Skiffle Songs Collection - Titles index page

Skiffle song collection, 200 plus titles from artists and bands such as Lonnie Donegan, Chris Barber, The Vipers, Chas McDevitt, Ken Colyer, Johnny Duncan, Van Morrison, The Quarrymen, and other skiffle groups and Jug Bands. Lyrics with chords for ukulele, guitar, banjo, mandolin etc. plus printable PDF for download.

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THIS COLLECTION of songs is taken from the repertoire of various popular Skiffle bands, and artists such as Lonnie Donegan, Chris Barber, The Vipers, Chas McDevitt, Ken Colyer, Johnny Duncan, Van Morrison, The Quarrymen, and others.

The Vipers
Chris Barber
Ken Collyer
Chas McDevitt
The Quarrymen
Lonnie Donegan

DEFINITION: SKIFFLE was a music genre popular in the UK and having it's origins in the folk revival of the 1950's and 1960's, some commentators place it origins with the African-American musical culture of the 1920's and 30's namely, Jug bands using improvised musical instruments such as the washboard, jugs, tea chest bass, cigar-box fiddle, musical saw, and comb-and-paper kazoos, as well as more conventional instruments, such as acoustic guitar and banjo. The term skiffle was one of many slang phrases for a rent party, a social event with a small charge designed to pay rent on a house. It was first noted in Chicago in the 1920s and may have been brought there as part of the African-American migration to northern industrial cities. The first use of the term on record was in 1925 in the name of Jimmy O'Bryant and his Chicago Skifflers. Most often it was used to describe country blues music records, which included the compilation "Hometown Skiffle" (1929) and "Skiffle Blues" (1946) by Dan Burley & His Skiffle Boys. It was used by Ma Rainey (1886–1939) to describe her repertoire to rural audiences. The term skiffle disappeared from American music in the 1940s. s a style, Skiffle is characterised by often up tempo songs and major chord harmonisation - tendencies also shared with the bluegrass genre.

Skiffle performers took songs from many mainstream and particularly folk music sources and adapted them to suit the skiffle style. Skiffle was truly a music of the people, simple enough to be played by inexperienced amateur musicians but capable of being finessed to high degree by professional musicians. This accessibility inspired many young performers to start musical careers, including many famous names; Van Morrison, Alexis Korner, Mick Jagger, John Renbourn, Roger Daltrey, Jimmy Page, Ritchie Blackmore, and most notably, The Beatles who evolved from John Lennon's skiffle group The Quarrymen.

Most of the songs listed mention artist, vocalist or composer names, however, this should not be taken to mean that they are an accurate version of the piece as performed or composed by the named person. Also the keys and chord sequences chosen may also vary considerably between versions by different artists. Some of these songs are in the public domain or traditional categories, but most are not, and should you wish to use them as a basis of a performance or for any non-personal study purpose you are advised to contact the copyright holders (where available, copyright info has been included with the song). These transcriptions are made by many different individuals from all over the world for their own research and instruction, and as such are liable to great variation in interpretation and opinion. They are being shared on this site for personal educational and study purposes only, please see our copyright page for more info.

WHAT IS INCLUDED

Some of the songs have both Lyrics and Chords(suffix CRD) versions, some just lyrics, a few of the songs also have versions from different artists. About two thirds are lyrics with chords marked for playing accompaniment and should be suitable for use with instruments such as Guitar, Ukulele, Banjo or Mandolin etc.

IMPORTANT

Some of the songs, particularly those including tablature, extend to several screens. To avoid slow to load pages only the first page is displayed, in these cases you will need to DOWNLOAD the PDF file to see all the song pages.

Should you need version of the song, for printing (without banners or adverts) an PDF file is available for downloading by the link at the bottom of the song pages..

For Skiffle Song books and Sheet Music to buy check the
Skiffle Songs Collection at Sheet Music Plus

