City Of Chicago Lyrics And Chords
Aka. Barry Moore, also recorded by the songwriter's brother Christy Moore and released as a single by Derek Ryan [ songs ]in October 2016. The song is about the great hunger [ so called famine ] that began in Ireland in 1847.The sheet music and tin whistle notes are included. The first score is in G Major and the version of the sheet music for tin whistle is in the key of D.
In [G]the [D]City of Chi[Em]cago,
[G]As the [D]evening shadows [Bm]fall,
[C]There are [D]people [Em]dreaming,
[C]Of the [D]hills of Do[Am]negal.
[Am]Eighteen forty-[C]seven, was the [D]year it all be[Em]gan,
[Am]Deadly pains of [C]hunger, drove a [D]million from the [Em]land,
They [Am]journeyed not for [C]glory, their [D]motive was not [Em]greed,
A [Am]voyage of su[C]rvival, a [D]cross the stormy [Em]sea.
**[Chorus]**
In [G]the [D]City of Chi[Em]cago,
[G]As the [D]evening shadows [Bm]fall,
[C]There are [D]people [Em]dreaming,
[C]Of the [D]hills of Do[Am]negal.
[Am]Some of them knew [C]fortune, some of [D]them knew fame,
[Am]More of them knew [C]hardship, and [D]died upon the [Em]plain,
They [Am]spread throughout the [C]nation, they [D]rode the railroad [Em]cars,
And [Am]brought their songs and [C]music, to [D]ease their lonely [Em]hearts.
**[Chorus]**
In [G]the [D]City of Chi[Em]cago,
[G]As the [D]evening shadows [Bm]fall,
[C]There are [D]people [Em]dreaming,
[C]Of the [D]hills of Do[Am]negal.
Here’s the complete guide with a natural strumming pattern and a fingerstyle tab for the first verse and chorus.
🎵 Key: G Major
Time Signature: 4/4
Tempo: ~80 BPM (slow, flowing ballad)
🎸 STRUMMING PATTERN
Use a relaxed, folk-style rhythm — steady but expressive.
Pattern:
👉 Down – Down Up – Up Down Up
Count it as:
1 & 2 & 3 & 4 &
→ Down (strong) – Down Up (soft) – Up Down Up (flowing)
Play softly during the verse, stronger in the chorus.
Alternate the bass note (G → D → G → D) for texture if fingerpicking hybrid.
🎶 FINGERPICKING TAB (first verse & chorus)
This fingerpicking version uses Travis-style picking — alternating bass with melodic treble strings.
Right-hand fingering:
P (thumb) = bass (E, A, D)
I (index) = G string
M (middle) = B string
A (ring) = high E string
🎵 Verse 1
[G] In the [D] city of Chi[Em]cago
[G]
e|---------3-------------3-------------3-------------3------|
B|-----0-------0-----0-------0-----0-------0-----0-------0--|
G|---0---0---0---0-0---0---0---0-0---0---0---0-0---0---0----|
D|----------------------------------------------------------|
A|-------2---------------2----------------------------------|
E|-3---------------3----------------------------------------|
[D]
e|---------2-------------2-------------2-------------2------|
B|-----3-------3-----3-------3-----3-------3-----3-------3--|
G|---2---2---2---2-2---2---2---2-2---2---2---2-2---2---2----|
D|-0---------------0----------------------------------------|
A|----------------------------------------------------------|
E|----------------------------------------------------------|
[Em]
e|---------0-------------0-------------0-------------0------|
B|-----0-------0-----0-------0-----0-------0-----0-------0--|
G|---0---0---0---0-0---0---0---0-0---0---0---0-0---0---0----|
D|-2---------------2----------------------------------------|
A|2---------------2-----------------------------------------|
E|0---------------------------------------------------------|
[G] As the [D] evening shadows [Bm] fall
[Bm]
e|---------2-------------2-------------2-------------2------|
B|-----3-------3-----3-------3-----3-------3-----3-------3--|
