The Trooper And The Maid Guitar Chords And Lyrics

A traditional song from Scotland that dates from the early 17 century, recorded by Ewan McColl, Guitar chords are in D Major in chordpro .The MacLeods and Archie Fisher, this song sounds very much like ''As I Roved Out'' [ lyrics ] by Christy Moore, a lot of the words are similar but I'm sure this one came first. The mandolin tab and tin whistle sheet music are included.

A[D] trooper lad came here last [A]night,
With [Em]riding he was [A]weary,
A [D]trooper lad came [A]here last night,
[Em]When the moon[A] shone [Em]bright and [D]clearly.
Chorus 1
 
[D]Bonny lassie, I'll lie near [A]you,
Hey [Em]bonny lassie, I'll lie [A]near you,
I'll[D] gar all your [A]ribbons reel,
[Em]Bonny [A]lassie, ere I [Em]leave [D]you.
[D]She's ta'en his high horse by the[A] head,
She's [Em]led him to the [A]stable,
She's [D]given him both [A]corn and hay
As [Em]much as [A]he was [Em]abl[D]e.
 
 
Chorus 1
[D]She's ta'en the trooper by the [A]hand
And [Em]led him to the [A]table,
There's [D]food and wine for a [A]soldier here,
As [Em]much as [A]he is [Em]ab[D]le.
 
 
Chorus 1
[D]She went upstairs to make the [A]bed,
And [Em]she made it soft and [A]easy.
She's [D]pulled her petticoats [A]o'er [D]her head,
Crying, [Em]Soldier, [A]are you [Em]rea[D]dy
 
 
Cho
[D]He's taken off his big [A]topcoat,
[Em]Likewise his hat and [A]feather.
He's[D] ta'en the broadsword [A]from his [D]side,
And [Em]now he's [A]down be[Em]side [D]her.
Chorus 1
[D]They had not been an hour in [A]bed,
An [Em]hour but and a [A]quarter,
When[D] the drums came beating [A]up the [D]town,
And[Em] every [A]beat got [Em]shor[D]ter.
 
 
Chorus 2
[D]Bonny lassie, I must leave[A] you,
Now[Em] bonny lassie, I must [A]leave you,
If [D]ever I come this [A]road a[D]gain
I [Em]will ]A]come in and [Em]see [D]you.
 
 
[D]She's ta'en her gown out o'er her[A] arms,
And [Em]followed him through [A]Stirling.
She's [D]grown so full she [A]could not [D]bow,
And [Em]he [A]left her in [Em]Dunferm[D]line.
 
 
Chorus 2
[D]It's when will you come back [A]again
To [Em]be your bairnie's [A]daddy ?
When [D]cockle shells grow [A]silver [D]bells
It's [Em]when I'll[A] come and[Em] wed [D]ye.

​Below you’ll find:
✅ Full song with chords (in G Major)
✅ A strumming pattern (folk-waltz feel)
✅ A fingerstyle guitar tab for the first verse + chorus

🎵 1. Full Song (in G Major)

All chords transposed from D → G.
(D → G, A → D, Em → Am)

[Verse 1]
[G]A trooper lad came here last [D]night,  
With [Am]riding he was [D]weary,  
A [G]trooper lad came [D]here last night,  
[Am]When the moon [D]shone [Am]bright and [G]clearly.

[Chorus 1]
[G]Bonny lassie, I'll lie [D]near you,  
Hey [Am]bonny lassie, I'll lie [D]near you,  
I'll [G]gar all your [D]ribbons reel,  
[Am]Bonny [D]lassie, ere I [Am]leave [G]you.

[Verse 2]
[G]She's ta’en his high horse by the [D]head,  
She's [Am]led him to the [D]stable,  
She's [G]given him both [D]corn and hay,  
As [Am]much as [D]he was [Am]able [G].

[Chorus 1]
[G]Bonny lassie, I'll lie [D]near you,  
Hey [Am]bonny lassie, I'll lie [D]near you,  
I'll [G]gar all your [D]ribbons reel,  
[Am]Bonny [D]lassie, ere I [Am]leave [G]you.

[Verse 3]
[G]She's ta’en the trooper by the [D]hand,  
And [Am]led him to the [D]table,  
There's [G]food and wine for a [D]soldier here,  
As [Am]much as [D]he is [Am]able [G].

[Chorus 1]

[Verse 4]
[G]She went upstairs to make the [D]bed,  
And [Am]she made it soft and [D]easy,  
She's [G]pulled her petticoats [D]o’er her head,  
Crying, [Am]Soldier, [D]are you [Am]ready [G]?