To view the songs choose required section on top nav-bar e.g. A,B,C etc
To search this page in your browser press control and F.
Suffix CRD=has chords
Im Tore Down Eric Clapton CRD
It Makes No Difference Now Ernest Tubb CRD
It Takes A Worried Man Trad CRD
It Was A Very Good Year Lonnie Donegan CRD
I Aint Got No Home In This World Anymore W Guthrie CRD
I Gave My Love A Cherry The Riddle Song Sonny James CRD
I Heard The Bluebirds Sing The Browns CRD
I Know The Lords Laid His Hands On Me Traditional
I Saw The Light Trad CRD
I Thank My Lucky Stars Eddy Arnold CRD
I Want A Little Girl Murray Mencher CRD
I Want To Go Home Sloop John B Lonnie Donegan CRD
I Was Born Born About 10000 Years Ago CRD
Jack Odiamonds Lonnie Donegan CRD
Jack Of Diamonds 2 Lonnie Donegan CRD
Jamaica Farewell Trad CRD
Jesse James Traditional CRD
Jig Along Home Woody Guthrie
Jimmy Brown The Newsboy Carter A P CRD
Jim Dandy Lavern Baker CRD
John Henry Bruce Springsteen CRD
John Henry Traditional CRD
Just Over In The Gloryland Merle Travis CRD
Kansas City Fats Domino CRD
Kaw Liga Hank Williams CRD
Keep On The Sunny Side A P Carter CRD
Last Train To San Fernando Johnny Duncan
Leave My Woman Alone Ray Charles
Lemon Tree Peter Paul And Mary CRD
Little Boxes Pete Seeger CRD
Little Girl Leadbelly CRD
Lonesome Traveller Lonnie Donegan
Long Time Gone Tex Ritter CRD
Lorelei Leiber
Lost John Lonnie Donegan
Louisiana Man Buck Owens CRD
Love Is Strange Lonnie Donegan
Lumbered Lonnie Donegan
Maggie May The Vipers
Market Song Tit Bits Lonnie Donegan
Michael Row The Boat Ashore Traditional CRD
Midnight Special Leadbelly CRD
Midnight Special Traditional CRD
More And More Van Morrison CRD
Moving On
Muleskinner Blues
Mule Skinner Blues Lonnie Donegan CRD
My Bonnie Lies Over The Ocean Wally Whyton CRD
My Dixie Darling A P Carter CRD
My Lagan Love Lonnie Donegan CRD
My Little Baby Lonnie Donegan
My Lucky Love Marty Wilde
My Old Man’s A Dustman Lonnie Donegan CRD
New Orleans House Of The Rising Sun Lonnie Donegan CRD
Nobodys Child Cy Coben Mel Foree CRD
Nobodys Child
Nobodys Child 1 Mel Foree Cy Coben CRD
Nobody Knows The Trouble Ive Seen Trad
Nobody Loves Like An Irishman Lonnie Donegan CRD
No Other Baby Bishop Watson CRD
Oh Mary Dont You Weep B Springsteen CRD
Old Riley Trad CRD
On A Monday Lead Belly CRD
Outskirts Of Town Van Morrison
Over The Rainbow Judy Garland CRD
Pay Me My Money Down Pete Seeger CRD
Pick A Bale Of Cotton Leadbelly CRD

Pick A Bale Of Cotton
Poor Howards Dead And Gone
Precious Lord Lead Me On Trad
Precious Memories Lonnie Donegan CRD
Puff The Magic Dragon Peter Paul Mary CRD
Putting On The Style Lonnie Donegan CRD
Railroad Bill Rambling Jack Elliot CRD
Rail Road Steamboat Yonder Comes A Sucker The Vipers CRD
Ramblin Round Lonnie Donegan CRD
Rockabilly Baby Johnny Duncan 1957
Rock Island Line Lonnie Donegan
Rock Island Line 2 Lonnie Donegan CRD
Rock My Soul Trad CRD
Rock O My Soul Lonnie Donegan
Sad Little Girl Ron Elliott 1965
Sally Dont You Grieve Woody Guthrie 1944
Sals Got A Sugar Lip J Driftwood
San Francisco Bay Blues Peter Paul Mary CRD
San Miguel Kingston Trio CRD
Seven Golden Daffodils Lonnie Donegan CRD
She Moves Through The Fair Fairport Convention CRD
Shine On Me Trad CRD
Sleepy Eyed John Johhny Horton CRD
Sportin Life Blues Ken Colyer CRD
Stackolee Frank Hutchinson
Stackolee Woody Guthrie
Stackolee 1
Steal Away Gospel CRD
Stewball Peter Paul And Mary CRD
Streamline Train Ken Colyer
Subterranean Homesick Blues Bob Dylan CRD
Sweet Sixteen Lonnie Donegan CRD
Take This Hammer Traditional CRD
Talking Guitar Blues Lonnie Donegan
Talking Guitar Blues 1 Lonnie Donegan
Talk To Your Daughter John Mayall
Teenage Letter Jerry Lee Lewis
Theres A Big Wheel Dottie West CRD
The Ballad Of Jed Clampett Roy Clark CRD
The Blood Done Sign My Name Aint You Glad Lonnie Donegan
The Bourgeois Blues Leadbelly
The Comancheros Claude King CRD
The Gloryland Merle Travis CRD
The Gloryland Wally Whyton
The Gloryland Way Doyle Lawson CRD
The Golden Vanity Traditional CRD
The Liverpool Blues Vipers
The Partys Over Lonnie Donegan CRD
The Partys Over Lyric Lonnie Donegan
The Riddle Song Joan Baez
The Times They Are A Changing Bob Dylan CRD
This Train Hank Thompson CRD
This Train Is Bound For Glory Woody Guthrie
Tiger Rag Chris Barber
Times Are Getting Hard Boys Lonnie Donegan CRD
Times Are Getting Hard Boys Trad CRD
Tobacco Road John D Loudermilk 1960 CRD
Tom Dooley Traditional CRD
Wabash Cannonball Trad CRD
Walk Right In The Rooftop Singers CRD
Weeping Willow Lonnie Donegan CRD
When The Sun Goes Down Lonnie Donegan CRD
Where Have All The Flowers Gone Pete Seeger CRD
Whoa Back Buck Leadbelly
Why Baby Why George Jones CRD
World Cup Willie Lonnie Donegan
Wreck Of The Old 97 Trad CRD
Yellow Moon Don Williams CRD



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