Death of Queen Jane - Inside Llewyn Davis

A few weeks back, we were visiting our son at college and ended up seeing Inside Llewyn Davis; the Coen brothers film on a folksinger who really is pretty much a jerk, and yet really tries to take care of a orange tabby cat of his friends that he loses along the way.  (I've heard there are actually three cats playing the part!)  We all liked it and I would highly recommend seeing it.



One of the scenes Davis plays Death of Queen Jane for a promoter in Chicago, and he tells him, that won't sell and casts him off.  The song didn't stick with me then, but it was a pretty song.  A few days later, since my son and I share the same iTunes account, 7 of the songs from the movie showed up in my purchases.  I raised that boy with good tastes.

Then the haunting melody of Death of Queen Jane hit me.  I did find out it was an old Child ballad and the tune was written by a Bothy Band member, Dáithí Sproule.  

What I really liked was hearing all the renditions of it, thanks to iTunes search and the WikiPedia post.

I recorded it instrumentally with only one little flaw, see if you can find it... HA... I moved it up a little so I might add the words some day.  Capo 3 G... Here are the words, chords and the Video, feel free to sing with it.

G                                            C                  G

Queen Jane lay in labor full nine days or more

         C             D            G-Em       G                       C

'Til her women grew so tired, they could no longer there

           G             D      G

They could no longer there

G                                                                   C         G

"Good women, good women, good women as you be

                  C         D        G-Em      G           C

Will you open my right side and find my baby

       G       D     G

And find my baby"

G                                                                              C         G

"Oh no," cried the women, "That's a thing that can never be

              C             D   G-Em       G                           C

We will call on King Henry and hear what he may say

         G         D              G

And hear what he may say"

G                                                         C         G

King Henry was sent for, King Henry did come

               C               D             G-Em          

Saying, "What does ail you, my lady?

         G                            C

Your eyes, they look so dim

           G                D       G

Your eyes, they look so dim"

G                                                                     C         G

"King Henry, King Henry, will you do one thing for me?

                C             D   G-Em       G            C

Will you open my right side and find my baby

          G    D     G

And find my baby"

G                                                                        C         G

"Oh no," cried King Henry, "That's a thing that I can never do

       C             D          G-Em                G                    C

If I lose the flower of England, I shall lose the branch too

            G             D     G

I shall lose the branch too"

G                                                                        C         G

There was fiddling and dancing on the day the babe was born

           C             D          G-Em            G               C

But poor Queen Jane beloved, she lay cold as a stone

        G      D      G

Lay cold as a stone