Chords Req: Dirty Old Town

Subject: Dirty old town
From:
Date: 18 Mar 99 - 06:02 AM

I'm a bad guitar player looking for the chords of Dirty Old Town. Can somebody help? Thanks in advance.

Subject: RE: Dirty old town
From: alison
Date: 18 Mar 99 - 08:28 AM

Hi,

I usually do this in E, but you wanted easy chords so....

I found my (G)love (D)by the gasworks (G)wall (D G G7)
Dreamed a (C)dream (D)by the old ca(G)nal (D G)
(C)Kissed my (G)girl by the factory wall(D G)
Dirty old (D7)town(C), dirty old (Em)town

Slainte

alison

Subject: RE: Dirty old town
From: Chris Nixon
Date: 18 Mar 99 - 05:18 PM

Try this, gently...

Am;G;Am G Am;G;Am G Am;G;Am I met my love by the gasworks croft

F Am;G;Am Dreamed a dream by the old canal

G Am;G;Am F Am;G;Am Kissed my girl by the factory wall

Dm Am;G;Am Dirty old town, Dirty old town

You could try playing the last verse in the major key (C;F;C etc)

Good luck Chris

Subject: RE: Dirty old town
From: Cap't Bob
Date: 18 Mar 99 - 09:14 PM

I like doing this one in D with the bass "e" string tuned down a note to "d". A good key if your voice runs a bit lower than the average. There are some really nice and rather simple runs on the bass string in this key and tuning.

I found my (D)love by a (G)gas works (D)croft

Dreamed a *(G)dream by* the (A)old (D)canal

(G)Kissed my (D)girl by the factory wall

Dirty old (Em)town, (A)dirty old (D6)town

~~~~the (D6) is a very simple cord using just the second fret on the first string and the second fret on the third string. It really goes great in this song.

