Sam Hall chords

ft. Paddy Reilly
  • Sam Hall is an adaptation of an old English Folk Song.
  • This version of the song by Paddy Reilly is featured on his album, The Balladeer.
  • Music: Key of D Major in 4/4 time at 110 bpm (♩)
  • Chords: D, Dsus4, G, A, Asus4
  • Capo: 2nd fret if playing with the video (E Major)
Chart Legend
Numbered Circles: Fingers used to play chords   O: Optional Note
Barre Line: One finger holds down multiple strings   R: Root Note
Unmarked strings: Play open   X: Don't play string    B: Bass Note
D Major Dsus4 G Major A Major Asus4
D Major Dsus4 G Major A Major Asus4

Sam Hall

Song Key is highlighted - Transpose to any other key
  
Intro: 4/4
         D              G              D                A    Asus4    A
1. Oh me name it is Sam Hall  Chim-ney sweep  Chim-ney  sweep      |     |
         D              G                D    Dsus4    D
   Oh me name it is Sam Hall   Chim-ney  sweep      |     |
         G                             D                     A    Asus4    A
   Oh me name it is Sam Hall  And I've robbed both great and small      |     |
          D                 G            D            A   Asus4     A   
   And my neck will pay for all   When I die   When I die        |     | 
          D                 G              D    Dsus4    D  
   And my neck will pay for all   When  I  die        |     |

          D                 G                 D                A   Asus4    A
2. I have twen-ty pounds in store  That's not all   That's not all       |     |
          D                 G                  D   Dsus4    D
   I have twen-ty pounds in store   That's not all       |     |
          G                                   D              A    Asus4    A
   I have twen-ty pounds in  store   And I'll rob for twenty more       |     |
           D                  G              D            A   Asus4    A
   For the rich must help the poor   So must I    So must I         |     |
           D                  G              D  Dsus4    D
   For the rich must help the poor   So must I        |     | 

          D             G                 D                 A    Asus4    A
3. Up the lad-der I did grope   That's no joke    That's no joke       |     |
          D             G                   D   Dsus4    D
   Up the lad-der I did grope   That's  no  joke      |     |
          G                             D                   A   Asus4    A  
   Up the lad-der I did grope   And the hang-man pulled the rope      |     |
     D                G                 D                 A   Asus4    A
   I ne'eard a word I spoke   Tumb-ling down    Tumb-ling down      |     |
     D                G                 D   Dsus4    D
   I ne'eard a word I spoke   Tumb-ling down      |     |

           D                   G           D            A   Asus4    A
4. Oh they brought me to Coote-hill   In a cart    In a cart      |     |
           D                   G           D   Dsus4    D
   Oh they brought me to Coote-hill   In a cart      |     |
           G                                D                  A   Asus4    A
   Oh they brought me to Coote-hill   And I stopped to make my will      |     |
           D                    G              D            A   Asus4    A
   Say the best of friends must part   So must I    So must I         |     |
           D                    G              D   Dsus4    D
   Say the best of friends must part   So must I         |     |

         D              G               D                A   Asus4    A
5. Oh me name it is Sam Hall   Chim-ney sweep   Chim-ney sweep      |     |
         D              G               D    Dsus4    D
   Oh me name it is Sam Hall   Chim-ney sweep      |     |
         G                              D                     A    Asus4    A
   Oh me name it is Sam Hall   And I've robbed both great and small      |     |
          D                 G            D             A   Asus4    A
   And my neck will pay for all   When I die    When I die       |     |
          D                 G            D
   And my neck will pay for all   When I die... 

Notes:

  • Level Of Ease: Easy with a capo - ideal for beginners
  • Song Key: E Major - 4 sharps (F# C# G# D#) A capo is used on the 2nd fret and the song is played in D Major - audibly, it is still in E major... D major with a capo on the 2nd fret (+ 2 semitones) = E major.
  • 4/4: This represents 4 quarter-note beats per bar. You can count each bar a number of ways, e.g., |1 2 3 4| or |1& 2& 3& 4&| etc.
  • Paddy adds an extra bar of music at the end of lines 1, 3 and 4 of each verse, which adds a touch of interest to the song. Wherever you see | A  Asus4 | or | D  Dsus4 | towards the end of each line of the song, you play A for 3 beats, and Asus4 for 1 beat of the bar. The same goes for the D and Dsus4.
  • Paddy Reilly plays a fingerpicking style throughout the song. It is important when using this style that you can hear each string clearly. With the more difficult chords like B Major and Bsus4, you can often play muffled strings which you want to avoid in this style of playing. Using a capo and playing open chords that are simple to play like D, Dsus4, A, Asus4 is a much better alternative for a musician, and the result - a sound that is crisp and clear.
  • If you are not playing along with the video, you can use whatever key you like... use the Transposer above for all key transpositions.
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