G|---4---4---4---4-4---4---4---4-4---4---4---4-4---4---4----|
D|-4---------------4----------------------------------------|
A|2---------------2-----------------------------------------|
E|----------------------------------------------------------|
[C] There are [D] people [Em] dreaming
[C]
e|---------0-------------0-------------0-------------0------|
B|-----1-------1-----1-------1-----1-------1-----1-------1--|
G|---0---0---0---0-0---0---0---0-0---0---0---0-0---0---0----|
D|-2---------------2----------------------------------------|
A|3---------------3-----------------------------------------|
E|----------------------------------------------------------|
[C] Of the [D] hills of Do[Am]negal
[Am]
e|---------0-------------0-------------0-------------0------|
B|-----1-------1-----1-------1-----1-------1-----1-------1--|
G|---2---2---2---2-2---2---2---2-2---2---2---2-2---2---2----|
D|-2---------------2----------------------------------------|
A|0---------------0-----------------------------------------|
E|----------------------------------------------------------|
🌿 CHORUS
[G] In the [D] city of Chi[Em]cago
(repeat same tab pattern as first line)
[G] As the [D] evening shadows [Bm] fall
[C] There are [D] people [Em] dreaming
[C] Of the [D] hills of Do[Am]negal
(Repeat verse patterns as above)
🎶 STRUMMING OPTION (for a more traditional feel)
For a live folk rhythm (like Christy Moore’s version):
Verse:
Down (Bass) Down-Up Down-Up — soft, steady, finger-muted.
Chorus:
Down Down-Up Up-Down-Up — more open ringing.
Keep your right-hand wrist relaxed, accent beat 2 slightly, and let the Em and C chords ring to capture the mournful air of the song.
Key of D Major.
In [D]the [A]City of Chi[Bm]cago,
[D]As the [A]evening shadows [F#m]fall,
[G]There are [A]people [Bm]dreaming,
[G]Of the [A]hills of Do[Em]negal.
[Em]Eighteen forty-[G]seven, was the [A]year it all be[Bm]gan,
[Em]Deadly pains of [G]hunger, drove a [A]million from the [Bm]land,
They [Em]journeyed not for [G]glory, their [A]motive was not [Bm]greed,
A [Em]voyage of su[G]rvival, a [A]cross the stormy [Bm]sea.
**[Ghorus]**
In [D]the [A]City of Chi[Bm]cago,
[D]As the [A]evening shadows [F#m]fall,
[G]There are [A]people [Bm]dreaming,
[G]Of the [A]hills of Do[Em]negal.
[Em]Some of them knew [G]fortune, some of [A]them knew fame,
[Em]More of them knew [G]hardship, and [A]died upon the [Bm]plain,
They [Em]spread throughout the [G]nation, they [A]rode the railroad [Bm]cars,
And [Em]brought their songs and [G]music, to [A]ease their lonely [Bm]hearts.
In [D]the [A]City of Chi[Bm]cago,
[D]As the [A]evening shadows [F#m]fall,
[G]There are [A]people [Bm]dreaming,
[G]Of the [A]hills of Do[Em]negal.
In [G]the [D]City of Chi[Em]cago,
[G]As the [D]evening shadows [Bm]fall,
[C]There are [D]people [Em]dreaming,
[C]Of the [D]hills of Do[Am]negal.
[Am]Eighteen forty-[C]seven, was the [D]year it all be[Em]gan,
[Am]Deadly pains of [C]hunger, drove a [D]million from the [Em]land,
They [Am]journeyed not for [C]glory, their [D]motive was not [Em]greed,
A [Am]voyage of su[C]rvival, a [D]cross the stormy [Em]sea.
**[Chorus]**
In [G]the [D]City of Chi[Em]cago,
[G]As the [D]evening shadows [Bm]fall,
[C]There are [D]people [Em]dreaming,
[C]Of the [D]hills of Do[Am]negal.
[Am]Some of them knew [C]fortune, some of [D]them knew fame,
[Am]More of them knew [C]hardship, and [D]died upon the [Em]plain,
They [Am]spread throughout the [C]nation, they [D]rode the railroad [Em]cars,
And [Am]brought their songs and [C]music, to [D]ease their lonely [Em]hearts.