~~~~between the *---* I use this run on the base string. fret~5, fret-4, fret-2 a very slow run filling in with the cord between the notes

~~~~in the third line of the sone instead of playing the (G) cord~~~~for the word "Kissed" I use a single note sixth string 5th fret. For the word "my" fifth string open. And for "girl" 6th string open. NOTE; THESE RUNS ONLY WORK IF YOU HAVE LOWERED YOUR BASS (E) STRING ONE NOTE TO (D)

Subject: RE: Dirty old town
From: Chris Nixon
Date: 19 Mar 99 - 03:13 PM

Subject: RE: Dirty old town
From:
Date: 19 Mar 99 - 03:26 PM

Oops,

Not used to your formats yet - those chords should have sat over the words. Let's try that again:

(Am;G;Am;)I (G)met my(Am)love(G;Am)by the (G)gasworks (Am)croft (G;Am) (G)Dreamed a (F)dream by the old ca -(Am)nal (G:Am) (F)Kissed (G)my (Am)girl (G:Am)by the (F)factory (Am)wall (G:Am) Dirty old (F)town, dirty old (Am)town (G:Am)

The whole thing revolves around the Am - G - Am - G 4/4 pattern. Hope this makes slightly more sense.

Subject: RE: Chords: Dirty old town
From:
Date: 09 Nov 04 - 06:53 AM

Here's one for you sheet music users. I am learning the Fiddle and can't find the fiddle sheet music for Dirty ole Town.

Can anyone direct me to this information or a place where there is fiddle sheet music.

Thanks in advance,
Morris

Subject: RE: Chords: Dirty old town
From: nutty
Date: 09 Nov 04 - 09:26 AM

Notation can be found here .....not sure how suitable it is for fiddle though.

DIRTY OLD TOWN

Subject: RE: Chords: Dirty old town
From: Blissfully Ignorant
Date: 09 Nov 04 - 01:42 PM

I had the sheet music for this (fat lot of help it was, asi can't read music!). I don't have it any more, but from memory the first one looks most similar to what was in the book. :0)

Subject: RE: Chords: Dirty old town
From: GUEST,greyowl
Date: 29 Mar 05 - 01:36 PM

Well, I'm a really terrible guitarist, but loving this song as I do I've given it my best shot. The chord progressions given above were all too hard for me to do whilst worrying about singing at the same time, so I simplified it all to: Start on G, move the index and middle finger down to a G/C for one beat on the word "gasworks" in the first line, back to G, to C for the word "dream" in the second line, lifting the middle finger on the word "old" (Ewan McColl woulda' been proud) and then to G for "canal"; over to C for "kissed" and G for "girl" shortly followed by the quick G/C on the word "factory" reverting back to G; for the last line, I use an ordinary D on the word "town" then an Am for the second "dirty" and then Em for "town." And there you have it, simple but quite melodic. And I'm not kidding when I say I'm a poor player--I've only been at it for a couple of years and am a slow learner, but starting from the cues given in previous posts here, I was able to work out an arrangement that sounded good to me. The strumming, of course, is what makes it all work, and that you kinda' just have to experiment with. I seem to strum a varying pattern that follows the rythm of the lyrics rather than a steady unchanging pattern--is that so wrong? Funny, and exhilarating too, how so much about music is up to the individual's interpretation, even with the simplest melodies.

Subject: RE: Chords: Dirty old town
From: oombanjo
Date: 29 Mar 05 - 03:57 PM

Try this I like it. (E) I met my love by the gassworks croft, dreamed a (A) dream by the old (E) canal,Kissed my Girl by the factory wall,Dirty old town(B flat 7 on the first and second fret)Dirty old town Dirty old (C sharp minor on the forth fret)TOWM. Back to E. Same for all the rest.

Subject: RE: Chords: Dirty old town
From: GUEST,Mex
Date: 11 May 05 - 04:58 PM

Hi I search for this song notes, i play te harmonica in C. Please help me

tnxxx

Subject: RE: Chords: Dirty old town
From: Paco Rabanne
Date: 12 May 05 - 10:58 AM

This site has formatted full colour chord and lyric layouts of 250,000 songs, and Dirty old town is in it - www.chordie.com

Subject: RE: Chords: Dirty old town
From: GUEST,Sidewinder.
Date: 12 May 05 - 12:35 PM

Hi,
I suggest you lay the guitar across your lap and patter away on the back of the instrument whilst bawling out the lyrics in a fake Irish accent. Most renditions I have heard sounded as if this was par for the course where this song is concerned.

Regards.

Sidewinder.

Subject: RE: Chords: Dirty old town
From: Clinton Hammond
Date: 12 May 05 - 07:53 PM

"whilst bawling out the lyrics in a fake Irish accent."

Irish? It's about a town in Scotland...

Subject: RE: Chords: Dirty old town
From: GUEST,punkfolkrocker
Date: 12 May 05 - 09:13 PM

never played this song before..

so i picked up my cheap indonesian telecaster copy..
did'nt bother plugging it in but just imagined a little light amp vibrato and reverb..

..and going on the structure & lyrics i've copied here..

