Sons Of Molly lyrics and chords
Written by Chuck Rogers of The Irish Balladeers. Guitar chords by Marc Patrick Fahrbach.Michael Doyle is from Carbon County,(The story is set in the coal patches of eastern Pennsylvania).Chuck Rogers is from Scranton. Recorded by the band Blackthorn. And the other one is The Molly Maguires Lyrics And Chords which has close associations with this song.
(G)When the wind blows (C)wild at (G)night
Past the breaker’s (D)melan(G)choly
If you stand in the dark with your (C)ears to the (G)wind
You can hear the sons of (D)Molly.
(G)Deep in the dark of the (C)old mine (G)shaft
You can smell the smoke and the (D)fire
And the (G)whisper low from the (C)mine be(G)low
Is the ghost of (D)Molly Maguire
I'll tell ya boys Mickey Doyle is my name a
And I come from Carbon County
And I shot the boss of the Lansford Mine
Now my soul is up for bounty
But I will die with my head held high
For I fought for the men below
Those men who slave and sweat and die
Down in a black hell hole.
So I'll tell ya boys Edward Kelly is my name
And I'm hanging in the morning
For I shot Jack Jones for skinning my bones
How I curse the sound of mourning
And I will die with my held held high
For I fought for the men below
Those men who slave and sweat and die
Down in a black hell hole.
So I'll tell ya boys Alex Campbell is my name
And no pistol did I fire
But I will fall from the gallows wall
Just for being a Molly Maguire
And I will die with my held held high
For I fought for the men below
Those men who slave and sweat and die
Down in a black hell hole
Past the breaker’s (D)melan(G)choly
If you stand in the dark with your (C)ears to the (G)wind
You can hear the sons of (D)Molly.
(G)Deep in the dark of the (C)old mine (G)shaft
You can smell the smoke and the (D)fire
And the (G)whisper low from the (C)mine be(G)low
Is the ghost of (D)Molly Maguire
I'll tell ya boys Mickey Doyle is my name a
And I come from Carbon County
And I shot the boss of the Lansford Mine
Now my soul is up for bounty
But I will die with my head held high
For I fought for the men below
Those men who slave and sweat and die
Down in a black hell hole.
So I'll tell ya boys Edward Kelly is my name
And I'm hanging in the morning
For I shot Jack Jones for skinning my bones
How I curse the sound of mourning
And I will die with my held held high
For I fought for the men below
Those men who slave and sweat and die
Down in a black hell hole.
So I'll tell ya boys Alex Campbell is my name
And no pistol did I fire
But I will fall from the gallows wall
Just for being a Molly Maguire
And I will die with my held held high
For I fought for the men below
Those men who slave and sweat and die
Down in a black hell hole
“The Sons of Molly Maguire” works beautifully in G Major, evoking that dark, rolling miner’s ballad feel.
Below is a complete strumming pattern, fingerpicking tab, and performance guide designed to capture that brooding folk sound.
🎵 The Sons of Molly Maguire
Key: G Major
Time: 4/4
Tempo: ~85 BPM (slow, steady folk ballad)
Style: Irish/American Folk
🎸 STRUMMING PATTERN
Use two variations to match the song’s mood:
🔹 Verse (quiet, storytelling)
↓ bass ↓ up ↓ up
Count: 1 2 & 3 & 4 &
Alternate bass notes for a “marching” miner rhythm.
🔹 Chorus / Climactic Lines (“Ghost of Molly Maguire”)
↓ ↓ ↑ ↑ ↓ ↑
Count: 1 2-and 3-and 4-and
Play stronger, let chords ring.
🎸 FINGERPICKING PATTERN (for verses)
Classic Travis picking pattern:
T – I – M – T – I – M
(count: 1 & 2 & 3 & 4 &)
T (thumb): alternating bass
I (index): G string
M (middle): B string
Keep the thumb steady — it mimics the miner’s heartbeat.