**[Chorus]**
In [G]the [D]City of Chi[Em]cago,
[G]As the [D]evening shadows [Bm]fall,
[C]There are [D]people [Em]dreaming,
[C]Of the [D]hills of Do[Am]negal.
Here’s the complete guide with a natural strumming pattern and a fingerstyle tab for the first verse and chorus.
🎵 Key: G Major
Time Signature: 4/4
Tempo: ~80 BPM (slow, flowing ballad)
🎸 STRUMMING PATTERN
Use a relaxed, folk-style rhythm — steady but expressive.
Pattern:
👉 Down – Down Up – Up Down Up
Count it as:
1 & 2 & 3 & 4 &
→ Down (strong) – Down Up (soft) – Up Down Up (flowing)
Play softly during the verse, stronger in the chorus.
Alternate the bass note (G → D → G → D) for texture if fingerpicking hybrid.
🎶 FINGERPICKING TAB (first verse & chorus)
This fingerpicking version uses Travis-style picking — alternating bass with melodic treble strings.
Right-hand fingering:
P (thumb) = bass (E, A, D)
I (index) = G string
M (middle) = B string
A (ring) = high E string
🎵 Verse 1
[G] In the [D] city of Chi[Em]cago
[G]
e|---------3-------------3-------------3-------------3------|
B|-----0-------0-----0-------0-----0-------0-----0-------0--|
G|---0---0---0---0-0---0---0---0-0---0---0---0-0---0---0----|
D|----------------------------------------------------------|
A|-------2---------------2----------------------------------|
E|-3---------------3----------------------------------------|
[D]
e|---------2-------------2-------------2-------------2------|
B|-----3-------3-----3-------3-----3-------3-----3-------3--|
G|---2---2---2---2-2---2---2---2-2---2---2---2-2---2---2----|
D|-0---------------0----------------------------------------|
A|----------------------------------------------------------|
E|----------------------------------------------------------|
[Em]
e|---------0-------------0-------------0-------------0------|
B|-----0-------0-----0-------0-----0-------0-----0-------0--|
G|---0---0---0---0-0---0---0---0-0---0---0---0-0---0---0----|
D|-2---------------2----------------------------------------|
A|2---------------2-----------------------------------------|
E|0---------------------------------------------------------|
[G] As the [D] evening shadows [Bm] fall
[Bm]
e|---------2-------------2-------------2-------------2------|
B|-----3-------3-----3-------3-----3-------3-----3-------3--|
G|---4---4---4---4-4---4---4---4-4---4---4---4-4---4---4----|
D|-4---------------4----------------------------------------|
A|2---------------2-----------------------------------------|
E|----------------------------------------------------------|
[C] There are [D] people [Em] dreaming
[C]
e|---------0-------------0-------------0-------------0------|
B|-----1-------1-----1-------1-----1-------1-----1-------1--|
G|---0---0---0---0-0---0---0---0-0---0---0---0-0---0---0----|
D|-2---------------2----------------------------------------|
A|3---------------3-----------------------------------------|
E|----------------------------------------------------------|
[C] Of the [D] hills of Do[Am]negal
[Am]
e|---------0-------------0-------------0-------------0------|
B|-----1-------1-----1-------1-----1-------1-----1-------1--|
G|---2---2---2---2-2---2---2---2-2---2---2---2-2---2---2----|
D|-2---------------2----------------------------------------|
A|0---------------0-----------------------------------------|
E|----------------------------------------------------------|
🌿 CHORUS
[G] In the [D] city of Chi[Em]cago
(repeat same tab pattern as first line)
[G] As the [D] evening shadows [Bm] fall
[C] There are [D] people [Em] dreaming
[C] Of the [D] hills of Do[Am]negal
(Repeat verse patterns as above)
🎶 STRUMMING OPTION (for a more traditional feel)
For a live folk rhythm (like Christy Moore’s version):
Verse:
Down (Bass) Down-Up Down-Up — soft, steady, finger-muted.
Chorus:
Down Down-Up Up-Down-Up — more open ringing.
