Kathleen Mavourneen Irish folk lyrics and guitar chords
The sheet music is included. Recorded by John McCormack. The guitar chords are in the key of G and a version in D and C Major also. The youtube video is of that famous Irish tenor singer John McCormack who was one of the first to make a recording of The Dawning Of The Day .
[G]Kathleen, mavourneen, the grey dawn is breaking,
The[D] horn of the [D7]hunter is[G] heard [D]on the [G]hill.
The [G]lark from her light wing the bright dew is [C]shaking,
[G]Kathleen, mavourneen, what! [D7]Slumbering [G]still?
Oh, [Em]hast thou for[B7]gotten how [Em]soon we must[B7] sever?
Oh, [Em]hast thou for[C]gotten this [Am]day we must[D] part?
It [G]may be for years, and it may [G7]be for[C]ever,
Then [G]why art thou [D]silent, thou[D7] voice of my [G]heart?
It [C]may be for [G]years and it[D7] may be for[G]ever,
Then [C]why art thou [G]silent, [D]Kathleen, ma[D7]vourne[G]en?
Kathleen, mavourneen, awake from thy slumbers,
The blue mountains glow in the sun's golden light.
Ah! Where is the spell that once hung on thy numbers,
Arise in thy beauty, thou star of my night!
Mavourneen, mavourneen, my sad tears are falling,
To think that from Erin and thee I must part!
It may be for years, and it may be forever,
Then why art thou silent, thou voice of my heart?
It may be for years and it may be forever,
Then why art thou silent, Kathleen, mavourneen?
The[D] horn of the [D7]hunter is[G] heard [D]on the [G]hill.
The [G]lark from her light wing the bright dew is [C]shaking,
[G]Kathleen, mavourneen, what! [D7]Slumbering [G]still?
Oh, [Em]hast thou for[B7]gotten how [Em]soon we must[B7] sever?
Oh, [Em]hast thou for[C]gotten this [Am]day we must[D] part?
It [G]may be for years, and it may [G7]be for[C]ever,
Then [G]why art thou [D]silent, thou[D7] voice of my [G]heart?
It [C]may be for [G]years and it[D7] may be for[G]ever,
Then [C]why art thou [G]silent, [D]Kathleen, ma[D7]vourne[G]en?
Kathleen, mavourneen, awake from thy slumbers,
The blue mountains glow in the sun's golden light.
Ah! Where is the spell that once hung on thy numbers,
Arise in thy beauty, thou star of my night!
Mavourneen, mavourneen, my sad tears are falling,
To think that from Erin and thee I must part!
It may be for years, and it may be forever,
Then why art thou silent, thou voice of my heart?
It may be for years and it may be forever,
Then why art thou silent, Kathleen, mavourneen?
Chords in the key of D
[D]Kathleen, mavourneen, the grey dawn is breaking,
The[A] horn of the [A7]hunter is[D] heard [A]on the [D]hill.
The [D]lark from her light wing the bright dew is [G]shaking,
[D]Kathleen, mavourneen, what! [A7]Slumbering [D]still?
Oh, [Bm]hast thou for[F#7]gotten how [Bm]soon we must[F#7] sever?
Oh, [Bm]hast thou for[G]gotten this [Em]day we must[A] part?
It [D]may be for years, and it may [D7]be for[G]ever,
Then [D]why art thou [A]silent, thou[A7] voice of my [D]heart?
It [G]may be for [D]years and it[A7] may be for[D]ever,
Then [G]why art thou [D]silent, [A]Kathleen, ma[A7]vourne[D]en?
Lyrics and chords K - M
[D]Kathleen, mavourneen, the grey dawn is breaking,
The[A] horn of the [A7]hunter is[D] heard [A]on the [D]hill.
The [D]lark from her light wing the bright dew is [G]shaking,
[D]Kathleen, mavourneen, what! [A7]Slumbering [D]still?
Oh, [Bm]hast thou for[F#7]gotten how [Bm]soon we must[F#7] sever?
