Lead sheets free: "Blow the Candles Out" is an unforgettably beautiful folk song from England.
Please scroll down the page for the download links.
Being a folk song, you will encounter variations in the song lyrics.
Sometimes the words are, "When I was apprenticed in LONDON..." and sometimes they are "When I was 'pprenticed in PLYMOUTH," as I have them here. The Kingston Trio in the video below says "PORTLAND:"
Yikes! Where are the chord symbols?
Don't worry; the version below has chords notated above the music.
I wanted to use the sheet above for my students, and decided NO CHORD SYMBOLS would be a good exercise. They will need to figure out where the i, iv, and v chords will go (and also the III and VII chords, if they so choose).
Okay; below are the same lead sheets free, but with chord symbols added.
These are "safe bet" chords. The minor V chord that coincides with the word "pain" could also be a major V chord - that is, A major instead of A minor. Try it! There is some additional drama with it.
Please scroll down the page for the download links.
Also, the VII chord, C major, can be substituted for the V chord, Am. That is very common in minor English tunes, going down a step from the main chord to use the chord built on the seventh step of the scale.
There are a lot of verses with this song. Why have I only included the first verse?
I will be frank with you.
The lyrics are too darn suggestive for young kids, in my estimation. This is a song about SEDUCTION, and it doesn't necessarily end well, depending on which version of the folk song lyrics you find.
Of course, A HUGE AMOUNT of folk music is about that very topic - the used and abandoned maiden. That isn't necessarily the case with this story, but there's too much detail for me. Okay, I'm a prude, at least when it comes to my students.
I've searched and searched for alternate lyrics, to no avail... but the traditional ones are quite easy to find, if you are interested in singing all the verses. I like the words the Kingston Trio uses... the story ends with,
"...we went to see the parson, and she became my wife!" but I'm afraid those lyrics are surely copyrighted, so I can't place them here.
This is also not the last word on the melody notes... you will find other versions of this tune, more common than the one I have given you here. But in my opinion, this is the prettiest version. The real difference comes at measure 12, the descending line in skips.
The video below features the same melody I have arranged here. It is a performance of Blow the Candles Out sung by the St Paul's Concert Chorale:
The links for the lead sheets without chords:
Download Blow the Candles Out in Dm
Download Blow the Candles Out in Em
The links to the lead sheets that include chord symbols:
Download lead sheets free Blow the Candles Out in Dm, with chords
Download English folk song in Em, with chords
All the first-year material I give my beginner students.
Piano keyboard sheets, scales, chords, note-reading exercises, and over 256 pages of music!
This beautiful song book for piano & voice "Esther, For Such a Time as This", available as a digital download, tells the riveting story of the time when Jews in ancient Persia faced a foe named Haman, and how a brave young queen risked her life to save her people.
A good choice for a singing story-teller, an operatic group, a short theater production, or a class of children!
This book is also available from Amazon as a paperback.
This book is available as a digital download from this site. Visit this page to see some free examples from the book.
It is also available from Amazon as a paperback!
This is the perfect easy start for little pianists.
And when they start reading white-key notes on the staff, this is a fun easy resource to say each week, "Choose a new black-key song at home this week and figure it out to show me next lesson!" They will be spending more time at the piano.
A perfect read aloud storybook
for little boys or girls.
The Adventures of Tonsta highlight the travels of a very young boy with a good heart, who goes about helping folk in trouble.
With a red cap on his head and a sack of tools slung over his shoulder, Tonsta seems to meet people in distress wherever he goes.
Lots of trolls in this book - including one who gives him a Christmas gift!
Do you have a story or even a question about this vocal piece? Share it!
Please note that all comments are moderated, and will not appear until I have approved them. Also, IF YOU ARE ASKING FOR MUSIC THAT IS NOT IN THE PUBLIC DOMAIN, YOUR REQUEST WILL BE IGNORED. That's pretty much any music written in the last 75 years...
Hi, I'm Dana! (Say that like "Anna".) I'm the owner of Music-for-Music-Teachers.com, and a newer site, SingTheBibleStory.com.
Like some of you, I've been playing the piano since early childhood, and have added a few other instruments along the way, plus an interest in arranging and composing music.
You can find out more about me and the reason for this website at my About Me page.