Fairytale Of New York Song Lyrics Guitar Chords 

Shane McGowan.I say this is the best Christmas song of all time and I also say Shane is one of the greatest songwriters of all time.  Tin whistle sheet music music notes are included, which are suitable for other musical instruments such as accordion, banjo, and keyboard.don't forget to try the capo if the key doesn't suit your voice. [ Letter notes are also suited to recorder and flute ].

Key Of G
[D]It was Christmas [G]Eve babe In the [C]drunk tank
An old man [G]said to me, won't see a[D]nother one
And then he [G]sang a song The Rare Old [C]Mountain Dew
And I turned my [G]face away And dreamed a[Dsus4]bout [G]you,,[D]

Got on a [G]lucky one Came in eigh[C]teen to one
I've got a [G]feeling This year's for [D]me and you
So happy [G]Christmas I love you[C] baby
I can see a [G]better time When all our dreams [Dsus4]come [G]true

They've [G]got cars Big as [D]bars
They've got [Em]rivers of [C]gold But the [G]wind goes
Right through you It's no place for the [D]old

When you [G]first took my [Em]hand on a [G]cold Christmas [C]Eve
You [G]promised me Broadway was [D]waiting for [G]me

You were [G]handsome You were pretty
Queen Of New York [D]City When the [G]band finished [C]playing They [D]howled out for [G]more

Si[G]natra was swinging, All the drunks they were [D]singing
We [G]kissed on the [C]corner Then [D]danced through the [G]night

The [C]Boys of the NYPD choir were [G]singing 'Galway [Em]Bay'
And the [G]bells were [C]ringing [D]Out for Christmas [G]day

[G]You're a bum You're a punk
You're an old slut on [D]junk Lying [G]there almost [C]dead on a [D]drip
In that [G]bed

You [G]scum bag You maggot You cheap lousy [D]faggot
Happy [G]Christmas you [C]arse I pray [D]God
It's our [G]last.

The [C]Boys of the NYPD choir were [G]singing 'Galway [Em]Bay'
And the [G]bells were [C]ringing [D]Out for Christmas [G]day.

I [D]could have [G]been someone So could [C]anyone
You took my [G]dreams From me when I first [D]found you
I kept them [G]with me babe I put them [C]with my own
Can't make it [G]all alone I've built my [C]dreams a[D]round [G]you.

The [C]Boys of the NYPD choir were [G]singing 'Galway [Em]Bay'
And the [G]bells were [C]ringing [D]Out for Christmas [G]day.

Recorded by The Pogues And Kirsty McColl, Kirsty was the daughter of Ewan McColl who 
was married to Peggy Seeger. The video is one of the first demo takes where Cath O'Riordian who was the bass player does the duet with Shane. This version is much slower and most of the song is with just the accordion playing lead notes. This slower take is ideal for anybody trying to learn the lead notes on banjo, accordion or tin whistle.
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This song was voted the third best Christmas hit by readers of Time Out Magazine in England. Shane says that when they were being produced by Elvis Costello that Costello made a bet with him that he couldn't write a Christmas duet to sing with the Pogues bass 
player Cath o'Riordan who later became the wife of Elvis costello. Cath recorded a guide version of Fairytale on vocals and later left the group with her part being given to Kirsty McColl.

Fairytale Of New York Tin Whistle Notes
Intro:
 
A B G C# D' A D G F# E D D
 
Slow beginning sang by Shane:
 
A A D C# E D D
D' C# C# B
B C# D' A F# F#
D G F# F# E E 
A D C# E D D
D' D' C# C# B B
B B C# D' A F# F#
D G F# E D D
 
A B G C# D' A D G F# E D D
 
(Pace quickens, other instruments come in)
 
1st Verse
 D D D E F# E D E F# E D B D D D E F# A F# F# F# A F# D E
A A A F# D E D E F# E D B D D E F# A F# D E F# E D
 
A A A B F# E F# D
A A F# D E D
D E F# E D B G B A B C# D
F# A B A F# D A A A F# D E D E
E F# E D B G B A B C# D
 
Chorus
 
A B B B B C# D' D' C# B A D D E F#
D E F# D G F# E D F# E D
 
Last verse, begins with the words, "I could have been someone....."
 A A D C# E D D
A A B A G G
G A B A D D
D E D D C# C# 
A D C# E D D
A D' C# C# B B
B B C# D' A F# F#
F# F# D G F# E D
 
Play chorus once more:
 A B B B B C# D' D' C# B A D D E F#
D E F# D G F# E D F# E D
 Instrumental, ad lib to fade etc...

 And the next version below is the one that I play meself. The low notes are the one's written in CAPITAL LETTERS up as far as B and the high notes are the lower case letters. This is an easier version than the one above played by Jean in the video

D  D   G      F#      A    G        g   f#   f#       e
It was Christmas Eve babe In the drunk tank
e   f#    g      d     B   B     G        c      B B  A   A
An old man said to me, won't see another one
D    G      F#  A      G  G       g     g       f#   f#      e       e
And then he sang a song The Rare Old Mountain Dew
e f#         g   d      B  B    G      c              B A      G
I turned my face away And dreamed about you

D    G  F# A  G   G      g        g   f#     f#     e  e
Got on a  lucky one Came in eight een to one
e    f#    g  d  B      G     c          B    B    A     A
I've got  a feeling This year's for me and you
D  G F#     A      G      g g     f#  f# e
So happy Christmas I love you ba-by
e f#  g    g d  B    B     G       c    B   A         G       G
I can see a better time When all our dreams come true

G          G   G     A   B   A     G         A     B  A   G  E
They've got cars big as bars They've got rivers of  gold
G   G    G     A      B      d          B    B    B   d      B    G   A
But the wind goes right through you It's no place for the old
d       d     d     B    G    A      G  A  B     A     G      E
When you first took my hand On a cold Christmas Eve
G    G     A     B    d      B     G    A    B   A   G
You promised me Broadway was waiting for me

d    d       d     e       d     d     B   G   d         d  B     G    A G
You were handsome You were pretty Queen of New York City
G       A   B       A   G     E   G     E      D        E   F#  G
When the band finished playing They howled out for more
B d e    d     B    G       d   d   d         B      G      A   G
Sinatra was swinging,  All the drunks they were singing
A    B       A  G  E  G     E     D         E           F#  G
We kissed on a corner Then danced through the night

d    e       e  e   e f#  g g  f#      e      d  B      G  A      B
The boys of the N-Y-  P-D choir Were singing "Galway Bay"
G    A    B     G      c   B     A   G    B       A      G
And the bells were ringing out For Christmas day

The Tin Whistle Songbook With Letter Notes

Fairytale Of New York Tin Whistle Sheet Music Notes

Don't let the size of the sheet music daunt you as I included the first two verses of the song and the second verse basically uses the same notes as the first.