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Chords and Lyrics for Oh, Dear! What Can the Matter Be?

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Traditional Music
Traditional Lyrics

VERSE 1

F 
Oh, dear! What can the matter be?

C7 
Dear, dear, what can the matter be?

F   C7    F 
Oh, dear! What can the matter be?

Gm          C7          F 
Johnny's so long at the fair.

He promised to buy me a trinket to please me,

    C7 
And then for a smile, O, he vowed he would tease me,

   F 
He promised to bring me a bunch of blue ribbons

   Gm        C7           F 
To tie up my bonnie brown hair.

VERSE 2

F 
Oh, dear! What can the matter be?

C7 
Dear, dear, what can the matter be?

F   C7    F 
Oh, dear! What can the matter be?

Gm          C7          F 
Johnny's so long at the fair.

He promised to bring me a basket of posies,

  C7 
A garland of lilies, a gift of red roses,

  F 
A little straw hat to set off the blue ribbons

     Gm        C7           F 
That tie up my bonnie brown hair.

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Chords

Below is a list of all the chords in this song. Click on a chord to learn how to play the chord on a particular instrument.

Instrument Chords
Banjo C7 F Major G Minor
Guitar C7 F Major G Minor
Mandolin C7 F Major G Minor
Piano C7 F Major G Minor
Ukulele C7 F Major G Minor

Sheet Music for Oh, Dear! What Can the Matter Be?

Chords on this page may be simplified from the original version. View the sheet music for this title to see the original chords. The following sheet music is available for this title: