Fairytale Of New York Banjo / Mandolin Tab
This version of the sheet music for the mandolin / banjo is in the key of G Major. Suitable for Irish Bouzouki in GDAE tuning. Words and music by Shane MacGowan with a little help from the 5 string banjo of The Pogues Jim Finer. There are quiet a few notes to remember when learning this tune compared to any other songs on the site. If your just a beginner then my advise is the break the song up into small pieces. Learn a couple of lines at a time 'till you have the notes off by heart before moving on to the second two lines, and so on. Basic Scruggs-Style (Melody Emphasis)5-string banjo (gDGBD) now included.
Below is the list of The Pogues banjo / mandolin tabs in the latest ebook.
Price €7.60.
Price €7.60.
PDF File For The Above Version
🎼 Fairytale of New York — Basic Scruggs-Style (Melody Emphasis)5-string banjo (gDGBD)
Key: G
Rolls used:
• Fwd roll: T-I-M-T-I-M
• Melody pinch: M+T
• Melody accents on 1st string
⭐ INTRO (simple + recognizable)Chords: G – D7 – G
G D7
(no lyric)
|----------------|----------------|----------------|
|--------0-------|--------1-------|--------1-------|
|------0---0---0-|------2---2---2-|------2---2---2-|
|--0-------------|--0-------------|--0-------------|
|--------0-------|--------0-------|--------0-------|
G
|----------------|----------------|----------------|
|--------0-------|--------0-------|--------0-------|
|------0---0---0-|------0---0---0-|------0---0---0-|
|--0-------------|--0-------------|--0-------------|
|--------0-------|--------0-------|--------0-------|
⭐ VERSE 1 — Basic Melody-Scruggs Hybrid
“It was Christmas Eve, babe…”
Chords: G – D7 – G – C – G – Am – D – G
Lines are 3 bars each
“It was Christmas Eve, babe”
lua
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G D7 G
It was Christ-mas Eve, babe
|----------------|----------------|----------------|
|--------0-------|--------1-------|--------0-------|
|------0---0---0-|------2---2---2-|------0---0---0-|
|--0-------------|--0-------------|--0-------------|
|--------0-------|--------0-------|--------0-------|
“In the drunk tank…”
pgsql
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C G Am
In the drunk tank, when an old man said to me
|----------------|----------------|----------------|
|--------1-------|--------0-------|--------1-------|
|------0---0---0-|------0---0---0-|------2---2---2-|
|--2-------------|--0-------------|--2-------------|
|--------0-------|--------0-------|--------0-------|
“Won’t see another one…”
sql
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D7 G
Won’t see an-other one…
|----------------|----------------|----------------|
|--------1-------|--------0-------|--------0-------|
|------2---2---2-|------0---0---0-|------0---0---0-|
|--0-------------|--0-------------|--0-------------|
|--------0-------|--------0-------|--------0-------|
“And then he sang a song…”
sql
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C G D7
And then he sang a song, the Rare Old Mountain Dew
|----------------|----------------|----------------|
|--------1-------|--------0-------|--------1-------|
|------0---0---0-|------0---0---0-|------2---2---2-|
|--2-------------|--0-------------|--0-------------|
|--------0-------|--------0-------|--------0-------|
“I turned my face away…”
lua
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G C G
I turned my face a-way and dreamed a-bout you
|----------------|----------------|----------------|
|--------0-------|--------1-------|--------0-------|
|------0---0---0-|------0---0---0-|------0---0---0-|
|--0-------------|--2-------------|--0-------------|
|--------0-------|--------0-------|--------0-------|
G D Em
They got cars big as bars, they got riv-ers of gold
|----------------|----------------|----------------|
|--------0-------|--------3-------|--------0-------|
|------0---0---0-|------2---2---2-|------0---0---0-|
|--0-------------|--0-------------|--2-------------|
|--------0-------|--------0-------|--------0-------|
“But the wind goes right through you…”
sql
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C G D
But the wind goes right through you, it’s no place for the old
|----------------|----------------|----------------|
|--------1-------|--------0-------|--------3-------|
|------0---0---0-|------0---0---0-|------2---2---2-|
|--2-------------|--0-------------|--0-------------|
|--------0-------|--------0-------|--------0-------|
“When you first took my hand…”
