The Creggan White Hare Cifras

Played with capo 4 like "The Best Kept Secret" version on Youtube
 
[Intro]
D     D/C#     G      A  (4X)
 
[Verse 1]
       D           D/C#           Bm             G
In the lowlands of Creggan, there lives a white hare,
   D            D/C#         Bm                A
As swift as the swallow that flies through the air.
        Bm                                  D
You may tramp the world over but none to compare
       G            D             Bm           G
To the pride of old Creggan, that bonnie white hare.
 
[Verse 2]
    D            D/C#        Bm          G
One clear autumn morning, as you will suppose,
    D              D/C#         Bm             A
Ohh The red golden sun o’er the green mountain rose.
       Bm                            D
Barney Conway came down and he did declare,
      G               D          Bm           G
“This day I’ll put an end to the bonnie white hare.”
 
[Verse 3]
      D                    D/C#         Bm               G
So he searched through the lowlands and down through the glens,
     D             D/C#              Bm             A
All among the wild ditches where the white hare had ends,
        Bm                                   D
Till at last coming down over the heather so fair,
     G               D           Bm              G
From behind the wild thistle out jumps the white hare.
 
[Verse 4]
       D               D/C#         Bm              G
“Bang! bang!” went his guns and his dogs he slipped too.
   D            D/C#          Bm             A
As swift as the wind over the green mountain flew.
        Bm                                     D
But his dog soon came back, and it made Barney sigh,
       G             D              Bm          G
For he knew that the white hare had bid him goodbye.
 
D     D/C#     G      A  (2X)
 
[Verse 5]
          D          D/C#           Bm            G
And we’re some jolly sportsmen down here from Pomeroy
     D             D/C#        Bm           A
From Cookstown, Dungannon, and likewise the Moy.
         Bm                                       D
With our pedigree greyhounds we’ve travelled from far
          G            D              Bm         G
And we’ve come down to Creggan in our fine motor car.
 
[Verse 6]
     D        D/C#           Bm           G
Well into the lowlands these huntsmen did go
   D             D/C#              Bm            A
In search of the white hare they'd look high and low,
        Bm                                    D
Till at last Barney Conway from a bog bank so rare
        G          D                Bm             G
Shouted out to the huntsmen, “There lies the white hare.”
 
[Verse 7]
        D               D/C#            Bm            G
So they called up their greyhounds from off the green lee
    D              D/C#         Bm               A
And Barney and the huntsmen all jumped high with glee,
       Bm                                  D
it was there on the bog bank all gathered around,
      G             D            Bm           G
Seven dogs and nine men did that poor hare surround.
 
[Verse 8]
      D          D/C#           Bm           G
Oh no wonder the white hare did tremble with fear
      D             D/C#                 Bm            A
As she stood on her hind legs, she would raise her big ears,
       Bm                                      D
As she stood on her hind legs with one gallant spring,
           G            D          Bm                G
She jumped over the greyhounds and broke through the ring.
 
[Verse 9]
     D                  D/C#       Bm        G
Well that chase it went on, it was beautiful view
   D            D/C#          Bm             A
As swift as the wind o’er the green mountain flew.
    Bm                                         D
But those pedigree greyhounds, they didn’t run far.
          G             D             Bm         G
They come back and went home in their fine motor car.
 
[Verse 10]
     D          D/C#                Bm           G
Then there came another man and you all know him well;
    D             D/C#           Bm           A
His name was Mick Kelly with the Bonnie Black Belle.
      Bm                                         D
Oh in search of the white hare, today “I’ll have fun.
         G        D            Bm             G
I'll bet fifty to one my Black Belle will her turn.”
 
[Verse 11]
     D              D/C#          Bm           G
Five turns the hare got then from Bonnie Black Belle,
        D             D/C#         Bm           A
And the sixth one was given around John Hardy’s well.
       Bm                                      D
It was there we lost sight of the hare and the dog,
         G           D          Bm             G
And then ten minutes later came o’er the black bog.
 
[Verse 12]
           D             D/C#       Bm           G
Well, that chase it went on. It was great for to see.
    D                  D/C#           Bm               A
The white hare and the black dog both roamed light and free,
         Bm                                          D
Till she travelled to Esker where she knew the lands well,
       G            D              Bm           G
And to Bonnie Black Belle at there soon bid farewell.
 
D     D/C#     G      A  (2X)
 
[Verse 13]
       D         D/C#         Bm          G
Oh and now to conclude and to finish this rhyme
  D           D/C#           Bm               A
I hope you’ll forgive me for singing all this while.
           Bm                              D
If there’s any amongst you in Carrick more fair,
       G            D            Bm           G
Please drink up a health to that bonnie white hare.
 
D     D/C#     G      A  (3X)
X