The Red Rose Cafe Lyrics And Chords
P.Cartner and D.Black, recorded by The Fury Brothers And Davie Arthur [ songs ].The 5 string banjo chords for the key of Amare included. This song along with The Green Fields Of France [ lyrics ] were the two biggest hits for The Fureys. Also sang by Celtic Thunder., Demis Roussos and Roly Daniels The tune was recently recorded by André Rieu. Youtube video by The Furey Brothers And Davey Arthur. Red rose cafe guitar chords and tab added in fingerstyle.
They[Am] come from the farms and the factories too,
And they all soon forget[E] who they are
The cares of today are soon washed away
As they sit at a stool[Am] by the bar
The girl with green eyes and the rolling stones shirt
Doesn't look like she works on the[Dm] land
The man at the[Am] end is a very good friend
Of a[E] man who sells second[Am]hand cars
[Chorus]
[A]Down at the red rose cafe in the harbour
There by the port just outside Am[E]sterdam
Everyone[D] shares in the songs and the[A] laughter
Everyone[E] there is so happy to be[Am] there
The[Am] grey haired old man , the piano will play
Any song that you[E] wanted to hear
That pritty young thing doesn't know how to sing
But the customers give[Am] her a cheer
Now outside in the real world the race is still on
It's all gone a little bit mad
In circles we go and it's good to know
Of the place where good times are had
[Repeat chorus]
The salesmen relax with a few pints of beer
And they try not to talk about life
The poet wont write any verses tonight
But he may sing a sweet sernade
So pull up a chair and forget about life
It's a good thing to do now and then
And if you like it here I have an idea
Tomorrow lets all meet again
[Repeat chorus twice]
And they all soon forget[E] who they are
The cares of today are soon washed away
As they sit at a stool[Am] by the bar
The girl with green eyes and the rolling stones shirt
Doesn't look like she works on the[Dm] land
The man at the[Am] end is a very good friend
Of a[E] man who sells second[Am]hand cars
[Chorus]
[A]Down at the red rose cafe in the harbour
There by the port just outside Am[E]sterdam
Everyone[D] shares in the songs and the[A] laughter
Everyone[E] there is so happy to be[Am] there
The[Am] grey haired old man , the piano will play
Any song that you[E] wanted to hear
That pritty young thing doesn't know how to sing
But the customers give[Am] her a cheer
Now outside in the real world the race is still on
It's all gone a little bit mad
In circles we go and it's good to know
Of the place where good times are had
[Repeat chorus]
The salesmen relax with a few pints of beer
And they try not to talk about life
The poet wont write any verses tonight
But he may sing a sweet sernade
So pull up a chair and forget about life
It's a good thing to do now and then
And if you like it here I have an idea
Tomorrow lets all meet again
[Repeat chorus twice]
✅ All verses and chorus with full chords
🎸 A natural folk strumming pattern
🎶 A fingerpicking tab for the first verse
🎵 The Red Rose Café
Key: A Minor
Verse 1
They [Am]come from the farms and the factories too,
And they all soon for[E]get who they are,
The cares of today are soon washed away,
As they sit at a stool by the [Am]bar.
The girl with green eyes and the Rolling Stones shirt,
Doesn’t look like she works on the [Dm]land,
The man at the [Am]end is a very good friend,
Of a [E]man who sells second-hand [Am]cars.
Chorus
[A]Down at the Red Rose [D]Café in the harbour,
There by the port just outside Am[E]sterdam,
Every[D]one shares in the songs and the [A]laughter,
Every[E]one there is so happy to be [Am]there.
Verse 2
The [Am]grey-haired old man at the piano will play,
Any song that you [E]wanted to hear,
That pretty young thing doesn’t know how to sing,
But the customers give her a [Am]cheer.
Now outside in the real world the race is still on,
It’s all gone a little bit [Dm]mad,
In circles we [Am]go, and it’s good just to know,
Of the [E]place where good times are [Am]had.
Verse 3
The [Am]salesmen relax with a few pints of beer,
And they try not to [E]talk about life,
The poet won’t write any verses tonight,
But he may sing a sweet ser[Am]enade.
So pull up a chair and forget about life,
It’s a good thing to [Dm]do now and then,
And if you [Am]like it here, well I’ve got an idea,
To[E]morrow let’s all meet a[Am]gain.
