Old Rosin the Beau
Traditional
Mandolin tablature by
Elizabeth T. Knuth, 1998
Key: F
A rollicking waltz.
Q
E--||------------|--------------------|--------------------|
A--||--3:--------|--------------------|--0-----------------|
D--||--4:--------|--3--------3--3-----|--------5-----3-----|
G--||------5-----|--------------------|--------------------|
| | |_ | | | |
I've tra - veled this wide world all
____________ q Q
|---------/----------|-\------r-----------|--------------------|
|--0-----3-----------|--3-----e-----------|--------------------|
|--------------------|--------s-----------|--3--------3--3-----|
|--------------------|--------t-----5-----|--------------------|
| | | | | | | |_ |
o - ver, And now to the
h
|--------------------|--------------------|--r-----------------|
|--------0-----------|--------------------|--e-----------------|
|--3-----------3-----|--0-----------------|--s-----------------|
|--------------------|--------------------|--t-----------5-----|
| | | | | | | | |
next one I go, For I
Q e
|--------------------|--------------------|-----------------r--|
|--------------------|--0-----------------|--0--3-----------e--|
|--3--------3--3-----|--------5-----3-----|-----------------s--|
|--------------------|--------------------|-----------------t--|
| |_ | | | | |_ | | |_
know that good quar - ters are waiting
_
/.\ Q
|--------------------|--------------------|--------------------|
|--5-----------------|--3--------0--------|--------0-----------|
|--------------------|--------------3-----|--5-----------5-----|
|--------------------|--------------------|--------------------|
| | | | |_ | | | |
To wel - come old Ro - sin the
________________ q
|----/---------------|\-------r-----------|--------------------|
|---/----------------|-\------e-----3-----|--3-----0-----3-----|
|--3-----------------|--3-----s-----------|--------------------|
|--------------------|--------t-----------|--------------------|
| | | | | | | | |
Beau! To wel - come old
|--------------0-----|--1-----------0-----|--1-----------------|
|--3-----5-----------|--------------------|--------------5-----|
|--------------------|--------------------|--------------------|
|--------------------|--------------------|--------------------|
| | | | | | | | |
Ro - sin the Beau, to
Q
|--------------------|--------------------|
|--3--------0--------|--------------0-----|
|--------------3-----|--3-----5-----------|
|--------------------|--------------------|
| |_ | | | |
wel - come old Ro - sin the
________________ q Q
|----/---------------|\-------r-----------|--------------------|
|---/----------------|-\------e-----------|--------------------|
|--0-----------------|--0-----s-----------|--3--------3--3-----|
|--------------------|--------t-----5-----|--------------------|
| | | | | | | |_ |
Beau, I know that good
_
e /.\
|--------------------|-----------------r--|--------------------|
|--0-----------------|--0--3-----------e--|--5-----------------|
|--------5-----3-----|-----------------s--|--------------------|
|--------------------|-----------------t--|--------------------|
| | | |_ | | |_ | | |
quar - ters are waiting To
Q
|--------------------|--------------------|
|--3--------0--------|--------0-----------|
|--------------3-----|--5-----------5-----|
|--------------------|--------------------|
| |_ | | | |
wel - come old Ro - sin the
________________ q
|----/---------------|\-------r-----||
|---/----------------|-\------e-----||
|--3-----------------|--3-----s-----||
|--------------------|--------t-----||
| | | | |
Beau!
============================================================
== TABLATURE EXPLANATION ==
============================================================
||------|| Repeat ----------
||*----*|| -4:------- Time
||*----*|| -4:------- Signature
||------|| ----------
_
______ /.\
--/----|-\--- -----
-0-----|--0-- Tied Notes --0-- Fermata:
-------|----- ----- hold this note a bit
-------|----- ----- longer than usual
| | | |
Rhythm:
h = half note or rest
q = quarter note or rest
Q = dotted quarter
e = eighth note
This tune is Irish in origin, serving as the melody for "Men of the West." It is better known as "Old Rosin the Beau," under which title it was published anonymously in the United States in 1838. It is also the tune of "Acres of Clams." So in its first incarnation it is a patriotic song, toasting fighters for Irish independence. As "Rosin the Beau" it is a rowdy drinking song. And as "Acres of Clams" it is a mock patriotic song about frontier life in Washington state.
The tune varies slightly in the sheet music versions I have consulted. I followed none of them slavishly, but rather wrote the mandolin tablature for the song as I have heard it performed.
The Library of Congress has sheet music for an 1852 edition of "Old Rosin the Beau" online. It is arranged for piano, in the key of G.
You can hear a rendition of "Men of the West" on the Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem's album Irish Songs of Rebellion, Tradition 2070.
Simple Gifts Mandolin Tablature Archive | Elizabeth T. Knuth's Home Page
Comments to: eknuth@unix.csbsju.edu
Rosin the Beau / Revised 13 April 2004 / © Copyright 2004, Elizabeth T. Knuth / URL: http://www.users.csbsju.edu/~eknuth/mandotab/oldrosin.html