The sheet music for “The Foggy Dew” is a lead sheet containing the chords, melody and lyrics to the song. It is available for download as a PDF.
The Foggy Dew
The lyrics to the “The Foggy Dew” chronicles the Easter Rising of 1916. The rebellion was launched by Irish republicans against British rule in Ireland. But the “air” (the melody) goes back even further. The same melody was used for “The Moorlough Shore”, a traditional Irish love song, with a record of it dating back to 1886 at the Bodleian Library. Other folk songs also share the melody, including “Down by the Salley Gardens.” But, like most traditional folk songs, the origin of the melody is hard to pin.
The Foggy Dew – Sheet Music
The sheet music below is a lead sheet for “The Foggy Dew.” It contains the chords as chord symbols, the melody in standard notation and the first and last verses of the lyrics.
To keep it as a simple 1-page lead sheet, I only added the first and last verses to the song. I never make lead sheets over 2 pages to avoid having to turn them during a performance. The complete lyrics can be found below the sheet music.
The lead sheet is complete and free as an image. The PDF is also available for your convenience and to support the website. Thank you for your purchases.
Download “The Foggy Dew” Sheet Music (1 page) as a PDF.
$3.99Add to cart
The Foggy Dew – Lyrics
As down the glen one Easter morn To a city fair rode I There armed lines of marching men In squadrons passed me by No pipe did hum No battle drum did sound its loud tattoo But the Angelus Bells o'er the Liffey swells Rang out in the foggy dew Right proudly high in Dublin town Hung they out a flag of war 'Twas better to die 'neath that Irish sky Than at Suvla or Sud-El-Bar And from the plains of Royal Meath Strong men came hurrying through While Brittania's Huns with their long range guns Sailed in through the foggy dew Their bravest fell and the requiem bell Rang mournfully and clear For those who died that Eastertide in the Springing of the year While the world did gaze with deep amaze At those fearless men but few Who bore the fight that freedom's light Might shine through the foggy dew And back through the glen, I rode again And my heart with grief was sore For I parted then with valiant men Whom I never shall see n'more But to and fro in my dreams I go And I kneel and pray for you For slavery fled, O glorious dead When you fell in the foggy dew
Guitar Tab and More History
I also have a guitar tab for this song: Guitar Tab
If you would like to know more about the history of the “The Foggy Dew” and the Eastern Rising of 1916 (aka Eastern Rebellion) see the Wikipedia article on it here.