sql
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G C G
When you first took my hand on a cold Christ-mas Eve
|----------------|----------------|----------------|
|--------0-------|--------1-------|--------0-------|
|------0---0---0-|------0---0---0-|------0---0---0-|
|--0-------------|--2-------------|--0-------------|
|--------0-------|--------0-------|--------0-------|
“You promised me Broadway…”
lua
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D G Em
You prom-ised me Broadway was wait-ing for me
|----------------|----------------|----------------|
|--------3-------|--------0-------|--------0-------|
|------2---2---2-|------0---0---0-|------0---0---0-|
|--0-------------|--0-------------|--2-------------|
|--------0-------|--------0-------|--------0-------|
“You were handsome, you were pretty…”
sql
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C G D
You were hand-some, you were pret-ty, queen of New York City
|----------------|----------------|----------------|
|--------1-------|--------0-------|--------3-------|
|------0---0---0-|------0---0---0-|------2---2---2-|
|--2-------------|--0-------------|--0-------------|
|--------0-------|--------0-------|--------0-------|
“When the band finished playing…”
sql
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G Em D
When the band fin-ished play-ing, they howled out for more
|----------------|----------------|----------------|
|--------0-------|--------0-------|--------3-------|
|------0---0---0-|------0---0---0-|------2---2---2-|
|--0-------------|--2-------------|--0-------------|
|--------0-------|--------0-------|--------0-------|
“Sinatra was swinging…”
sql
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G C G
Si-na-tra was swing-ing, all the drunks they were sing-ing
|----------------|----------------|----------------|
|--------0-------|--------1-------|--------0-------|
|------0---0---0-|------0---0---0-|------0---0---0-|
|--0-------------|--2-------------|--0-------------|
|--------0-------|--------0-------|--------0-------|
“We kissed on the corner…”
pgsql
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D C G
We kissed on the cor-ner, then danced through the night
|----------------|----------------|----------------|
|--------3-------|--------1-------|--------0-------|
|------2---2---2-|------0---0---0-|------0---0---0-|
|--0-------------|--2-------------|--0-------------|
|--------0-------|--------0-------|--------0-------|
“And the boys of the NYPD choir…”
lua
Copy code
C G/B Em
And the boys of the N Y P D choir were sing-ing Gal-way Bay
|----------------|----------------|----------------|
|--------1-------|--------0-------|--------0-------|
|------0---0---0-|------0---0---0-|------0---0---0-|
|--2-------------|--0-------------|--2-------------|
|--------0-------|--2-------------|--------0-------|
“And the bells were ringing out…”
sql
Copy code
G C D
And the bells were ring-ing out for Christ-mas Day
|----------------|----------------|----------------|
|--------0-------|--------1-------|--------3-------|
|------0---0---0-|------0---0---0-|------2---2---2-|
|--0-------------|--2-------------|--0-------------|
|--------0-------|--------0-------|--------0-------|
⭐ VERSE 3 — Basic Version
(“You're a bum, you’re a punk…” etc.)
This verse is long — here is the full playable Scruggs-style version:
“You’re a bum, you’re a punk…”
python
Copy code
D G C
You're a bum, you're a punk, you're an old slut on junk
|----------------|----------------|----------------|
|--------3-------|--------0-------|--------1-------|
|------2---2---2-|------0---0---0-|------0---0---0-|
|--0-------------|--0-------------|--2-------------|
|--------0-------|--------0-------|--------0-------|
“Lying there almost dead…”
pgsql
Copy code
G D G
Ly-ing there almost dead on a drip in that bed
|----------------|----------------|----------------|
|--------0-------|--------3-------|--------0-------|
|------0---0---0-|------2---2---2-|------0---0---0-|
|--0-------------|--0-------------|--0-------------|
|--------0-------|--------0-------|--------0-------|
“You scumbag, you maggot…”
lua
Copy code
C G D
You scum-bag, you mag-got, you cheap lousy fag-got
|----------------|----------------|----------------|
|--------1-------|--------0-------|--------3-------|
|------0---0---0-|------0---0---0-|------2---2---2-|
|--2-------------|--0-------------|--0-------------|
|--------0-------|--------0-------|--------0-------|
