The Broad Majestic Shannon Lyrics And Guitar Chords
By The Pogues Written By Shane MacGowan. one of my favorite Pogues songs ever. The chords here in the key of D Major are the same ones The Pogues use for the song. Also recorded by Liam Clancy. Also included is a video showing the tin whistle notes.The broad majestic Shannon tin whistle sheet music by The Pogues included.
The Broad Majestic Shannon Harmonica Tab Is Here .
The Broad Majestic Shannon Harmonica Tab Is Here .
The link below is for the 5 string banjo tab in Open G tuning.
[D]The last time I saw you was[G] down at the [D]Greeks
There was whiskey on Sunday and [G]tears on our[D] cheeks
You sang me a song as pure as the [G]breeze
On the [D] road to [G]Glena[A]veigh
I [D]sat for a while at the [G]cross at [D]Finnoe
Where young lovers would meet when the [G]flowers were in[D] bloom
Heard the men coming home from the fair at Shin[G]rone
Their[D] hearts in Tippe[G]rary wher[A]ever they[D] go
[D]Take my hand, and dry your [G]tears[A] babe
Take my [D]hand, forget your [G]fears[A] babe
There's no [D]pain, there's no more [G]sorr[A]ow
They're all [D]gone, gone in the [G]years [A]babe
I sat for a while by the gap in the wall
Found a rusty tin can and an old hurley ball
Heard the cards being dealt, and the rosary called
And a fiddle playing Sean Dun na nGall
And the next time I see you we'll be down at the Greeks
There'll be whiskey on Sunday and tears on our cheeks
For it's stupid to laugh and it's useless to bawl
About a rusty tin can and an old hurley ball
So I walked as day was dawning
Where small birds sang and leaves were falling
Where we once watched the row boats landing
By the broad majestic Shannon
There was whiskey on Sunday and [G]tears on our[D] cheeks
You sang me a song as pure as the [G]breeze
On the [D] road to [G]Glena[A]veigh
I [D]sat for a while at the [G]cross at [D]Finnoe
Where young lovers would meet when the [G]flowers were in[D] bloom
Heard the men coming home from the fair at Shin[G]rone
Their[D] hearts in Tippe[G]rary wher[A]ever they[D] go
[D]Take my hand, and dry your [G]tears[A] babe
Take my [D]hand, forget your [G]fears[A] babe
There's no [D]pain, there's no more [G]sorr[A]ow
They're all [D]gone, gone in the [G]years [A]babe
I sat for a while by the gap in the wall
Found a rusty tin can and an old hurley ball
Heard the cards being dealt, and the rosary called
And a fiddle playing Sean Dun na nGall
And the next time I see you we'll be down at the Greeks
There'll be whiskey on Sunday and tears on our cheeks
For it's stupid to laugh and it's useless to bawl
About a rusty tin can and an old hurley ball
So I walked as day was dawning
Where small birds sang and leaves were falling
Where we once watched the row boats landing
By the broad majestic Shannon
Above are the tin whistle notes, there's a small ''riff'' before the main melody of the song starts.
6/8 Strumming Pattern (for ballad feel)
6/8 feels like “ONE two three, FOUR five six”, a gentle waltz roll.
Pattern (Down = ↓, Up = ↑):
↓ ↓↑ ↓ ↓↑
(Counted as: 1 2 3 4 5 6)
So on guitar:
Beat 1: Strong downstroke on the bass note
Beats 2–3: Soft down–up on the treble strings
Beat 4: Slightly stronger downstroke (2nd pulse)
Beats 5–6: Soft down–up again
Example flow (per bar):
Bass ↓ Down–Up Bass ↓ Down–Up
Use light wrist movement and let the rhythm flow naturally — don’t over-accent it.
🪕 Fingerpicking Pattern (for Verse & Chorus)
Here’s a 6/8 rolling fingerpicking pattern in G major that fits the verse and chorus beautifully.
Use P (thumb) for bass, I (index) for G string, M (middle) for B string, A (ring) for high E.
General 6/8 picking pattern:
P – I – M – P – M – A
Counted: 1 2 3 4 5 6
This pattern works across all chords — thumb alternates bass notes naturally (root–fifth).
