The Wind That Shakes the Barley – lyrics and chords

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. The song was written by Irish poet and scholar, Robert Dwyer Joyce.

The Wind that Shakes the Barley
Blood for blood
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The chords are presented here in the key of D Minor. Dolores Keane sings the song in F# Minor. Place a capo on the fourth fret and play the chord shapes shown below to play in F#m. Use our chord converter to play the song in other keys.

 
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.

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‘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.

The Wind that Shakes the Barley
Blood for blood
The Wind that Shakes the Barley videos
The Wind that Shakes the Barley lyrics and chords

The Wind that Shakes the Barley lyrics and chords print version

 
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.

The Wind that Shakes the Barley
Blood for blood
The Wind that Shakes the Barley videos
The Wind that Shakes the Barley lyrics and chords