Chordyes

The Catalpa

Guitar Chords & Lyrics for The Catalpa by Misc Traditional in the key of A

First Published In Three Street Ballads In 1957
This Version Was Collected By Russel Ward From Victor Courtney A Journalist
On The Sunday Times, Perth, Western Australia, Who Commented,
"I Remember In My Early Days As A Cadet Hearing A Band Of Old Boys In A Pub In Fremantle
Singing This Song. It Is Said That The Song Became So Popular That It Was Banned By The
Authority Of The Day And Jail Was Threatened To Anyone Caught Singing It.
It Was Suggested, Too, That The Escape Was Made Easy Because There Was
Plenty Of American Gold And Some Of It Was Placed In The Hands Of Unscrupulous Warders.
The Incident Took Place In April 1876."

The Escape Of The Six Fenians From Fremantle Jail Was Funded By Collections In Australia
And The United States. Over Three Thousand Pounds Was Collected In Australia.

Several Tunes Are Associated With This Song, Including Tunes Used For 'Botany Bay' And 'The Dying Stockman'.
The Tune Given Here Is A Variant Of 'Rosin The Bow'.

Verse 1
A NAoble Whale Ship And CommandDer
CAalled The Catalpa, They SF#may
Came AOut To Western AustraliDa
And TAook Six Poor FE7enians AwAay

Chorus
So Come AAll You Screw Warders And JDailers
RemAember Perth Regatta DF#may
Take CAare Of The Rest Of Your FeniDans
Or The YAankees Will StE7eal Them AwAay

Verse 2
SAeven Long Years Had They Served HDere
And SAeven Long More Had To StF#may
For DefAending Their Country Old IrelDand
For TAhat They Were BE7anished AwAay

Verse 3
You KAept Them In Western AustraliDa
Till ThAeir Hair Began To Turn GrF#mey
When A YAank From The States Of AmericDay
Came AOut Here And StE7ole Them AAway

Chorus
So Come AAll You Screw Warders And JDailers
RemAember Perth Regatta DF#may
Take CAare Of The Rest Of Your FeniDans
Or The YAankees Will StE7eal Them AwAay

Verse 4
Now AAll The Perth Boats Were A-RacDing
And MAaking Short Tacks For The SpF#mot
But The YAankee She Tacked Into FremantlDe
And TAook The Best PrE7ize Of The LAot

Verse 5
The GAeorgette Armed With Bold WarriDors
Went AOut The Poor Yanks To F#mArrest
But She HAoisted Her Star-Spangled BDanner
Saying YoAu'll Not BE7oard Me I GAuess

Chorus
So Come AAll You Screw Warders And JDailers
RemAember Perth Regatta DF#may
Take CAare Of The Rest Of Your FeniDans
Or The YAankees Will StE7eal Them AwAay

Verse 6
So RemAember Six Fenians ColoniDal
And SAing O'er These Few Verses With SkF#mill
And RAemember The Yankee That Stole ThDem
And The HAome That They LE7eft On The HAill

Verse 7
Now They've LAanded Safe In AmericDay
And ThAey Will Be Able To CrF#my
Hoist AUp The Green Flag And ShamrDock
HurrAah For Old E7Ireland We'll DAie

Chorus
So Come AAll You Screw Warders And JDailers
RemAember Perth Regatta DF#may
Take CAare Of The Rest Of Your FeniDans
Or The YAankees Will StE7eal Them AwAay

Outro
So Come AAll You Screw Warders And JDailers
RemAember Perth Regatta DF#may
Take CAare Of The Rest Of Your FeniDans
Or The YAankees Will StE7eal Them AwAay
Also available in: C (Original) D E G

FAQ

What are the chords for The Catalpa?

The chords for The Catalpa are: A, D, F#m, E7

What is the original key of The Catalpa?

The original key is C.

What is the difficulty of playing The Catalpa?

The difficulty level is Beginner.

Can I play The Catalpa in another key?

Yes. You can transpose the song to any key using the transpose feature.

Can The Catalpa be played on an acoustic guitar?

Yes. The chords work for both acoustic and electric guitar.

Can I play The Catalpa on ukulele?

Chord The Catalpa can be played on guitar or ukulele using their respective chord shapes.

How many chords are used in The Catalpa?

The Catalpa uses 4 chords: A, D, F#m, E7

What is the easiest way to play The Catalpa?

You can use the transpose feature to change the key to one that better matches your vocal range or uses easier chord shapes.

What decade was The Catalpa released in?

The Catalpa was released in the 1950s. See more 1950s songs here

Are there easier chord versions for The Catalpa?

Yes. Tap the Simplify button to switch The Catalpa to beginner-friendly chords - it drops advanced extensions like maj7, m7, and 9ths without changing the song's key or progression.

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