Some Say The Devil Is Dead Lyrics And Guitar Chords
Some Say The Devil Is Dead, Irish Folk Song lyrics, recorded by The Wolfe Tones with Derek Warfield doing the singing.I'm sure this is a variation of David Herd's song from 1776. Did Sean McCarthy give a dig out with the writing of this version ? anyway a great song anyway. The sheet music is included. Also recorded by The Kilkenney's, who also recorded another Wolfe Tones song ''Highland Paddy'' , Cruachan and ''Pint Of Stout''. There are variations of this song that were sang in England in the 1800's. It was first published in Henry Robson's list of popular Northumbrian song and dance tunes in 1800. So, as it turns out, it's most likely an English folk song after all. Return to the list of Wolfe Tones Songs I have gathered so far for this site .
Here's a verse of the original song.
Some say the deil's dead, the deil's dead, the deil's dead,
Some say the deil's dead and buried in Kirkaldy.
And others say he rose again, he rose again, he rose again,
And others say he rose again and danced the Hielan Laddie.
Here's a verse of the original song.
Some say the deil's dead, the deil's dead, the deil's dead,
Some say the deil's dead and buried in Kirkaldy.
And others say he rose again, he rose again, he rose again,
And others say he rose again and danced the Hielan Laddie.
Some[D] say the devil is dead, the[G] devil is dead, the devil is dead,
[D]Some say the devil is dead, and buried in Kill[A]ar[D]ney.
[D]More say he rose again,[G] more say he rose again,
[D]More say he rose again and joined the British[A] ar[D]my.
Feed the pigs and milk the cow, and milk the cow, and milk the cow,
Feed the pigs and milk the cow and early in the morning.
Cock your leg O Paddy dear, Paddy dear I'm over here,
Cock your leg O Paddy dear, it's time to stop your yawnin'.
Katie she is tall and thin, she's tall and thin, and tall and thin,
Katie she is tall and thin and likes a drop of brandy
Drinks it in the bed each night, drinks it in the bed each night
Drinks it in the bed each night, it makes her nice and randy
My man is six foot tall, he's six foot tall, he's six foot tall
My man is six foot tall, he like his jug of candy
Goes to bed at six o'clock, goes to bed at six o'clock
Goes to bed at six o'clock, he's lazy fat and bandy
The wife she has a hairy thing, hairy thing, hairy thing.
The wife she has a hairy thing, she showed it to me Sunday
She bought it in a furrier's shop, furrier's shop, furrier's shop.
She bought it in a furrier's shop, it's going back on Monday.
[D]Some say the devil is dead, and buried in Kill[A]ar[D]ney.
[D]More say he rose again,[G] more say he rose again,
[D]More say he rose again and joined the British[A] ar[D]my.
Feed the pigs and milk the cow, and milk the cow, and milk the cow,
Feed the pigs and milk the cow and early in the morning.
Cock your leg O Paddy dear, Paddy dear I'm over here,
Cock your leg O Paddy dear, it's time to stop your yawnin'.
Katie she is tall and thin, she's tall and thin, and tall and thin,
Katie she is tall and thin and likes a drop of brandy
Drinks it in the bed each night, drinks it in the bed each night
Drinks it in the bed each night, it makes her nice and randy
My man is six foot tall, he's six foot tall, he's six foot tall
My man is six foot tall, he like his jug of candy
Goes to bed at six o'clock, goes to bed at six o'clock
Goes to bed at six o'clock, he's lazy fat and bandy
The wife she has a hairy thing, hairy thing, hairy thing.
The wife she has a hairy thing, she showed it to me Sunday
She bought it in a furrier's shop, furrier's shop, furrier's shop.
She bought it in a furrier's shop, it's going back on Monday.
🎶 Full song with chords on all verses
🎸 Strumming pattern (folk-style)
🎵 Fingerpicking tab for the first verse
🎶 The Devil Is Dead (Key: G Major)
Verse 1
Some [G]say the devil is dead, the [C]devil is dead, the devil is dead,
[G]Some say the devil is dead, and buried in Killar[D]ar[G]ney.
[G]More say he rose again, [C]more say he rose again,
[G]More say he rose again and joined the British [D]ar[G]my.
Verse 2
[G]Feed the pigs and milk the cow, and [C]milk the cow, and milk the cow,
[G]Feed the pigs and milk the cow and early in the [D]morn[G]ing.
