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I have often heard it said by my father and my mother,
That going to a wedding is the making of another;
Well if this be so, then I'll go without a bidding,
Oh, kind providence, won't you send me to a wedding?
And it's oh, dear me, how will it be, if I die an old maid in a garret?
Now, there's my sister Jean, she's not handsome or good looking,
Scarcely sixteen and a fellow she was courting;
Now, she's twenty-four, she's a son and a daughter,
Here am I, forty-five, and I've never had an offer.
And it's oh, dear me, how will it be, if I die an old maid in a garret?
I can cook and I can sew, I can keep a house right tidy,
Rise up in the morning and get the breakfast ready;
There's nothing in this wide world that makes my heart so cheery,
As a wee fat man to call me his own dearie.
And it's oh, dear me, how will it be, if I die an old maid in a garret?
Oh, come landsman, come townsman, come tinker or come tailor,
Come fiddler, come dancer, come ploughman or come sailor;
Come rich man, come poor man, come fool or come witty,
Come any man at all, won't you would marry out of pity.
And it's oh, dear me, how will it be, if I die an old maid in a garret?
Oh, well, I'm away home for there's nobody heedin',
There's nobody heedin' to poor Annie's pleadin';
And I'm away home to me own wee bit garret,
If I can't get a man then I'll surely get a parrot.
And it's oh, dear me, how will it be, if I die an old maid in a garret?
The YouTube video above was made specifically for GEST and features a variant by Tony from Port St. Mary on the Isle of Man.
A variant was recorded by the Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem (Home Boys Home, 1968).
See more songs by the Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem.
A variant was also recorded by Dick Nolan (Dick Nolan, trk#9, 1975, RCA Records, Toronto, ON).
A variant was recorded by Shanneyganock (Live at O'Reilly's. Vol.1, trk#1, 2000, recorded live at O'Reilly's Pub, St. John's NL).
See more songs by Shanneyganock.
Another variant was recorded by Masterless Men (Back On Track , trk#4, 2000, Masterless Men, Mount Pearl, NL).
See more songs by the Masterless Men.
Also, the Cormiers recorded a variant (The Shamrock, Thistle & Rose, trk#12, 2002, self-produced with Rick Hollett, Conception Bay South, NL).
See more songs by the Cormiers.
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Notes On Guitar Tabs:
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All guitar tabs have been contributed by visitors to this site and represent their interpretation of the tune. We are unable to verify their accuracy.
Capo 2nd Fret; tabs shown are formations.
I have [G] often heard it said from my father and my mother,
That [D] going to a wedding was the [G] making of another;
Well if this be [C] so, then I'll [G] go without a bidding,
Oh, it's kind providence, won't you send me to a wedding.
For it's oh [C] dear [G] me, how will it [C] be, if I [G] die an old [D] maid in a [D7] gar-[G] ret
