Key signature: Dmajor
Submitted on September 29th 2002 by glauber.
This tune has been added to 121 tunebooks.
Also known as Llwyn Onn, Sir Watkin William Wynn.
Recordings of a tune by this name:
X: 1
T: Ash Grove, The
M: 3/4
L: 1/8
R: waltz
K: Dmaj
|: "A"A2 | "D"d2f2ag | "D"f2d2d2 | "G"e2 gfed | "A"c2A2A2 |
"D"d2fedc | "G"B2G2B2 | "D"A2d2"A7"c2 | "D"d4 :||: e/f/g |
"D"a2fgab | "D"a2g2f2 | "A"g2efga | "A7"g2f2e2 | "D"f2defg |
"Bm"f2e2d2 | "A"c2a2"E"^g2 | "A"a4 A2 | "D"d2f2ag | f2d2d2 |
"G"e2gfed | "A"c2A2A2 | "D"d2fedc | "G"B2G2B2 | "D"A2d2"A"c2 | "D"d4 :||
Ash Grove
We sang this in church today, and can't get the melody out of me head, so here goes.
I'd normally notate like this (using 1/4 as base instead of 1/8):
X:15
T:Ash Grove
R:waltz
M:3/4
L:1/4
K:D
|: "A"A | "D"dfa/g/ | "D"fdd | "G"eg/f/e/d/ | "A"cAA |
"D"df/e/d/c/ | "G"BGB | "D"Ad"A"c | "D"d2 :||: e//f//g/ |
"D"af/g/a/b/ | "D"agf | "A"ge/f/g/a/ | "A7"gfe | "D"fd/e/f/g/ |
"Bm"fed | "A"ca"E"^g | "A"a2 A | "D"dfa/g/ | "D"fdd |
"G"eg/f/e/d/ | "A"cAA | "D"df/e/d/c/ | "G"BGB | "D"Ad"A7"c | "D"d2 :||
This is supposedly a Welsh tune. The "Fiddler's Companion" confirms:
http://makeashorterlink.com/?X17B122F1
I believe it shows up in O'Carolan's repertoire too.
I think this is a nice lively waltz, that can take a fair amount of ornamentation without losing its character.
# Posted on September 29th 2002 by glauber
Ashgrove
Unfortunately in England tune is used for ribald Rugby club verses
-the oppposite of church usage.
# Posted on September 29th 2002 by timjellies
My mother has a little rhyme to the first part of the tune, which she picked up in the school playground in Liverpool:
My teacher is a bunion,
Her face is a pickled onion,
Her nose is a squashed tomato,
And her hair is barbed wire.
Never underestimate the importance of childrens rhymes in traditional music.
# Posted on September 29th 2002 by granama
David, you call that bawdy lyrics? I'm sure the English can do much better!
# Posted on September 30th 2002 by glauber
Equine italian person
well,the version i know involves a 'big' italian fella and it's far too rude to post here but a censored first line goes something like:
(please stop reading if these sort of things offend you)
there was an italian,with b**** like a f****** stallion
and the hairs on his ********* reached down to the floor...
...it continues in similar fashion.if you want to know the rest,ask a rugby player.
by the way,i always thought this was an english tune but that's probably because we used to sing it at school. not the above version,of course!
# Posted on September 30th 2002 by biggus dave
Well, Glauber, my mother grew up in a rather middle-class suburb of Liverpool, and it was the 1940s. What's more, if she did know a less genteel version of the song, she'd hardly teach it to her son, would she?
# Posted on October 4th 2002 by granama
Definitely a Welsh tune. My Welsh grandmother used to sing it to me in Welsh when I was a child, but I'm blowed if I can remember any of the words after all these years. If I can track them down I'll post them. Incidentally, any Welsh version should be "clean". Welsh apparently has no native swear words; about the worst thing you can call someone in Welsh is "mochyn", meaning "pig", possibly with the addition of the Welsh word for "dung". If you hear a Welsh person using swear words while speaking Welsh the chances are that they are words imported from the English.
trevor
# Posted on December 4th 2002 by lazyhound
There are numerous Welsh versions; I don't now know which one my Welsh grandmother sang, so of several I've chosen this one ("Llwyn Onn" - "llwyn" means "grove", and "onn" means "ash tree")
Yn Nyffryn Llwyn Onn draw mi welais hardd feinwen
A minnau'n hamddena 'rol byw ar y don;
Gwyn ewyn y lli oedd ei gwisg, a disgleirwen
A'r glasfor oedd llygaid Gwen harddaf Llwyn Onn.
A ninnau'n rhodiana drwy'r lonydd i'r banna,
Sibrydem i'n gilydd gyfrinach byd serch;
A phan ddaeth hi'n adeg ffarwelio a'r wiwdeg,
Roedd tannau fy nghalon yng ngofal y ferch.
Cyn dychwel i borthladd wynebwn y tonnau,
Ond hyfryd yw'r hafan 'rol dicter y don;
Bydd melys anghofio her greulon y creigiau--
Un felly o'wn innau 'rol cyrraedd Llwyn Onn.
A thawel mordwyo wnaf mwyach a Gwenno
Yn llong fach ein bwthyn a hi wrth y llyw;
A hon fydd yr hafan ddiogel a chryno
I'r morwr a'i Wenno tra byddwn ni byw.
For further detailed information about this tune and many different sets of lyrics in English and Welsh go to www.gurman.org/ashgrove, which is dedicated to this tune. On gurman's site you will also find the "Mayor of Bayswater's Daughter" version which Jeremy would most certainly not allow on thesession.org!
trevor
# Posted on December 4th 2002 by lazyhound
I've always liked this tune; it's one of the most beautiful tunes I've heard. It has a very sad sort of sound to it.
-Max
# Posted on December 4th 2003 by Max Becher
Turlough O'Carolan
Accually, Carolan was the orriginal composer of a song called "Beauty in Tears." someone took this peice and changed it up a whole lot and put lyrics to it and called it "The Ash Grove." It makes me angry to think that Carolan basicly created this peice but got zip credit. grrrrrr
# Posted on March 12th 2008 by un0111