Reilly's Daughter chords and lyrics
A traditional song which was recorded by The Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem [ songs ] with Tommy doing lead vocals, the song is over 100 years old. Sometimes refereed to as ''The One Eyed Reilly'. I've give the guitar chords in two keys, the second version in F# is the key used by The Clancys. Sheet Music in G Major included along with the tin whistle notes.
[G]As I was sitting by the fire
Eating spuds and [D7]drinking porter
[G]Suddenly a thought came into my mind
I'd like to marry old [D7]Reilly's daughter.
CHORUS:
[G]Giddy i-ae Giddy i-ae Giddy i-ae for the [D7]one-eyed Reilly
[G]Giddy i-ae (bang bang bang) Play it on your[D7] old bass[G] drum.
Reilly played on the big bass drum
Reilly had a mind for murder and slaughter
Reilly had a bright red glittering eye
And he kept that eye on his lovely daughter.
Her hair was black and her eyes were blue
The colonel and the major and the captain sought her
The sergeant and the private and the drummer boy too
But they never had a chance with Reilly's daughter.
I got me a ring and a parson too
Got me a scratch in a married quarter
Settled me down to a peaceful life
Happy as a king with Reilly's daughter.
Suddenly a footstep on the stairs
Who should it be but Reilly out for slaughter
With two pistols in his hands
Looking for the man who had married his daughter.
I caught old Reilly by the hair
Rammed his head in a pail of water
Fired his pistols into the air
A damned sight quicker than I married
Eating spuds and [D7]drinking porter
[G]Suddenly a thought came into my mind
I'd like to marry old [D7]Reilly's daughter.
CHORUS:
[G]Giddy i-ae Giddy i-ae Giddy i-ae for the [D7]one-eyed Reilly
[G]Giddy i-ae (bang bang bang) Play it on your[D7] old bass[G] drum.
Reilly played on the big bass drum
Reilly had a mind for murder and slaughter
Reilly had a bright red glittering eye
And he kept that eye on his lovely daughter.
Her hair was black and her eyes were blue
The colonel and the major and the captain sought her
The sergeant and the private and the drummer boy too
But they never had a chance with Reilly's daughter.
I got me a ring and a parson too
Got me a scratch in a married quarter
Settled me down to a peaceful life
Happy as a king with Reilly's daughter.
Suddenly a footstep on the stairs
Who should it be but Reilly out for slaughter
With two pistols in his hands
Looking for the man who had married his daughter.
I caught old Reilly by the hair
Rammed his head in a pail of water
Fired his pistols into the air
A damned sight quicker than I married
It’s a bright 2/4 song, meant to sound like a march or jig --
perfect for alternating bass–strum patterns or bouncy fingerpicking.
Below is a complete version in G Major, with:
Chords for all verses and chorus,
A 2/4 strumming pattern, and
A fingerpicking tab for the first verse and chorus.
🎵 Reilly’s Daughter (in G Major, 2/4 time)
🎶 Strumming Pattern (2/4 March Feel)
↓ (Bass) ↓↑ (Chord)
Count: 1 2&
Or alternate bass style:
Bass (↓ on 1) → Strum (↓↑ on 2)
Folk players often accent beat 1 slightly for the march bounce.
Verse 1
[G]As I was sitting by the fire
Eating spuds and [D7]drinking porter
[G]Suddenly a thought came into my mind
I'd like to marry old [D7]Reilly's daughter.
Chorus
[G]Giddy i-ae Giddy i-ae Giddy i-ae for the [D7]one-eyed Reilly
[G]Giddy i-ae (bang bang bang)
Play it on your [D7]old bass [G]drum.
Verse 2
[G]Reilly played on the big bass drum
Reilly had a mind for [D7]murder and slaughter
[G]Reilly had a bright red glittering eye
And he kept that eye on his [D7]lovely daughter.
Chorus repeats
Verse 3
[G]Her hair was black and her eyes were blue
The colonel and the [D7]major and the captain sought her
[G]The sergeant and the private and the drummer boy too
But they never had a chance with [D7]Reilly’s daughter.
Chorus repeats
Verse 4
[G]I got me a ring and a parson too
Got me a scratch in a [D7]married quarter
[G]Settled me down to a peaceful life
Happy as a king with [D7]Reilly’s daughter.
