The Tale Of Cú Chulainn

Dm C Am Dm
Dm C Am G

Dm F G Dm
Bb C Am Dm

[Verse]

       Dm                 C
In the sodden snow of the Irish hills
    Am              Dm
Was born a Tuatha's child
                            C
With a fighting heart and immortal skill
      Am               G
And a spirit fiery and wild

          Dm              Bb
Through a prophecy he was bound and doomed
     G                    Dm
To a short and a glorious life
       Bb              C
And he bore the name Setanta till
  Am             Dm
A famous fateful night

[Pre-chorus]

         Bb
With his hurley in his hands
    C
His name would cross the land

[Instrumental]

Dm Dm G C G
Dm Dm F C Em  (x2)

Dm F Bb C
Dm F Bb C
Dm F Bb C
Bb F Am Dm  (x2)

[Verse]

         Dm               C
Well his Uncle Connor who wore the crown
   Am            Dm
Of Ulster on his head
                           C
In the home of Culainn the smith sat down
    Am                  G
For mead and mutton and bread

       Dm                   Bb
At the door lay the Cú, the faithful hound
  G                 Dm
A huge and terrible beast
       Bb             C
When a thief or enemy trod his ground
      Am               Dm
Their bones bеcame his feast

       Dm                C
Well Sеtanta joined them late at night
        Am                Dm
And the hound it leapt to shred
                          C
But he raised his hurley, pucked the ball
      Am                       G
Right through the poor beast's head

   Dm                   Bb
He spoke remorse as the smith he cried
        G                 Dm
For his lost and murdered hound
        Bb             C
'I will be your Cú now from this night
     Am               Dm
Till another you have found'

[Pre-chorus]

      Bb
So he lay outside the door
        C
One eye watching on the moors

[Chorus]

        Dm      F
And the name Cú Chulainn
    C                  Dm
Was sung out loud that night
     Bb               F           A
In a tale of rage and ruin and of might

        Dm      F
And the name Cú Chulainn
   C           Dm
So furious and wild
     Bb               F
To remain in myth and memory
  A             Dm
A legend of the isle

[Instrumental]

Dm C Bb C
Bb A         (x2)

[Post-Chorus]

Dm           C         Bb          C
Cosantóir tragóideach, fuil dhiaga Lú (tragic guardian, divine blood of Lugh)
Bb          A
Finscéal an Chú(legend of the hound)

Dm           C         Bb          C
Cosantóir tragóideach, fuil dhiaga Lú (tragic guardian, divine blood of Lugh)
Bb                      A
Currach lán le fiúnach, finscéal an Chú (boat filled with fury, legend of the hound)

Dm           C         Bb          C
Cosantóir tragóideach, fuil dhiaga Lú (tragic guardian, divine blood of Lugh)
Bb          A
Finscéal an Chú(legend of the hound)

Dm           C         Bb          C
Cosantóir tragóideach, fuil dhiaga Lú (tragic guardian, divine blood of Lugh)
Bb                     A
Curadh lán le fiúnach, finscéal an Chú (warrior filled with fury, legend of the hound)

[Instrumental]

Dm Dm G C G
Dm Dm F C Em  (x2)

[Verse]

   Dm                     C
He trained on the Isle of Sky and Shadow
Am                Dm
Bore an abandoned son
                           C
And met his battle brother Ferdiad
Am               G
Many a tale they spun

        Dm                          Bb
Well he fought with the strength of many men
  G                      Dm
A beast who bloodied the fields
     Bb               C
In a bloodlust battle frenzy
    Am                   Dm
His skin would shift and peel

    Dm                 C
His son would find him as a man
    Am                 Dm
But would not tell his name
                      C
So he took a spear to his own child
    Am                G
And doomed himself to shame

         Dm                  Bb
When the canny Queen Méabh attacked his land
   G                 Dm
To steal the bull of brown
    Bb            C
She sent out Ferdiad to fight
   Am                   Dm
Cú Chualainn struck him down

[Pre-chorus]

         Bb
Blood of son and brother fell
   C
He wailed and cried farewell

[Chorus]

        Dm      F
And the name Cú Chulainn
    C                  Dm
Was sung out loud that night
     Bb               F           A
In a tale of rage and ruin and of might

        Dm      F
And the name Cú Chulainn
   C           Dm
So furious and wild
     Bb               F
To remain in myth and memory
  A             Dm
A legend of the isle

[Instrumental]

Dm F Bb C
Dm F Bb C
Dm F Bb C
Bb F Am Dm  (x2)

Dm C Bb C
Bb A         (x2)

[Post-Chorus]

Dm           C         Bb          C
Cosantóir tragóideach, fuil dhiaga Lú (tragic guardian, divine blood of Lugh)
Bb          A
Finscéal an Chú(legend of the hound)

Dm           C         Bb          C
Cosantóir tragóideach, fuil dhiaga Lú (tragic guardian, divine blood of Lugh)
Bb                      A
Currach lán le fiúnach, finscéal an Chú (boat filled with fury, legend of the hound)

[Instrumental]

Dm C Bb C Dm
Dm C Bb A

[Bridge]

         Dm             C
When the father of fair Emer
  Bb       C           Dm
Refused to give her to wed
   Dm                C
Cú Chulainn tore his castle down
    Bb                   A
And left the whole place dead

     Dm               C
They loved eachother, man and wife
   Bb       C      Dm
Despite his many affairs
        Dm                C
Then he met the Morrigan, turned her down
    Bb                  A
And earned her vengeful glare

    Dm               C
She weakened him and broke his strength
     Bb    C      Dm
With trickery and lies
   Dm              C
By feeding him the flesh of dogs
      Bb                 A
Three crones were her disguise

    Dm               C
The Queen and Lugaid saw their chance
   Bb        C      Dm
To fight the Cú and win
        Dm             C
When he battled next 3 spears were thrown
    Bb                   A
And one tore through his skin

      Dm                C
So he tied himself to a mighty stone
       Bb       C       Dm
By his guts and belt he hung
    Dm                C
And so he still stood on his feet
         Bb                      A
Till the last breath it left his lungs

[Pre-chorus]

      Bb
And a light shone out so grand
         C
Till the raven came to land

[Chorus]

        Dm      F
And the name Cú Chulainn
    C                  Dm
Was sung out loud that night
     Bb               F           A
In a tale of rage and ruin and of might

        Dm      F
And the name Cú Chulainn
   C           Dm
So furious and wild
     Bb               F
To remain in myth and memory
  A             Dm
A legend of the isle

[Instrumental]

Dm Dm G C G

Dm Dm F C       Em      Dm
        Scaoil amach on ceol! (let loose the music!)

   Dm G C G
Dm Dm F C Em

[Outro]

Dm C Am Dm
Dm C Am G

Dm F G Dm
Bb C Am Dm     (x2)