The West's Awake The Wolfe Tones song lyrics and guitar chords
Written by Thomas Davis also recorded by The Merry Ploughboy's , Lumiere, and The Celtic Tenors -Irish Rebel Song. This song was originally called The West's Asleep. The tune of the song is The Brink Of The White Rocks. It was also recorded by Lumiere, Johnny McEvoy [ songs ], Damien Dempsey, The Dubliners with Ronnie Drew doing the narration, The Clancy Brothers, Dermot O'Brien and Tommy Flemming to name a few. The West's Awake tenor guitar / mandola tab included.
When all [G] beside a [C] vigil keep,
The [D] West's asleep, the [G] West's asleep
Alas! and well may [C] Erin weep
When [D] Connacht lies in [G] slumber deep.
There lake and plain smile [C] fair and free,
'Mid [Am] rocks their guardian [D7] chivalry.
Sing, [G] Oh! let [D] man learn [Em] liberty
From lashing [D] wind and crashing [G] sea.
That chainless wave and lovely land
Freedom and nationhood demand;
Be sure the great God never planned
For slumb'ring slaves a home so grand.
And long a brave and haughty race
Honoured and sentinelled the place.
Sing, Oh! not even their sons' disgrace
Can quite destroy their glory's trace.
For often, in O'Connor's van,
To triumph dashed each Connacht clan,
And fleet as deer the Normans ran
Thro' Corrsliabh Pass and Ardrahan;
And later times saw deeds as brave,
And glory guards Clanricarde's grave,
Sing, Oh! they died their land to save
At Aughrim's slopes and Shannon's wave.
And if, when all a vigil keep,
The West's asleep! the West's asleep!
Alas! and well may Erin weep
That Connacht lies in slumber deep.
But, hark! a voice like thunder spake,
The West's awake! the West's awake!
Sing, Oh! hurrah! let England quake,
We'll watch till death for Erin's sake!
The [D] West's asleep, the [G] West's asleep
Alas! and well may [C] Erin weep
When [D] Connacht lies in [G] slumber deep.
There lake and plain smile [C] fair and free,
'Mid [Am] rocks their guardian [D7] chivalry.
Sing, [G] Oh! let [D] man learn [Em] liberty
From lashing [D] wind and crashing [G] sea.
That chainless wave and lovely land
Freedom and nationhood demand;
Be sure the great God never planned
For slumb'ring slaves a home so grand.
And long a brave and haughty race
Honoured and sentinelled the place.
Sing, Oh! not even their sons' disgrace
Can quite destroy their glory's trace.
For often, in O'Connor's van,
To triumph dashed each Connacht clan,
And fleet as deer the Normans ran
Thro' Corrsliabh Pass and Ardrahan;
And later times saw deeds as brave,
And glory guards Clanricarde's grave,
Sing, Oh! they died their land to save
At Aughrim's slopes and Shannon's wave.
And if, when all a vigil keep,
The West's asleep! the West's asleep!
Alas! and well may Erin weep
That Connacht lies in slumber deep.
But, hark! a voice like thunder spake,
The West's awake! the West's awake!
Sing, Oh! hurrah! let England quake,
We'll watch till death for Erin's sake!
🎵 Full Chorded Lyrics
When all [G] beside a [C] vigil keep,
The [D] West's asleep, the [G] West's asleep
Alas! and well may [C] Erin weep
When [D] Connacht lies in [G] slumber deep.
There lake and plain smile [C] fair and free,
'Mid [Am] rocks their guardian [D7] chivalry.
Sing, [G] Oh! let [D] man learn [Em] liberty
From lashing [D] wind and crashing [G] sea.
That chainless wave and [C] lovely land
Freedom and [D] nationhood de[G]mand;
Be sure the great God [C] never planned
For [D] slumb'ring slaves a [G] home so grand.
And long a brave and [C] haughty race
Honoured and [Am] sentinelled the [D7] place.
Sing, [G] Oh! not [D] even their [Em] sons' disgrace
Can quite de[D]stroy their glory's [G] trace.
For often, in O'[C]Connor's van,
To [D] triumph dashed each [G] Connacht clan,
And fleet as deer the [C] Normans ran
Thro' [D] Corrsliabh Pass and [G] Ardrahan;
And later times saw [C] deeds as brave,
And [Am] glory guards Clan[D7]ricarde's grave,
Sing, [G] Oh! they [D] died their [Em] land to save
At Aughrim's [D] slopes and Shannon's [G] wave.
