Goodbye Johnny Dear Lyrics And Chords

Words and music by Johnny Patterson. Recorded by Dan The Street Singer, Bridie Gallagher, Margo and Kate Purcell. Bridie sings it in the key of Bb. The sheet music tab /notes for tin whistle are included. The version of the guitar chords here is for Dan The Street Singer. Dan uses a key change near the end of the song, this is optional. Among the many other songs on the site A Mother's Love's A Blessing Song is one of the top by Bridie.

​[C]Just twenty years ago today, I held my [G]mother's [C]hand,
As she [F]kissed and blessed her [C]only [Am]son, going [D]to a foreign land[G]
The [C]neighbours took me from her breast and told her I [G]must [C]go,
And [F]then I hear my [C]mother's say in [F]tones so sweet and [C]low

[C]Goodbye, Johnny dear, when you're far away,
[F]Don't forget your [Am]dear old mother [D]far across the sea[G]
[C]Write a letter now and then and send her all you can,
And [F]don't forget where [C]e'er you roam that [C#]you're an Irish[C]man.

[C]I sailed away from Queenstown, that is the Cove of Cork,
A [F]pleasant voyage we [C]surly [Am]had and [D]landed in New York[G]
My [C]friends came to meet me there and work I [G]got next [C]day,
But [F]still I thought that [C]I could hear my [C#]mother's sweet voice [C]say.

[C]Goodbye, Johnny dear, when you're far away,
[F]Don't forget your [Am]dear old mother [D]far across the sea[G]
[C]Write a letter now and then and send her all you can,
And [F]don't forget where [C]e'er you roam that [C#]you're an Irish[C]man. [ F] [C] [F] [C]

Key change for last verse is optional

One [C#]day a letter came to me, it came from Ireland,
The [F#]postmark showed it [Bbm]came from home, it was [Eb]not my mother's hand[Ab]
'Twas [C#]father John who had wrote to say that she [Ab]had passed a[C#]way,
And [F#]then just as if from [C#]Heaven above I could[F#] hear my mother [C#]say.

[C#]Goodbye, Johnny dear, when you're far away,
[F#]Don't forget your [C#]dear old [Bbm]mother [Eb]far across the sea[Ab]
[C#]Write a letter now and then and send her all you can,
And [F#]don't forget where [C#]e'er you roam that [D]you're an Irish[C#]

Here are the chords in the key of G in case the other version doesn't suit.
[G]Just twenty years ago today, I held my [D]mother's [G]hand,
As she [C]kissed and blessed her [G]only [Em]son, going [A]to a foreign land[D]
The [G]neighbours took me from her breast and told her I [D]must [G]go,
And [C]then I hear my [G]mother's say in [C]tones so sweet and [G]low

[G]Goodbye, Johnny dear, when you're far away,
[C]Don't forget your [Em]dear old mother [A]far across the sea[D]
[G]Write a letter now and then and send her all you can,
And [C]don't forget where [G]e'er you roam that [G#]you're an Irish[G]man.