{title: Wild Mountain Thyme}
{artist: Traditional Scottish/Irish}
{album: Underlying song 'The Braes of Balquhither' by Robert Tannahill (c.1810); modern 'Wild Mountain Thyme' arranged by Francis McPeake, c.1955}
{key: D}
{tempo: 80}
{difficulty: intermediate}
{phase: 3}
{strand: S}
{feel: ballad}
{lead_voice: high}
{lead_mode: unison}
{lead_demand: moderate}
{harmony: M,H,B}
{a_cappella: opt}
{kit: gtr,conc,whs}
{set_role: breather}
{lang: en}
{country_tags: SCO}
{copyright: © (arr claimed)}
{flags: attribution_corrected}
{tags: attribution-corrected,campfire,chorus,duet,forecastle,harmony,hearthside,irish,scottish,shanty,slow,traditional}
{video: youtube:DbTSDWKVh9A}
{credit: 'Wild Mountain Thyme' (traditional Scottish/Irish folksong, also known as 'Will Ye Go, Lassie, Go?'). Underlying composition by Robert Tannahill (d. 1810, PD); modern arrangement by Francis McPeake (1955). Widely treated as traditional.}

{c: One of the most beloved folk duets in the English-speaking world. Slow, romantic, perfect for two voices. The chorus 'Will ye go, lassie, go?' is the singalong line.}
{c: Underlying poem is public domain (Tannahill, d. 1810). The McPeake arrangement is in copyright in some jurisdictions but widely sung as a traditional. Lyrics below are the most common modern singing version.}

{start_of_verse}
O the [D]summer time has [G]come
And the [D]trees are sweetly [A]bloomin'
And the [D]wild mountain [G]thyme
Grows a[D]round the [A]bloomin' [D]heather
Will ye [G]go, [D]lassie [A]go?
{end_of_verse}

{start_of_chorus}
And we'll [D]all go to[G]gether to pluck [D]wild mountain [A]thyme
All a[D]round the [G]bloomin' [D]heather
Will ye [G]go, [D]lassie [A]go?
{end_of_chorus}

{start_of_verse}
I will [D]build my love a [G]bower
By yon [D]clear and crystal [A]fountain
And [D]on it I will [G]pile
All the [D]flowers [A]of the [D]mountain
Will ye [G]go, [D]lassie [A]go?
{end_of_verse}

{start_of_chorus}
And we'll [D]all go to[G]gether to pluck [D]wild mountain [A]thyme
All a[D]round the [G]bloomin' [D]heather
Will ye [G]go, [D]lassie [A]go?
{end_of_chorus}

{start_of_verse}
If my [D]true love she'll not [G]come
Then I'll [D]surely find an[A]other
To pluck [D]wild mountain [G]thyme
All a[D]round the [A]bloomin' [D]heather
Will ye [G]go, [D]lassie [A]go?
{end_of_verse}

{start_of_chorus}
And we'll [D]all go to[G]gether to pluck [D]wild mountain [A]thyme
All a[D]round the [G]bloomin' [D]heather
Will ye [G]go, [D]lassie [A]go?
{end_of_chorus}

{c: ===== HOW IT'S PERFORMED =====}
{c: Slow lilting 3/4 or slow 4/4 (the recording you choose will lean one way). Don't rush.}
{c: Three chords throughout - D, G, A. Beginner-friendly.}
{c: Capo: capo 2 puts it in C-shapes if D feels low. Capo 4 puts it in B-flat for a darker register.}

{c: ===== AS A DUET =====}
{c: Verse 1: lead voice alone (the "I" who's wooing the lassie).}
{c: Verse 2: second voice answers / takes the lead (the "lassie" being wooed — or just trades the lead voice).}
{c: Verse 3: both voices, full harmony.}
{c: Choruses: both voices throughout. Common arrangement is melody on top, third below.}
{c: The line "Will ye go, lassie, go?" at the end of each verse and chorus is a perfect singalong - everyone in the room joins on this single phrase even if they don't know the verses.}

{c: ===== FIDDLE PART =====}
{c: This song is in the Scottish/Irish slow-air tradition - fiddle is its native instrument. Many great versions feature fiddle as the second voice rather than a second singer.}
{c: Key: D major / D mixolydian (the modal flavor comes from emphasizing F# and G without C-sharp).}
{c: Suggested fiddle line for the verse (ABC notation, key D, 3/4 or 4/4):}
{c:   |: A2 d2 d2 e2 | f2 e2 d2 c#2 | B2 A2 G2 F#2 | E4 D2 z2 :|}
{c: For the chorus, fiddle plays the high counter-melody, sustained:}
{c:   |: f2 a2 a2 g2 | f2 e2 d2 c#2 | d2 e2 f2 e2 | d4 z4 :|}
{c: Or improvise: D major scale with strong emphasis on the third (F#) and the open A drone.}
{c: Tin whistle (D whistle): same melody, plays in unison or octave higher.}
{c: Mandolin: long sustained tremolo on chord roots. No chopping - this song is too slow.}

{c: ===== WHY THIS SONG =====}
{c: The platonic Scottish folk duet. Played at every Irish session, every Scottish kitchen party, every Celtic-Canadian wedding for at least 60 years. Bob Dylan covered it (his version with Joan Baez is one for the books). The High Kings, The Clancy Brothers, The Bothy Band - all of them have recordings.}
{c: This is the song to sing to someone you love. The lyrics are unambiguously a love song.}