forget the E minor chord!

Do Lord MP3

Do Lord (PDF)

Do Lord

[G]I’ve got a home in Glory Land

That outshines the sun

[C]I’ve got a home in Glory Land

That outshines the [G]sun

I’ve got a home in Glory Land

That outshines the [Em]sun

[G]Way be[D7]yond the [G]blue

Chorus

[G]Do Lord, O do Lord

O do remember me (remember)

[C]Do Lord, O do Lord

Oh do remember [Em]me

[G]Way be[D7]yond the [G]blue

I took Jesus as my Saviour
You take Him too
I took Jesus as my Saviour
You take Him too
I took Jesus as my Saviour
You take Him too
Way beyond the blue

This is a fantastic song and playing along on frailing or clawhammer banjo is just a great way to perform it!

Farewell To Carlingford is the Irish Pub Song Of The Day and I hope you take the time to play along with it.

Farewell To Carlingford MP3

Farewell To Carlingford (PDF)

Farewell To Carlingford

[G]When I was [C]young and [G]in my [Em]prime

And could [C]wander wild and [D7]free

There was [G]always a [D7]longing [G]in my [Em]mind

To [C]follow the call of the [D7]sea

(Chorus)

So I’ll [G]sing [C]farewell to [G]Carling[Em]ford

And [C]farewell to Green[D7]ore

[G]And I’ll [D7]think of you both [G]day and [Em]night

Until [C]I return once [D7]more, until [C]I return once [D7]more

On all the stormy seven seas
I have sailed before the mast
And every voyage I ever made
I swore it would be my last

And I had a girl called Mary Doyle
And she lived in Greenore
And the foremost thought in her mind
Was to keep me safe onshore

A landman’s life is all his own
He can go or he can stay
But when the sea gets in your blood
When she calls you must obey

I’m sorry to say that I’m still out because I just don’t know when to say, NO. I went to a jam on Saturday night at a Retirement Home and my finger was not 100% yet and of course I played full out and when I woke up on Sunday, I felt every chord change, pull-off and hammer-on!

It’s not as bad as last week, but I don’t want to aggrevate it any more than I have to. If it gets better, then I’ll put up a video up this week. If not, then I’ll see you all next week.

Later,

Kelly Griner

I used the weekend to do some much needed work around the house and ended up spraining my finger. The bad news is that I won’t be putting up any videos for a little while and the good news is that I can offer you 15% Folk Songs For The 5-String Banjo Vol 1 and Irish Pub Songs For The 5-String Banjo Vol1.

It’s hard not playing my banjo and fretting anything for more than a minute with my right hand is a little painful right now. I am hoping that if I don’t use it for a while, it will heal up quickly.

To get the 15% discount, go to my page at Lulu.com at this link and then put in the coupon code MAYSAVE305 when you check out for an instant 15% discount.

I hope to be back soon.

Kelly

There are just some songs that need to be played on the banjo and this is one of them. Everyone that plays banjo should put this song on the list!

The Folk Song Of The Week is John Henry and I love to sing about that steel drivin’ man!

Grab your banjo and play along!

John Henry MP3

John Henry (PDF)

JOHN HENRY

John [G]Henry was a little baby boy, sittin’ on his papa’s [D7]knee.

He [G]picked up a hammer and a little piece of steel;

said, “Hammer’s gonna be the death of me, Lord, Lord.

Hammer’s gonna be the [D7]death of [G]me.”

The captain said to John Henry “Gonna bring that steam drill ’round.
Gonna bring that steam drill out on the job. Gonna whop that steel on down. Down, Down.
Whop that steel on down.”

John Henry told his captain, “A man ain’t nothin’ but a man,
But before I let your steam drill beat me down, I’d die with a hammer in my hand. Lord, Lord.
I’d dies with a hammer in my hand.”

John Henry said to his shaker,”Shaker, why don’t you sing?
I’m throwin’ thirty pounds from my hips on down.
Just listen to that cold steel ring. Lord, Lord.
Listen to that cold steel ring.”

The man that invented the stream drill thought he was mighty fine,
But John Henry made fifteen feet; the steam drill only made nine. Lord, Lord.
The steam drill only made nine.

John Henry hammered in the mountain his hammer was striking fire.
But he worked so hard, he broke his poor heart.
He laid down his hammer and he died. Lord, Lord.
He laid down his hammer and he died.

John Henry had a little woman. Her name was Polly Ann.
John Henry took sick and went to his bed. Polly Ann drove steel like a man. Lord, Lord.
Polly Ann drove steel like a man.

John Henry had a little baby. You could hold him in the palm of your hand.
The last words I heard that poor boy say, “My daddy was steel-driving man. Lord, Lord.
My daddy was a steel-driving.”

Well, every Monday morning when the bluebirds begin to sing.
You can hear John Henry a mile or more. You can hear John Henry’s hammer ring. Lord, Lord.
You can hear John Henry’s hammer ring.

This time around the Irish Pub Song Of The Day is Fiddler’s Green. I love to have tin whistle and fiddle along with frailing banjo on this song.

Grab your instrument and play along and have fun!

Fiddler’s Green MP3

Fiddler’s Green (PDF)

Fiddler’s Green

As I [G]walked by the dockside one evening so [Em]fair

To [G]view the salt water and take the sea [D7]air

I [C]heard an old fisherman [G]singing a [Em]song

Won’t you [Am]take me away boys my [G]time is not [D7]long

Chorus: Wrap me [G]up in me [D7]oilskins and [G]jumper

no [C]more on the [G]docks I’ll be [D7]seen

Just [C]tell me old ship mates I’m [G]taking a trip [Em]mates

And [Am]I’ll see you someday in [D7]Fiddler’s [G]Green

Now Fiddler’s Green is a place I hear tell
Where fishermen go if they don’t go to hell
Where the skies are all clear and the dolphins do play
And the cold coast of Greenland is far, far away

Chorus:

When you get to the docks and the long trip is thru
There’s pub and there’s clubs and there’s lassies there too
Where the girls are all pretty and beer it is free
And there’s bottles of rum growing from every tree

Chorus:

Now I don’t want a harp or a halo, not me
Just give me a breeze and a good rolling sea
I’ll play me old squeeze box as we sail along
With the wind in the rigging to sing us a song

I am happy to announce that I started a sale today when you buy both Folk Songs For The 5-String Banjo Vol 1 and Irish Pub Songs For The 5-String Banjo Vol 1 together!

Vist the Products page for more details on this short time offer!