Red Is The Rose chords
by Daniel O'DonnellSong Key: E Major
Time Signature: 4/4
Tempo: 100 bpm
Guitar Tuning: E A D G B e
Skill Level: Beginner / Intermediate
Guitar Chords: E, A, G#m, B7, F#m, C#m
Beginners: Play in C Major with chords: C, F, Em, G7, D, A (capo on 4 if playing with video)
Arrangement Details: Helpful Tips
Play-Along Video & Chord Charts
Red Is The Rose
Song Key is highlighted - Transpose to any other key
E A G#m B7 E B7
Intro: 4/4 ‖ | - | | | ‖
E C#m F#m A
1. Come o-ver the hills My bon-ny I-rish lass
E C#m F#m B7
Come o-ver the hills to your dar - ling
A G#m F#m A
You choose the road love And I will make the vow
E A G#m B7 E
And I'll be your true love for - e - ver
E C#m F#m A
Chorus: Red is the rose That in yon-der garden grows
E C#m F#m B7
Fair is the li-ly of the val - ley
A G#m F#m A
Clear is the wa-ter that flows from the Boyne
E A G#m B7 E B7
But my love is fair - er than a - ny | |
E C#m F#m A
2. 'Twas down by Kil-lar-ney's green woods that we strayed
E C#m F#m B7
When the moon and the stars they were shin – ing
A G#m F#m A
The moon shone its rays on her locks of gold-en hair
E A G#m B7 E
And she swore she'd be my love for - e - ver
E C#m F#m A
Chorus: Red is the rose That in yon-der garden grows
E C#m F#m B7
Fair is the li-ly of the val - ley
A G#m F#m A
Clear is the wa-ter that flows from the Boyne
E A G#m B7 E
But my love is fair – er than a - ny
E A G#m B7 E B7
Instr: ‖ | - | | | ‖
E C#m F#m A
3. It's not for the part-ing of my sis-ter Kate
E C#m F#m B7
It's not for the grief of my mo - ther
A G#m F#m A
It’s all for the loss of my bon-ny I-rish lass
E A G#m B7 E
That my heart is break-ing for - e - ver
E C#m F#m A
Chorus: Red is the rose That in yon-der garden grows
E C#m F#m B7
Fair is the li - ly of the val - ley
A G#m F#m A
Clear is the wa-ter that flows from the Boyne
E A G#m B7 E
But my love is fair - er than a - ny
E A G#m B7 E
Yes my love is fair - er than a - ny...
Arrangement Details:
- Level Of Ease: Fairy Easy. There a few barre chords, but they are all easy to play.
- Key Signature: E Major - 4 sharps (F#, C#, G#, D#)
- 4/4 time: 4 quarter-note beats per bar, therefore the count is:
| ♩ ♩ ♩ ♩ | = | 1 2 3 4 | or | 1& 2& 3& | etc. - Tempo: 100 bpm with the metronome or click track sounding on every quarter-note.
- The standard chord progression for E Major is E-F#m-G#m-A-B-C#m -D#º. Notice that all the chords in the song are from the standard chord progression including chord extensions, e.g., B7.
- We have kept the chord changes as simple as possible. If you listen to the guitarist, he plays a few interesting chords which blend in very well, e.g., at the end of the second line, 1st verse, he plays a B6 chord (22110x or x24444 or 224444) as opposed to a B7 chord - help with understanding written chords.
He also plays the occasional C#m7 (446454 or x46454) instead of C#m... the choice is yours. - When guitarists play an E chord, they sometimes:
add F# (EaddF#) to add color to the chord - 022102, or
add G# (EaddG#) - an octave above the existing G# - 022104. - When you see a chord separated by a hyphen in 4/4 time, e.g., | A - G#m | play the A chord for 2 beats and G#m for 2 beats... the hyphen splits the beat count of the bar evenly between the 2 chords. All other chords have a 4 beat count.

Song Details:
- Composer: Traditional - Irish variant of the Scottish song, The Bonnie Banks O' Loch Lomond.
- Lyricist: Traditional
- Lyrics Begin: Come over the hills my bonnie Irish lass Come over the hills to your darling,
- Genre: Irish Folk Song
- Featured Artist: Daniel O'Donnell - Irish singer, television presenter and philanthropist.
- Album: Moon Over Ireland
Released: 2011
Country: UK & Europe
Format: CD, Album
Label: DMG TV
