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The Accrington Pals

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Bbmajor

90BPM

Lyrics & ChordsClick chords to see diagrams

[Intro]
Bb Eb Bb Eb
[Verse 1]
   BbSmoky town where Ebthey were Bbborn,
BbDown in the valley, Ebsmoky little Fstreets;
  BbThey were pals from Ebchildhood Bbdays
EbClimbing trees and Cmrunning through the Ffields
And they Bball played togEbether
Through the Fturning of the Bbyears,
BbSharing their laughter, Cmsharing all their Ffears.
The Ebseasons saw them growing, oh
The seasons Bbpassing turned them Fround
Through the Bbturning, Ebturning, Bbturning Ebyears,F  
The Accrington BbPals.Eb  Bb  
[Verse 2]
   BbSchooldays end, the Eblads all Bbwent
To Bbwork, some Ebspinning, some Fweaving in the sheds,
  BbOn the land or Ebdown the Bbpit,
BbWorking hard to Ebearn their daily Fbread.
And they Bball went Ebwalking up old FPendle BbHill
BbOn Sundays, the larks sang Cmhigh above the dFale,
LiEbttle Willie Riley
Played his Bbmandolin and Fsang.
They were Bblaughing,    Ebthey were Bbsinging Ebthen,F  
The Accrington BbPals.Eb  Bb  
[Verse 3]
  Bb1916 Ebcame the Bbcall:
We Bbneed more lads to Ebbattle with the FHun,
   BbLads of Lancashire, Ebheed the Bbcall;
With EbGod on our side the battle will soon be Fwon
So they Bball came mEbarching to the Fbeating of the Bbdrums
BbDown from the Ebfields and Ffactories they’d Bbcome,
BbSmiling at the Ebgirls who
Came to Bbsee them on their Fway.
They were Bbmarching, Ebmarching, Bbmarching Ebaway,F  
The Accrington BbPalsEb  Bb  
[Verse 4]
   BbBlue skies shining on that Ebperfect Bbday,
A Bblark was singing Ebhigh above the FSomme;
   BbBrothers, pals and Ebfathers Bblay
EbWatching that sweet bird sing in the quiet of the Fdawn
Then they Bball went Ebwalking out
TowFards the howling Bbguns,
BbTalking and Eblaughing, Cmcalmly walking Fon,
BelEbieving in the lies that
Left them Bbdying in the Fmud;
And they’re Bblying, Eblying, Bblying Ebstill,F  
The Accrington BbPalsEb  Bb  
[Verse 5]
   BbSmoky town that Ebheard the Bbnews
BbDown in the valley, Ebsmoky little Fstreets;
   BbHouses quiet and Ebcurtains Bbpulled
All Ebround the town, a Bbsilent shroud of Fgrief.
And the Bblarks were Ebsinging still aFbove Old Pendle BbHill,
The Ebwind was in the Bbbracken,
The Fsun was shining Bbstill,
And the Eblarks were singing sweetly as
The evening Bbfell upon the FSomme
On Edward BbParkinson
Bobby EbHenderson
Billie BbClegg
Johnny MollEboy
Norman JoBbnes
Albert BEberry
Willie RBbiley,Eb  F  
The Accrington BbPals

All chords in this song (4)

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The Accrington Pals

by Mike Harding

Lyrics & chords · Original key

Chords in this song · guitar

[Intro]

Bb Eb Bb Eb

[Verse 1]

Bb Eb Bb

Smoky town where they were born,

Bb Eb F

Down in the valley, smoky little streets;

Bb Eb Bb

They were pals from childhood days

Eb Cm F

Climbing trees and running through the fields

Bb Eb

And they all played together

F Bb

Through the turning of the years,

Bb Cm F

Sharing their laughter, sharing all their fears.

The seasons saw them growing, oh

Bb F

The seasons passing turned them round

Bb Eb Bb Eb F

Through the turning, turning, turning years,

Bb Eb Bb

The Accrington Pals.

[Verse 2]

Bb Eb Bb

Schooldays end, the lads all went

Bb Eb F

To work, some spinning, some weaving in the sheds,

Bb Eb Bb

On the land or down the pit,

Bb Eb F

Working hard to earn their daily bread.

Bb Eb F Bb

And they all went walking up old Pendle Hill

Bb Cm F

On Sundays, the larks sang high above the dale,

Little Willie Riley

Bb F

Played his mandolin and sang.

Bb Eb Bb Eb F

They were laughing, they were singing then,

Bb Eb Bb

The Accrington Pals.

[Verse 3]

Bb Eb Bb

1916 came the call:

Bb Eb F

We need more lads to battle with the Hun,

Bb Eb Bb

Lads of Lancashire, heed the call;

Eb F

With God on our side the battle will soon be won

Bb Eb F Bb

So they all came marching to the beating of the drums

Bb Eb F Bb

Down from the fields and factories they’d come,

Bb Eb

Smiling at the girls who

Bb F

Came to see them on their way.

Bb Eb Bb Eb F

They were marching, marching, marching away,

Bb Eb Bb

The Accrington Pals

[Verse 4]

Bb Eb Bb

Blue skies shining on that perfect day,

Bb Eb F

A lark was singing high above the Somme;

Bb Eb Bb

Brothers, pals and fathers lay

Eb F

Watching that sweet bird sing in the quiet of the dawn

Bb Eb

Then they all went walking out

F Bb

Towards the howling guns,

Bb Eb Cm F

Talking and laughing, calmly walking on,

Believing in the lies that

Bb F

Left them dying in the mud;

Bb Eb Bb Eb F

And they’re lying, lying, lying still,

Bb Eb Bb

The Accrington Pals

[Verse 5]

Bb Eb Bb

Smoky town that heard the news

Bb Eb F

Down in the valley, smoky little streets;

Bb Eb Bb

Houses quiet and curtains pulled

Eb Bb F

All round the town, a silent shroud of grief.

Bb Eb F Bb

And the larks were singing still above Old Pendle Hill,

Eb Bb

The wind was in the bracken,

F Bb

The sun was shining still,

And the larks were singing sweetly as

Bb F

The evening fell upon the Somme

On Edward Parkinson

Bobby Henderson

Billie Clegg

Johnny Molloy

Norman Jones

Albert Berry

Bb Eb F

Willie Riley,

The Accrington Pals

About The Accrington Pals Chords by Mike Harding

Learn how to play The Accrington Pals by Mike Harding with free guitar chords, lyrics, and interactive chord diagrams. Search for “The Accrington Pals chords”, “The Accrington Pals guitar chords”, or “Mike Harding The Accrington Pals 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 The Accrington Pals chords and for experienced players who want accurate The Accrington Pals lyrics and chords in one place. Common chords in this song include Bb, Eb, F, Cm, A.

FAQ — The Accrington Pals by Mike Harding

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What key is "The Accrington Pals" in?

The chords for "The Accrington Pals" show the original chord names (including Bb, Eb, F, Cm, A). Use transpose to move the song into any key that fits your voice or capo.