“Bury Me Beneath the Willow” Lyrics and Chords

This song about being abandoned by a lover goes way back. It was first documented in a 1909 compilation of songs by the Missouri Folklore Society, but had clearly been well established as a local favorite for years before that. The composer is unknown.

In early versions the narrator is a woman, but the genders been flipped plenty of times. She seems to be contemplating suicide, and wondering if the one who left her might think of her again once she’s buried under the weeping willow tree. Cheery stuff.

“Bury Me Beneath the Willow” was the first song The Carter Family performed for Ralph Peer on Aug. 1, 1927, at the Bristol Sessions, making it a pretty significant number in country music history. The Carter Family popularized the song, the Monroe Brothers also recorded it, and the 1980 version by Ricky Skaggs and Tony Rice is about as sublime a guitar-mandolin duet as you’ll ever hear.

The song’s classic three-chord progression makes it an easy one for beginning musicians to pick up, and it sounds equally good played at moderate tempos, or slow and sweet like Skaggs & Rice. Plenty of fun to harmonize on the chorus as well.

“Bury Me Beneath the Willow” Lyrics and Chords

 
My  
I 
heart is sad and  
IV 
I’m in sorrow
I 
For the only one I  
V 
love
 
When  
I 
will I see him,  
IV 
oh no never
 
Un
I 
til we  
V 
meet in heaven a
I 
bove

 

CHORUS

 
Oh  
I 
bury me be
IV 
neath the willow
I 
Under the weeping willow  
V 
tree
 
So  
I 
he may know where  
IV 
I am sleeping
I 
And 
 
per
V 
haps he’ll weep for  
I 
me

 

 
He  
I 
told me that he  
IV 
dearly loved me
I 
How could I believe it un
V 
true?
 
Un
I 
til an angel  
IV 
softly 
 
whispered
I 
”He will  
V 
prove untrue to  
I 
you”

 

CHORUS

 

 
To
I 
morrow was to  
IV 
be our wedding
 
But  
I 
Lord, oh Lord where can he  
IV 
be?
 
He’s  
I 
out a-courting  
IV 
with 
 
another
I 
And no  
V 
longer cares for  
I 
me

 

CHORUS

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Iconic: Skaggs & Rice

Old school: The Carter Family

Also good: Clarence White

 

 

 

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