[G]Cock your leg O Paddy dear, [C]Paddy dear I'm over here,
[G]Cock your leg O Paddy dear, it’s time to stop your [D]yawn[G]in’.
Verse 3
[G]Katie she is tall and thin, she’s [C]tall and thin, and tall and thin,
[G]Katie she is tall and thin and likes a drop of [D]bran[G]dy.
[G]Drinks it in the bed each night, [C]drinks it in the bed each night,
[G]Drinks it in the bed each night, it makes her nice and [D]ran[G]dy.
Verse 4
[G]My man is six foot tall, he’s [C]six foot tall, he’s six foot tall,
[G]My man is six foot tall, he likes his jug of [D]can[G]dy.
[G]Goes to bed at six o’clock, [C]goes to bed at six o’clock,
[G]Goes to bed at six o’clock, he’s lazy, fat, and [D]ban[G]dy.
Verse 5
[G]The wife she has a hairy thing, [C]hairy thing, hairy thing,
[G]The wife she has a hairy thing, she showed it to me [D]Sun[G]day.
[G]She bought it in a furrier’s shop, [C]furrier’s shop, furrier’s shop,
[G]She bought it in a furrier’s shop, it’s going back on [D]Mon[G]day.
🎸 Strumming Pattern
Time signature: 4/4 (fast folk bounce)
Tempo: ~110–120 BPM
Pattern:
↓ ↓ ↑ ↑ ↓ ↑
Play with a light swing — emphasize beats 1 and 3 slightly.
For extra drive, accent the first downstroke of each bar (a jig pulse).
You can use a “bass-chord” feel by alternating:
On G, pluck low E (6th string), then strum.
On C, pluck A (5th string), then strum.
On D, pluck D (4th string), then strum.
🎵 Fingerpicking Tab (First Verse)
This simple folk fingerpicking pattern uses Travis-style alternating bass.
Some say the devil is dead, the devil is dead, the devil is dead,
G C G D G
e|--------3---------3-|--------0---------0-|--------3---------3-|--------2---------2-|--------3----|
B|------0---0-----0---|------1---1-----1---|------0---0-----0---|------3---3-----3---|------0---0--|
G|----0-------0-0-----|----0-------0-0-----|----0-------0-0-----|----2-------2-2-----|----0-------0|
D|--------------------|--2-----------------|--------------------|--0-----------------|--0----------|
A|--2-----------------|--3-----------------|--2-----------------|--------------------|-------------|
E|--3-----------------|--------------------|--3-----------------|--------------------|-------------|
Some say the devil is dead, and buried in Killarney
G C G D G
e|--------3---------3-|--------0---------0-|--------3---------3-|--------2---------2-|--------3----|
B|------0---0-----0---|------1---1-----1---|------0---0-----0---|------3---3-----3---|------0---0--|
G|----0-------0-0-----|----0-------0-0-----|----0-------0-0-----|----2-------2-2-----|----0-------0|
D|--------------------|--2-----------------|--------------------|--0-----------------|--0----------|
A|--2-----------------|--3-----------------|--2-----------------|--------------------|-------------|
E|--3-----------------|--------------------|--3-----------------|--------------------|-------------|
💡 Let your thumb alternate between root and fifth for each chord — that keeps the steady “rolling” Irish feel.
Key Of C
Some[C] say the devil is dead, the[F] devil is dead, the devil is dead,
[C]Some say the devil is dead, and buried in Kill[G]ar[C]ney.
[C]More say he rose again,[F] more say he rose again,
[C]More say he rose again and joined the British[G] ar[C]my.
Key of A
Some[A] say the devil is dead, the[D] devil is dead, the devil is dead,
[A]Some say the devil is dead, and buried in Kill[E]ar[A]ney.
[A]More say he rose again,[D] more say he rose again,
[A]More say he rose again and joined the British[E] ar[A]my.
Return to The Wolfe Tones Songs
🎸 Strumming pattern (folk-style)
🎵 Fingerpicking tab for the first verse
🎶 The Devil Is Dead (Key: G Major)
Verse 1
Some [G]say the devil is dead, the [C]devil is dead, the devil is dead,
[G]Some say the devil is dead, and buried in Killar[D]ar[G]ney.
