Slane

                            Slane

Irish hymn, c. 700                  Traditional Irish ballad
                                       Mandolin tablature by 
                                    Elizabeth T. Knuth, 1998

Key: G

lively.  faster than a waltz, but slower than a jig.

E--||------------------------|--------------------|
A--||--3:--------------0-----|--------------------|
D--||--4:--5-----5--------5--|--2-----0-----0--2--|
G--||------------------------|--------------------|
           |     |     |__|     |     |     |__|

          Be   thou     my     vi - sion,    oh


|--------------------|--------------------|--------------------|
|--------------0-----|--2----------(5)(2)-|--0-----0-----0-----|
|--5-----5-----------|--------------------|--------------------|        
|--------------------|--------------------|--------------------|
   |     |     |        |     |     |__|     |     |     |

 Lord   of    my       heart.               All  else   be

                                               _________
|--------------------|--0-----------------|---/---------\------|
|--0-----2-----5-----|--------5-----2-----|--5-----------5-----|
|--------------------|--------------------|--------------------|
|--------------------|--------------------|--------------------|
   |     |     |        |     |     |        |     |     |

 naught to    me,     save  that  thou       art.

                          __
                         /  \
|--0-----0--2--3--2--|--0----\------------|--------------------|
|--------------------|--------5-----2-----|--5-----------------|
|--------------------|--------------------|--------5-----4-----|
|--------------------|--------------------|--------------------|
   |     |__|  |__|     |     |     |        |     |     |

 Thou     my   best    thought,    by       day   or    by

      _______
|----/-------\-------|--------------------|--0-----------------|
|---/---------\------|--------2-----5-----|-----5--2--------2--|
|--2-----------0-----|--5-----------------|--------------5-----|
|--------------------|--------------------|--------------------|
   |     |     |        |     |     |        |__|  |     |__|

   night;              Wa - king   or       sleep-ing,   thy


|--------------------|--------------------||
|--0-----------------|--------------------||
|--------5-----5-----|--5-----------------||
|--------------------|--------------------||
   |     |     |        |     |     |
 pres - ence  my        light.

=================================================================
==                    TABLATURE EXPLANATION                    ==
=================================================================

----------                ---------
-4:------- Time           ---(8)--- Grace
-4:------- Signature      --------- Note
----------                ---------

    ______                    _
---/----|-\---            ---/-\---
--0-----|--0-- Tied       ------2-- Slur
--------|----- Notes      --5------
--------|-----            ---------
  |  |     |

The meter is irregular: sometimes given as 10.10.9.10, and otherwise as 10.11.11.12. The downbeat is always on the first note in the measure. Two texts often sung to this tune are "Be Thou My Vision" and "Lord of All Hopefulness."

The tune is an Irish ballad. The text of "Be Thou My Vision" comes from early eighth-century Ireland. The tune Slane and the text "Be Thou My Vision"--both in the original Gaelic and in English translation--are in the public domain. Fernando Ortega's album The Breaking of the Dawn includes an interesting rendition of this hymn.

If you like, you can hear a MIDI file of "Slane".

Simple Gifts Mandolin Tablature Archive | Elizabeth T. Knuth's Home Page

Comments to: eknuth@unix.csbsju.edu