Oh, [Bm]hast thou for[G]gotten this [Em]day we must[A] part?
It [D]may be for years, and it may [D7]be for[G]ever,
Then [D]why art thou [A]silent, thou[A7] voice of my [D]heart?
It [G]may be for [D]years and it[A7] may be for[D]ever,
Then [G]why art thou [D]silent, [A]Kathleen, ma[A7]vourne[D]en?
Lyrics and chords K - M
this is pure Irish romantic heartbreak, sung with the emotional intensity of a man who’s one sniffle away from complete meltdown. It’s got longing, poetic scenery, dramatic farewell lines — the works. So let’s dive in with Irish wit:
We’ve got our poor lad trying to wake up Kathleen — calling:
“Kathleen, mavourneen…”
(my darling, my love, my heart — basically every pet name except “ya big eejit.”)
The grey dawn is breaking, hunters are blowing horns, larks are shaking dew --
and Kathleen, bless her, is still fast asleep, probably thinking:
“He can wait — I’m wrecked.”
Then he hits her with the tragic news:
“Have you forgotten we must part today?
Maybe for years… maybe forever?”
And Kathleen’s lying there thinking:
“Well maybe if you’d stop yapping about hunters and dawn, I’d be able to FEEL the emotion.”
But no — she’s silent.
And nothing drives an Irishman mad like a woman who won’t talk.
He’s begging her:
“Then why art thou silent?”
Which translates roughly to:
“For the love of God, would you please SAY SOMETHING?”
In the second verse, he tries the scenic approach:
He’s crying, she’s quiet;
he’s heartbroken, she’s horizontal.
Then comes the real emotional gut punch:
“It may be for years, it may be forever…”
He’s saying:
“I might never see you again — I’ll be pining away in misery, writing moody poetry and drinking stout — SAY SOMETHING!”
But still — silence.
Kathleen might be poignant and emotional inside…
or she might just be REALLY committed to getting another five minutes of sleep.
In short, this song is:
**“I’m leaving forever — please acknowledge me!”
and she replies with:
snore
Ah, poor lad.
May the road rise to meet him --
and may Kathleen eventually wake up.
We’ve got our poor lad trying to wake up Kathleen — calling:
“Kathleen, mavourneen…”
(my darling, my love, my heart — basically every pet name except “ya big eejit.”)
The grey dawn is breaking, hunters are blowing horns, larks are shaking dew --
and Kathleen, bless her, is still fast asleep, probably thinking:
“He can wait — I’m wrecked.”
Then he hits her with the tragic news:
“Have you forgotten we must part today?
Maybe for years… maybe forever?”
And Kathleen’s lying there thinking:
“Well maybe if you’d stop yapping about hunters and dawn, I’d be able to FEEL the emotion.”
But no — she’s silent.
And nothing drives an Irishman mad like a woman who won’t talk.
He’s begging her:
“Then why art thou silent?”
Which translates roughly to:
“For the love of God, would you please SAY SOMETHING?”
In the second verse, he tries the scenic approach:
- golden sunlight
- glowing mountains
- beauty and starlight
He’s crying, she’s quiet;
he’s heartbroken, she’s horizontal.
Then comes the real emotional gut punch:
“It may be for years, it may be forever…”
He’s saying:
“I might never see you again — I’ll be pining away in misery, writing moody poetry and drinking stout — SAY SOMETHING!”
But still — silence.
Kathleen might be poignant and emotional inside…
or she might just be REALLY committed to getting another five minutes of sleep.
In short, this song is:
- a man begging for emotional closure
- a woman refusing to engage
- a farewell full of poetry and panic
- and a level of dramatic suffering that could only come from the Irish soul
**“I’m leaving forever — please acknowledge me!”
and she replies with:
snore
Ah, poor lad.
May the road rise to meet him --
and may Kathleen eventually wake up.
Included below is the sheet music for Kathleen Mavoureen in PDF Format
Kathleen Mavourneen Sheet Music Notes