i dont find any need for any more chords than this...


"[D]....I found my love by a gas works croft

Dreamed a (Em)dream [G]by the old ca- [D]-nal.... [keep playing D]

Kissed my girl by the factory wall... [keep on playing D]

Dirty old (Em)town, (G)dirty old (Bm)town "

[and back to ..guess what.. more D!!!!]


..sorry if it makes it sound too much like an old cowboy song...
but thats the way i'd do it !!

Subject: RE: Chords: Dirty old town
From: GUEST,Tony
Date: 13 May 05 - 01:21 AM

The Dirty Old Town was Salford as has been pointed out in numerous other threads. Salford was in Lancashire last time I looked, which was before they reorganised everything 20 years or so ago, not in Ireland or Scotland. Though there are some reasonable chords and dots in a music book I have called "Songs popular in Ireland".

Subject: RE: Chords: Dirty old town
From: GUEST,Sidewinder.
Date: 13 May 05 - 10:06 AM

Thanks for pointing that out for me Tony- saves me a bit of typing. As for the "fake Irish accent" that Clinton seems so miffed by; unfortunately wherever I go to listen to amateur live music sessions I hear the same Shane MacGowan influenced pretenders blurting out the lyric in the aforementioned way. Just stating a fact here no need to be offended. Saying that; I am annoyed that you didn't know that Ewan wrote the song about Salford."Aye mett maya lurve by de gasswurks wahhl." Engage Brain Again! Ah! That's better!

Regards.

Sidewinder.

Subject: RE: Chords: Dirty old town
From: GUEST,Sidewinder.
Date: 13 May 05 - 10:07 AM

I seem to remember upsetting a Barry Manilow fan a while ago - that wasn't you was it?

Regards.

Sidewinder.

Subject: RE: Chords: Dirty old town
From: Lowden Jameswright
Date: 13 May 05 - 10:43 AM

If playing in D, try putting A then A7 in after the Bm at the end of each verse - and after the intro too....... (A) I found (A7)my (D) love...
And for all Irish and pseudo Irish singers, try singing it in a Salford accent.

Subject: RE: Chords: Dirty old town
From: Clinton Hammond
Date: 13 May 05 - 01:33 PM

Sorry for the Scotland thing.. I was undercaffinated...

Subject: RE: Chords: Dirty old town
From: GUEST,Martin
Date: 01 May 06 - 01:39 PM

hi ,
i m a harmonic-beginner, can t read notes but like to try to play "dirty old town"!

please help me, what numbers do i need to play? (C DUR)

cheers

Subject: RE: Chords: Dirty old town
From: melodeonboy
Date: 01 May 06 - 02:06 PM

On a D/G melodeon I play it (after 3 beats intro) in G(16 beats)/C(8)/G(6)/C(2)/G(16)/Em(2)/D(8)/Em(5) then three beats intro (no accompaniment!).

Subject: RE: Chords: Dirty old town
From: cptsnapper
Date: 02 May 06 - 04:07 AM

For something slightly different how about this.

                G B7 Em               Cm            G       C   G                                                                                                                                                               I met my love          by the gasworks cross.

                      C   Am             D7 G
Dreamed a dream by the old canal.

                     G B7 Em             Cm      G      C G
Kissed her lips            by the factory wall.

                Am    Cm                   Em
Dirty Old Town,         Dirty Old Town.

Subject: RE: Chords: Dirty old town
From: cptsnapper
Date: 02 May 06 - 04:08 AM

Forget that: I'll try & correct it later!

Subject: RE: Chords: Dirty old town
From: GUEST,Musicman's Mate
Date: 03 Oct 07 - 03:15 PM

What a wonderful website this is! I've just followed all the postings on different questions about this song, thanks to all for the lyrics, history & now the chords!

In my first Google search I came across an Irish Tourist website which claims this as an Irish song - www.ireland-information.com, also sites for Shane McGowan & The Pogues. I have always considered it a Midlands/north of England/Black Country song so was very surprised to see it claimed as Irish! - Salford it certainly should be.

Subject: RE: Chords: Dirty old town
From: Peace
Date: 03 Oct 07 - 03:27 PM

Yes. "Flower of Scotland" is Irish, too.

Subject: RE: Chords: Dirty old town
From: GUEST,Musicman's Mate
Date: 03 Oct 07 - 04:00 PM

It looks like "The Shoals Of Herring" has become an Irish song too, possibly written by Tommy Makem, according to one misleading looking web page!

Subject: RE: Chords: Dirty old town
From: GUEST,Ray
Date: 04 Oct 07 - 12:48 PM

A song about Salford (in Lancashire before it became a City and then in 1974 absorbed a number of outlying towns) written by Ewan Maccoll (who liked people to think he was Scottish but I'm not so sure he was born there - must look it up in his biog) whilst he was living in Stockport (which has never been in Lancashire - the house he lived in was actually in Cheshire).

I one bought the sheet music (in my youth - which was a long time ago) and found the chords indecipherable.