🪶 FINGERPICKING TAB (Verses)
Verse 1
(“When the wind blows wild at night…”)
G C
e|--------3-----------3-----------|--------0-----------0-----------|
B|------0---0-------0---0---------|------1---1-------1---1---------|
G|----0-------0---0-------0-------|----0-------0---0-------0-------|
D|--0-----------0-----------------|--2-----------2-----------------|
A|--2------------------------------|--3-----------------------------|
E|--3------------------------------|--------------------------------|
When the wind blows wild at night, past the breaker’s melancholy
G D
e|--------3-----------3-----------|--------2-----------2-----------|
B|------0---0-------0---0---------|------3---3-------3---3---------|
G|----0-------0---0-------0-------|----2-------2---2-------2-------|
D|--0-----------0-----------------|--0-----------0-----------------|
A|--2------------------------------|--0-----------------------------|
E|--3------------------------------|--2-----------------------------|
If you stand in the dark with your ears to the wind
G C
e|--------3-----------3-----------|--------0-----------0-----------|
B|------0---0-------0---0---------|------1---1-------1---1---------|
G|----0-------0---0-------0-------|----0-------0---0-------0-------|
D|--0-----------0-----------------|--2-----------2-----------------|
A|--2------------------------------|--3-----------------------------|
E|--3------------------------------|--------------------------------|
You can hear the sons of Molly — deep in the dark of the old mine shaft,
G D G
e|--------3-----------3-----------|--------2-----------2-----------|
B|------0---0-------0---0---------|------3---3-------0---0---------|
G|----0-------0---0-------0-------|----2-------2---0-------0-------|
D|--0-----------0-----------------|--0-----------0---0-----------0-|
A|--2------------------------------|--0-----------------------------|
E|--3------------------------------|--2-----------------------------|
You can smell the smoke and the fire… hear the ghost of Molly Maguire.
🎵 CHORUS / REFRAIN
(Strum or fingerpick with more force)
Strumming pattern: ↓ ↓ ↑ ↑ ↓ ↑
(G)Deep in the dark of the (C)old mine (G)shaft
You can smell the smoke and the (D)fire
And the (G)whisper low from the (C)mine be(G)low
Is the ghost of (D)Molly Maguire
Optionally, add a rolling fingerpicked version:
G C
e|--------3-----------3-----------|--------0-----------0-----------|
B|------0---0-------0---0---------|------1---1-------1---1---------|
G|----0-------0---0-------0-------|----0-------0---0-------0-------|
D|--0-----------0-----------------|--2-----------2-----------------|
A|--2------------------------------|--3-----------------------------|
E|--3------------------------------|--------------------------------|
Deep in the dark of the old mine shaft, you can smell the smoke and fire…
G D G
e|--------3-----------3-----------|--------2-----------2-----------|
B|------0---0-------0---0---------|------3---3-------0---0---------|
G|----0-------0---0-------0-------|----2-------2---0-------0-------|
D|--0-----------0-----------------|--0-----------0---0-----------0-|
A|--2------------------------------|--0-----------------------------|
E|--3------------------------------|--2-----------------------------|
… and the whisper low from the mine below is the ghost of Molly Maguire.
🎧 PERFORMANCE NOTES
Verses: fingerpick gently — minor tension and storytelling.
Refrain: strum with conviction; let bass notes ring.
Tempo: around 85 BPM — steady, like a march underground.
Feel: brooding, ghostly, proud.
“The Sons of Molly Maguire” works beautifully in G Major, evoking that dark, rolling miner’s ballad feel.
Below is a complete strumming pattern, fingerpicking tab, and performance guide designed to capture that brooding folk sound.
🎵 The Sons of Molly Maguire
Key: G Major
Time: 4/4
Tempo: ~85 BPM (slow, steady folk ballad)
Style: Irish/American Folk
🎸 STRUMMING PATTERN
Use two variations to match the song’s mood:
🔹 Verse (quiet, storytelling)
↓ bass ↓ up ↓ up
Count: 1 2 & 3 & 4 &
Alternate bass notes for a “marching” miner rhythm.