“Happy Christmas your arse…”
mathematica
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G C G
Happy Christ-mas your arse, I pray God it's our last
|----------------|----------------|----------------|
|--------0-------|--------1-------|--------0-------|
|------0---0---0-|------0---0---0-|------0---0---0-|
|--0-------------|--2-------------|--0-------------|
|--------0-------|--------0-------|--------0-------|
“I could have been someone…” (duet section)
sql
Copy code
D G C
I could have been some-one, well so could any-one
|----------------|----------------|----------------|
|--------3-------|--------0-------|--------1-------|
|------2---2---2-|------0---0---0-|------0---0---0-|
|--0-------------|--0-------------|--2-------------|
|--------0-------|--------0-------|--------0-------|
“You took my dreams from me…”
sql
Copy code
G D G
You took my dreams from me when I first found you
|----------------|----------------|----------------|
|--------0-------|--------3-------|--------0-------|
|------0---0---0-|------2---2---2-|------0---0---0-|
|--0-------------|--0-------------|--0-------------|
|--------0-------|--------0-------|--------0-------|
“I kept them with me, babe…”
sql
Copy code
C G C
I kept them with me babe, I put them with my own
|----------------|----------------|----------------|
|--------1-------|--------0-------|--------1-------|
|------0---0---0-|------0---0---0-|------0---0---0-|
|--2-------------|--0-------------|--2-------------|
|--------0-------|--------0-------|--------0-------|
“Can’t make it all alone…”
sql
Copy code
G D G
Can’t make it all a-lone, I’ve built my dreams around you
|----------------|----------------|----------------|
|--------0-------|--------3-------|--------0-------|
|------0---0---0-|------2---2---2-|------0---0---0-|
|--0-------------|--0-------------|--0-------------|
|--------0-------|--------0-------|--------0-------|
FINAL REFRAIN
lua
Copy code
C G/B Em
The boys of the N Y P D choir were sing-ing Gal-way Bay
|----------------|----------------|----------------|
|--------1-------|--------0-------|--------0-------|
|------0---0---0-|------0---0---0-|------0---0---0-|
|--2-------------|--0-------------|--2-------------|
|--------0-------|--2-------------|--------0-------|
sql
Copy code
G C D
And the bells were ring-ing out for Christ-mas Day
|----------------|----------------|----------------|
|--------0-------|--------1-------|--------3-------|
|------0---0---0-|------0---0---0-|------2---2---2-|
|--0-------------|--2-------------|--0-------------|
|--------0-------|--------0-------|--------0-------|
Key: G
Rolls used:
• Fwd roll: T-I-M-T-I-M
• Melody pinch: M+T
• Melody accents on 1st string
⭐ INTRO (simple + recognizable)Chords: G – D7 – G
G D7
(no lyric)
|----------------|----------------|----------------|
|--------0-------|--------1-------|--------1-------|
|------0---0---0-|------2---2---2-|------2---2---2-|
|--0-------------|--0-------------|--0-------------|
|--------0-------|--------0-------|--------0-------|
G
|----------------|----------------|----------------|
|--------0-------|--------0-------|--------0-------|
|------0---0---0-|------0---0---0-|------0---0---0-|
|--0-------------|--0-------------|--0-------------|
|--------0-------|--------0-------|--------0-------|
⭐ VERSE 1 — Basic Melody-Scruggs Hybrid
“It was Christmas Eve, babe…”
Chords: G – D7 – G – C – G – Am – D – G
Lines are 3 bars each
“It was Christmas Eve, babe”
lua
Copy code
G D7 G
It was Christ-mas Eve, babe
|----------------|----------------|----------------|
|--------0-------|--------1-------|--------0-------|
|------0---0---0-|------2---2---2-|------0---0---0-|
|--0-------------|--0-------------|--0-------------|
|--------0-------|--------0-------|--------0-------|
“In the drunk tank…”
pgsql
Copy code
C G Am
In the drunk tank, when an old man said to me
|----------------|----------------|----------------|
|--------1-------|--------0-------|--------1-------|
|------0---0---0-|------0---0---0-|------2---2---2-|
|--2-------------|--0-------------|--2-------------|
|--------0-------|--------0-------|--------0-------|
“Won’t see another one…”
sql
Copy code
D7 G
Won’t see an-other one…
|----------------|----------------|----------------|
|--------1-------|--------0-------|--------0-------|
|------2---2---2-|------0---0---0-|------0---0---0-|
|--0-------------|--0-------------|--0-------------|
|--------0-------|--------0-------|--------0-------|
“And then he sang a song…”
sql
Copy code
C G D7
And then he sang a song, the Rare Old Mountain Dew
|----------------|----------------|----------------|
|--------1-------|--------0-------|--------1-------|
|------0---0---0-|------0---0---0-|------2---2---2-|
|--2-------------|--0-------------|--0-------------|
|--------0-------|--------0-------|--------0-------|
“I turned my face away…”
lua
Copy code
G C G
I turned my face a-way and dreamed a-bout you
|----------------|----------------|----------------|
|--------0-------|--------1-------|--------0-------|
|------0---0---0-|------0---0---0-|------0---0---0-|
|--0-------------|--2-------------|--0-------------|
|--------0-------|--------0-------|--------0-------|
G D Em
They got cars big as bars, they got riv-ers of gold
|----------------|----------------|----------------|
|--------0-------|--------3-------|--------0-------|
|------0---0---0-|------2---2---2-|------0---0---0-|
|--0-------------|--0-------------|--2-------------|
|--------0-------|--------0-------|--------0-------|
“But the wind goes right through you…”
sql
Copy code
C G D
But the wind goes right through you, it’s no place for the old
|----------------|----------------|----------------|
|--------1-------|--------0-------|--------3-------|
|------0---0---0-|------0---0---0-|------2---2---2-|
|--2-------------|--0-------------|--0-------------|
|--------0-------|--------0-------|--------0-------|
“When you first took my hand…”
sql
Copy code
G C G
When you first took my hand on a cold Christ-mas Eve
|----------------|----------------|----------------|
|--------0-------|--------1-------|--------0-------|
|------0---0---0-|------0---0---0-|------0---0---0-|
|--0-------------|--2-------------|--0-------------|
|--------0-------|--------0-------|--------0-------|
“You promised me Broadway…”
lua
Copy code
D G Em
You prom-ised me Broadway was wait-ing for me
|----------------|----------------|----------------|
|--------3-------|--------0-------|--------0-------|
|------2---2---2-|------0---0---0-|------0---0---0-|
|--0-------------|--0-------------|--2-------------|
|--------0-------|--------0-------|--------0-------|
“You were handsome, you were pretty…”
sql
Copy code
C G D
You were hand-some, you were pret-ty, queen of New York City
|----------------|----------------|----------------|
|--------1-------|--------0-------|--------3-------|
|------0---0---0-|------0---0---0-|------2---2---2-|
|--2-------------|--0-------------|--0-------------|
|--------0-------|--------0-------|--------0-------|
“When the band finished playing…”
sql
Copy code
G Em D
When the band fin-ished play-ing, they howled out for more
|----------------|----------------|----------------|
|--------0-------|--------0-------|--------3-------|
|------0---0---0-|------0---0---0-|------2---2---2-|
|--0-------------|--2-------------|--0-------------|
|--------0-------|--------0-------|--------0-------|
“Sinatra was swinging…”
sql
Copy code
G C G
Si-na-tra was swing-ing, all the drunks they were sing-ing
|----------------|----------------|----------------|
|--------0-------|--------1-------|--------0-------|
|------0---0---0-|------0---0---0-|------0---0---0-|
|--0-------------|--2-------------|--0-------------|
|--------0-------|--------0-------|--------0-------|
“We kissed on the corner…”
pgsql
Copy code
D C G
We kissed on the cor-ner, then danced through the night
|----------------|----------------|----------------|
|--------3-------|--------1-------|--------0-------|
|------2---2---2-|------0---0---0-|------0---0---0-|
|--0-------------|--2-------------|--0-------------|
|--------0-------|--------0-------|--------0-------|
“And the boys of the NYPD choir…”
lua
Copy code
C G/B Em
And the boys of the N Y P D choir were sing-ing Gal-way Bay
|----------------|----------------|----------------|
|--------1-------|--------0-------|--------0-------|
|------0---0---0-|------0---0---0-|------0---0---0-|
|--2-------------|--0-------------|--2-------------|
|--------0-------|--2-------------|--------0-------|
“And the bells were ringing out…”
sql
Copy code
G C D
And the bells were ring-ing out for Christ-mas Day
|----------------|----------------|----------------|
|--------0-------|--------1-------|--------3-------|
|------0---0---0-|------0---0---0-|------2---2---2-|
|--0-------------|--2-------------|--0-------------|
|--------0-------|--------0-------|--------0-------|
⭐ VERSE 3 — Basic Version
(“You're a bum, you’re a punk…” etc.)