[Verse 5]
[G]He’s taken off his big [D]topcoat,  
[Am]Likewise his hat and [D]feather,  
He's [G]ta’en the broadsword [D]from his side,  
And [Am]now he's [D]down be[Am]side [G]her.

[Chorus 1]

[Verse 6]
[G]They had not been an hour in [D]bed,  
An [Am]hour but and a [D]quarter,  
When [G]the drums came beating [D]up the town,  
And [Am]every [D]beat got [Am]shorter [G].

[Chorus 2]
[G]Bonny lassie, I must [D]leave you,  
Now [Am]bonny lassie, I must [D]leave you,  
If [G]ever I come this [D]road a[G]gain,  
I’ll [Am]come [D]in and [Am]see [G]you.

[Verse 7]
[G]She’s ta’en her gown out o’er her [D]arms,  
And [Am]followed him through [D]Stirling,  
She's [G]grown so full she [D]could not bow,  
And [Am]he [D]left her in [Am]Dunferm[G]line.

[Verse 8]
[G]It’s when will you come back [D]again,  
To [Am]be your bairnie’s [D]daddy?  
When [G]cockle shells grow [D]silver bells,  
It’s [Am]then I’ll [D]come and [Am]wed [G]ye.

🎸 2. STRUMMING PATTERN

Time Signature: 6/8 (slow rolling waltz)
Tempo: ~75–80 BPM

➤ Pattern:

↓ ↓↑ ↑↓↑
Count: 1 2–3 4–5–6

Beat 1 = soft bass stroke

Beats 2–3–4–5–6 = gentle brush through the treble strings

You can also play a folk jig-style variation:

Bass ↓ – Strum ↓↑ – Bass ↓ – Strum ↑↓↑

Keep a subtle bounce — like the gentle rhythm of a horse trotting.

🎶 3. FINGERSTYLE GUITAR TAB

(First verse + chorus in G Major)

Right-hand pattern (per measure):

Bass → G → B → high E → B → G

FIRST VERSE TAB

Lyrics:

[G]A trooper lad came here last [D]night,
With [Am]riding he was [D]weary,
A [G]trooper lad came [D]here last night,
[Am]When the moon [D]shone [Am]bright and [G]clearly.

   G
e|--------3-------------3-------------|
B|------0---0---------0---0-----------|
G|----0-------0-----0-------0---------|
D|--0-----------0---------------------|
A|------------------------------------|
E|3-----------------3-----------------|

   D
e|--------2-------------2-------------|
B|------3---3---------3---3-----------|
G|----2-------2-----2-------2---------|
D|0-----------------0-----------------|
A|------------------------------------|
E|------------------------------------|

   Am
e|--------0-------------0-------------|
B|------1---1---------1---1-----------|
G|----2-------2-----2-------2---------|
D|--2-----------2---------------------|
A|0-----------------0-----------------|
E|------------------------------------|

CHORUS TAB

Lyrics:

[G]Bonny lassie, I'll lie [D]near you,
Hey [Am]bonny lassie, I'll lie [D]near you,
I'll [G]gar all your [D]ribbons reel,
[Am]Bonny [D]lassie, ere I [Am]leave [G]you.

Use the same picking pattern for each chord.

💡 Playing Tips

Let your thumb alternate gently on bass strings to imitate the horse’s gait.

Keep the rhythm smooth and swaying, not stiff — it’s a flirtatious folk ballad.

On lines ending in “Ardee” or “leave you,” let the final G chord ring out fully.

For performance: use fingerpicking on verses, strumming on choruses for contrast.

​The trooper and the maid mandolin sheet music

The Tin Whistle Notes

The Trooper And The Maid Song Lyrics [2]

In a village far away, there lived a trooper and a maid
Both from different worlds, but fate had them laid
He was a soldier, brave and strong
She was a simple girl, singing all day long

Chorus:
The trooper and the maid, an unlikely pair
But in each other's arms, they found solace and care
Amidst the chaos and the war
Their love was worth fighting for

Verse 2:
He would ride off to battle, with his sword and shield
She would pray for his safety, her heart never healed
But every time he returned, she would light up with joy
For he was her hero, her knight in shining armor, oh boy

Chorus:
The trooper and the maid, an unlikely pair
But in each other's arms, they found solace and care
Amidst the chaos and the war
Their love was worth fighting for

Bridge:
They may come from different worlds, but their love knows no bounds
Together they can conquer anything, in each other's arms they've found
A love that's true, a love that's pure
Their bond will forever endure

Chorus:
The trooper and the maid, an unlikely pair
But in each other's arms, they found solace and care
Amidst the chaos and the war
Their love was worth fighting for

Outro:
So here's to the trooper and the maid
A love that never fades
In a world full of hate and pain
Their love will always remain.