Steeleye Span – Tam Lin (Guitar)

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Chords

[Introduction] C [Verse-A 1]
    C            F
Oh, I forbid you maidens all

     C                 G
That wear gold in your hair

   C             F
To come or go by Carterhaugh

    C                C
For young Tam Lin is there.
[Verse-A 2]
C            F
If you go by Carterhaugh

    C                G
You must leave him a ward:

C                    F
Either your rings or green mantle

   C
Or else your maidenhead.
[Verse-A 3]
C               F
She’s away o’er gravel green

    C               G
And o’er the gravel brown;

C             F
She’s away to Carterhaugh

   C
To flower herself a gown.
[Verse-A 4]
    C                F
She had not pulled a rosy rose,

  C               G
A rose but barely one,

     C            F
When by came this brisk young man,

       C
Says, "Lady, let alone.
[Bridge-A 1]
    Bb               F
How dare you pull my rose, Madam?

    C                 G
How dare you break my tree?

    Bb               F
How dare you come to Carterhaugh

    C                G
Without the leave of me?"
[Verse-A 5]
      C              F
"Well may I pull the rose," she said,

    C                 G
"Well may I break the tree.

    C              F
For Carterhaugh is my father’s,

     C
I’ll ask no leave of thee."
[Chorus]
C      F           C         G
Oh, in Carterhaugh, in Carterhaugh

C      F           C         G      C
Oh, in Carterhaugh, in Carterhaugh
[Verse-A 6]
     C                F
He’s taken her by the milk-white hand

    C                   G
And there he’s laid her down,

    C                 F
And there he asked no leave of her

   C
As she lay on the ground.
[Verse-A 7]
    C                  F
"Oh tell me, tell me," then she said,

    C               G
"Oh tell me who art thee?"

    C              F
"My name it is Tam Lin," he said,

     C
"And this is my story:
[Bridge-A 2]
   Bb           F
As it fell out upon a day,

  C           G
A-hunting I did ride;

      Bb              F
There came a wind out of the north

    C          G
And woe it did betide.
[Verse-A 8]
    C              F
And drowsy, drowsy as I was,

    C             G
The sleep upon me fell;

    C                F
The Queen of Fairies she was there,

    C
And took me to herself.
[Chorus]
C      F           C         G
Oh, in Carterhaugh, in Carterhaugh

C      F           C         G      C
Oh, in Carterhaugh, in Carterhaugh
[Instrumental-A] (as Verse-A and Bridge-A) C F | C G C F | C C F | C G C F | C Bb F | C G Bb F | C G C F | C G C F | C [Bridge-A 3]
       Bb           F
At the end of every seven years

     C              G
They pay a tithe to Hell;

    Bb              F
And I’m so fain and full of flesh,

  C               G
I fear ’t will be myself.
[Verse-A 9]
  C                F
Tonight it is good Halloween,

    C                G
The fairy court will ride;

    C                 F
And if you would your true love win,

   C
At Mile’s Cross, you must bide."
[Chorus*]
C      F           C         G
Oh, in Carterhaugh, in Carterhaugh

C      F           C         G
Oh, in Carterhaugh, in Carterhaugh

C      F           C         G
Oh, in Carterhaugh, in Carterhaugh
[Bridge-B 4] E [Verse-B 1]
E
Gloomy was the night

    E
And eerie was the way;

     G           D
This lady in her green mantle

   D                    C
To Mile’s Cross she did go.

         C          G
With the holy water in her hand

    A                C
She cast the compass round;

   C                  G
At twelve o’clock the fairy court

     A
Came riding o’er the bound.
[Verse-B 2]
E
First came by the black steed

    E
And then came by the brown,

     G            D
Then Tam Lin on a milk-white steed

    D                   C
With a gold star in his crown.

      C                 G
She’s pulled him down into her arms

    A              C
And let the bridle fall;

    C                G
The Queen of Fairies she cried out,

       A
"Young Tam Lin is awa."
[Verse-B 3]
        E
They’ve shaped him in her arms,

      E
To an adder or a snake;

      G                 D
She’s held him fast and feared him not

   D              C
To be her earthly mate.

        C                 G
They’ve shaped him in her arms again

   A            C
To fire burning bold;

      C                 G
She’s held him fast and feared him not

     A
Till he was iron cold.
[Verse-B 4]
        E
They’ve shaped him in her arms

     E
To a wood black dog so wild;

      G                 D
She’s held him fast and feared him not,

    D             C
The father of her child.

        C                 G
They’ve shaped him in her arms at last

  A          C
Into a naked man;

      C                  G
She’s wrapped him in the green mantle

    A
And knew that she had him won.
[Instrumental-B] (as Verse-B) E | E G D | D C C G | A C
    C                G
The Queen of Fairies she cried out,

       A
"Young Tam Lin is awa."
[Bridge-C]
A   C

[Verse-C 1]

C                                  C C/B Am
Had I known, had I known, Tam Lin,

Am                                     C
Long before, long before you came from home,

      C                   G
Had I known, I would have taken out your heart

    D7sus2            Am
And put in a heart of stone.
C G D7sus2 Am [Verse-C 2]
      C                            C C/B Am
Had I known, had I known, Tam Lin,

Am                              C
That a lady, a lady would steal thee,

      C                   G
Had I known, I would have taken out your eyes

    D7sus2            Am
And put in two from a tree.
C G D7sus2 Am [Verse-C 3]
      C                            C C/B Am
Had I known, had I known, Tam Lin,

Am                              C
That I would lose, that I would lose the day,

      C                   G
Had I known, I would have paid my tithe to hell

  D7sus2              Am
Before you’d been won away.