Flow Gently, Sweet Afton - guitar tab, notes, chords and lyrics
”Flow Gently, Sweet Afton” is a traditional song based on the poem ”Sweet Afton” written in 1791 by the Scottish poet Robert Burns, who is also famous for written ”Auld Lang Syne”.
The music transcriptions of the song with tabs and notes are available for download as PDFs. It's free for personal use only.
Flow Gently, Sweet Afton (full accompaniment)
"Flow Gently, Sweet Afton" for guitar with full accompaniment. Free download in pdf-file and audio.
Flow Gently, Sweet Afton guitar accompaniment (tabs)
Flow Gently, Sweet Afton guitar accompaniment (including notes)
Flow Gently, Sweet Afton (only melody)
"Flow Gently, Sweet Afton" standard and tablature notation for guitar.
Tips on how to learn this song
The song is based on a common structure with 32 bars (the first pick-up bar excluded). Notice the AABA structure of these 32 bars: the first, the second and fourth parts are similar with the third as deviating.
The melody is only involving the three thinnest strings, which makes it rather easy to play and to memorize.
Lyrics
Flow Gently, Sweet Afton
Verse 1:
Flow gently, sweet Afton! amang thy green braes,
Flow gently, I'll sing thee a song in thy praise;
My Mary's asleep by thy murmuring stream,
Flow gently, sweet Afton, disturb not her dream.
Verse 2:
Thou stockdove whose echo resounds thro' the glen,
Ye wild whistling blackbirds in yon thorny den,
Thou green-crested lapwing thy screaming forbear,
I charge you, disturb not my slumbering Fair.
Verse 2:
How lofty, sweet Afton, thy neighbouring hills,
Far mark'd with the courses of clear, winding rills;
There daily I wander as noon rises high,
My flocks and my Mary's sweet cot in my eye.
Verse 3:
How pleasant thy banks and green valleys below,
Where, wild in the woodlands, the primroses blow;
There oft, as mild Ev'ning weeps over the lea,
The sweet-scented birk shades my Mary and me.
Verse 4:
Thy crystal stream, Afton, how lovely it glides,
And winds by the cot where my Mary resides;
How wanton thy waters her snowy feet lave,
As, gathering sweet flowerets, she stems thy clear wave.
Verse 5:
Flow gently, sweet Afton, amang thy green braes,
Flow gently, sweet river, the theme of my lays;
My Mary's asleep by thy murmuring stream,
Flow gently, sweet Afton, disturb not her dream.
Poetic and archaic words:
thy = your
braes = an upland area
yon = that
ye = you
Key, time, tuning and tempo
Information about "Flow Gently, Sweet Afton" considering musical key, time signature, tuning and bpm.
Key
The (tab) version of Flow Gently, Sweet Afton is played in the key of C.
Time signature
The song is played in 3/4 tempo (counted one, two, three for each measure).
Tuning
The song is normally played in standard tuning (EADGBE).
Tempo (BPM)
The tempo in beats per minute is 90 for the presented version.