Sam Hall is an adaptation of an old English Folk Song.
This version of the song by Paddy Reilly is featured on his album, The Balladeer.
Music: Key of D Major in 4/4 time at 110 bpm (♩)
Chords: D, Dsus4, G, A, Asus4
Capo: 2nd fret if playing with the video (E Major)
Sam Hall
Song Key is highlighted - Transpose to any other key
Intro:4/4D G D A Asus4 A
1. Oh me name it is Sam Hall Chim-ney sweep Chim-ney sweep | |
D G D Dsus4 D
Oh me name it is Sam Hall Chim-ney sweep | |
G D A Asus4 A
Oh me name it is Sam Hall And I've robbed both great and small | |
D G D A Asus4 A
And my neck will pay for all When I die When I die | |
D G D Dsus4 D
And my neck will pay for all When I die | |
D G D A Asus4 A
2. I have twen-ty pounds in store That's not all That's not all | |
D G D Dsus4 D
I have twen-ty pounds in store That's not all | |
G D A Asus4 A
I have twen-ty pounds in store And I'll rob for twenty more | |
D G D A Asus4 A
For the rich must help the poor So must I So must I | |
D G D Dsus4 D
For the rich must help the poor So must I | |
D G D A Asus4 A
3. Up the lad-der I did grope That's no joke That's no joke | |
D G D Dsus4 D
Up the lad-der I did grope That's no joke | |
G D A Asus4 A
Up the lad-der I did grope And the hang-man pulled the rope | |
D G D A Asus4 A
I ne'eard a word I spoke Tumb-ling down Tumb-ling down | |
D G D Dsus4 D
I ne'eard a word I spoke Tumb-ling down | |
D G D A Asus4 A
4. Oh they brought me to Coote-hill In a cart In a cart | |
D G D Dsus4 D
Oh they brought me to Coote-hill In a cart | |
G D A Asus4 A
Oh they brought me to Coote-hill And I stopped to make my will | |
D G D A Asus4 A
Say the best of friends must part So must I So must I | |
D G D Dsus4 D
Say the best of friends must part So must I | |
D G D A Asus4 A
5. Oh me name it is Sam Hall Chim-ney sweep Chim-ney sweep | |
D G D Dsus4 D
Oh me name it is Sam Hall Chim-ney sweep | |
G D A Asus4 A
Oh me name it is Sam Hall And I've robbed both great and small | |
D G D A Asus4 A
And my neck will pay for all When I die When I die | |
D G D
And my neck will pay for all When I die...
Level Of Ease: Easy with a capo - ideal for beginners
Song Key: E Major - 4 sharps (F# C# G# D#) A capo is used on the 2nd fret and the song is played in D Major - audibly, it is still in E major... D major with a capo on the 2nd fret (+ 2 semitones) = E major.
4/4: This represents 4 quarter-note beats per bar. You can count each bar a number of ways, e.g.,
|1 2 3 4| or |1& 2& 3& 4&| etc.
Paddy adds an extra bar of music at the end of lines 1, 3 and 4 of each verse, which adds a touch of interest to the song. Wherever you see | A Asus4 | or | D Dsus4 | towards the end of each line of the song, you play A for 3 beats, and Asus4 for 1 beat of the bar. The same goes for the D and Dsus4.
Paddy Reilly plays a fingerpicking style throughout the song. It is important when using this style that you can hear each string clearly. With the more difficult chords like B Major and Bsus4, you can often play muffled strings which you want to avoid in this style of playing. Using a capo and playing open chords that are simple to play like D, Dsus4, A, Asus4 is a much better alternative for a musician, and the result - a sound that is crisp and clear.
If you are not playing along with the video, you can use whatever key you like... use the Transposer above for all key transpositions.
