Back Home In Derry Song Lyrics And Chords

Written By Bobby Sands [ song lyrics ]. Original recording by Christy Moore. If you want to play along with Christy then you should play in the key of Gm.The wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald is the tune used for this folk song. I have given a version of his guitar chords also. Back Home In Derry Sheet Music Notes .

In[Am] 1803 we[Em] sailed out to sea
[G]Out from the [D]sweet town of [Am]Derry
For[Am] Australia bound if we[Em] didn't all drown
And the[G] marks of our[D] fetters we[Am carried
In our[Am] rusty iron chains we[Em] sighed for our wains
Our[G] good women[D] we left in[Am] sorrow
As the[Am] mainsails unfurled, our[Em] curses we hurled
On the[G] English, and[D] thoughts of to[Am]morrow


Chorus:[C]Oh..[G]... I[Am] wish I was[G] back home in[Am] Derry
[C]Oh..[G]... I [Am]wish I was[G] back home in[Am] Derry

At the mouth of the Foyle, bid farewell to the soil
As down below decks we were lying
O'Doherty screamed, woken out of a dream
By a vision of bold Robert [ lyrics ] dying
The sun burned cruel as we dished out the gruel 
Dan O'Connor was down with a fever
Sixty rebels today bound for Botany Bay 
How many will meet their receiver
Chorus:

I cursed them to hell as her bow fought the swell 
Our ship danced like a moth in the firelight
White horse rode high as the devil passed by 
Taking souls to Hades by twilight
Five weeks out to sea, we were now forty-three
Our comrades we buried each morning
In our own slime we were lost in a time
Of endless night without dawning
Chorus:

Van Diemen's land is a hell for a man
To live out his whole life in slavery
Where the climate is raw and the gun makes the law
Neither wind nor rain care for bravery
Twenty years have gone by, I've ended my bond
My comrades ghosts walk behind me
A rebel I came - I'm still the same
On the cold winters night you will find me
Chorus

When Bobby wrote this he called it 'The Voyage.
This is what Christy Moore says about how he came about the song.
I was playing in Derry and staying with The Barrett Family. After my gig we were gathered in Chamberlain St having a banter and drinking tea when a bit of singing broke out.  A lad, just  home from The H-Blocks of Long Kesh [ song ], sang these verses and  subsequently wrote out the words for me.  At the time the name Bobby Sands was not known to the world as it is today.  The following night I played in Bellaghy where the same process took place when I stayed with Scullion.  Later on he "sang" McIlhatton for me and told me it had been written by Bobby Sands with whom he had shared a cell while "On the Blanket".  The name was becoming known to me.
He used the air of The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald from Gordon Lightfoot, an air which I suspect has earlier origins.  My version of Bobby's song is shorter than the original. 

Here are the chords that Christy Moore plays.

In[Gm] 1803 we[Bb] sailed out to sea
[F]Out from the [C]sweet town of [Dm]Derry
For[Gm] Australia bound if we[Bb] didn't all drown
And the[F] marks of our[C] fetters we[Gm] carried
In our[C] rusty iron chains we[Bb] sighed for our wains
Our[C] good women we left in[Dm] sorrow
As the[Gm] mainsails unfurled, our[Bb] curses we hurled
On the[F] English, and[C] thoughts of to[Gm]morrow


Chorus:[Bb]Oh oh oh [F]oh I[Gm] wish I was[F] back home in[Gm] Derry
[Bb]Oh oh oh [F]oh I [Gm]wish I was[F] back home in[Fm] Derry

Alternative Chord Aragement Below By David O'Neill
(Am) in 1803  we (C) sailed out to sea
(G) Out from the (D) sweet town of (Am)Derry
repeat pattern
(D) in our rusty iron chains we (em) cried for wains
(am) our good women we left in (em) sorrow
AS the (am) main sails unfurled the (C) curses we hurledon the (G) english and (D) thoughts of (Am).

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​​Below is the ebook list of Irish Folk Songs with guitar chords
in 3 keys. Price €8.90 and I'll email the ebook after purchase .
​The chords are suited to ukulele, banjo or mandolin also.
Martin

Bobby Sands wrote Back Home In Derry