Guitar: The Smuggler (Including lyrics and chords)

Smuggler (The)
Traditional

D A7 D G D A7
The boat rides south o' Ailsa Craig in the waning o' the light
G D G A7
There's thirty men in Lendalfoot tae mak oor burden light
D A7 D G D A7
And there's thirty horse in Hazelholm wi' the halters on their heids
G D G A7 D
All set this night upon yon height if wind and water speed

Bm D
Smugglers drink on the Frenchman's wine
Bm D A7
And the darkest night is the smugglers time
Bm D
Away we run from the excise man
G D A7 D
It's the smugglers life for me, it's the smugglers life for me

Oh lass, ye ha'e a cosy bed and cattle ye ha'e ten
Can ye no' live a lawful life and live wi' lawful men
But must I use such hamely good when there's foreign gear sae fine
Must I drink at the waterside when France is full of wine?

Oh would I like to see ye Kate, wi' the bairnie on thy knee
But my heart is now wi' the gallant crew who calls to the angry sea
The bitter gale, the tightest sail, wi' the sheltered bay our goal
It's the wayward life, it's the smugglers strife, it's the joy all smugglers know

And when, at last, the sun comes up and the cargo safely stored
Like sinless saints, to church we'll go. God's mercy to afford
And there's champagne fine for communion wine, and the parson drinks it too
With a smile he prays, forgive these men for they know not what they do

Thanks to my friend Gordon (hostroute) from Scotland, (expat Manxman), I have been introduced to yet another song that is new to me today. The Smuggler is a story from Scotland, but might well have come from the Isle of Man too, for this island was a centre for smuggling in the 18th and 19th centuries. See the Manx song 'The Smuggler's Lullaby' around which I wrote a short story which can be found at:

http://manxviews.spaces.live.com/?_c1...


I have just produced a book of songs under the title "50 Songs from the 'threelegsoman' collection". It is available as a printed book or as an eBook and can be found at:

http://store.blurb.com/ebooks/316519-...