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Black is the colour of my true love's hair,
Her lips are like some roses fair;
She's the sweetest smile and the gentlest hands,
I love the ground whereon she stands.
I love my love and well she knows,
I love the ground whereon she goes;
I wish the day it soon would come,
When she and I could be as one.
Black is the colour of my true love's hair,
Her lips are like some roses fair;
She's the sweetest smile and the gentlest hands,
I love the ground whereon she stands.
I go to the Clyde and I mourn and weep,
For satisfied I never can be;
I'll write her a letter, just a few short lines,
And suffer death, oh, a thousand times.
Black is the colour of my true love's hair,
Her lips are like some roses fair;
She's the sweetest smile and the gentlest hands,
I love the ground whereon she stands.
This variant recorded by Connemara.
The YouTube video above features an excellent cover performance by Ed Mulrooney of Grand Falls-Windsor, NL.
See more songs by Ed Mulrooney.
John Jacob Niles noted that Black Is The Color Of My True Love's Hair as sung in a version recorded in 1958 was composed between 1916 and 1921. He had come home from eastern Kentucky, singing this song to an entirely different tune — a tune not unlike the public-domain material employed even today. His father liked the lyrics, but thought the tune was downright terrible. So he wrote himself a new tune, ending it in a nice modal manner. He ended his notes by saying that his composition has since been 'discovered' by many an aspiring folk-singer.
Clyde — River of southwest Scotland flowing about 171 km (106 mi) northwest to the Firth of Clyde, an estuary of the North Channel. The river is navigable to Glasgow for oceangoing vessels. ~ American Heritage Dictionary
The YouTube video below features another excellent cover performance by Tony from Port St. Mary on the Isle of Man.
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Notes On Guitar Tabs:
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All guitar tabs have been contributed by visitors to this site and represent their interpretation of the tune. We are unable to verify their accuracy.
As recorded by Connemara
Intro: [G] [A] [Bm] x2.
Chorus:
Black is the [G] colour [A] of my true love's [Bm] hair,
Her lips are [G] like [A] some roses [F#m] fair; [F#]
She's the sweetest [G] smile [A] and the gentlest [F#] hands,
I love the [G] ground [A] whereon she [Bm] stands.
I love my [G] love [A] and well she [Bm] knows,
I love the [G] ground, [A] where on she [F#m] goes; [F#]
I wish the [G] day [A] it soon would [F#] come,
When she and [G] I [A] could be as [Bm] one.
Chorus:
Black is the [G] colour [A] of my true love's [Bm] hair,
Her lips are [G] like [A] some roses [F#m] fair; [F#]
She's the sweetest [G] smile [A] and the gentlest [F#] hands,
I love the [G] ground [A] whereon she [Bm] stands.
Interlude:[G] [A] [Bm]
I go to the [G] Clyde [A] and I mourn and [Bm] weep,
For satis- [G] fied, [A] I never can [F#m] be; [F#]
I'll write her a [G] letter, [A] just a few short [F#] lines,
And suffer [G] death, [A] oh, a thousand [Bm] times.
Chorus:
Black is the [G] colour [A] of my true love's [Bm] hair,
Her lips are [G] like [A] some roses [F#m] fair; [F#]
She's the sweetest [G] smile [A] and the gentlest [F#] hands,
I love the [G] ground [A] whereon she [Bm] stands.
Outro:
[G] [A] [Bm] [G] [F#m] [F#m] [G] [A] [F#] [G] [A] [Bm]
(Repeat and fade.)
~ Chords contributed by Bob Dumais ~
