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Sweet William

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Lyrics & ChordsClick chords to see diagrams

G G G G
I was Gborn with this Amstory, it's Emolder than C5I
And Gyet you when you hAmear it yoEmu'll know in the C5sky
In thGe wind of your kAmnowledge, In the Gcut of your Djib
That the fGibre of winAmd is as Emnew from my lC5ip
As was eveGr and mAmore and eGver will C5be
'til the uGnion we Amface casts Gus finally EmfreDeG  
G
For wC5e in the loD5ve of an earth-bG5idden dance
Stand enC5thralled of tD5hat, which from hG5eaven, perchance
Lets us mC5ove with the gifD5ts we were givG5en in grace
And smiC5le in the arms D5of Sweet WilEmliam's Gembrace
G G
William's wanderings took him abroad
Showed him the lay of the searcher's long road
To the place he stood now 'neath the black laden sky
And the crook of his father had brought fortune nigh
Read the sign where he looked, Not the bull, nor the bear
Nor a burly red lion, or the tortoise and hare
For we in the love of an earth-bidden dance
Stand enthralled of it, which from heaven, perchance
Lets us move with the gifts we were given in grace
And smile in the arms of Sweet William's embrace
The end Gof the world was the name of the inn
Said faGir William farewell to the world and its sinAm  C5  
ItGs sinG  
Full Gbalmy was thAme winter air
All weEmt with what might die
A wisGhing well, the ocAmean bear
A milEmlpond in his eyes
A glDance to see from wEmhence he came
For WiGlliam with a landlocked turn
VeAmrmin what he stood Amto lose
The sC5kin-shot snakes and eC5arthy worms
His boots trod soft inside the inn
His greeted all was here
Abrasive lowly nods came back
Then bent toward their beer
They must know I thought Willy now
They've seen me come from miles
The thought was struck as whisky poured
And barmen gave all smiles
Then folEmlowed this a cDurious C5thing
The Geldest of the Dhost
Sang sEmoftly where he Dsat and dC5rank
To Glove a worthy Dtoast
His sEmong was of a DstranC5ger
GSummoned for his Drope
In Emall would be to sDet us fC5ree
His sGong was strong and Dbold,
It went:
For we in the love of an earth-bidden dance
Stand enthralled of that, which from heaven, perchance
Lets us move with the gifts we were given in grace
And smile in the arms of Sweet William's embrace
I was born with this story, it's older than I
And yet you when you hear it you'll know in the sky
In the wind of your knowledge, In the cut of your jib
That the fibre of wind is as new from my lip
As was ever and more and ever will be
'til the union we face casts us finally free

All chords in this song (7)

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Sweet William

by Johnny Flynn

Lyrics & chords · Original key

Chords in this song · guitar

G G G G

G Am Em C5

I was born with this story, it's older than I

G Am Em C5

And yet you when you hear it you'll know in the sky

G Am G D

In the wind of your knowledge, In the cut of your jib

G Am Em C5

That the fibre of wind is as new from my lip

G Am G C5

As was ever and more and ever will be

G Am G Em D G

'til the union we face casts us finally free

C5 D5 G5

For we in the love of an earth-bidden dance

C5 D5 G5

Stand enthralled of that, which from heaven, perchance

C5 D5 G5

Lets us move with the gifts we were given in grace

C5 D5 Em G

And smile in the arms of Sweet William's embrace

G G

William's wanderings took him abroad

Showed him the lay of the searcher's long road

To the place he stood now 'neath the black laden sky

And the crook of his father had brought fortune nigh

Read the sign where he looked, Not the bull, nor the bear

Nor a burly red lion, or the tortoise and hare

For we in the love of an earth-bidden dance

Stand enthralled of it, which from heaven, perchance

Lets us move with the gifts we were given in grace

And smile in the arms of Sweet William's embrace

The end of the world was the name of the inn

G Am C5

Said fair William farewell to the world and its sin

G G

Its sin

G Am

Full balmy was the winter air

All wet with what might die

G Am

A wishing well, the ocean bear

A millpond in his eyes

D Em

A glance to see from whence he came

For William with a landlocked turn

Am Am

Vermin what he stood to lose

C5 C5

The skin-shot snakes and earthy worms

His boots trod soft inside the inn

His greeted all was here

Abrasive lowly nods came back

Then bent toward their beer

They must know I thought Willy now

They've seen me come from miles

The thought was struck as whisky poured

And barmen gave all smiles

Em D C5

Then followed this a curious thing

G D

The eldest of the host

Em D C5

Sang softly where he sat and drank

G D

To love a worthy toast

Em D C5

His song was of a stranger

G D

Summoned for his rope

Em D C5

In all would be to set us free

G D

His song was strong and bold,

It went:

For we in the love of an earth-bidden dance

Stand enthralled of that, which from heaven, perchance

Lets us move with the gifts we were given in grace

And smile in the arms of Sweet William's embrace

I was born with this story, it's older than I

And yet you when you hear it you'll know in the sky

In the wind of your knowledge, In the cut of your jib

That the fibre of wind is as new from my lip

As was ever and more and ever will be

'til the union we face casts us finally free

About Sweet William Chords by Johnny Flynn

Learn how to play Sweet William by Johnny Flynn with free guitar chords, lyrics, and interactive chord diagrams. Search for “Sweet William chords”, “Sweet William guitar chords”, or “Johnny Flynn Sweet William chords” and you will find this page — transpose to any key, tap chords for diagrams, and use auto-scroll while you play. Perfect for beginners looking for easy Sweet William chords and for experienced players who want accurate Sweet William lyrics and chords in one place. Common chords in this song include G, Am, Em, C5, D, D5.

FAQ — Sweet William by Johnny Flynn

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Is "Sweet William" easy to play on guitar?

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What key is "Sweet William" in?

The chords for "Sweet William" show the original chord names (including G, Am, Em, C5, D, D5). Use transpose to move the song into any key that fits your voice or capo.