And if, when all a [C] vigil keep,
The [D] West's asleep! the [G] West's asleep!
Alas! and well may [C] Erin weep
That [D] Connacht lies in [G] slumber deep.
But, hark! a voice like [C] thunder spake,
The [Am] West's awake! the [D7] West's awake!
Sing, [G] Oh! hur[D]rah! let [Em] England quake,
We'll watch till [D] death for Erin's [G] sake!
🎸 Strumming Pattern (4/4, Ballad Style)
Tempo: ~80–90 bpm
Suggested pattern:
↓ ↓↑ ↑↓↑
(D D U U D U)
It’s gentle but driving — typical of Irish folk ballads.
Try palm-muting slightly on the bass beats for verses to keep it steady.
Accent guide:
Downstrum on beat 1 (bass note)
Down-up (2-and) light
Up-down-up (3-and-4-and) flowing, almost like waves
If you want a march-like version (as often sung by choirs), you can use a simple alternating bass pattern:
Bass (↓) – Strum (↓↑) per chord.
🎶 Fingerpicking Tab (for first verse)
Pattern: Travis-style picking (Thumb–Index–Middle–Ring).
Use thumb for bass (E/A/D), index on G, middle on B, ring on high E.
Here’s a simple intro + first line tab:
G C D G
e|---------3---------------0---------------2---------------3-----|
B|-----0-------0-------1-------1-------3-------3-------0-------0-|
G|---0---0---0---0---0---0---0---2---2---2---2---0---0---0---0---|
D|-----------------2---------------0---------------0-------------|
A|-------2---------------3---------------0-----------------------|
E|---3---------------0---------------2---------------3-----------|
When all beside a vigil keep,
Continue this alternating-bass pattern throughout the verse:
Picking pattern formula:
T – I – M – I T – I – M – I
(bass–G–B–G alternating)
On G: play bass on 6th (E) and 4th (D) strings
On C: play bass on 5th (A) and 4th (D) strings
On D/D7: play bass on 4th (D) and 5th (A) strings
On Em: play bass on 6th (E) and 4th (D) strings
On Am: play bass on 5th (A) and 4th (D) strings
You can combine the fingerpicked intro and first verse, then move into strumming for the later verses for dynamic contrast.
When all [G] beside a [C] vigil keep,
The [D] West's asleep, the [G] West's asleep
Alas! and well may [C] Erin weep
When [D] Connacht lies in [G] slumber deep.
There lake and plain smile [C] fair and free,
'Mid [Am] rocks their guardian [D7] chivalry.
Sing, [G] Oh! let [D] man learn [Em] liberty
From lashing [D] wind and crashing [G] sea.
That chainless wave and [C] lovely land
Freedom and [D] nationhood de[G]mand;
Be sure the great God [C] never planned
For [D] slumb'ring slaves a [G] home so grand.
And long a brave and [C] haughty race
Honoured and [Am] sentinelled the [D7] place.
Sing, [G] Oh! not [D] even their [Em] sons' disgrace
Can quite de[D]stroy their glory's [G] trace.
For often, in O'[C]Connor's van,
To [D] triumph dashed each [G] Connacht clan,
And fleet as deer the [C] Normans ran
Thro' [D] Corrsliabh Pass and [G] Ardrahan;
And later times saw [C] deeds as brave,
And [Am] glory guards Clan[D7]ricarde's grave,
Sing, [G] Oh! they [D] died their [Em] land to save
At Aughrim's [D] slopes and Shannon's [G] wave.
And if, when all a [C] vigil keep,
The [D] West's asleep! the [G] West's asleep!
Alas! and well may [C] Erin weep
That [D] Connacht lies in [G] slumber deep.
But, hark! a voice like [C] thunder spake,
The [Am] West's awake! the [D7] West's awake!
Sing, [G] Oh! hur[D]rah! let [Em] England quake,
We'll watch till [D] death for Erin's [G] sake!
🎸 Strumming Pattern (4/4, Ballad Style)
Tempo: ~80–90 bpm
Suggested pattern:
↓ ↓↑ ↑↓↑
(D D U U D U)
It’s gentle but driving — typical of Irish folk ballads.
Try palm-muting slightly on the bass beats for verses to keep it steady.
