Beeswing

Song

#----------------------------------PLEASE NOTE---------------------------------#

#This file is the author's own work and represents their interpretation of the #

#song. You may only use this file for private study, scholarship, or research. #

#------------------------------------------------------------------------------##

From: Phillip Charles Saunders <phillip@phoenix.Princeton.EDU>

Beeswing

Richard Thompson, from the album Mirror Blue

transcribed by Phil Saunders (phillip@phoenix.princeton.edu)

tuning (DADGBE), capo 3rd fret

I've been working on this lovely acoustic ballad for a while. The

transcription is not perfect, especially on the chorus, but should be

close enough to get you in the ballpark. I have not attempted to

transcribe the solo. Corrections/Additions cheerfully welcomed, so long

as critics take the difficulty of transcribing something like this into

account. The chord names are written with the capo in mind; the song is

actually in F, but is transcribed here in D. I usually play the B on

the low A string by hammering on, which gives a little extra nuance.

(This is why the D chords are notated as D (D6)). You can also throw in

the low D string on the verse to add extra drive. On the chorus, I'mm

not quite sure if I really hear the low G on the G chord--the B is

certainly there, but I can't tell about the G.

Chords

D (000232)

D6 (020232)

A (X0222X)

G (5X0003X)

Bm (X24432)

Intro (and start of verses)

-|-0--0h2p0-------------------------------------------0-----2----|
-|-----------3p0--0--------------------------0--2--3-----0-----0-|
-|-------------------3--------3--------3-------------------------|
-|-2--------------------3--------3--------3-----------2-----0----|
-|----------------2--------0--------2--------2-------------------|
-|---------------------------------------------------------------|
-|-0--0h2p0-------------------------------------------0-----2----|------------|
-|-----------3p0--0--------------------------0--2--3-----0-----0-|-0-----0----|
-|-------------------3--------3--------3-------------------------|------------|
-|-2--------------------3--------3--------3-----------2-----0----|-0-----0--2-|
-|----------------2--------0--------2--------2-------------------|----0-------|
-|---------------------------------------------------------------|------------|

Verse

D

-|-----------------------|-----------------------|-----------------------|
-|-3---------------------|-3---------------------|-3---------------------|
-|-2--2----2-----2-----2-|-2--2----2-----2-----2-|-2--2----2-----2-----2-|
-|-0---------------------|-0----------0----------|-0---------------------|
-|------h2---------h2----|-----h2-----0----h2----|-----h2----------h2----|
-|------------0----------|-----------------------|------------0----------|

A G

-|----------------------------------------|
-|----------------------3-----------3-----|
-|-2-----2--------0--------0-----0-----0--|
-|-2--------2-----0--------0-----0-----0--|
-|-0--0--------0--------------------------|
-|----------------5--5--------5-----------|

Chorus

Bm A/C# D (D6) G A G/B A/C#

-|-----------------|-----------------------|------------------------------|
-|-3---------3-----|-3---------------------|------------------------------|
-|-4---0---0----2--|-2--2----2-----2-----2-|--0-----2-----0-----2--0------|
-|---4---4---------|-0----------0----------|--0--0--0--0--0--0--2--0------|
-|-2---------2--4--|------2-----0-----2----|--2-----0-----2-----4---------|
-|-----------------|-----------------------|--5---------------------------|

D (D6) Bm A/C# D (D6)

-|-------------------------|-----------------|-----------------------|
-|-3-----------------------|-3---------3-----|-3---------------------|
-|-2--2-----2-----2-----2--|-4---0---0----2--|-2--2----2-----2-----2-|
-|-0-----0-----0-----0-----|---4---4---------|-0----------0----------|
-|-------------0-----------|-2---------2--4--|------2-----0-----2----|
-|-------------------------|-----------------|-----------------------|

G A G/B A/C# D A/C#

-|------------------------------|------------------------|
-|------------------------------|-3-----------2----------|
-|--0-----2-----0-----2--0------|-2--2-----2-----2-----2-|
-|--0--0--0--0--0--0--2--0------|-0-----0-----------0----|
-|--2-----0-----2-----4---------|-------------4----------|
-|--5---------------------------|------------------------|

G A G/B A/C# D

-|------------------------------|------------------------------|
-|------------------------------|-3--------------3-------------|
-|--0-----2-----0-----2--0------|-2--2-----2-----2-------------|
-|--0--0--0--0--0--0--2--0------|-0-----0--------0-------------|
-|--2-----0-----2-----4---------|------------------------------|
-|--5---------------------------|-------------0----------------|

Intro

Verse

D (D6)

I was nineteen when I came to town

They called it the summer of love

They were burning babies, burning flags

A G

The Hawks against the Doves

D (D6)

I took a job in the steamie

Down on Caldrum Street

I fell in love with a laundry girl

A G

Was working next to me

Chorus

Bm A/C# D

She was a rare thing, fine as a Beeswing

G A G/B A/C# D

So fine a breath of wind might blow her away

Bm A/C# D

She was a lost child, she was running wild

G A G/B A/C# D A/C#

She said, as long as there's no price on love I'll stay

G A G/B A/C# D

And you wouldn't want me any other way

Brownhair zig zag round her face

And a look of half surprise

Like a fox caught in the headlights

There was animal in her eyes

She said young man, O can't you see

I'm not the factory kind

If you don't take me out of here

I'll surely lose my mind

She was a rare thing, fine as a Beeswing

So fine that I might crush her where she lay

She was a lost child, she was running wild

She said, as long as there's no price on love I'll stay

And you wouldn't want me any other way

We busked around the market towns

And picked fruit down in Kent

And we could tinker lamps and pots

And knives wherever we went

And I said that we might settle down

Get a few acres dug

Fire burning in the hearth

And babies on the rug

She said O man, you foolish man

That surely sounds like hell

You might be lord of half the world

You'll not own me as well

She was a rare thing, fine as a Beeswing

So fine a breathe of wind might blow her away

She was a lost child, she was running wild

She said, as long as there's no price on love I'll stay

And you wouldn't want me any other way

We was camping down the Gower one time

The work was pretty good

She thought we shouldn't wait for the frost

And I thought maybe we should

We were drinking more in those days

And tempers reached a pitch

Like a fool I let her run

With the rambling itch

D

last I hear she's sleeping out

Back on the Darby beat

White horse in her hip pocket

And a wolfhound at her feet

And they say she even married once

A man named Romany Brown

But even a gypsy caravan

Was too much settling down

And they say her flower is faded now

Hard weather and hard booze

But maybe that's just the price you pay

For the chains you refuse

She was a rare thing, fine as a Beeswing

So fine that I might crush her where she lay

And I miss her more than words could ever say

If I could just taste, All of her wildness now

If I could hold her in my arms today

Then I wouldn't want her any other way