The melody of “She’ll Be Coming Round the Mountain” has lived a few lives. It began as a plantation spiritual called “When the Chariot Comes.” In the waning years of the 19th century, it gained many of its now-familiar lyrics when it became a work song for laborers laying track for the expanding railway system (the “she” coming around the mountain in that version was a train).
A record of the lyrics from the tune’s railroad days doesn’t seem to exist. Like many work songs (“What Do We Do With a Drunken Sailor” is another example), the lyrics were largely made on up on the spot by the laborers, a game to pass the time and have a laugh.
The song stuck around and made its way into the common vernacular, making its way into children’s music books in the first decades of the 20th century. It isn’t clear when or why the subject of the song changed from a train to a visiting relative. I suppose it’s a more relatable subject for kids than railroad laborer humor.
“She’ll Be Coming Round the Mountain” Playing Tips
You can play “She’ll Be Coming Round the Mountain” two different ways: exactly as written or with a bit of bounce in a handful of measures. The tune is in 2/4 time, meaning you can bring a bit of polka timing into it and make it a lot more fun.
In a simple polka, a measure consists of two beats, most often divided into two sets of two eighth notes:
This pattern is often disrupted a little (or something a lot) with inclusion of a dotted rhythm:
Unlike reels and hornpipes, where the bounce (or lack of bounce) is mostly left up to the performer, polkas more often have the bounce written into the music. “Egan’s Polka,” for instance, has only a little bounce in the A section but then ramps things up in the B section with bounce every other measure.
There are five measures (2, 6, 10, 12, and 14) in “She’ll Be Coming ‘Round the Mountain” that are made up of a single note repeated four times. That’s where we’re going to insert our bounce.
If you’ve ever heard this song, there’s a good chance it had a dotted rhythm in these same places. They’re the five spots in the song where the phrase “coming ’round the mountain” is repeated. Adding in the dotted rhythm changes the rhythm syllables for the phrase from:
Ti Ti Ti Ti | Ti Ti
to:
TIM-ri Ti Ti | Ti Ti
All you have to do is lengthen the “com” syllable of “coming” slightly and then shorten the “ing” part a bit to compensate.
Have some fun mixing the dotted rhythm into the song as you play. You don’t have to always use it or not use it. If you play the tune through multiple times and switch up where you put the bounce, you make things more interesting – both for the listener and for yourself.
Click the link or the ‘Download’ button below to see the sheet music if your browser doesn’t display the embedded PDF.
Don’t have a low G uke? Not a problem. I’ve included a standard (high G) TAB for this song as well. Find the link at the bottom on the post. Happy picking!
“She’ll Be Coming ‘Round the Mountain” Low G Sheet Music Download
“She’ll Be Coming ‘Round the Mountain” High G Sheet Music Download
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