Fairport Convention – Polly On The Shore (Guitar)

By Marcel Veltman How many British folk traditionals are there about that promising young man who becomes a pirate and then leads a short and wretched life before suffering a cruel death? This is one of them. I could only figure out the basic chords, however, and not the beautifull guitar part as it was played by Jerry Donahue on the original recording.

      C       G          Am
Come all you wild young men

       C       F       G
And a warning take by me

 C      F        C/D          G
Never lead your single life astray

    C        G    Am
Or into bad company

As I myself have done Being all in the month of may When I was pressed by a sea captain A privateer to trade To the East Indies we were bound To plunder the region main And it's many a brave and a galliant ship We sent to a watery grave Off a freeport we did steer Our provisions to renew When we did spy a bold man of war sailing three feet to our two And she fired in cross our bow Heave to and don't refuse Surrender now into our command Or else your lives you'll lose But our decks they were splattered with blood And our canons did loudly roar And broadside and broadside a long time we lay 'Til we could fire no more

          C               D              G
  And a thousand times I wished myself again

           C          G            Am
 All alone with me Polly on the shore

(Instrumental break. Ominous sounds by Jerry on the Tele, Swarb' on the strings and Pegg on the bass, with a slow and steady basis laid bij Dave the drums and Trevor on acoustic. Do try this at home) She's a tall and a slender girl With a dark and a rovin' eye And here am I all a-bleeding on the deck And for her sweet sake must die And farewell me family and friends Likewise me Polly too I would never have sailed the salt sea wide If I had been ruled by you And a thousand times I saw myself again All alone with me Polly on the shore