🎵 Fingerpicking Tab (Verse + Chorus Intro)
Verse (first few lines)
G C G
e|--------0-----------0-|--------0-----------0-|--------0-----------0-|
B|------0---0-------0---|------1---1-------1---|------0---0-------0---|
G|----0-------0---0-----|----0-------0---0-----|----0-------0---0-----|
D|----------------------|--2-----------2-------|----------------------|
A|--2-----------2-------|3-----------3---------|--2-----------2-------|
E|3-----------3---------|----------------------|3-----------3---------|
C G C D
e|--------0-----------0-|--------0-----------0-|--------0---------2-|
B|------1---1-------1---|------0---0-------0---|------1---1-----3---|
G|----0-------0---0-----|----0-------0---0-----|----0-------2-2-----|
D|--2-----------2-------|----------------------|--2-----------0-----|
A|3-----------3---------|--2-----------2-------|3-------------------|
E|----------------------|3-----------3---------|--------------------|
(This covers the first four lyrical lines — repeat with same feel for the rest of the verse.)
🎶 Chorus Fingerpicking
G C D
e|--------0-----------0-|--------0---------2-|
B|------0---0-------0---|------1---1-----3---|
G|----0-------0---0-----|----0-------2-2-----|
D|----------------------|--2-----------0-----|
A|--2-----------2-------|3-------------------|
E|3-----------3---------|--------------------|
G C D
e|--------0-----------0-|--------0---------2-|
B|------0---0-------0---|------1---1-----3---|
G|----0-------0---0-----|----0-------2-2-----|
D|----------------------|--2-----------0-----|
A|--2-----------2-------|3-------------------|
E|3-----------3---------|--------------------|
(Repeat this for each chorus line — it flows beautifully in 6/8.)
💡 Playing Tips
Let the bass notes ring through each measure — don’t mute them too quickly.
Emphasize the first and fourth beats slightly to keep that lilting 6/8 Irish rhythm.
On the D chord, use alternating bass between open D (4th string) and A (5th string, open) for motion.
[G] The last time I saw you was [C] down at the [G] Greeks There was whiskey on Sunday and [C] tears on our [G] cheeks You sang me a song as pure as the [C] breeze On the [G] road to [C] Glena**[D]veigh I [G] sat for a while at the [C] cross at [G] Finnoe Where young lovers would meet when the [C] flowers were in [G] bloom Heard the men coming home from the fair at Shin[C]rone Their [G] hearts in Tippe[C]rary wher[D]**ever they [G] go
Chorus
[G] Take my hand, and dry your [C] tears [D] babe Take my [G] hand, forget your [C] fears [D] babe There's no [G] pain, there's no more [C] sorr [D] ow They're all [G] gone, gone in the [C] years [D] babe
Verse 2
I [G] sat for a while by the [C] gap in the [G] wall Found a rusty tin can and an [C] old hurley [G] ball Heard the cards being dealt, and the [C] rosary called And a [G] fiddle playing [C] Sean Dun na [D] nGall And the [G] next time I see you we'll [C] be down at the [G] Greeks There'll be whiskey on Sunday and [C] tears on our [G] cheeks For it's stupid to laugh and it's [C] useless to bawl About a [G] rusty tin can and an [C] old hurley [D] ball
Verse 3
So I [G] walked as day was [C] dawning [D] Where [G] small birds sang and [C] leaves were [D] falling Where we [G] once watched the row boats [C] landing [D] By the [G] broad majestic [C] Shannon [D]
6/8 feels like “ONE two three, FOUR five six”, a gentle waltz roll.
Pattern (Down = ↓, Up = ↑):
↓ ↓↑ ↓ ↓↑
(Counted as: 1 2 3 4 5 6)
So on guitar:
Beat 1: Strong downstroke on the bass note
Beats 2–3: Soft down–up on the treble strings
Beat 4: Slightly stronger downstroke (2nd pulse)
Beats 5–6: Soft down–up again
Example flow (per bar):
Bass ↓ Down–Up Bass ↓ Down–Up
Use light wrist movement and let the rhythm flow naturally — don’t over-accent it.
🪕 Fingerpicking Pattern (for Verse & Chorus)
Here’s a 6/8 rolling fingerpicking pattern in G major that fits the verse and chorus beautifully.
