William Taylor
View chords used in this chart
Capo 3
Intro:
Am C G
Am C D
C G Am
G C Am
Verse
Am C G
I’ll sing you a song about two lovers,
Am C D
who from Lichfield Town they came,
C G Am
The young man’s name was William Taylor;
G C Am
the lady’s name was Sarah Gray.
Verse
Am C G
William Taylor had enlisted
Am C D
for a soldier he has gone,
C G Am
He has gone and left his own true lover,
G C Am
for to sigh and for to mourn.
Verse
Am C G
Sarah’s parents did despise her -
Am C D
filled her heart with grief and woe,
C G Am
She vowed and said, “I’ll find my lover,
G C Am
for a soldier I will go.”
Verse
Am C G
She dressed herself in man’s apparel;
Am C D
man's apparel she put on,
C G Am
Then for to seek her own true lover,
G C Am
for to seek him she has gone.
Verse
Am C G
The sergeant major stepped up to her,
Am C D
asking her what brought her there.
C G Am
“I’ve come in search of my true lover,
G C Am
who has proved to me severe.”
Verse
Em G D
“If his name be William Taylor,
Em G A
William Taylor is not here,
G D Em
He’s lately married a rich young lady,
D G Em
worth ten thousand pounds a year.”
Verse
Em G D
“If you rise early in the morning,
Em G A
just before the break of day,
G D Em
It’s there you’ll find your William Taylor,
D G Em
walking out with his lady fair.”
Instrumental
Em G D
Em G A
G D Em
D G Em
Verse
Em G D
Then she rose early in the morning,
Em G A
just before the break of day,
G D Em
And there she spied her William Taylor,
D G Em
walking out with his lady fair.
Verse
Em G D
And then she called for a sword and a pistol,
Em G A
which was brought at her command,
G D Em
She fired and shot bold William Taylor
D G Em
with his bride at his right hand.
Verse
Em G D
And then the captain stepped up to her horse,
Em G A
well pleased at what she’d done,
G D Em
He took her and made her commander
D G Em
over the ships and o’er his men.
Verse
Am C G
I’ll sing you a song about two lovers,
Am C D
who from Lichfield Town they came,
C G Am
The young man’s name was William Taylor;
G C Am
the lady's name was Sarah Gray.
Outro
Am C G
Am C D
C G Am
G C Am
How to play William Taylor
Use the controls above to change the key and text size. Follow the highlighted chords while listening, then practice each section slowly before playing at the original tempo.
What is the starting chord?
The first identified chord is Am. You can transpose without leaving the page.
Can I play it on guitar or keyboard?
Yes. The chord progression works on acoustic guitar, electric guitar and keyboard. Adapt the voicings to your instrument and level.