Chorus repeats
Verse 5
[G]Suddenly a footstep on the stairs
Who should it be but [D7]Reilly out for slaughter
[G]With two pistols in his hands
Looking for the man who had [D7]married his daughter.
Chorus repeats
Verse 6
[G]I caught old Reilly by the hair
Rammed his head in a [D7]pail of water
[G]Fired his pistols into the air
A damned sight quicker than I [D7]married his daughter.
Chorus repeats
🎸 Fingerpicking Tab – Verse 1 + Chorus (2/4 time)
Style: Alternating bass + melody arpeggio
Tempo: ~100 bpm (lively, march feel)
Feel: “thumb–fingers” per bar
Pattern:
Beat 1 = bass (thumb)
Beat 2 = pluck upper strings together (index + middle)
Verse 1 Fingerpicking
G Major (As I was...) D7 (Eating spuds...)
e|--------------------------------|--------------------------------|
B|-------0-----------0-------------|-------1-----------1-----------|
G|-----0---0-------0---0-----------|-----2---2-------2---2---------|
D|---------------------------------|-----------0-----------0-------|
A|-----------2-----------2---------|-------------------------------|
E|-3---------------3---------------|---2---------------2-----------|
G Major (Suddenly a thought...) D7 (Reilly’s daughter)
e|--------------------------------|--------------------------------|
B|-------0-----------0-------------|-------1-----------1-----------|
G|-----0---0-------0---0-----------|-----2---2-------2---2---------|
D|---------------------------------|-----------0-----------0-------|
A|-----------2-----------2---------|-------------------------------|
E|-3---------------3---------------|---2---------------2-----------|
Chorus Fingerpicking
G Major (Giddy i-ae...) D7 (one-eyed Reilly)
e|--------------------------------|--------------------------------|
B|-------0-----------0-------------|-------1-----------1-----------|
G|-----0---0-------0---0-----------|-----2---2-------2---2---------|
D|---------------------------------|-----------0-----------0-------|
A|-----------2-----------2---------|-------------------------------|
E|-3---------------3---------------|---2---------------2-----------|
G Major (Giddy i-ae bang bang) D7–G (old bass drum)
e|--------------------------------|--------------------------------|
B|-------0-----------0-------------|-------1-----------0-----------|
G|-----0---0-------0---0-----------|-----2---2-------0---0---------|
D|---------------------------------|-----------0-----------0-------|
A|-----------2-----------2---------|-------------------2-----------|
E|-3---------------3---------------|---2---------------3-----------|
👉 Playing Tips:
Keep a steady “boom–chuck” motion — bass (beat 1) then treble pluck (beat 2).
Accentuate beat 1 for the jig-like bounce.
For a lively chorus, you can strum instead of picking on the last line.
perfect for alternating bass–strum patterns or bouncy fingerpicking.
Below is a complete version in G Major, with:
Chords for all verses and chorus,
A 2/4 strumming pattern, and
A fingerpicking tab for the first verse and chorus.
🎵 Reilly’s Daughter (in G Major, 2/4 time)
🎶 Strumming Pattern (2/4 March Feel)
↓ (Bass) ↓↑ (Chord)
Count: 1 2&
Or alternate bass style:
Bass (↓ on 1) → Strum (↓↑ on 2)
Folk players often accent beat 1 slightly for the march bounce.
Verse 1
[G]As I was sitting by the fire
Eating spuds and [D7]drinking porter
[G]Suddenly a thought came into my mind
I'd like to marry old [D7]Reilly's daughter.
Chorus
[G]Giddy i-ae Giddy i-ae Giddy i-ae for the [D7]one-eyed Reilly
[G]Giddy i-ae (bang bang bang)
Play it on your [D7]old bass [G]drum.
Verse 2
[G]Reilly played on the big bass drum
Reilly had a mind for [D7]murder and slaughter
[G]Reilly had a bright red glittering eye
And he kept that eye on his [D7]lovely daughter.
Chorus repeats
Verse 3
[G]Her hair was black and her eyes were blue
The colonel and the [D7]major and the captain sought her
[G]The sergeant and the private and the drummer boy too
But they never had a chance with [D7]Reilly’s daughter.