🔹 Chorus / Climactic Lines (“Ghost of Molly Maguire”)
↓ ↓ ↑ ↑ ↓ ↑
Count: 1 2-and 3-and 4-and
Play stronger, let chords ring.
🎸 FINGERPICKING PATTERN (for verses)
Classic Travis picking pattern:
T – I – M – T – I – M
(count: 1 & 2 & 3 & 4 &)
T (thumb): alternating bass
I (index): G string
M (middle): B string
Keep the thumb steady — it mimics the miner’s heartbeat.
🪶 FINGERPICKING TAB (Verses)
Verse 1
(“When the wind blows wild at night…”)
G C
e|--------3-----------3-----------|--------0-----------0-----------|
B|------0---0-------0---0---------|------1---1-------1---1---------|
G|----0-------0---0-------0-------|----0-------0---0-------0-------|
D|--0-----------0-----------------|--2-----------2-----------------|
A|--2------------------------------|--3-----------------------------|
E|--3------------------------------|--------------------------------|
When the wind blows wild at night, past the breaker’s melancholy
G D
e|--------3-----------3-----------|--------2-----------2-----------|
B|------0---0-------0---0---------|------3---3-------3---3---------|
G|----0-------0---0-------0-------|----2-------2---2-------2-------|
D|--0-----------0-----------------|--0-----------0-----------------|
A|--2------------------------------|--0-----------------------------|
E|--3------------------------------|--2-----------------------------|
If you stand in the dark with your ears to the wind
G C
e|--------3-----------3-----------|--------0-----------0-----------|
B|------0---0-------0---0---------|------1---1-------1---1---------|
G|----0-------0---0-------0-------|----0-------0---0-------0-------|
D|--0-----------0-----------------|--2-----------2-----------------|
A|--2------------------------------|--3-----------------------------|
E|--3------------------------------|--------------------------------|
You can hear the sons of Molly — deep in the dark of the old mine shaft,
G D G
e|--------3-----------3-----------|--------2-----------2-----------|
B|------0---0-------0---0---------|------3---3-------0---0---------|
G|----0-------0---0-------0-------|----2-------2---0-------0-------|
D|--0-----------0-----------------|--0-----------0---0-----------0-|
A|--2------------------------------|--0-----------------------------|
E|--3------------------------------|--2-----------------------------|
You can smell the smoke and the fire… hear the ghost of Molly Maguire.
🎵 CHORUS / REFRAIN
(Strum or fingerpick with more force)
Strumming pattern: ↓ ↓ ↑ ↑ ↓ ↑
(G)Deep in the dark of the (C)old mine (G)shaft
You can smell the smoke and the (D)fire
And the (G)whisper low from the (C)mine be(G)low
Is the ghost of (D)Molly Maguire
Optionally, add a rolling fingerpicked version:
G C
e|--------3-----------3-----------|--------0-----------0-----------|
B|------0---0-------0---0---------|------1---1-------1---1---------|
G|----0-------0---0-------0-------|----0-------0---0-------0-------|
D|--0-----------0-----------------|--2-----------2-----------------|
A|--2------------------------------|--3-----------------------------|
E|--3------------------------------|--------------------------------|
Deep in the dark of the old mine shaft, you can smell the smoke and fire…
G D G
e|--------3-----------3-----------|--------2-----------2-----------|
B|------0---0-------0---0---------|------3---3-------0---0---------|
G|----0-------0---0-------0-------|----2-------2---0-------0-------|
D|--0-----------0-----------------|--0-----------0---0-----------0-|
A|--2------------------------------|--0-----------------------------|
E|--3------------------------------|--2-----------------------------|
… and the whisper low from the mine below is the ghost of Molly Maguire.
🎧 PERFORMANCE NOTES
Verses: fingerpick gently — minor tension and storytelling.
Refrain: strum with conviction; let bass notes ring.
Tempo: around 85 BPM — steady, like a march underground.
Feel: brooding, ghostly, proud.
