Arthur McBride Chords by Andy Irvine  &  Paul Brady

[Start]

[Intro]
G D G C G D
■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■
G C G
■ ■ ■


[Verse]
G                                     
Oh me and my cousin one Arthur McBride
   C       G             C             
As we went awalking down by the seaside
G             Am7          G              
Now mark what followed and what did betide
                          D      
For it being on Christmas morning
    G   Am7           G              
Out for recreation we went on a tramp
       C   G                   C            
And we met sergeant napper and corporal vamp
G                  Am7     G                
And the little wee drummer intending to camp
                               D7       G
For the day being pleasant and charming ■
             Am7              G               
Good morning good morning the sergeant did cry
        G                                 
And the same to you gentlemen we did reply
          D           G               
Intending no harm but meant to pass by
                          D      
For it being on christmas morning
    G          Am7             G               
But says he My fine fellows if you would enlist
         C          Bm7  G      C            G   
It's ten guineas of gold I will slip in your fist
                   Am7            G               
And a crown in the bargain for to kick up the dust
                                   D       G
And drink the king's health in the morning ■
      G                                
For a soldier he leads a very fine life
       G                                           
And he always is blessed with a charming young wife


[Chorus]
                D                 G                
And he pays all his debts without sorrow and strife
                              D       
And always lives pleasant and charming
G                Am7       G               
And a soldier he always is decent and clean
       C         Bm7      G     C              
In the finest of clothing he is constantly seen
G                Am7        G             
While other poor fellows go dirty and mean
                             D      
And sup on thin gruel in the morning


[Inst]
G C G C G D G C
■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■


[Intro]
G C G D G
■ ■ ■ ■ ■


[Verse]
    G                                              
But says Arthur I wouldn't be proud of your clothes
           C    G           C                
For you've only the lend of them as I suppose
        G        Am7         G                     
And you dare not change them one night for you know
       C            G              D      
If you do you'll be flogged in the morning
G                 Am7    G              
And although that we are single and free
   C          G          C              
We take great delight in our own company
       G                                   
And we have no desires strange faces to see
                              D        G D
Although that your offers are charming ■ ■
G              Asus4     G                
And we have no desire to take your advance
C               G       C                  
All hazards and dangers we barter on chance
        G             Am7         G                
For you would have no scruples to send us to france
                                D      
Where we would get shot without warning
G Dsus4 Bm7 D Am7
■ ■     ■   ■ ■  
G               Am7           G                
Oh now says the sergeant I'll have no such chat
    C         G                 C                
And I neither will take it from small penal brats
G          Am7            G             
For if you insult me with one other word
                               D7     
I'll cut off your heads in the morning
         G      Am7      G                 
And then Arthur and I we soon drew our hods
       C           G                C                    
And we scarce gave them time for to draw their own blades
       G      Am7        G                    
When a trusty shillelagh came over their heads
                           D    G       D
And bade them take that as fair warning ■
                                 G                  
And their own rusty rapiers that hung by their sides
   C             G         C                
We flung them as far as we could in the tide
G                Am7    G                   
Now take them up devils cried Arthur McBride
                             D       Am D
And temper their edge in the morning ■  ■
    G              Am      D7 G                
And the little wee drummer we flattened his bow
    C         G               C          
And we made a football of his rowdydowdow
G               Am   Am7 G                  
Threw it in the tide for to rock and to roll


[Chorus]
                      A         G D
And bade it a tedious returning ■ ■
Bm7               Am7        G                 
And we haven't no money paid them off in cracks
       C       G                C               
And we paid no respect to their two bloody backs
G                    D            G                
For we lathered them there like a pair of wet sacks
                              D7      D
And left them for dead in the morning ■
    G     A               G              
And so to conclude and to finish disputes
   C          G                  C              
We obligingly asked them if they wanted recruits
G               Am7            G                    
For we were the lads who would give them hard clouts
                               D      
And bid them look sharp in the morning


[Inst]
G C G C G D G
■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■


[Verse]
G                                     
Oh me and my cousin one Arthur McBride
   C       G             C             
As we went awalking down by the seaside
G             Am7          G              
Now mark what followed and what did betide
                          D       G
For it being on Christmas morning ■


[End]