This verse is long — here is the full playable Scruggs-style version:
“You’re a bum, you’re a punk…”
python
Copy code
D G C
You're a bum, you're a punk, you're an old slut on junk
|----------------|----------------|----------------|
|--------3-------|--------0-------|--------1-------|
|------2---2---2-|------0---0---0-|------0---0---0-|
|--0-------------|--0-------------|--2-------------|
|--------0-------|--------0-------|--------0-------|
“Lying there almost dead…”
pgsql
Copy code
G D G
Ly-ing there almost dead on a drip in that bed
|----------------|----------------|----------------|
|--------0-------|--------3-------|--------0-------|
|------0---0---0-|------2---2---2-|------0---0---0-|
|--0-------------|--0-------------|--0-------------|
|--------0-------|--------0-------|--------0-------|
“You scumbag, you maggot…”
lua
Copy code
C G D
You scum-bag, you mag-got, you cheap lousy fag-got
|----------------|----------------|----------------|
|--------1-------|--------0-------|--------3-------|
|------0---0---0-|------0---0---0-|------2---2---2-|
|--2-------------|--0-------------|--0-------------|
|--------0-------|--------0-------|--------0-------|
“Happy Christmas your arse…”
mathematica
Copy code
G C G
Happy Christ-mas your arse, I pray God it's our last
|----------------|----------------|----------------|
|--------0-------|--------1-------|--------0-------|
|------0---0---0-|------0---0---0-|------0---0---0-|
|--0-------------|--2-------------|--0-------------|
|--------0-------|--------0-------|--------0-------|
“I could have been someone…” (duet section)
sql
Copy code
D G C
I could have been some-one, well so could any-one
|----------------|----------------|----------------|
|--------3-------|--------0-------|--------1-------|
|------2---2---2-|------0---0---0-|------0---0---0-|
|--0-------------|--0-------------|--2-------------|
|--------0-------|--------0-------|--------0-------|
“You took my dreams from me…”
sql
Copy code
G D G
You took my dreams from me when I first found you
|----------------|----------------|----------------|
|--------0-------|--------3-------|--------0-------|
|------0---0---0-|------2---2---2-|------0---0---0-|
|--0-------------|--0-------------|--0-------------|
|--------0-------|--------0-------|--------0-------|
“I kept them with me, babe…”
sql
Copy code
C G C
I kept them with me babe, I put them with my own
|----------------|----------------|----------------|
|--------1-------|--------0-------|--------1-------|
|------0---0---0-|------0---0---0-|------0---0---0-|
|--2-------------|--0-------------|--2-------------|
|--------0-------|--------0-------|--------0-------|
“Can’t make it all alone…”
sql
Copy code
G D G
Can’t make it all a-lone, I’ve built my dreams around you
|----------------|----------------|----------------|
|--------0-------|--------3-------|--------0-------|
|------0---0---0-|------2---2---2-|------0---0---0-|
|--0-------------|--0-------------|--0-------------|
|--------0-------|--------0-------|--------0-------|
FINAL REFRAIN
lua
Copy code
C G/B Em
The boys of the N Y P D choir were sing-ing Gal-way Bay
|----------------|----------------|----------------|
|--------1-------|--------0-------|--------0-------|
|------0---0---0-|------0---0---0-|------0---0---0-|
|--2-------------|--0-------------|--2-------------|
|--------0-------|--2-------------|--------0-------|
sql
Copy code
G C D
And the bells were ring-ing out for Christ-mas Day
|----------------|----------------|----------------|
|--------0-------|--------1-------|--------3-------|
|------0---0---0-|------0---0---0-|------2---2---2-|
|--0-------------|--2-------------|--0-------------|
|--------0-------|--------0-------|--------0-------|
Below is a more basic version without the chords.
Fairytale Of New York sheet music by The Pogues for tenor banjo in G Major.
Fairytale Of New York music letter notes by The Pogues
In the version above, all of the letter notes in capital LETTERS are the low notes, up as far as the B note.
All of the notes in small letters are the high notes, past B.
More mandolin / banjo letter notes here in an ebook.
All of the notes in small letters are the high notes, past B.
More mandolin / banjo letter notes here in an ebook.
