Steeleye Span
When I was on horseback
By Marcel Veltman
I am surprised to see nothing of this British Folk band on UG. In their days they were
mentioned next to Fairport Convention as the other band which dared to bring electrical
instruments into traditional folk. In fact, it was ex-Fairport member Ashley Hutchings
who was among the founding fathers. Lead singer Maddy Prior was considered by some to be
better then Sandy Denny. She could certaintainly raise more goose-flesh. Somewhere around
1975, with 'All around my Hat', they even brought a hitsingle up in the charts. Such a
feat was never accomplished by Fairport.
Not intended to play along with the original record, but to allow the singer/guitarplayer
to do the song before his or her own audience. The chords in the first verse were those I
found right away, the second verse contains those I found while experimenting a bit. You
can do it either way, or change from one to the other through the song.
When I was on horseback, wasn't I pretty
When I was on horseback, wasn't I gay
Wasn't I pretty when I entered Cork city
And met with my downfall on the fourteenth of may
Six jolly soldiers to carry my coffin
Six jolly soldiers to march by my side
It's six jolly soldiers take a bunch of red roses
And for to smell them as we go along
Beat the drum slowly and play the pipes only
Playing the deadmarch as we go along
And bring me to Tipperary and lay me down easy
I am a young soldier that've never done wrong
Instrumental break
Repeat first verse