🎸 Strumming Pattern (Gentle Irish Folk 4/4)
Pattern:
D – D U – U D U
Count:
1 & 2 & 3 & 4 &
D (1) – (2) D U (3 &) – (4) U D U (&)
Feel:
Use soft, even strokes — not percussive, more storytelling.
Accentuate beats 2 and 4 for a relaxed swing.
Let verse endings ring (especially the final Am).
Optional for quieter verses: D – D – U (Down on 1, Down on 3, Up on 4) for simplicity.
🎶 Fingerpicking Tab (First Verse)
We’ll use a Travis picking pattern, alternating bass and melody for that classic Irish feel.
Picking pattern (for most chords):
Thumb (P): alternating bass
Index (i): G string
Middle (m): B string
Pattern: P (bass) – i (G) – m (B) – i (G)
Fingerpicking Tab – Verse 1
[Am]
e|----------------|----------------|
B|------1---------|------1---------|
G|----2---2-------|----2---2-------|
D|2---------------|2---------------|
A|0---------------|0---------------|
E|----------------|----------------|
They come from the farms and the factories too
[E]
e|----------------|----------------|
B|------0---------|------0---------|
G|----1---1-------|----1---1-------|
D|2---------------|2---------------|
A|2---------------|2---------------|
E|0---------------|0---------------|
And they all soon forget who they are
[Am]
e|----------------|----------------|
B|------1---------|------1---------|
G|----2---2-------|----2---2-------|
D|2---------------|2---------------|
A|0---------------|0---------------|
E|----------------|----------------|
The cares of today are soon washed away
[Dm]
e|----------------|----------------|
B|------3---------|------3---------|
G|----2---2-------|----2---2-------|
D|0---------------|0---------------|
A|----------------|----------------|
E|----------------|----------------|
As they sit at a stool by the bar
[Am]
e|----------------|----------------|
B|------1---------|------1---------|
G|----2---2-------|----2---2-------|
D|2---------------|2---------------|
A|0---------------|0---------------|
E|----------------|----------------|
The girl with green eyes and the Rolling Stones shirt
[Dm]
e|----------------|----------------|
B|------3---------|------3---------|
G|----2---2-------|----2---2-------|
D|0---------------|0---------------|
A|----------------|----------------|
E|----------------|----------------|
Doesn’t look like she works on the land
[Am]
e|----------------|----------------|
B|------1---------|------1---------|
G|----2---2-------|----2---2-------|
D|2---------------|2---------------|
A|0---------------|0---------------|
E|----------------|----------------|
The man at the end is a very good friend
[E]
e|----------------|----------------|
B|------0---------|------0---------|
G|----1---1-------|----1---1-------|
D|2---------------|2---------------|
A|2---------------|2---------------|
E|0---------------|0---------------|
Of a man who sells second-hand cars
🎸 A natural folk strumming pattern
🎶 A fingerpicking tab for the first verse
🎵 The Red Rose Café
Key: A Minor
Verse 1
They [Am]come from the farms and the factories too,
And they all soon for[E]get who they are,
The cares of today are soon washed away,
As they sit at a stool by the [Am]bar.
The girl with green eyes and the Rolling Stones shirt,
Doesn’t look like she works on the [Dm]land,
The man at the [Am]end is a very good friend,
Of a [E]man who sells second-hand [Am]cars.
Chorus
[A]Down at the Red Rose [D]Café in the harbour,
There by the port just outside Am[E]sterdam,
Every[D]one shares in the songs and the [A]laughter,
Every[E]one there is so happy to be [Am]there.
Verse 2
The [Am]grey-haired old man at the piano will play,
Any song that you [E]wanted to hear,
That pretty young thing doesn’t know how to sing,
But the customers give her a [Am]cheer.
Now outside in the real world the race is still on,
It’s all gone a little bit [Dm]mad,
In circles we [Am]go, and it’s good just to know,
Of the [E]place where good times are [Am]had.
Verse 3
The [Am]salesmen relax with a few pints of beer,
And they try not to [E]talk about life,
The poet won’t write any verses tonight,
But he may sing a sweet ser[Am]enade.
So pull up a chair and forget about life,
It’s a good thing to [Dm]do now and then,
And if you [Am]like it here, well I’ve got an idea,
To[E]morrow let’s all meet a[Am]gain.
🎸 Strumming Pattern (Gentle Irish Folk 4/4)
Pattern:
D – D U – U D U
Count:
1 & 2 & 3 & 4 &
D (1) – (2) D U (3 &) – (4) U D U (&)
Feel:
Use soft, even strokes — not percussive, more storytelling.