Use P (thumb) for bass, I (index) for G string, M (middle) for B string, A (ring) for high E.
General 6/8 picking pattern:
P – I – M – P – M – A
Counted: 1 2 3 4 5 6
This pattern works across all chords — thumb alternates bass notes naturally (root–fifth).
🎵 Fingerpicking Tab (Verse + Chorus Intro)
Verse (first few lines)
G C G
e|--------0-----------0-|--------0-----------0-|--------0-----------0-|
B|------0---0-------0---|------1---1-------1---|------0---0-------0---|
G|----0-------0---0-----|----0-------0---0-----|----0-------0---0-----|
D|----------------------|--2-----------2-------|----------------------|
A|--2-----------2-------|3-----------3---------|--2-----------2-------|
E|3-----------3---------|----------------------|3-----------3---------|
C G C D
e|--------0-----------0-|--------0-----------0-|--------0---------2-|
B|------1---1-------1---|------0---0-------0---|------1---1-----3---|
G|----0-------0---0-----|----0-------0---0-----|----0-------2-2-----|
D|--2-----------2-------|----------------------|--2-----------0-----|
A|3-----------3---------|--2-----------2-------|3-------------------|
E|----------------------|3-----------3---------|--------------------|
(This covers the first four lyrical lines — repeat with same feel for the rest of the verse.)
🎶 Chorus Fingerpicking
G C D
e|--------0-----------0-|--------0---------2-|
B|------0---0-------0---|------1---1-----3---|
G|----0-------0---0-----|----0-------2-2-----|
D|----------------------|--2-----------0-----|
A|--2-----------2-------|3-------------------|
E|3-----------3---------|--------------------|
G C D
e|--------0-----------0-|--------0---------2-|
B|------0---0-------0---|------1---1-----3---|
G|----0-------0---0-----|----0-------2-2-----|
D|----------------------|--2-----------0-----|
A|--2-----------2-------|3-------------------|
E|3-----------3---------|--------------------|
(Repeat this for each chorus line — it flows beautifully in 6/8.)
💡 Playing Tips
Let the bass notes ring through each measure — don’t mute them too quickly.
Emphasize the first and fourth beats slightly to keep that lilting 6/8 Irish rhythm.
On the D chord, use alternating bass between open D (4th string) and A (5th string, open) for motion.
[G] The last time I saw you was [C] down at the [G] Greeks There was whiskey on Sunday and [C] tears on our [G] cheeks You sang me a song as pure as the [C] breeze On the [G] road to [C] Glena**[D]veigh I [G] sat for a while at the [C] cross at [G] Finnoe Where young lovers would meet when the [C] flowers were in [G] bloom Heard the men coming home from the fair at Shin[C]rone Their [G] hearts in Tippe[C]rary wher[D]**ever they [G] go
Chorus
[G] Take my hand, and dry your [C] tears [D] babe Take my [G] hand, forget your [C] fears [D] babe There's no [G] pain, there's no more [C] sorr [D] ow They're all [G] gone, gone in the [C] years [D] babe
Verse 2
I [G] sat for a while by the [C] gap in the [G] wall Found a rusty tin can and an [C] old hurley [G] ball Heard the cards being dealt, and the [C] rosary called And a [G] fiddle playing [C] Sean Dun na [D] nGall And the [G] next time I see you we'll [C] be down at the [G] Greeks There'll be whiskey on Sunday and [C] tears on our [G] cheeks For it's stupid to laugh and it's [C] useless to bawl About a [G] rusty tin can and an [C] old hurley [D] ball
Verse 3
So I [G] walked as day was [C] dawning [D] Where [G] small birds sang and [C] leaves were [D] falling Where we [G] once watched the row boats [C] landing [D] By the [G] broad majestic [C] Shannon [D]
The broad majestic Shannon tin whistle sheet music by The Pogues
Ebook of tin whistle tabs for The Pogues
The Pogues songs
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. There are many Pogues songs included.
The price of the ebooks is €7.50
All of the sheet music tabs have been made as easy to play as was possible. There are many Pogues songs included.
The price of the ebooks is €7.50
Drunk woman Pogues fan playing tin whistle in a pub
