Unfortunately, I need to take the week off since my work schedule has been changed around and I decided to join Sandy and some friends and do some non-music related stuff. We had fun this weekend and it was great to get out of the house and get together.

I’ll be back next week and until then, if you order Irish Pub Songs For The 5-String Banjo Vol 1 or Folk Songs For The 5-String Banjo Vol 1 from Lulu.com you can get 20% off using the code SHADOWHOG at check out.

I’ll see you all later.

Have fun with it and don’t be afraid to sing it!

I Took My Gal Out Walkin’ MP3

I Took My Gal Out Walkin’ (PDF)

I TOOK MY GAL OUT WALKIN’

I [G]took my gal out walkin ‘twas on a Saturday night

I took my gal out walkin’ and the [A]moon was shinin’ [D]bright

[C]I asked her if she’d [G]kiss me and [C]this is what she [D7]said

[G]She said she would not kiss me so [D7]I kissed her [G]instead

CHORUS:

Oh I ain’t got nobody [D7]I’m as blue as can be

I ain’t got nobody to [G]make a big fuss over me

If I don’t get somebody [D7]I’m goin’ back to the farm’

Milk those cows and chickens and [G]I don’t give a golly gosh darn

I took my gal out walkin ‘twas on a Saturday night
I took my gal out walkin’ and the moon was shinin’ bright
I asked her if she’d marry me and this is what she said
She said she would not marry me if the rest of the world was dead!

Rose Of Allendale MP3

Rose Of Allendale (PDF)

The Rose of Allendale

The[G] morning was fair,the[C] sky’s were[G] clear
No breath came o;re the[D] sea
When[G] Mary left her[C] highland[G] home
And[C] wandered[D] forth with[G] me
Though[D] flowers decked the[G] mountain side
And[C] fragrance[G] filled the[D] vale
By[G] far the sweetest[C] flower[G] there
Was the[C] rose of[D] Allen[G]dale

[Chorus]
Was[G] the rose of Allen[C]dale,was the[Am] rose of Allen[D]dale
By[C] far the sweetest[G] flower there,was the[C] rose of [D7]Allen[G]dale

Where’er I wandered east or west,
Tho’faith began to lour
A solace still she was to me
In sorrow’s lonely hour
When tempest lashed our lonely barque
And rent her shivring sail
One maiden form withstood the storm
‘Twas the rose of Allendale

And when my fever’d lips were parched
On Afrie’s burning sands
She whispered hopes of happiness
And tales of distant lands
My life has been a wilderness
Unbiest by fortune’s gale
Had faith not linked my lot to hers
The rose of Allendale

Have fun with it and don’t forget to sing!

Sweet Sunny South MP3

Sweet Sunny South (PDF)

SWEET SUNNY SOUTH

[G]Take me back to the place where I first saw the light

To the sweet sunny south take me [C]home

[G]Where the mockingbirds sang me to rest ev’ry night

Oh, why was I [D7]tempted to [G]roam

I think with regret of the dear home I left
Of the warm hearts that sheltered me there
Of the wife and the dear ones of whom I’m bereft
For the old place again do I sigh

Take me back to the place where the orange trees grew
To my cot’ in the evergreen shade
Where the flow’rs on the river’s green margin may blow
And spread their sweet scent o’er the glade

The path to our cottage they say has grown green
And the place is quite lonely around
And I know that the smiles and the forms I have seen
Now lie ‘neath the dark mossy ground

Take me back, let me see what is left that I knew
Can it be that the old house is gone?
Dear friends of my childhood indeed must be few
And now I must face death all alone

But yet I’ll return to the place of my birth
Where the children have played ’round the door
Where they gathered wild blossoms that grew on the bank
That will echo our footsteps no more

Take me back to the place where I first saw the light
To The sweet sunny south take me home
Where the mockingbirds sang me to rest ev’ry night
Oh, why was I tempted to roam

This is a great one to play on frailing / clawhammer banjo. Play along and have fun!

A Nation Once Again MP3

A Nation Once Again (PDF)

A NATION ONCE AGAIN

When [G]boyhood’s fire was in my blood

I [C]read of [D7]ancient [G]freemen,

Of Greece and Rome who [Em]bravely stood,

Three [A]hundred men and [D7]three men;

And then I prayed I yet might see

Our [Em]fetters rent in [Bm]twain,

And [C]Ireland long a [Am]province [D7]be

[G]A Nation [D7]once [G]again.

A nation once [C]again,

A [Am]nation once [D7]again,

And [G]Ireland, long a [C]province [D7]be

A [G]Nation [D7]once [G]again.