Accentuate beats 2 and 4 for a relaxed swing.
Let verse endings ring (especially the final Am).
Optional for quieter verses: D – D – U (Down on 1, Down on 3, Up on 4) for simplicity.
🎶 Fingerpicking Tab (First Verse)
We’ll use a Travis picking pattern, alternating bass and melody for that classic Irish feel.
Picking pattern (for most chords):
Thumb (P): alternating bass
Index (i): G string
Middle (m): B string
Pattern: P (bass) – i (G) – m (B) – i (G)
Fingerpicking Tab – Verse 1
[Am]
e|----------------|----------------|
B|------1---------|------1---------|
G|----2---2-------|----2---2-------|
D|2---------------|2---------------|
A|0---------------|0---------------|
E|----------------|----------------|
They come from the farms and the factories too
[E]
e|----------------|----------------|
B|------0---------|------0---------|
G|----1---1-------|----1---1-------|
D|2---------------|2---------------|
A|2---------------|2---------------|
E|0---------------|0---------------|
And they all soon forget who they are
[Am]
e|----------------|----------------|
B|------1---------|------1---------|
G|----2---2-------|----2---2-------|
D|2---------------|2---------------|
A|0---------------|0---------------|
E|----------------|----------------|
The cares of today are soon washed away
[Dm]
e|----------------|----------------|
B|------3---------|------3---------|
G|----2---2-------|----2---2-------|
D|0---------------|0---------------|
A|----------------|----------------|
E|----------------|----------------|
As they sit at a stool by the bar
[Am]
e|----------------|----------------|
B|------1---------|------1---------|
G|----2---2-------|----2---2-------|
D|2---------------|2---------------|
A|0---------------|0---------------|
E|----------------|----------------|
The girl with green eyes and the Rolling Stones shirt
[Dm]
e|----------------|----------------|
B|------3---------|------3---------|
G|----2---2-------|----2---2-------|
D|0---------------|0---------------|
A|----------------|----------------|
E|----------------|----------------|
Doesn’t look like she works on the land
[Am]
e|----------------|----------------|
B|------1---------|------1---------|
G|----2---2-------|----2---2-------|
D|2---------------|2---------------|
A|0---------------|0---------------|
E|----------------|----------------|
The man at the end is a very good friend
[E]
e|----------------|----------------|
B|------0---------|------0---------|
G|----1---1-------|----1---1-------|
D|2---------------|2---------------|
A|2---------------|2---------------|
E|0---------------|0---------------|
Of a man who sells second-hand cars
Here's the guitar chords in the key of Dm
They[Dm] come from the farms and the factories too,
And they all soon forget[A] who they are
The cares of today are soon washed away
As they sit at a stool[Dm] by the bar
The girl with green eyes and the rolling stones shirt
Doesn't look like she works on the[Gm] land
The man at the[Dm] end is a very good friend
Of a[A] man who sells second[Dm]hand cars
[D]Down at the red rose cafe in the harbour
There by the port just outside Am[A]sterdam
Everyone[G] shares in the songs and the[D] laughter
Everyone[A] there is so happy to be[Dm] there
They[Dm] come from the farms and the factories too,
And they all soon forget[A] who they are
The cares of today are soon washed away
As they sit at a stool[Dm] by the bar
The girl with green eyes and the rolling stones shirt
Doesn't look like she works on the[Gm] land
The man at the[Dm] end is a very good friend
Of a[A] man who sells second[Dm]hand cars
[D]Down at the red rose cafe in the harbour
There by the port just outside Am[A]sterdam
Everyone[G] shares in the songs and the[D] laughter
Everyone[A] there is so happy to be[Dm] there
After The Green Fields Of France and Sweet Sixteen this is the third most popular Furey Brothers song. It was originally written in Dutch. The sheet music is in the tin whistle section on the site. The second verse is not usually sang at session as not many people know it.
Red rose cafe guitar chords and tab
Red Rose Cafe - The Furey Brothers And Davie Arthur Song
Below is the ebook list of Irish Folk Songs with guitar chords
in 3 keys. Price €8.90 and I'll email the ebook after purchase .
The chords are suited to ukulele, banjo or mandolin also.
Martin
in 3 keys. Price €8.90 and I'll email the ebook after purchase .
The chords are suited to ukulele, banjo or mandolin also.
Martin
Finbar Furey The Red Rose Cafe singer
