Sing Me An Old Irish Song Guitar Chords And Lyrics
Brendan Graham wrote this song and he's written many more here on the site including Rock N' Roll Kids Song. chords fit Frank McCaffrey’s version [See Youtube] Special chord: C/G = (3-3-2-0-1-0) (in a picked version (3-X-2-0-1-0) will do just as well, so simply play C and move your highest finger one string upwards) The youtube video is by Daniel O'Donnell and band. For more lyrics and chords for songs by Irish singer Daniel O'Donnell check out the Irish Country Lyrics And Chords section of the site.
This one’s a sentimental woolly jumper of a song — warm, nostalgic, a bit threadbare in the elbows, and guaranteed to make any emigrant leak from the eyes like a broken holy water font.
Let me give it the proper Irish-style commentary:
The singer announces he’s twenty-three --
an age when a lad still believes he’ll live forever
and that nostalgia is something only oul’ fellas need.
But here he is — at 23 — already talking like a pensioner on a barstool:
“Sing me an old Irish song
Bring back the dreams that have gone”
Ah, to be so young and already ancient.
He wants us to resurrect the old feelings --
because nothing brings back youthful romance like
a slow waltz in a pub with no carpet
and a crowd of uncles harmonising badly.
The chorus is basically him writing emotional postcards to his mammy,
his sweetheart, and the entire Irish landscape:
“That old Irish song
Calling me back to my home…”
Which is Irish for:
“I’m done with foreign food, foreign weather and paying rent.”
He starts seeing mountains, valleys, fields --
like a lad having a spiritual flashback
triggered by the smell of torn turf or a stray fiddle tune.
He remembers romantic evenings in the glen,
whispered sweet nothings, soft words…
Probably things like:
“Yer hair smells like sheep dip, Mary, but I love ye anyway.”
Then comes the wistful lecture of an old soul:
“There was more sharing, caring,
More loving, more giving”
Ah yes — the Old Ireland of memory:
where every neighbour knew you,
half of them were related to you,
and the other half owed your father money.
But now:
“How times have changed,
life’s been all disarranged”
Translation:
Facebook ruined everything, petrol costs a fortune,
and there’s no craic left in the pubs since they banned smoking and singing.
In the end, the poor lad is desperate:
“I hear you calling me
Back to those days again”
He’s basically saying:
“Someone get me on a Ryanair flight home before I start crying into me pint.”
In short:
This song is the emotional time machine of a young Irish emigrant,
who at 23 has the heart of a homesick 93-year-old --
longing for songs, rain-washed summers, hand-in-hand glen rambles,
and all the messy, warm, familiar, sentimental chaos of home.
Sure if that isn’t Irish, I don’t know what is.
Let me give it the proper Irish-style commentary:
The singer announces he’s twenty-three --
an age when a lad still believes he’ll live forever
and that nostalgia is something only oul’ fellas need.
But here he is — at 23 — already talking like a pensioner on a barstool:
“Sing me an old Irish song
Bring back the dreams that have gone”
Ah, to be so young and already ancient.
He wants us to resurrect the old feelings --
because nothing brings back youthful romance like
a slow waltz in a pub with no carpet
and a crowd of uncles harmonising badly.
The chorus is basically him writing emotional postcards to his mammy,
his sweetheart, and the entire Irish landscape:
“That old Irish song
Calling me back to my home…”
Which is Irish for:
“I’m done with foreign food, foreign weather and paying rent.”
He starts seeing mountains, valleys, fields --
like a lad having a spiritual flashback
triggered by the smell of torn turf or a stray fiddle tune.
He remembers romantic evenings in the glen,
whispered sweet nothings, soft words…
Probably things like:
“Yer hair smells like sheep dip, Mary, but I love ye anyway.”
Then comes the wistful lecture of an old soul:
“There was more sharing, caring,
More loving, more giving”
Ah yes — the Old Ireland of memory:
where every neighbour knew you,
half of them were related to you,
and the other half owed your father money.
But now:
“How times have changed,
life’s been all disarranged”
Translation:
Facebook ruined everything, petrol costs a fortune,
and there’s no craic left in the pubs since they banned smoking and singing.
In the end, the poor lad is desperate:
“I hear you calling me
Back to those days again”
He’s basically saying:
“Someone get me on a Ryanair flight home before I start crying into me pint.”
