Spancill Hill is a traditional Irish Folk song composed by Michael Considine which was originally written as a poem.
This version by The Dubliners is featured on the album - Fifteen Years On.
Music: Key of D Minor in 6/8 time at 160 bpm (♪)
Easy Chords: Dm, C, G
Spancil Hill
The Relative Major Key of Dm is highlighted (F) - Transpose to any other key.
Dm C DmIntro: 6/8 ‖ | | 𝄎 | | 𝄎 ‖
Dm C Dm
1. Last night as I lay drea-ming of plea-sant days gone by
Dm C G
My mind being bent on ramb-ling to Ire-land I did fly
Dm C G
I stepped on board a vis-ion and I fol-lowed with the wind
Dm C Dm
Till next I came to an-chor at the cross in Spa-ncil Hill
Dm C Dm
2. It being on the twen-ty third of June the day be-fore the fair
Dm C G
When lre-land's sons and daught-ers and friends as-sem-bled there
Dm C G
The young the old the brave and the bold came their du-ty to ful-fil
Dm C Dm
At the par-ish church in Cloo-ney a mile from Span-cil Hill
Dm C Dm
3. I went to see me neigh-bours to see what they might say
Dm C G
The old ones were all dead and gone the young one's tur-ning grey
Dm C G
But I met the tail-or Qui-gley he's as bold as ev-er still
Dm C Dm
And he used to make me britch-es when I lived in Span-cil Hill
Dm C Dm C GInstr: ‖ | | 𝄎 | | 𝄎 | 𝄎 | | ‖
Dm C G Dm C Dm
‖ | 𝄎 | | | | | 𝄎 | | 𝄎 ‖
Dm C Dm
4. I paid a fly-ing vis-it to my first and on-ly love
Dm C G
She's as white as an-y lil-ly gent-le as a dove
Dm C G
And she threw her arms a-round me say-ing "John-ny I love you still”
Dm C Dm
Ah she's Nel the far-mers daugh-ter and the pride of Span-cil Hill
Dm C Dm
5. I dreamt I held and kissed her as in the days of yore
Dm C G
"Ah John-ny you're on-ly jok-in’ as ma-ny’s the time be-fore"
Dm C G
Then the cock he crew in the mor-ning he crew both loud and shrill
Dm C Dm C Dm
I a-woke in Cal-i-for-nia ma-ny miles from Span-cil Hill | | 𝄎 | |
Song Key: This version of the song is in the key of Dm which is the relative minor of F major - 1 flat (B♭)
6/8 time: This means 6 eighth-note beats per bar, therefore the count is:
|1 2 3 4 5 6 | = |♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ | or |♩. ♩. | = | 123 223| etc. etc.
Tempo: approx. 160 bpm. If you find this a little too fast on the metronome, you can set it at approx. 54 bpm where each click falls on every third beat (red notes)
|♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪|