This is a traditional carol that exists in similar forms under the names Green Grow the
Rushes, O,
The Carol of the Twelve Numbers, The Dilly Carol (or The Dilly Song), or The Teaching Song.
It is cumulative, each verse adding one item to all the previous versions. Similarly,
the musical
structure, based in F, builds each verse on the Dominant C with accented notes that
begin with G
and work down the scale such that "Two of them were lily white babes . . ." always ends
with C. The
third repetition starts the chorus with C/F and walks back to C. Further verses start
the chorus with
C/G and work down the scale accenting different notes with each line (C/G, C/F, C/E,
C/D, etc.).
This may not follow exactly with the album version, but it's close and sounds good when
played along with the recording.
In the Great Big Sea version, beginning with the seventh verse and going through the end
there is an
extra two beats of F before each repeat (four beats for the last repeat).
Come and I Will Sing You (The Twelve Apostles)
Great Big Sea
From the album The Hard and the Easy
Tabbed by Steve Sisk (siskny)
2/2 time
[F]Come and I will sing you. (What will you sing me?)
I will sing you one-o. (What will the one be?)
[F]One the one that's [Bb]all alone and [C]ever more shall [F]be so.
Come and I will sing you. (What will you sing me?)
I will sing you two-o. (What will the two be?)
[C]Two of them were lily white babes, cloth-ed all in green-o,
[F]One the one that's [Bb]all alone and [C]ever more shall [F]be so.
Come and I will sing you. (What will you sing me?)
I will sing you three-o. (What will the three be?)
[C/F]Three of them were drivers,
[C]Two of them were lily white babes, cloth-ed all in green-o,
[F]One the one that's [Bb]all alone and [C]ever more shall [F]be so.
Come and I will sing you. (What will you sing me?)
I will sing you four-o. (What will the four be?)
[C/G]Four Gospel preachers, [C/F]Three of them were drivers,
[C]Two of them were lily white babes, cloth-ed all in green-o,
[F]One the one that's [Bb]all alone and [C]ever more shall [F]be so.
Come and I will sing you. (What will you sing me?)
I will sing you five-o. (What will the five be?)
[C/G]Five ferrymen under the bush,
[C/F]Four Gospel preachers, [C/E]Three of them were drivers,
[C/D]Two of them were lily white babes, [C]cloth-ed all in green-o,
[F]One the one that's [Bb]all alone and [C]ever more shall [F]be so.
Come and I will sing you. (What will you sing me?)
I will sing you six-o. (What will the six be?)
[C/G]Six, the six pallbearers, [C/F]Five ferrymen under the bush,
[C/E]Four Gospel preachers, [C/D]Three of them were drivers,
[C]Two of them were lily white babes, cloth-ed all in green-o,
[F]One the one that's [Bb]all alone and [C]ever more shall [F]be so.
(2 beats of F)
And Come and I will sing you. (What will you sing me?)
I will sing you seven-o. (What will the seven be?)
[C/G]Seven, seven stars under the sky,
[C/F]Six, the six pallbearers, [C/E]Five ferrymen under the bush,
[C/D]Four Gospel preachers, [C]Three of them were drivers,
Two of them were lily white babes, cloth-ed all in green-o,
[F]One the one that's [Bb]all alone and [C]ever more shall [F]be so.
(2 beats of F)
And Come and I will sing you. (What will you sing me?)
I will sing you eight-o. (What will the eight be?)
[C/G]Eight Gabriel angels, [C/F]Seven, seven stars under the sky,
[C/E]Six, the six pallbearers, [C/D]Five ferrymen under the bush,
[C]Four Gospel preachers, [C/Bb]Three of them were drivers,
[C]Two of them were lily white babes, cloth-ed all in green-o,
[F]One the one that's [Bb]all alone and [C]ever more shall [F]be so.
(2 beats of F)
And Come and I will sing you. (What will you sing me?)
I will sing you nine-o. (What will the nine be?)
[C/G]Nine the bright eyed shiners,
[C/F]Eight Gabriel angels, [C/E]Seven, seven stars under the sky,
[C/D]Six, the six pallbearers, [C]Five ferrymen under the bush,
[C/Bb]Four Gospel preachers, [C/B]Three of them were drivers,
[C]Two of them were lily white babes, cloth-ed all in green-o,
[F]One the one that's [Bb]all alone and [C]ever more shall [F]be so.
