Mary Hamilton chords by Joan Baez

Chords with lyrics

On her first album ("Joan Baez"), Baez does this in the key of B. (In "The Joan Baez
Song Book", it's in D.)


C majorC       FF    C majorC            G7G7
Word is to the kitchen gone, and word is to the hall,
  FF    G7G7   C majorC     A minorAm
And word is up to Madam the Queen
  C majorC      G7G7    C majorC
And that is the worst of all.
   FF  G7G7      C majorC    A minorAm      C majorC    G7G7    C majorC
That Mary Hamilton has borne a babe, to the highest Stuart of all.


 C majorC         FF  C majorC           G7G7
"Arise, arise Mary Hamilton, arise and tell to me,
   FF     G7G7    C majorC    A minorAm   C majorC       G7G7   C majorC
What thou hast done with thy wee babe I saw and heard weep by thee?"

 C majorC       FF  C majorC             G7G7
"I put him in a tiny boat, and cast him out to sea,
   FF    G7G7   C majorC    A minorAm       C majorC     G7G7   C majorC
That he might sink or he might swim, but he'd never come back to me."


 C majorC         FF  C majorC            G7G7
"Arise, arise Mary Hamilton, arise and come with me;
   FF  G7G7     C majorC    A minorAm     C majorC      G7G7   C majorC
There is a wedding in Glasgow town, this night we'll go and see."


C majorC         FF    C majorC           G7G7
She put not on her robes of black, nor her robes of brown.
  FF    G7G7   C majorC    A minorAm    C majorC     G7G7   C majorC
But she put on her robes of white, to ride into Glasgow town.


C majorC          FF    C majorC          G7G7
And as she rode into Glasgow town the city for to see,
  FF     G7G7      C majorC     A minorAm     C majorC    G7G7    C majorC
The bailiff's wife and the provost's wife cried "ach and alas for thee."


C majorC             FF    C majorC              G7G7
"Ah you need not weep for me," she cried,"you need not weep for me.
    FF   G7G7    C majorC    A minorAm    C majorC    G7G7    C majorC
For had I not slain my own wee babe this night I would not die."


C majorC        FF   C majorC              G7G7
Ah little did my mother think when first she cradled me,
  FF    G7G7   C majorC   A minorAm     C majorC    G7G7   C majorC
The lands I was to travel in and the death I was to die."

C majorC            FF    C majorC              G7G7
Last night I washed the Queen's feet and put the gold in her hair,
    FF  G7G7    C majorC    A minorAm     C majorC     G7G7  C majorC
And the only reward I find for this is the gallows to be my share."


C majorC           FF     C majorC              G7G7
"Cast off, cast off my gown," she cried,"but let my petticoat be,
  FF   G7G7   C majorC    A minorAm    C majorC     G7G7    C majorC
And tie a napkin 'round my face; the gallows I would not see."


C majorC          FF    C majorC               G7G7
Then by and come the King himself, looked up with a pitiful eye,
   FF     G7G7    C majorC  A minorAm   C majorC        G7G7    C majorC
"Come down, come down Mary Hamilton, tonight, you will dine with me."


 C majorC            FF     C majorC             G7G7
"Ah hold your tongue, my sovereign liege, and let your folly be;
    FF    G7G7   C majorC    A minorAm     C majorC     G7G7    C majorC
For if you'd a mind to save my life, you'd never have shamed me here.


C majorC             FF C majorC              G7G7
Last night there were four Marys, tonight there'll be but three.
     FF  G7G7     C majorC  A minorAm     C majorC    G7G7     C majorC