Chorus repeats
Verse 4
[G]I got me a ring and a parson too
Got me a scratch in a [D7]married quarter
[G]Settled me down to a peaceful life
Happy as a king with [D7]Reilly’s daughter.
Chorus repeats
Verse 5
[G]Suddenly a footstep on the stairs
Who should it be but [D7]Reilly out for slaughter
[G]With two pistols in his hands
Looking for the man who had [D7]married his daughter.
Chorus repeats
Verse 6
[G]I caught old Reilly by the hair
Rammed his head in a [D7]pail of water
[G]Fired his pistols into the air
A damned sight quicker than I [D7]married his daughter.
Chorus repeats
🎸 Fingerpicking Tab – Verse 1 + Chorus (2/4 time)
Style: Alternating bass + melody arpeggio
Tempo: ~100 bpm (lively, march feel)
Feel: “thumb–fingers” per bar
Pattern:
Beat 1 = bass (thumb)
Beat 2 = pluck upper strings together (index + middle)
Verse 1 Fingerpicking
G Major (As I was...) D7 (Eating spuds...)
e|--------------------------------|--------------------------------|
B|-------0-----------0-------------|-------1-----------1-----------|
G|-----0---0-------0---0-----------|-----2---2-------2---2---------|
D|---------------------------------|-----------0-----------0-------|
A|-----------2-----------2---------|-------------------------------|
E|-3---------------3---------------|---2---------------2-----------|
G Major (Suddenly a thought...) D7 (Reilly’s daughter)
e|--------------------------------|--------------------------------|
B|-------0-----------0-------------|-------1-----------1-----------|
G|-----0---0-------0---0-----------|-----2---2-------2---2---------|
D|---------------------------------|-----------0-----------0-------|
A|-----------2-----------2---------|-------------------------------|
E|-3---------------3---------------|---2---------------2-----------|
Chorus Fingerpicking
G Major (Giddy i-ae...) D7 (one-eyed Reilly)
e|--------------------------------|--------------------------------|
B|-------0-----------0-------------|-------1-----------1-----------|
G|-----0---0-------0---0-----------|-----2---2-------2---2---------|
D|---------------------------------|-----------0-----------0-------|
A|-----------2-----------2---------|-------------------------------|
E|-3---------------3---------------|---2---------------2-----------|
G Major (Giddy i-ae bang bang) D7–G (old bass drum)
e|--------------------------------|--------------------------------|
B|-------0-----------0-------------|-------1-----------0-----------|
G|-----0---0-------0---0-----------|-----2---2-------0---0---------|
D|---------------------------------|-----------0-----------0-------|
A|-----------2-----------2---------|-------------------2-----------|
E|-3---------------3---------------|---2---------------3-----------|
👉 Playing Tips:
Keep a steady “boom–chuck” motion — bass (beat 1) then treble pluck (beat 2).
Accentuate beat 1 for the jig-like bounce.
For a lively chorus, you can strum instead of picking on the last line.
Reilly's Daughter Sheet Music
Here are the guitar chords as played by The Clancy's in the youtube video.
[F#]As I was sitting by the fire
Talking to O'[B]Reilly's daughter
[F#]Suddenly a thought came into my mind
I'd like to marry old [B]Reilly's daughter.
CHORUS:
[F#]Giddy i-ae Giddy i-ae Giddy i-ae for the [B]one-eyed Reilly
[F#]Giddy i-ae (bang bang bang) Play it on your old bass drum.
[F#]As I was sitting by the fire
Talking to O'[B]Reilly's daughter
[F#]Suddenly a thought came into my mind
I'd like to marry old [B]Reilly's daughter.
CHORUS:
[F#]Giddy i-ae Giddy i-ae Giddy i-ae for the [B]one-eyed Reilly
[F#]Giddy i-ae (bang bang bang) Play it on your old bass drum.
Below is the list of sheet music and tin whistle songs that are in my ebooks. This is the largest collection of tin whistle songs ever put together.[over 800 songs ] Including folk, pop and trad tunes plus German And French songs along with Christmas Carols.
All of the sheet music tabs have been made as easy to play as was possible.
The price of the ebooks is €7.50
All of the sheet music tabs have been made as easy to play as was possible.
The price of the ebooks is €7.50
Rilleys daughter sheet music in C Major
