She's Like the Swallow - Chords, Lyrics and Origins
Origins
She's Like The Swallow, also known as "She's Like a Swallow", is a traditional folk song from the Candadian province of Newfoundland. In 1934 It was arranged for voice and piano by the English classical composer Ralph Vaughan Williams, so it's one of those pieces that spans the worlds of both folk and classical music. Since Vaughan Williams is well-known for orchestral arrangements of English folk music, it's sometimes assumed that "She's Like the Swallow" is an English song. In fact, the melody may be derived from British folk songs, but the lyrics are very much from Newfoundland. The best-known 'folk' recording of "She's Like the Swallow" is by Cara Dillon, and the chords set out here will work with her version of the song. There's a little more information about the origin of "She's Like the Swallow" at Mudcat.
Chords
Capo at 3rd Fret
Em Bm Em C
She's like a swallow that flies so high,
Em C Bm
Like a river that never runs dry,
Em C Bm Em
Lke the sunshine on the lee shore,
Em C Em
She loves her love and loves no more.
Lyrics
She's like a swallow that flies so high,
She's like a river that never runs dry,
She's like the sunshine on the lee shore,
She loves her love and love's no more.
'Tis out in the meadow this fair maid did go,
A picking a lovely primrose,
The more she plucked the more she pulled,
Until she's got her apron full.
She climbed on yonder hill above,
To give a rose unto her love,
She gave him one, she gave him three,
She gave her heart for company.
And as they sat on yonder hill above,
To give a rose unto her love.
She gave him one, she gave him three
She gave her heart for company
And as they sat on yonder hill
His heart grew hard, so harder still.
He has two hearts instead of one;
She says, young man what have you done.
How foolish, foolish you must be,
To think I loved no one but thee;
This world's not made for one alone;
I take delight in every home.