This file is the author's own work and represents their interpretation of the song. You may only use this file for private study, scholarship, or research.


Traditional English carol from a Swedish tune
As far as I know this arrangement is in the public domain

The lower sixth string is tuned to D
Where you see a * there is no chord

Good King Wenceslas
Intro

            D                             G/B            D
E---||---------2-----2--|-----2-----2--|--------------|-----2-----2---||--------
B---||---------3-----3--|-----3-----3--|--3-----3-----|-----3-----3---||--------
G---||--2:-----2-----2--|-----2-----2--|--0-----0-----|-----2-----2--*||--------
D---||--4:--0--0--0--2--|--0--0--------|--0-----0-----|--0-----------*||--------
A---||------------------|--------0-----|--2--0--2--4--|---------------||--------
D---||------------------|--------------|--------------|--------0------||--------


    *
E---5--3--2--0--|--2--0-----|--------------|--------|--------------|------------
B---7--5--3-----|--3--2--3--|--0-----0--2--|--3-----|--------0--2--|------------
G------------2--|--------4--|--0--2-----2--|--------|--2--2--------|------------
D---------------|-----------|-----4--2-----|--0-----|--------------|------------
A---------------|-----------|--------------|--------|-----------0--|------------
D---------------|-----------|--------------|-----0--|--4--4--5-----|------------


                               Bm    G     D
E---------0--|--5--3--2--0--|-----|--3--|-----2-----2--||-----------------------
B---3--3-----|--7--5--3--3--|--3--|--0--|-----3-----3--||-----------------------
G------------|--------------|--4--|--0--|-----2-----2--||-----------------------
D------------|--------------|--4--|--0--|--------0-----||-----------------------
A---2--2--0--|--------------|--2--|-----|--------------||-----------------------
D------------|--------------|-----|--5--|--0-----------||-----------------------


This is the song proper


         D                             G     A7       D
E---||------2-----2--|-----2-----2--|--------------|-----2-----2--|-------------
B---||------3-----3--|-----3-----3--|-----0-----2--|-----3-----3--|-------------
G---||*-----2-----2--|-----2-----2--|-----0-----0--|-----2-----2--|-------------
D---||*--------0-----|--------0-----|-----0-----2--|--------0-----|-------------
A---||---------------|--------------|--------0-----|--------------|-------------
D---||---0-----------|--0-----------|--5-----------|--0-----------|-------------



    D                            *               D
E------2-----2--|-----2-----2--|--------------|-----2-----2--|------------------
B------3-----3--|-----3-----3--|--------------|-----3-----3--|------------------
G------2-----2--|-----2-----2--|--------------|-----2-----2--|------------------
D---------0-----|--------0-----|--------------|--------0-----|------------------
A---------------|--------------|-----------0--|--------------|------------------
D---0-----------|--0-----------|--5--4--2-----|--0-----------|------------------


    *
E---------------|-----------|--------------|-----2-----2--|--------------|------
B---------------|-----------|--------------|-----3-----3--|--------------|------
G---------------|-----------|--------------|-----2-----2--|--------------|------
D---4--2--0-----|--0--------|--------------|--------0-----|--------------|------
A------------0--|-----4--2--|-----------0--|--------------|-----------0--|------
D---------------|-----------|--5--4--2-----|--0-----------|--4--4--5-----|------


                               Bm          G        D
E------------|--------------|-----------|--------|-----2-----2--|---------------
B------------|--------------|-----3-----|-----0--|-----3-----3--|---------------
G------------|--------------|-----4-----|-----0--|-----2-----2--|---------------
D------------|--4--2--0-----|-----4-----|-----0--|--------0-----|---------------
A---2--2--0--|-----------4--|--2-----0--|--------|--------------|---------------
D------------|--------------|-----------|--5-----|--0-----------|---------------



E------2-----2--||--------------------------------------------------------------
B------3-----3--||--------------------------------------------------------------
G------2-----2--||--------------------------------------------------------------
D---------0-----||--------------------------------------------------------------
A---------------||--------------------------------------------------------------
D---0-----------||--0-----------------------------------------------------------



[D] Good king Wenceslas las' looked out
[G] On the [A7] feast of [D] Stephen
[D] When the snow lay round about
Deep and crisp and [D] even
	[*] Brightly shone the moon that night
	Though the frost was [D] cruel
	When a poor man came in sight
	Gath'ring winter [Bm] fu[G]e[D]l

(* no chord here, see the bass run in the tab)

Hither page and stand by me
If thou know'st it telling
Yonder peasant who is he
Where and what his dwelling?
	Sire he lives a good league from hence
	Underneath the mountain
	Right against the forest fence
	By Saint Agnes' fountain

Bring me flesh and bring me wine
Bring me pine logs hither
Thou and I shall see him dine
When we bear them thither
	Page and monarch, forth they went
	Forth they went together
	Through the rude wind's wild lament
	And the bitter weather

Sire the night is darker now
And the wind grows stronger
Fails my heart, I know not how
I can go no longer
	Mark my footsteps my good page
	Tread thou in them boldly
	Thou shalt find the winter's rage
	Freeze thy blood less coldly

In his master's steps he trod
Where the snow lay dinted
Heat was in the very sod
Where the saint had printed
	Therefore Christian men be sure
	Wealth or rank possessing
	Ye who now will bless the poor
	Shall yourselves find blessing



Home