Lyrics and Chords

The Wind That Shakes the Barley

The lyrics to The Wind That Shakes the Barley tell the tragic story of a young man torn between staying with his true love and fighting for his country.

Wind That Shakes the Barley
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The song was written by Irish poet and scholar, Robert Dwyer Joyce. The chords are presented here in the key of D Minor. Dolores Keane sings the song in F# Minor.

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Wind That Shakes the Barley Lyrics and Chords

 

I  

Dm 

sat 

 

with

C 

in the  

Dm 

valley 

 

 

Am 

green, 

 

 

Dm 

 

I sat me  

C 

with my  

Dm 

true 

 

love

 

My  

F 

sad heart  

C 

strove the  

Dm 

two 

 

be

Am 

tween,

 

The  

Dm 

old love  

C 

and the  

Dm 

new 

 

love.

 

The  

F 

old for her the new that made

 

Me  

Dm 

think on Ireland  

C 

dear

Am 

ly

 

While  

Dm 

soft the  

C 

wind blew  

Dm 

down the  

Am 

glade

 

And  

Dm 

shook the  

C 

golden 

 

 

Dm 

barley.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

‘Twas hard the woeful words to frame

To break the ties that bound us,

But harder still to bear the shame

Of foreign chains around us.

And so I said: “The mountain glen

I’ll seek at morning early,

And join the bold united men,

While soft the winds shake the barley.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

While sad I kissed away her tears,

My fond arms round her flinging,

The foeman’s shot burst on our ears

From out the wildwood ringing.

The bullet pierced my true love’s side

In life’s young spring so early

And on my breast in blood she died

While soft winds shook the barley.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I bore her to some mountain stream

And many’s the summer blossom

I placed with branches soft and green

About her gore-stained bosom

I wept and kissed her clay-cold corpse

Then rushed o’er vale and valley

My vengeance on the foe to wreak

While soft wind shook the barley.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

But blood for blood without remorse

I’ve taken at Oulart Hollow,

And laid my true love’s clay cold corpse

Where I full soon may follow.

As round her grave I wander drear,

Noon, night and morning early

With breaking heart when e’er I hear

The wind that shakes the barley.

Wind That Shakes the Barley
Videos
Lyrics and Chords
Lyrics and Chords Print version