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%%abc-copyright (C) Copyright Ben Paley 2026
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X:1
T:The Blackbird
T:Queen of The Earth and Child of the Skies
L:1/8
M:C|
C:Trad arr. ©2026 Ben Paley
N:This tune is so amorphous, it's hard to write down because there are just so many different
N:things to do. When John Carty plays it, it's almost unrecognisable at times from the sheer
N:exuberance of his variations and as for Tommy Potts' version, I'm not even completely sure it's
N:the same tune. I've chosen to write it here without repeats so as to include a couple of
N:different ideas. It's not just an Irish tune, you'll hear versions of it from all around these
N:islands, and there's even an American version called "Queen of The Earth and Child of the
N:Skies".
O:These Islands
Q:1/2=75
R:Set dance or Hornpipe
D:Edden Hammons, "The Edden Hammons Collection", 1999 (as "Queen of The Earth and Child of the
D:Skies")
D:Seán Ryan and P.J.Moloney, "Traditional Music of Ireland Vol.1", 1960
D:Seán Ryan and Peter Carberry, "Traditional Music of Ireland Vol.2", 1960
D:Tommy Potts, "The Liffey Banks", 1971
D:Finbar and Eddie Furey, "The Dawning of the Day", 1972
D:John Carty, "Yeh, That's All It Is", 2005
D:The Expatriate Game, "Traditional Irish & American Music", 2005
Z:Ben Paley <ben.paley@benpaley.com>
K:D Mixolydian
I:linebreak $
P:A1
dc [| B3d c3B | AGFG A2 B^c | d2 d^c d=cAF | GAGF D3 E |$
FDFG A2fe | d^cde d=cAF |
M:3/2
GcAF (3 DED CE D2 dc |$
P:A2
M:C|
BGAB (3 cdc (3 BcB | A2 AG AB^ce | dfef dcAF | GFEG FD[A,2D2] |$
FD (3 EFG ABcA | d2 dc dcAF |
M:3/2
GAGF D2 D2 D2 de |]$
P:B1
M:C|
[| f2 de fefg | a3 g fgaf | g2 gf gbaf | gagf d3 e |$
f2 de fefg | abag fgaf |
M:3/2
gagf (3 ded ce defg |$
M:C|
a3 g fgaf | g3 e f3 e | dcAB cBcd | ef (3 gfe a4 |$
ABAG FGAB | c3 e dcAF |
M:3/2
GAGF DCEC DFAd |$
P:B2
M:C|
fAde fAgA | abag fdef | gfef gbaf | gfef d3 e |$
f3 e defg | a3 g fgaf |
M:3/2
gagf d2 dc d2 (3 efg |$
M:C|
abag fgaf | gfeg (3 fgf (3 efe | d^cAB =cBcd | efge a4 |$
ABAG FGAc | d2 d^c d=cAF |
M:3/2
GAGF D2 DC D2 |]