And from that time, through wildest woe, That hope has shown a far light,
Nor could love’s brightest summer glow Outshine that solemn starlight;
It seemed to watch above my head In forum, field and fame,
Its angel voice sang round my bed, A Nation once again.

It whisper’d too, that freedom’s ark, And service high and holy,
Would be profaned by feeling dark And passions vain or lowly;
For, Freedom comes from God’s right hand, And needs a godly train;
And righteous men must make our land A nation once again.

So as I grew from boy to man I bent me to my bidding
The spirit of each selfish plan And cruel passions ridding
For thus I hoped some day to aid Oh, can such hope be vain?
When my dear country shall be made A nation once again.

If I Lose, I Don’t Care follows the same melody as White House Blues on the verse so today you get a two for one special.

Have fun with it!

If I Lose, I Don’t Care MP3

If I Lose, I Don’t Care (PDF)

IF I LOSE, LET ME LOSE

[C]I can’t walk, neither can I talk

[F]Just gettin’ back from the [C]state of old New York

One [G]morning before [C]day

Flossie, oh Flossie, now what is the matter
Walked all the way from old Cincinatta
One morning before day

CHORUS:

[C]If I lose, let me lose

I don’t [G]care how much I [C]lose

If I lose a hundred dollars while I’m [F]tryin’ to win a dime

For my [G]baby, she needs money all the [C]time

The blood was a-runnin’, and I was runnin’ too
Give my feet some exercise, I had nothing else to do
One morning before day

The peas was so greasy, the meat was so fat
The boys was fightin’ the Spaniards while I was fightin’ gnats
One morning before day

See them girls settin’ at the tank
Ready to catch a freight train they call old Nancy Hanks
One morning before day

Have fun with it and remember that all of the melody notes are in the first four frets.

Donegal Danny MP3

Donegal Danny (PDF)

Donegal Danny

I [G]remember the night when [C]he came [G]in from the [C]wintry cold and [G]damp

A giant of a man in an [Em]oilskin coat and a [Am]bundle which showed he was a [D7]tramp

He [G]stood at the bar and [C]called for a [G]pint and [C]turned to gaze into the [G]fire

On a night like this to be [Em]safe and warm Is my [Am]one and only [D7]desire

Chorus:

So [G]here’s to those that are [C]dead and [G]gone The friends that I left [D7]here

And [G]here’s to you then I’ll [C]bid you [G]adieu

Since Donegal [D7]Danny’s been [G]here me [Em]boys, [G]Donegal [D7]Danny’s been [G]here

Then in a voice that was hushed and low he said: listen I’ll tell you a tale
How a man of the sea became a man of the road and never more will set sail
I’ve fished out of Howth and Killybegs, Ardglass and Baltimore
But the cruel sea has beaten me and I’ll end me days on the shore

One fateful night in the wind and the rain we set sail from Killybeys town,
There were five of us from sweet Donegal and one from County Down,
We were fishermen who worked the sea and never counted the cost
But I never thought’ere that night was done that my fine friends would all be lost

Then the storm it broke and drove the boat to the rocks about ten miles from shore,
As we fought the tide we hoped inside to see our homes once more
Than we struck a rock and holed the bow and all of us knew that she’d go down
So we jumped right into the icy sea and prayed to God we wouldn’t drown

But the raging sea was rising still as we struck out for the land
And she fought with all her cruelty to claim that brilliant band
By St John’s point in the early dawn I dragged myself to the shore
And I cursed the sea for what she’d done and vowed to sail her never more

Ever since that night I’ve been on the road travelling and trying to forget
That awful night I lost all my friends, I see their faces yet
And oft times at night when the sea is high and the rain is tearing at me skin
I hear the cries of drowning men floating on the wind

I had every intention of filming some videos today, but like a complete fool I thought that I could do Diamond Dallas Page’s YRG’s workout!

I’m so sore that I can’t lift my poor ol’ banjo. I hope that I can do one later this week.

Happy New Year everyone!  I have Monday off so I should have a video uploaded in the next 12 hours!

It’s been a great couple of weeks at home. Sandy had the holidays off and Amber hasn’t had school. We’ve had a great time together and right now Amber and I will probably be up watching bad movies until almost dawn.

I’ll get a couple of hours sleep and then be back with the Irish Pub Song Of The Day.

Since it’s Christmas, I thought that I would give everyone a little gift of banjo Christmas music.

Here is a video of Luke Abbott playing some Christmas tunes on the banjo. You should really check out his family’s website at Toneway.com. They have a great system to help people learn how to play a variety of instruments.