In short:
This song is the emotional time machine of a young Irish emigrant,
who at 23 has the heart of a homesick 93-year-old --
longing for songs, rain-washed summers, hand-in-hand glen rambles,
and all the messy, warm, familiar, sentimental chaos of home.
Sure if that isn’t Irish, I don’t know what is.
Sing Me An Old Irish Song Lyrics With Chords In G Major
Chorus
(C/G)Sing me an (C)old Irish (F)song
Bring back the (G)dreams that have (C)gone
Sing me a (F)love what's so (Dm)strong
Bring me the (D)days when we we're (G)young...
And (F)true, and (G)I (G7)love you
And that (F)old Irish (Dm)songs
Calling me (G)back to my (C)home
Where once a(F)gain you sing a(Dm)long
To an (G)old Irish (C)song -(C/G)-(C)-(C/G)
(C)I see the mountains, the valleys
The green fields be(F)low me –(F)-(F)-(F)
(G)I walked the highways, the byways
The old people (C)show me -(C/G)-(C)-(C/G)
(C)I hear the (C/G)songbirds
Re(C)member the (C/G)soft words
We (F)spoke after dark in the (Dm)glen
(F)I hear you calling me
(C)Your songs recalling me
(G)Back to those days a(C)gain
Chorus
I re(C)member the old days
How I loved the old ways of (F)living –(F)-(F)-(F)
(G)There was more sharing, caring
More loving, more (C)giving -(C/G)-(C)-(C/G)
(C)How times have (C/G)changed
Life's been (C)all disa(C/G)rranged
Since (F)summers we laughed in the (Dm)rain
But (F)I hear you calling me
(C)Your songs recalling me
(G)Back to those days a(C)gain -(C/G)-(C)
Chorus twice
(C/G)Sing me an (C)old Irish (F)song
Yes an (G)old (G7)Irish (C)song
Chorus
(C/G)Sing me an (C)old Irish (F)song
Bring back the (G)dreams that have (C)gone
Sing me a (F)love what's so (Dm)strong
Bring me the (D)days when we we're (G)young...
And (F)true, and (G)I (G7)love you
And that (F)old Irish (Dm)songs
Calling me (G)back to my (C)home
Where once a(F)gain you sing a(Dm)long
To an (G)old Irish (C)song -(C/G)-(C)-(C/G)
(C)I see the mountains, the valleys
The green fields be(F)low me –(F)-(F)-(F)
(G)I walked the highways, the byways
The old people (C)show me -(C/G)-(C)-(C/G)
(C)I hear the (C/G)songbirds
Re(C)member the (C/G)soft words
We (F)spoke after dark in the (Dm)glen
(F)I hear you calling me
(C)Your songs recalling me
(G)Back to those days a(C)gain
Chorus
I re(C)member the old days
How I loved the old ways of (F)living –(F)-(F)-(F)
(G)There was more sharing, caring
More loving, more (C)giving -(C/G)-(C)-(C/G)
(C)How times have (C/G)changed
Life's been (C)all disa(C/G)rranged
Since (F)summers we laughed in the (Dm)rain
But (F)I hear you calling me
(C)Your songs recalling me
(G)Back to those days a(C)gain -(C/G)-(C)
Chorus twice
(C/G)Sing me an (C)old Irish (F)song
Yes an (G)old (G7)Irish (C)song
transposed version in G major, with full chords added to all verses, a strumming pattern, and a fingerpicking tab for the first verse.
Everything now sits naturally in G, and the chords have been adjusted accordingly.
🎵 Old Irish Song – Key of G Major
Strumming pattern (4/4):
D-DU-UDU
(Down, Down-Up, Up-Down-Up)
For a gentler folk feel, emphasize the bass note on the first downstroke.
Verse 1
(G)Sing me an (G)old Irish (C)song
Bring back the (D)dreams that have (G)gone
Sing me a (C)love what's so (Am)strong
Bring me the (A)days when we were (D)young...
