After The Ball Is Over Lyrics And Guitar Chords

​ong Meaning: "After the Ball""After the Ball" is a classic American popular song written by Charles K. Harris in 1891. The song became one of the first major Tin Pan Alley hits and played a pivotal role in the development of American popular music. With its melancholic, sentimental theme, the song explores heartbreak, misunderstandings, and regret.

Themes and Meaning:

1. Lost Love Through Misunderstanding:
   The central story of the song is about a young man who, after seeing his love talking to another man at a ball, assumes she is unfaithful. However, he later discovers that the man was her brother, and the misunderstanding causes him a lifetime of regret.
   
   • “After the ball is over, after the break of morn / After the dancers' leaving, after the stars are gone.”
     These lines symbolize the end of a happy time and the beginning of sorrow and loneliness.
2. Regret and Longing:
   The song is drenched in nostalgia and regret. The narrator reflects on how a moment of jealousy and poor judgment led to a lifetime of sorrow. The repetition of the song’s refrain reinforces the sense of longing and what could have been.
   
3. The Fragility of Relationships:
   The story highlights how relationships can be fragile and easily damaged by suspicion and misunderstanding. It’s a cautionary tale about the importance of trust and communication in love.
   
4. Sentimentality and Melancholy:
   The song’s sentimental nature was typical of popular music in the late 19th century, appealing to audiences who enjoyed stories of unrequited or lost love. Its slow, waltz-like melody enhances the song’s bittersweet mood.
   
5. Cultural Reflection:
   The song’s setting at a ball represents a bygone era of formal dances and courtship rituals. It evokes a time when social appearances and reputations carried significant weight, adding to the tension in the story.
   

Musical Style:The song is structured as a sentimental ballad, with a simple and repetitive melody that supports the storytelling. Its singable tune and emotional lyrics contributed to its popularity and enduring legacy in early American popular music.

Legacy:"After the Ball" became one of the first songs to sell over a million copies of sheet music, making it a landmark in music publishing history. It was also featured in early stage productions and later popularized in films such as Show Boat.

After the ball is over mandolin tab now added. The youtube video is by Foster And Allen. The ukulele chord shapes are included.Folk song- Written By Charles Harris, Francis Black done a fine version of this American song. Francis Black's biggest success is the Christie Hennessy's song All The Lies That You Told Me, I always assumed this was an Irish song, it has that feel to it. Also recorded by Foster And Allen. The guitar chords can be used to play the song on the mandolin. The music time signature is 3/4. The sheet music notes for tin whistle in the key of C are included. Most popular youtube videos are by Charles Harris, Foster And Allen, Rebecca Baxter and Irish female singers Catlin and Frances Black, in that order.

[G]A little maiden climbed an old man's[D7 knee 
Begged for a story - "Do, uncle,[G] please!" 
Why are you single;[E7] why live[Am] alone? 
[C]Have you no[G] ba[E7]bies;[A7] have[D7] you no [C]home?" 
"I[Em] had a sweetheart,[C] years,[D7] years a[C]go,,[G] 
Where she is[G] now,[Em] pet,[A7] you will soon[C] know. 
[G]List to the story,[E7] I'll tell it[Am] all, 
I[C] believed her[G] faith[E7]less,[A7] after[D7] the[G] ball." 

After the[C] ball is[G] over, 
After the break of[D7] morn - 
[Am]After the[E7] dancers'[Am] leaving; 
[D7]After the stars are[G] gone; 
Many a[C] heart is[G] aching, 
If[E7] you could read them[A7 all; 
[D7]Many the hopes that have[G] vanished 
[A7]After[D7] the [G]ball. 

"Bright lights were flashing in the grand ballroom, 
Softly the music, playing sweet tunes. 
There came my sweetheart, my love, my own - 
'I wish some water; leave me alone.' 
When I returned, dear, there stood a man, 
Kissing my sweetheart, as lovers can. 
Down fell the glass, pet, broken, that's all. 
Just as my heart was, after the ball." 
After the ball is over . . . . 

After the ball is over, 
After the break of morn - 
After the dancers' leaving; 
After the stars are gone; 
Many a heart is aching, 
If you could read them all; 
Many the hopes that have vanished 
After the ball. 

"Long years have passed child, I've never wed 
True to my lost love, though she is dead. 
She tried to tell me, tried to explain; 
I would not listen, pleadings were vain. 
One day a letter came from that man, 
He was her brother - the letter ran. 
That's why I'm lonely, no home at all; 
I broke her heart, pet, after the ball." 
After the ball is over . . . . 

After the ball is over, 
After the break of morn - 
After the dancers' leaving; 
After the stars are gone; 
Many a heart is aching, 
If you could read them all; 
Many the hopes that have vanished 
After the ball. 

Catlin song After The Ball Is Over

After the ball is over lyrics

After the ball is over tin whistle sheet music in the key of G Major and to be played using your D tuned whistle. The version in C Major below is in the key of C and also to be played on you D whistle.​After the ball is over mandolin tab is also included.

After the ball is over mandolin tab in the key of G Major