(2 beats of F)
And Come and I will sing you. (What will you sing me?)
I will sing you ten-o. (What will the ten be?)
[C/G]Ten the Ten Commandments, [C/F]Nine the bright eyed shiners,
[C/E]Eight Gabriel angels, [C/D]Seven, seven stars under the sky,
[C]Six, the six pallbearers, [C/Bb]Five ferrymen under the bush,
[C/B]Four Gospel preachers, [C/G]Three of them were drivers,
[C]Two of them were lily white babes, cloth-ed all in green-o,
[F]One the one that's [Bb]all alone and [C]ever more shall [F]be so.
(2 beats of F)
And Come and I will sing you. (What will you sing me?)
I will sing you eleven-o. (What will the eleven be?)
[C/G]Eleven is the eleven that went straight to heaven,
[C/F]Ten the Ten Commandments, [C/E]Nine the bright eyed shiners,
[C/D]Eight Gabriel angels, [C]Seven, seven stars under the sky,
[C/Bb]Six, the six pallbearers, [C/B]Five ferrymen under the bush,
[C/G]Four Gospel preachers, [C/F]Three of them were drivers,
[C]Two of them were lily white babes, cloth-ed all in green-o,
[F]One the one that's [Bb]all alone and [C]ever more shall [F]be so.
(4 beats of F)
[F]And Come and I will sing you. (What will you sing me?)
I will sing you twelve-o. (What will the twelve be?)
[C/G]Twelve, twelve Apostles, [C/F]Eleven is the eleven that went straight to heaven,
[C/E]Ten the Ten Commandments, [C/D]Nine the bright eyed shiners,
[C]Eight Gabriel angels, [C/Bb]Seven, seven stars under the sky,
[C/B]Six, the six pallbearers, [C/G]Five ferrymen under the bush,
[C/F]Four Gospel preachers, [C/E]Three of them were drivers,
[C/D]Two of them were lily white babes, [C]cloth-ed all in green-o,
[F]One the one that's [Bb]all alone and [C]ever more shall [F]be so,
[F]One the one that's [Bb]all alone and [C]ever more shall [F]be so
Rushes, O,
The Carol of the Twelve Numbers, The Dilly Carol (or The Dilly Song), or The Teaching Song.
It is cumulative, each verse adding one item to all the previous versions. Similarly,
the musical
structure, based in F, builds each verse on the Dominant C with accented notes that
begin with G
and work down the scale such that "Two of them were lily white babes . . ." always ends
with C. The
third repetition starts the chorus with C/F and walks back to C. Further verses start
the chorus with
C/G and work down the scale accenting different notes with each line (C/G, C/F, C/E,
C/D, etc.).
This may not follow exactly with the album version, but it's close and sounds good when
played along with the recording.
In the Great Big Sea version, beginning with the seventh verse and going through the end
there is an
extra two beats of F before each repeat (four beats for the last repeat).
Come and I Will Sing You (The Twelve Apostles)
Great Big Sea
From the album The Hard and the Easy
Tabbed by Steve Sisk (siskny)
2/2 time
[F]Come and I will sing you. (What will you sing me?)
I will sing you one-o. (What will the one be?)
[F]One the one that's [Bb]all alone and [C]ever more shall [F]be so.
Come and I will sing you. (What will you sing me?)
I will sing you two-o. (What will the two be?)
[C]Two of them were lily white babes, cloth-ed all in green-o,
[F]One the one that's [Bb]all alone and [C]ever more shall [F]be so.
Come and I will sing you. (What will you sing me?)
I will sing you three-o. (What will the three be?)
[C/F]Three of them were drivers,
[C]Two of them were lily white babes, cloth-ed all in green-o,
[F]One the one that's [Bb]all alone and [C]ever more shall [F]be so.
Come and I will sing you. (What will you sing me?)
I will sing you four-o. (What will the four be?)
[C/G]Four Gospel preachers, [C/F]Three of them were drivers,
[C]Two of them were lily white babes, cloth-ed all in green-o,
[F]One the one that's [Bb]all alone and [C]ever more shall [F]be so.
Come and I will sing you. (What will you sing me?)
I will sing you five-o. (What will the five be?)
[C/G]Five ferrymen under the bush,
[C/F]Four Gospel preachers, [C/E]Three of them were drivers,
[C/D]Two of them were lily white babes, [C]cloth-ed all in green-o,
[F]One the one that's [Bb]all alone and [C]ever more shall [F]be so.
Come and I will sing you. (What will you sing me?)
I will sing you six-o. (What will the six be?)
[C/G]Six, the six pallbearers, [C/F]Five ferrymen under the bush,
[C/E]Four Gospel preachers, [C/D]Three of them were drivers,
[C]Two of them were lily white babes, cloth-ed all in green-o,
[F]One the one that's [Bb]all alone and [C]ever more shall [F]be so.
(2 beats of F)
And Come and I will sing you. (What will you sing me?)
I will sing you seven-o. (What will the seven be?)
[C/G]Seven, seven stars under the sky,
[C/F]Six, the six pallbearers, [C/E]Five ferrymen under the bush,
[C/D]Four Gospel preachers, [C]Three of them were drivers,
Two of them were lily white babes, cloth-ed all in green-o,
[F]One the one that's [Bb]all alone and [C]ever more shall [F]be so.
(2 beats of F)
And Come and I will sing you. (What will you sing me?)
I will sing you eight-o. (What will the eight be?)
[C/G]Eight Gabriel angels, [C/F]Seven, seven stars under the sky,
[C/E]Six, the six pallbearers, [C/D]Five ferrymen under the bush,
[C]Four Gospel preachers, [C/Bb]Three of them were drivers,
[C]Two of them were lily white babes, cloth-ed all in green-o,
[F]One the one that's [Bb]all alone and [C]ever more shall [F]be so.
(2 beats of F)
And Come and I will sing you. (What will you sing me?)
I will sing you nine-o. (What will the nine be?)
[C/G]Nine the bright eyed shiners,
[C/F]Eight Gabriel angels, [C/E]Seven, seven stars under the sky,
[C/D]Six, the six pallbearers, [C]Five ferrymen under the bush,
[C/Bb]Four Gospel preachers, [C/B]Three of them were drivers,
[C]Two of them were lily white babes, cloth-ed all in green-o,
[F]One the one that's [Bb]all alone and [C]ever more shall [F]be so.
(2 beats of F)
And Come and I will sing you. (What will you sing me?)
I will sing you ten-o. (What will the ten be?)
[C/G]Ten the Ten Commandments, [C/F]Nine the bright eyed shiners,
[C/E]Eight Gabriel angels, [C/D]Seven, seven stars under the sky,
[C]Six, the six pallbearers, [C/Bb]Five ferrymen under the bush,
[C/B]Four Gospel preachers, [C/G]Three of them were drivers,
[C]Two of them were lily white babes, cloth-ed all in green-o,
[F]One the one that's [Bb]all alone and [C]ever more shall [F]be so.
(2 beats of F)
And Come and I will sing you. (What will you sing me?)
I will sing you eleven-o. (What will the eleven be?)
[C/G]Eleven is the eleven that went straight to heaven,
[C/F]Ten the Ten Commandments, [C/E]Nine the bright eyed shiners,
[C/D]Eight Gabriel angels, [C]Seven, seven stars under the sky,
[C/Bb]Six, the six pallbearers, [C/B]Five ferrymen under the bush,
[C/G]Four Gospel preachers, [C/F]Three of them were drivers,
[C]Two of them were lily white babes, cloth-ed all in green-o,
[F]One the one that's [Bb]all alone and [C]ever more shall [F]be so.
(4 beats of F)
[F]And Come and I will sing you. (What will you sing me?)
I will sing you twelve-o. (What will the twelve be?)
[C/G]Twelve, twelve Apostles, [C/F]Eleven is the eleven that went straight to heaven,
[C/E]Ten the Ten Commandments, [C/D]Nine the bright eyed shiners,
[C]Eight Gabriel angels, [C/Bb]Seven, seven stars under the sky,
[C/B]Six, the six pallbearers, [C/G]Five ferrymen under the bush,
[C/F]Four Gospel preachers, [C/E]Three of them were drivers,
[C/D]Two of them were lily white babes, [C]cloth-ed all in green-o,
[F]One the one that's [Bb]all alone and [C]ever more shall [F]be so,
[F]One the one that's [Bb]all alone and [C]ever more shall [F]be so