And (C)true, and (D)I (D7)love you
Chorus
And that (C)old Irish (Am)song
Calling me (D)back to my (G)home
Where once a(C)gain you sing a(Am)long
To an (D)old Irish (G)song –(G/F#)–(G)–(G/F#)
Verse 2
(G)I see the mountains, the valleys
The green fields be(C)low me –(C)–(C)–(C)
(D)I walked the highways, the byways
The old people (G)show me –(G/F#)–(G)–(G/F#)
Verse 3
(G)I hear the (G/F#)songbirds
Re(G)member the (G/F#)soft words
We (C)spoke after dark in the (Am)glen
(C)I hear you calling me
(G)Your songs recalling me
(D)Back to those days a(G)gain
→ Chorus
Verse 4
I re(G)member the old days
How I loved the old ways of (C)living –(C)–(C)–(C)
(D)There was more sharing, caring
More loving, more (G)giving –(G/F#)–(G)–(G/F#)
Verse 5
(G)How times have (G/F#)changed
Life’s been (G)all disa(G/F#)rranged
Since (C)summers we laughed in the (Am)rain
But (C)I hear you calling me
(G)Your songs recalling me
(D)Back to those days a(G)gain –(G/F#)–(G)
🎸 Fingerpicking Pattern (Verse 1 Example)
Use Travis picking (Thumb alternates bass between 6th–4th or 5th–4th strings)
Time signature: 4/4
Tempo: 80–90 bpm
G C D G
e|--------3-----------0-----------2-----------3-------|
B|------0---0-------1---1-------3---3-------0---0-----|
G|----0-------0---0-------0---2-------2---0-------0---|
D|-----------------2-----------0-----------------------|
A|-----------------3-----------------------------------|
E|--3-----------------------------------3-------------|
Continue similar picking through verse one, alternating the bass note (thumb) and melody (fingers).
Everything now sits naturally in G, and the chords have been adjusted accordingly.
🎵 Old Irish Song – Key of G Major
Strumming pattern (4/4):
D-DU-UDU
(Down, Down-Up, Up-Down-Up)
For a gentler folk feel, emphasize the bass note on the first downstroke.
Verse 1
(G)Sing me an (G)old Irish (C)song
Bring back the (D)dreams that have (G)gone
Sing me a (C)love what's so (Am)strong
Bring me the (A)days when we were (D)young...
And (C)true, and (D)I (D7)love you
Chorus
And that (C)old Irish (Am)song
Calling me (D)back to my (G)home
Where once a(C)gain you sing a(Am)long
To an (D)old Irish (G)song –(G/F#)–(G)–(G/F#)
Verse 2
(G)I see the mountains, the valleys
The green fields be(C)low me –(C)–(C)–(C)
(D)I walked the highways, the byways
The old people (G)show me –(G/F#)–(G)–(G/F#)
Verse 3
(G)I hear the (G/F#)songbirds
Re(G)member the (G/F#)soft words
We (C)spoke after dark in the (Am)glen
(C)I hear you calling me
(G)Your songs recalling me
(D)Back to those days a(G)gain
→ Chorus
Verse 4
I re(G)member the old days
How I loved the old ways of (C)living –(C)–(C)–(C)
(D)There was more sharing, caring
More loving, more (G)giving –(G/F#)–(G)–(G/F#)
Verse 5
(G)How times have (G/F#)changed
Life’s been (G)all disa(G/F#)rranged
Since (C)summers we laughed in the (Am)rain
But (C)I hear you calling me
(G)Your songs recalling me
(D)Back to those days a(G)gain –(G/F#)–(G)
🎸 Fingerpicking Pattern (Verse 1 Example)
Use Travis picking (Thumb alternates bass between 6th–4th or 5th–4th strings)
Time signature: 4/4
Tempo: 80–90 bpm
G C D G
e|--------3-----------0-----------2-----------3-------|
B|------0---0-------1---1-------3---3-------0---0-----|
G|----0-------0---0-------0---2-------2---0-------0---|
D|-----------------2-----------0-----------------------|
A|-----------------3-----------------------------------|
E|--3-----------------------------------3-------------|
Continue similar picking through verse one, alternating the bass note (thumb) and melody (fingers).
Sing me an old Irish song
Guitar Chords In The Key Of D
(G/D)Sing me an (G)old Irish (C)song
Bring back the (D)dreams that have (G)gone
Sing me a (C)love what's so (Am)strong
Bring me the (A)days when we we're (D)young...
And (C)true, and (D)I (D7)love you
And that (C)old Irish (Am)songs
Calling me (D)back to my (G)home
Where once a(C)gain you sing a(Am)long
To an (D)old Irish (G)song
(G/D)Sing me an (G)old Irish (C)song
Bring back the (D)dreams that have (G)gone
Sing me a (C)love what's so (Am)strong
Bring me the (A)days when we we're (D)young...
And (C)true, and (D)I (D7)love you
And that (C)old Irish (Am)songs
Calling me (D)back to my (G)home
Where once a(C)gain you sing a(Am)long
To an (D)old Irish (G)song
