Galway Bay Chords

KeyA Capo1st fret TuningStandard Difficulty Plays353

Galway Bay by Johnny Cash is a beginner-friendly guitar song played in the key of A with a capo on the 1st fret. It uses the chords A, E and D. Use the transpose and diagram tools on this page to change the key, see each shape, or simplify the chords.

Transpose
A
Text
16
Speed
  			
 
 

Verse 
        A                          E 
If you ever go across the sea to Ireland 
                                   A 
Then maybe at the closing of your day 
                                             D 
You could sit and watch the moon rise over Claddagh 
     E                              A 
Or watch the sun go down on Galway Bay 

Verse 
                  A                      E 
For the breezes blowing o'er the sea to Ireland 
                                     A 
Are perfumed by the heather as they blow 
                                        D 
And the women in the uplands diggin' praties 
           E                                 A 
Speak a language that the strangers do not know 

Verse 
                    A                       E 
For the strangers came and tried to teach their way 
                                       A 
And scorned us just for being what we are 
                                           D 
But they might as well go chasing after moonbeams 
 E                              A 
Or light a penny candle from a star 

Verse 
         A                            E 
And if there is going to be a life hereafter 
                                       A            
And somehow I am sure there's gonna to be 
                                      D 
I will ask my God to let me make my heaven 
    E                               A 
In that dear land across the Irish sea 
    	

Chord diagrams

Guitar tuner

--
Start the tuner and play a string

Reference tones

Standard tuning, lowest to highest. Click a string to play it; the string the mic hears is highlighted.

Click Start tuner and allow microphone access. The needle centers and turns green when a string is in tune (within 5 cents).
No microphone? You can still tap any string above to hear its exact reference pitch.

Metronome

100 BPM Andante