You are not logged in. Please login or register.
Guitar chord forum - chordie → Song requests → Looking for the chords to Ratcliffe Highway?
Hello.
I was wondering if anybody could help me with a query? I am desperately looking for the chords for an old song called Ratcliffe Highway; Show of Hands have done a version. I have searched everywhere on the web but to no avail!
Any help would be most appreciated
Many thanks
Hi Justin, welcome to Chordie. I found the lyrics at Lyrics, Salor songs, but no chords. I hope this helps
Hi Justin
Welcome to Chordie
I can find 2 songs with this title around the web probably the most famous is by the Dubliners a video of which you can see here
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Pe_FMrGEaM
There is a fragment of the music here that should enable you to work out the chords.
http://www.folkinfo.org/songs/displayso … erse=false
The second version is altogether more risque and is a traditional sailor's song about the prostitutes around Ratcliffe Street in 18th Century London there is a video here of that one albeit of poor quality but no music I'm afraid. The youtube video is here
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bpfrPzBncBY
Hope this helps a little
Ian
Thank you Butch and Bolleauxp.
It may be hard to track down as it is an old folk song in it's original form. My guitar skills are not yet adept enough to make out the chords by sound so I guess I will have to turn to trawling through second hand book shops and charity shops for that old guitar song book.
Justin... I'm not too good at guessing what people are playing by watching them (and I haven't ventured that high up on the guitar neck myself yet), but I'll be someone here can help with this. If this version is close to what you're looking for, maybe someone can tell you what he's playing as it can be seen!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s75bOSvr … re=related
Hope this helps!!
Mekidsmom,
This is exactly the song! Such a beautiful tale and so frustrating that I cannot fathom it for the guitar!
Hopefully it may materialise on here one day, eh?
Hi Justin and welcome to Chordie,
I have just looked and listened to this song the chords go:
Em D Em C D Em
Em D Em C D Em
Em D Em C D A
It then repeats these sequences. The last 'A' chord I am a little unsure about as his fingering is not clear but it sounds OK. If you play along with Mekidsmom's video you will get the timing and see where the changes are. He is playing a barred Em but the open one works just as well.
Hope that helps.
Roger
Thanks vey much Roger! I am now off to practice! 
...As an after thought, once I arrange it properly I would be happy to stick the finished arrangement on here!
Hi Justin! Glad we were able to help out!! If you take a look around the site and familiarize yourself with it a bit more, you'll find that the chords and lyrics found here are actually not hosted here, rather they are simply indexed here and formatted in a way that is easy to read while still hosted on other sites. Chordie has had legal issues with the posting of copyright songs. As you see, when Roger replied he simply stated a chord sequence without lyrics. Once you create a finished arrangement you can post here with the basic chord sequence or a "one liner" on how to play the song, but sadly we can't allow any copyright lyrics to be posted on the forum. 
Take a look around at the stickies on the top of each section and jump right in though! Pretty much everyone here is as kind as Butch, Ian, Roger and Myself! There are many members here willing to help out with any other issues you may have, and chances are excellent that you'll have some input to help others with as well!! Again... WELCOME to Chordie!!
Amy
I have looked at the video and tried in earnest to replicate the chord sequences. However I am still very new to guitar playing and try as I might I cannot tell which fret the chords are being played from!
I think I should lay down this song for the future and carry on with the lessons. Once again thank you everybody who has given me invaluable help in trying to decipher this frustrating conundrum for me!
This website is a very valuable tool for guitar newbies like myself and if my guitar tutor cannot help me with anything it's nice to know I can come here!
Hi Justin,
I have sent to you, in an e-mail, the first verse of this song with the chords in square brackets where the changes are made which I hope will help. Once you have the first verse sorted, the rest follow the same pattern.
If you have any more problems, please let me know.
Roger
Thanks Roger.
I have played through the arrangement that you kindly sent me. I find that Em is a hard chord for my voice to sing with though, lol! But on the whole I am very pleased with it! I may try and tidy it up...would it be possible to capo it at all do you think?
Justin
Hi Justin,
As the chords (using the open Em) are easy to play, using a capo is probably the simplest solution. You could if you wish transpose it to another key and substitute as follows:
For Em use Am
For D use G
For C use F
and for the A use D
I would be interested to hear what key, or capo position, suits your voice and if you master this song.
Roger.
Guitar chord forum - chordie → Song requests → Looking for the chords to Ratcliffe Highway?