Accent guide:
Downstrum on beat 1 (bass note)
Down-up (2-and) light
Up-down-up (3-and-4-and) flowing, almost like waves
If you want a march-like version (as often sung by choirs), you can use a simple alternating bass pattern:
Bass (↓) – Strum (↓↑) per chord.
🎶 Fingerpicking Tab (for first verse)
Pattern: Travis-style picking (Thumb–Index–Middle–Ring).
Use thumb for bass (E/A/D), index on G, middle on B, ring on high E.
Here’s a simple intro + first line tab:
G C D G
e|---------3---------------0---------------2---------------3-----|
B|-----0-------0-------1-------1-------3-------3-------0-------0-|
G|---0---0---0---0---0---0---0---2---2---2---2---0---0---0---0---|
D|-----------------2---------------0---------------0-------------|
A|-------2---------------3---------------0-----------------------|
E|---3---------------0---------------2---------------3-----------|
When all beside a vigil keep,
Continue this alternating-bass pattern throughout the verse:
Picking pattern formula:
T – I – M – I T – I – M – I
(bass–G–B–G alternating)
On G: play bass on 6th (E) and 4th (D) strings
On C: play bass on 5th (A) and 4th (D) strings
On D/D7: play bass on 4th (D) and 5th (A) strings
On Em: play bass on 6th (E) and 4th (D) strings
On Am: play bass on 5th (A) and 4th (D) strings
You can combine the fingerpicked intro and first verse, then move into strumming for the later verses for dynamic contrast.
Chords In the key that The Wolfe Tones play the song.
Intro D Em D G
When all [C] beside a [F] vigil keep,
The [D] West's asleep, the [G] West's asleep
Alas! and well may [C] Erin weep
When [D] Connacht lies in [G] slumber deep.
There lake and plain smile [C] fair and free,
'Mid [Am] rocks their guardian [G] chival[D]ry.
Sing, [G] Oh! let [D] man learn [D] libert[Em]y
From lashing [D] wind and [G]lashing sea.
Here's the chords in the key of D.
When all [D] beside a [G] vigil keep,
The [A] West's asleep, the [D] West's asleep
Alas! and well may [G] Erin weep
When [A] Connacht lies in [D] slumber deep.
There lake and plain smile [G] fair and free,
'Mid [Em] rocks their guardian [A7] chivalry.
Sing, [D] Oh! let [A] man learn [Bm] liberty
From lashing [A] wind and crashing [D] sea.
Chords in the key of C
When all [C] beside a [F] vigil keep,
The [G] West's asleep, the [C] West's asleep
Alas! and well may [F] Erin weep
When [G] Connacht lies in [C] slumber deep.
There lake and plain smile [F] fair and free,
'Mid [Dm] rocks their guardian [G7] chivalry.
Sing, [C] Oh! let [G] man learn [Am] liberty
From lashing [G] wind and crashing [C] sea.
Intro D Em D G
When all [C] beside a [F] vigil keep,
The [D] West's asleep, the [G] West's asleep
Alas! and well may [C] Erin weep
When [D] Connacht lies in [G] slumber deep.
There lake and plain smile [C] fair and free,
'Mid [Am] rocks their guardian [G] chival[D]ry.
Sing, [G] Oh! let [D] man learn [D] libert[Em]y
From lashing [D] wind and [G]lashing sea.
Here's the chords in the key of D.
When all [D] beside a [G] vigil keep,
The [A] West's asleep, the [D] West's asleep
Alas! and well may [G] Erin weep
When [A] Connacht lies in [D] slumber deep.
There lake and plain smile [G] fair and free,
'Mid [Em] rocks their guardian [A7] chivalry.
Sing, [D] Oh! let [A] man learn [Bm] liberty
From lashing [A] wind and crashing [D] sea.
Chords in the key of C
When all [C] beside a [F] vigil keep,
The [G] West's asleep, the [C] West's asleep
Alas! and well may [F] Erin weep
When [G] Connacht lies in [C] slumber deep.
There lake and plain smile [F] fair and free,
'Mid [Dm] rocks their guardian [G7] chivalry.
Sing, [C] Oh! let [G] man learn [Am] liberty
From lashing [G] wind and crashing [C] sea.
Rebel songs for tin whistle
The West's Awake tenor guitar / mandola tab in CGDA tuning.
Lumiere song - The West's Awake Lyrics
The west awake lyrics