Keep your right-hand wrist relaxed, accent beat 2 slightly, and let the Em and C chords ring to capture the mournful air of the song.
Key of D Major.
In [D]the [A]City of Chi[Bm]cago,
[D]As the [A]evening shadows [F#m]fall,
[G]There are [A]people [Bm]dreaming,
[G]Of the [A]hills of Do[Em]negal.
[Em]Eighteen forty-[G]seven, was the [A]year it all be[Bm]gan,
[Em]Deadly pains of [G]hunger, drove a [A]million from the [Bm]land,
They [Em]journeyed not for [G]glory, their [A]motive was not [Bm]greed,
A [Em]voyage of su[G]rvival, a [A]cross the stormy [Bm]sea.
**[Ghorus]**
In [D]the [A]City of Chi[Bm]cago,
[D]As the [A]evening shadows [F#m]fall,
[G]There are [A]people [Bm]dreaming,
[G]Of the [A]hills of Do[Em]negal.
[Em]Some of them knew [G]fortune, some of [A]them knew fame,
[Em]More of them knew [G]hardship, and [A]died upon the [Bm]plain,
They [Em]spread throughout the [G]nation, they [A]rode the railroad [Bm]cars,
And [Em]brought their songs and [G]music, to [A]ease their lonely [Bm]hearts.
In [D]the [A]City of Chi[Bm]cago,
[D]As the [A]evening shadows [F#m]fall,
[G]There are [A]people [Bm]dreaming,
[G]Of the [A]hills of Do[Em]negal.
Guitar chords in the Key of c
In[C] the[G] City of Chi[Am]cago
[C]As the[G] evening shadows[Em] fall
[F] There are[G] people[Am] dreaming
[F] Of the[G] hills of Do[Dm]negal
[Dm]Eighteen forty-[F]seven, was the[G] year it all be[Am]gan
[Dm]Deadly pains of[F] hunger, drove a[G] million from the[Am] land
They[Dm] journeyed not for[F] glory, their[G] motive was not [Am]greed
A[Dm] voyage of su[F]rvival, a[G]cross the stormy[Am] sea
In[C] the[G] City of Chi[Am]cago
[C]As the[G] evening shadows[Em] fall
[F] There are[G] people[Am] dreaming
[F] Of the[G] hills of Do[Dm]negal
[Dm]Eighteen forty-[F]seven, was the[G] year it all be[Am]gan
[Dm]Deadly pains of[F] hunger, drove a[G] million from the[Am] land
They[Dm] journeyed not for[F] glory, their[G] motive was not [Am]greed
A[Dm] voyage of su[F]rvival, a[G]cross the stormy[Am] sea
Key of D
In[D] the[A] City of Chi[Bm]cago
[D]As the[A] evening shadows[F#m] fall
[G] There are[A] people[Bm] dreaming
[G] Of the[A] hills of Do[Em]negal
[Em]Eighteen forty-[G]seven, was the[A] year it all be[Bm]gan
[Em]Deadly pains of[G] hunger, drove a[A] million from the[Bm] land
They[Em] journeyed not for[G] glory, their[A] motive was not [Bm]greed
A[Em] voyage of su[G]rvival, a[A]cross the stormy[Bm] sea
In[D] the[A] City of Chi[Bm]cago
[D]As the[A] evening shadows[F#m] fall
[G] There are[A] people[Bm] dreaming
[G] Of the[A] hills of Do[Em]negal
[Em]Eighteen forty-[G]seven, was the[A] year it all be[Bm]gan
[Em]Deadly pains of[G] hunger, drove a[A] million from the[Bm] land
They[Em] journeyed not for[G] glory, their[A] motive was not [Bm]greed
A[Em] voyage of su[G]rvival, a[A]cross the stormy[Bm] sea
Luka Bloom songwriter of City Of Chicago
City of Chicago sheet music
Tin whistle sheet music
,
Below is the list of songs in the Christy Moore pdf song book. Over 50 of Christy's greatest songs
with sheet music and tin whistle notes. Price €8.75
with sheet music and tin whistle notes. Price €8.75
