The Water Lily Chords

KeyE Capo2st fret TuningStandard Difficulty Plays579

The Water Lily by Ralph Stanley is a beginner-friendly guitar song played in the key of E with a capo on the 2st fret. It uses the chords D, G and A. Use the transpose and diagram tools on this page to change the key, see each shape, or simplify the chords.

Transpose
E
Text
16
Speed
  			by Ralph Stanley from "Saturday Night and Sunday Morning"  
Transcribed by Jason Hannan  
  
  
Intro: D  
  
A {D}lonely young wife in her {G}dreaming dis{D}cerns  
A lily decked pool with a border of {A}ferns   
And a {D}beautiful child with {G}butterfly {D}wings  
Drifts down to the edge of the {A}water and {D}sings  
  
{D}Come mama, come, {G}quick follow {D}me  
Step out on the leaves of the {A}water li{D}ly  
  
And the {D}lonely young wife, her {G}heart beating {D}wild  
Cries wait till I come, till I reach you my {A}child  
But the {D}beautiful child with {G}butterfly {D}wings  
Steps out on the leaves of the {A}lily and {D}sings  
  
{D}Come mama, come, {G}quick follow {D}me  
Step out on the leaves of the {A}water li{D}ly  
  
Instrumental (chords same as verse)  
  
And the {D}wife in her dreaming steps {G}out on the {D}stream  
But the lily leaves sink and she wakes from her {A}dream  
Oh the {D}waking is sad, for the {G}tears that it {D}brings  
And she knows its her dead baby?s {A}spirit that {D}sings  
  
{D}Come mama, come, {G}quick follow {D}me  
Step out on the leaves of the {A}water li{D}ly  
  
{D}Come mama, come, {G}quick follow {D}me  
Step out on the leaves of the {A}water li{D}ly  
  
End  
  
This is officially the saddest song in the world.  
Jason  
    	

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