the man who wrote danny boy
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                   Words and Music - Joe Jackson
                    Transcription - Dick Jackson
                        (dick@d-jackson.com)

Meter: 3/4 (or 3/8!)

Tempo: 132-164 beats per minute

Notation:  [n times]
          ||: ... :||  =  repeat section n times
          A5/B         =  A5 chord with B bass
          G(B)/C       =  G chord (B as top note) with C bass
          *            =  (see below)

Style: The [-1-] ("soft") sections are played with bass on beat 1
       and chord on beat 2, all held until the next bar, except
       where noted with a *, where bass and chord are played
       together.  (e.g. D*)  Tempo about 132 beats per minute.

       The [-2-] ("strong") sections are played with bass and chord
       played together.  Tempo from 150 to 164 (!) beats per minute.

       Viola lines may be improvised on an E major scale.

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[-1-]:
(introduction, with viola:)
   [8 times]
||: B5  A5/B :||

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   B5           A5/B     B5           A5/B
it happened one night-at three in the morning-

    B5      E            G#m    G#m
the devil appeared in my studio room-

       A             E            A          D*
and he said i'm your pal-and i'll make you a deal-
                                                       [4 times]
      F#m          C#m          B5             A5/B  ||:B5  A5/B:||
blow away all your struggle-and take your soul for a toy/

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      B5         A5/B   B5          A5/B
after rubbing my eyes-i looked all around me-

       B5            E          G#m           G#m
at the half-finished drivel i'd worked on for days-

      A           E            A            D*
and i told him my dream-was to live for all time-
                                                       [3 times]
        F#m       C#m            B5            A5/B  ||:B5  A5/B:||
in some perfect refrain-like the man who wrote danny boy/

B5  B5*

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[-2-]:
      E              D/E        D/B  E         D/E     D/B
and i said if you're real, then i'll ask you a question :-

      E          D/E    D/B  E        D/E  D/B
while most of us turn into   ashes or dust-

     E            D/E      D/B  E     D/E     D/B
just you and that other guy     go on forever-

    E              D/E     D/B  E        D
but who writes the history-and  who do i trust?/

G(B)/C  E(G#)/A  C#m(E)/F#  Bm(B)/D

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[-1-]:
(interlude, with viola:)
   [4 times]
||: B5  A5/B :||

------

   B5        A5/B        B5          A5/B
he gave me a wink-and he said it was funny-

    B5            E              G#m              G#m
how mortals would pour all their blood, sweat and tears,-

     A          E        A        D*
onto tape, onto paper-or into the air-
                                                 [2 times]
      F#m         C#m       B5          A5/B   ||:B5  A5/B:||
to be lost and forgotten-outside of his kind employ/

B5  B5*

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[-2-]:
       E               D/E    D/B   E            D/E      D/B
then i thought i could hear a great sound in the distance-

   E              D/E     D/B  E            D/E    D/B
of whiskey-soaked singing-and  laughter and cheers-

            E            D/E        D/B   E          D/E       D/B
and they're saying, that song could bring tears to a glass eye-

   E           D/E     D/B  E            D/E   D/B
so pass me the papers, i'll sign them in blood-

E  D  D/B  E  D  D/B

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        E            D         D/B E           D           D/B
and the smell of the brimstone was turned into greasepaint-

        E           D          D/B E         D    D/B
and the roar of the crowd like the furies of hell-

      E          D          D/B  E              D      D/B
and i hear the applause and i    hear the bells ringing

[-1-]:  A*         E*            A*            D*
and the sound of a woman's voice from the next room/

------

       G5         F5/G     G5         F5/G
saying come to me now-come lay down beside me-

    G5          C            Em          Em
whatever you're doing you're too gone to see-

          F         C           F            Bb*
you can't hold onto shadows, no more than to years-

      Dm           Am              G5           F5/G  G5*
so be glad for the pleasures-we're young enough to  enjoy/

G(B)/C*  E(G#)/A*  C#m(E)/F#*  Bm(B)/D*

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  [5 times]
||: B5  A5/B :||

   B5        A5/B     B5      A5/B
so maybe i'm drunk-or maybe a liar-

   B5          E          G#m      G#m
or maybe we're all living inside a dream-

        A            E             A                 D*
you can say what you like-when i'm gone, then you'll see-

        F#m         C#m  F#m       C#m
i'll be down in the dark-down underground-

     F#m             C#m          B5            A5/B  B5  A5/B
with shakespeare and bach-and the man who wrote danny boy

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(viola to F# on final chord:)
C#m7(add 4)(F#)

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