Forty Shades Of Green Lyrics And Chords

Forty Shades Of Green lyrics and chords

Johnny wrote this little gem of a song on his first visit to Ireland. Regarding the word ''shalimar'' , there's no such place in Ireland as shalimar and when Irish singer Sandy Kelly was in the United States singing with Johnny Cash, Sandy asked Johnny where it was as she's not heard of it, Johnny told her that shalimar was the name of the perfume he bought his wife in the shop at the airport. The song itself was written on board an aeroplane on Johnny's trip to Germany to preform for the American troops stationed there. The plane refueled at Shannon Airport in Ireland and while looking out over the County of Clare and Limerick Johnny took notice of all the shades of Green.

[G]I close my eyes and picture the[C] emerald of the sea
From the[G] fishing boats at Dingle
To the[A7] shores of Dona'[D]dee
I[G] miss the River Shannon and [C]folks at Skibereen
The[G] Moorlands and the Meadows
And their[D] forty shades of[G] green
But[C] most of all I miss a girl in[G] Tipperary town
And[C] most of all I miss her[G] lips
As [A7]soft as eider[D]down
A[G]gain I want to see and do
The [C]things I've done and seen
Where the[G] breeze is sweet as shalimar
And there's[D] forty shades of [G]green

I wish that I could spend an hour
At Dublin's churning surf
I'd love to watch the farmers
Drain the bog and spade the turf

🎵 Forty Shades of Green — Key of G Major

Tuning: Standard (EADGBE)
Tempo: ~80 BPM (slow & reflective)
Time Signature: 4/4

🎸 1. Chords (G Major)

Verse 1

[G]I close my eyes and picture the [C]emerald of the sea
From the [G]fishing boats at Dingle
To the [A7]shores of Dona’[D]dee
I [G]miss the River Shannon and the [C]folks at Skibereen
The [G]moorlands and the meadows
And their [D]forty shades of [G]green

Verse 2

But [C]most of all I miss a girl in [G]Tipperary town
And [C]most of all I miss her [G]lips
As [A7]soft as eider [D]down
A [G]gain I want to see and do the [C]things I’ve done and seen
Where the [G]breeze is sweet as shalimar
And there’s [D]forty shades of [G]green

🎸 2. Strumming Pattern (4/4 Ballad)

For a slow country feel:

↓ ↓↑ ↑↓↑

Counting:

1 2& 3&4&

How to play it:

Beat 1: Bass note only (thumb or pick)

Beats 2–4: Light down-up brushing on upper strings

Keep it gentle and rolling, slightly swung

For softer verses:

↓ ↓ ↓↑

This works beautifully if you fingerpick the first verse and strum the second.

🎶 3. Fingerpicking Tab (Travis Style for All Verses)

Use a steady thumb alternating bass — gives that flowing Irish-Country motion.

Pattern (per measure):

T – I – T – M
(Thumb = bass, Index = G string, Middle = B string)

Verse 1 Fingerpicking Arrangement
G
e|----------------|----------------|
B|------0---------|------0---------|
G|----0---0-------|----0---0-------|
D|--------0-------|--------0-------|
A|----------------|----------------|
E|--3-------------|--3-------------|
I close my eyes and picture the emerald of the sea,

C G
e|----------------|----------------|----------------|----------------|
B|------1---------|------1---------|------0---------|------0---------|
G|----0---0-------|----0---0-------|----0---0-------|----0---0-------|
D|--------2-------|--------2-------|--------0-------|--------0-------|
A|--3-------------|--3-------------|----------------|----------------|
E|----------------|----------------|--3-------------|--3-------------|
From the fishing boats at Dingle to the shores of Donadee,

A7 D
e|----------------|----------------|----------------|----------------|
B|------2---------|------2---------|------3---------|------3---------|
G|----0---0-------|----0---0-------|----2---2-------|----2---2-------|
D|--------2-------|--------2-------|--------0-------|--------0-------|
A|--0-------------|--0-------------|--0-------------|--0-------------|
E|----------------|----------------|----------------|----------------|
I miss the River Shannon and the folks at Skibereen,

G D G
e|----------------|----------------|----------------|----------------|
B|------0---------|------0---------|------3---------|------0---------|
G|----0---0-------|----0---0-------|----2---2-------|----0---0-------|
D|--------0-------|--------0-------|--------0-------|--------0-------|
A|----------------|----------------|--0-------------|----------------|
E|--3-------------|--3-------------|----------------|--3-------------|
The moorlands and the meadows and their forty shades of green.

Verse 2 Fingerpicking Arrangement
C G
e|----------------|----------------|----------------|----------------|
B|------1---------|------1---------|------0---------|------0---------|
G|----0---0-------|----0---0-------|----0---0-------|----0---0-------|
D|--------2-------|--------2-------|--------0-------|--------0-------|
A|--3-------------|--3-------------|----------------|----------------|
E|----------------|----------------|--3-------------|--3-------------|
But most of all I miss a girl in Tipperary town,

C G
e|----------------|----------------|----------------|----------------|
B|------1---------|------1---------|------0---------|------0---------|
G|----0---0-------|----0---0-------|----0---0-------|----0---0-------|
D|--------2-------|--------2-------|--------0-------|--------0-------|
A|--3-------------|--3-------------|----------------|----------------|
E|----------------|----------------|--3-------------|--3-------------|
And most of all I miss her lips as soft as eiderdown,

A7 D
e|----------------|----------------|----------------|----------------|
B|------2---------|------2---------|------3---------|------3---------|
G|----0---0-------|----0---0-------|----2---2-------|----2---2-------|
D|--------2-------|--------2-------|--------0-------|--------0-------|
A|--0-------------|--0-------------|--0-------------|--0-------------|
E|----------------|----------------|----------------|----------------|
Again I want to see and do the things I’ve done and seen,

G D G
e|----------------|----------------|----------------|----------------|
B|------0---------|------0---------|------3---------|------0---------|
G|----0---0-------|----0---0-------|----2---2-------|----0---0-------|
D|--------0-------|--------0-------|--------0-------|--------0-------|
A|----------------|----------------|--0-------------|----------------|
E|--3-------------|--3-------------|----------------|--3-------------|
Where the breeze is sweet as shalimar and there’s forty shades of green.

Here's the chords in the key of D Major.

[D]I close my eyes and picture the[G] emerald of the sea From the[D] fishing boats at Dingle To the[E7] shores of Dona'[A]dee I[D] miss the River Shannon and [G]folks at Skibereen The[D] Moorlands and the Meadows And their[A] forty shades of[D] green But[G] most of all I miss a girl in[D] Tipperary town And[G] most of all I miss her[D] lips As [E7]soft as eider[A]down A[D]gain I want to see and do The [G]things I've done and seen Where the[D] breeze is sweet as shalimar And there's[A] forty shades of [D]green.

Key of C.
[C]I close my eyes and picture the[F] emerald of the sea From the[C] fishing boats at Dingle To the[D7] shores of Dona'[G]dee I[C] miss the River Shannon and [F]folks at Skibereen The[C] Moorlands and the Meadows And their[G] forty shades of[C] green But[F] most of all I miss a girl in[C] Tipperary town And[F] most of all I miss her[C] lips As [D7]soft as eider[G]down A[C]gain I want to see and do The [F]things I've done and seen Where the[C] breeze is sweet as shalimar And there's[G] forty shades of [C]green

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Fourty Shades Of Green Tin Whistle Sheet Music Included.

Johnny Cash song Forty Shades Of Green