The Water is Wide tab

The Water is Wide

• D

I started learning ‘The Water is Wide’ in my singing lessons and I wanted to be able to practice at home using my guitar for accompaniment, but I couldn’t find any tabs for this song that were simple enough, so I’ve made my own arrangement. 

Standard tuning (lowest to highest: EADGBE) 

The melody starts on D, so find this note by plucking the D string (3rd from the bottom) 

My arrangement only uses 4 chords: G, D, Dsus4 and C 

	      G 
The water is wide, 
		D 
I cannot cross o’er 
    Dsus4   D    C 
And neither have I 
	     D 
The wings to fly... 
	   G 
Send me a boat 
	       C 
That can carry two 
	        D 
And both shall row, 
		 G 
My true love and I... 

A ship there is 
And she sails the sea.. 
She’s laden deep 
As deep can be, 
But not so deep 
As the love I’m in- 
I know not if 
I sink or swim... 

I leaned my back 
Against a young oak, 
Thinking it was 
A trusty tree, 
But first it bent 
And then it broke, 
So did my love 
Prove false to me... 

Oh love be handsome 
And love be kind,  
Gay as a jewel 
When first it is new,  
But love grows old 
And waxes cold  
And fades away 
Like the morning dew... 


The finger picking is easy – use your thumb for low E and A strings, index finger for G, middle finger for B and ring finger for high E strings.  The picking starts on the word ‘wide’, so ‘the water is’ is unaccompanied. 

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

The water is wide__________________________I cannot cross o’er_________________And neither have 

E----0--------0----------0---------0----------2--------2-------2-------3----2------3---------3-- 
B-------1--------1----------1---------1----------3--------3-------3-------3---3-------0--------- 
G----------0--------0----------0---------0----------2--------2-------2-------------------0------ 
D----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 
A---------------------------------------------0--------0-------0-------0------------------------ 
E----0--------0----------0---------0-----------------------------------------------3---------3-- 

     I________________________The wings to   fly_______________________Send me   a     boat______ 

E-----------3--------3---------3-----------0--------0-------0-------0-----------2-------2-------- 
B--0-----------0--------0---------0-----------1--------1-------1-------1-----------3-------3----- 
G-----0----------0---------0---------0-----------0--------0-------0-------0-----------2-------2-- 
D------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 
A-------------------------------------------------------------------------------0-------0-------- 
E-----------3----------3-------3-----------0--------0-------0-------0---------------------------- 

_________________________That can carry   two___________________And both shall row_______________ 

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

____________My true love and I_______________________ {GO BACK TO BEGINNING} 

Repeat for each verse then after the last word of the last verse, strum the G chord slowly for a quick and easy finish like this: 

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

 

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