[G]More say he rose again, [C]more say he rose again,
[G]More say he rose again and joined the British [D]ar[G]my.
Verse 2
[G]Feed the pigs and milk the cow, and [C]milk the cow, and milk the cow,
[G]Feed the pigs and milk the cow and early in the [D]morn[G]ing.
[G]Cock your leg O Paddy dear, [C]Paddy dear I'm over here,
[G]Cock your leg O Paddy dear, it’s time to stop your [D]yawn[G]in’.
Verse 3
[G]Katie she is tall and thin, she’s [C]tall and thin, and tall and thin,
[G]Katie she is tall and thin and likes a drop of [D]bran[G]dy.
[G]Drinks it in the bed each night, [C]drinks it in the bed each night,
[G]Drinks it in the bed each night, it makes her nice and [D]ran[G]dy.
Verse 4
[G]My man is six foot tall, he’s [C]six foot tall, he’s six foot tall,
[G]My man is six foot tall, he likes his jug of [D]can[G]dy.
[G]Goes to bed at six o’clock, [C]goes to bed at six o’clock,
[G]Goes to bed at six o’clock, he’s lazy, fat, and [D]ban[G]dy.
Verse 5
[G]The wife she has a hairy thing, [C]hairy thing, hairy thing,
[G]The wife she has a hairy thing, she showed it to me [D]Sun[G]day.
[G]She bought it in a furrier’s shop, [C]furrier’s shop, furrier’s shop,
[G]She bought it in a furrier’s shop, it’s going back on [D]Mon[G]day.
🎸 Strumming Pattern
Time signature: 4/4 (fast folk bounce)
Tempo: ~110–120 BPM
Pattern:
↓ ↓ ↑ ↑ ↓ ↑
Play with a light swing — emphasize beats 1 and 3 slightly.
For extra drive, accent the first downstroke of each bar (a jig pulse).
You can use a “bass-chord” feel by alternating:
On G, pluck low E (6th string), then strum.
On C, pluck A (5th string), then strum.
On D, pluck D (4th string), then strum.
🎵 Fingerpicking Tab (First Verse)
This simple folk fingerpicking pattern uses Travis-style alternating bass.
Some say the devil is dead, the devil is dead, the devil is dead,
G C G D G
e|--------3---------3-|--------0---------0-|--------3---------3-|--------2---------2-|--------3----|
B|------0---0-----0---|------1---1-----1---|------0---0-----0---|------3---3-----3---|------0---0--|
G|----0-------0-0-----|----0-------0-0-----|----0-------0-0-----|----2-------2-2-----|----0-------0|
D|--------------------|--2-----------------|--------------------|--0-----------------|--0----------|
A|--2-----------------|--3-----------------|--2-----------------|--------------------|-------------|
E|--3-----------------|--------------------|--3-----------------|--------------------|-------------|
Some say the devil is dead, and buried in Killarney
G C G D G
e|--------3---------3-|--------0---------0-|--------3---------3-|--------2---------2-|--------3----|
B|------0---0-----0---|------1---1-----1---|------0---0-----0---|------3---3-----3---|------0---0--|
G|----0-------0-0-----|----0-------0-0-----|----0-------0-0-----|----2-------2-2-----|----0-------0|
D|--------------------|--2-----------------|--------------------|--0-----------------|--0----------|
A|--2-----------------|--3-----------------|--2-----------------|--------------------|-------------|
E|--3-----------------|--------------------|--3-----------------|--------------------|-------------|
💡 Let your thumb alternate between root and fifth for each chord — that keeps the steady “rolling” Irish feel.
Key Of C
Some[C] say the devil is dead, the[F] devil is dead, the devil is dead,
[C]Some say the devil is dead, and buried in Kill[G]ar[C]ney.
[C]More say he rose again,[F] more say he rose again,
[C]More say he rose again and joined the British[G] ar[C]my.
Key of A
Some[A] say the devil is dead, the[D] devil is dead, the devil is dead,
[A]Some say the devil is dead, and buried in Kill[E]ar[A]ney.
[A]More say he rose again,[D] more say he rose again,
[A]More say he rose again and joined the British[E] ar[A]my.
Return to The Wolfe Tones Songs
Girl wearing a Wolfe Tones sweat band playing tin whistle
Some say the Devil is dead lyrics by The Wolfe Tones
