Category: Americana

Popular and well-known public domain songs from or about the United States.

B C H K M R

Keep on the Sunny Side – Traditional

As performed by the Carter Family and in O Brother Where Art Thou. View the full text of this entry by clicking the “Read More” link below for the formatted canjo tab…

American Canjo Company

Arrangement courtesy of C. B. Gitty Crafter Supply, intended for playing on American Canjo Company™ brand one-string canjos with dulcimer-style fretting, with fret numberings as shown below. The open unfretted string is notated as “0″.

Canjo Diagram

Keep on the Sunny Side

0       1 3    4   5 4    3   1    3  0
There’s a dark and a troubled side of life,
3       5 8      8   9 8  5  3 5  4
There’s a bright and a sunny side too.
4      5  6    4    4   8    5   4   5
Though we meet with the darkness and strife
3   4  4  5    3  2 0 1  2   3
The sunny side we a-l-so may view.
Chorus
8    8  8   8  5   3    4 3    3  3   3  1  0
Keep on the sunny side, always on the sunny side,
3    3  4   5  5  6    5  4     8  8    9    8  8  4  5
Keep on the sunny side of life, it will help us ev’ry day,
5  5    4    3   3   1   0    3  4  5    5  6   5  5  4    4  3
It will brighten all the way, if we keep on the sunny side of life.

To learn more about this classic American song, and to find more verses, check out this Wikipedia article.

Arrangement by C. B. Gitty Crafter Supply
Copyright 2014

My Country ‘Tis of Thee – Traditional

This was one of the unofficial national anthems of the United States before the Star Spangled Banner was officially adopted in 1931. Ironically, the tune to this song is the same as that of the British national anthem.

View the full text of this entry by clicking the “Read More” link below for the formatted canjo tab…

American Canjo Company

Arrangement courtesy of C. B. Gitty Crafter Supply, intended for playing on American Canjo Company™ brand one-string canjos with dulcimer-style fretting, with fret numberings as shown below. The open unfretted string is notated as “0″.

Canjo Diagram

My Country ‘Tis of Thee

3  3    4   2   3  4     5     5    6  5 4 3    4  3    2 3
My country ‘tis of thee, sweet land of liberty, of thee I sing!
8    8     8  8  6    5     6    6  6   6  5      4      
Land where my fathers died, Land of the pilgrims’ pride,
5    6   5 4 3 5   6   8     9 6 5   4   3
from ev--er--y mountainside, let freedom ring!

Additional Verses

My native country, thee, Land of the noble free, Thy name I love;
I love thy rocks and rills, Thy woods and templed hills;
My heart with rapture thrills, Like that above.

Let music swell the breeze, And ring from all the trees Sweet freedom's song;
Let mortal tongues awake; Let all that breathe partake; 
Let rocks their silence break, The sound prolong.

Our fathers' God to Thee, Author of liberty, To Thee we sing.
Long may our land be bright, With freedom's holy light,
Protect us by Thy might, Great God our King.

To learn more about this classic spiritual song, check out this Wikipedia article.

Arrangement by C. B. Gitty Crafter Supply
Copyright 2014 by C. B. Gitty Crafter Supply

Red River Valley – Traditional – Canjo Tablature

American Canjo Company

Arrangement courtesy of C. B. Gitty Crafter Supply, intended for playing on American Canjo Company™ brand one-string canjos with dulcimer-style fretting, with fret numberings as shown below. The open unfretted string is notated as “0″.

Canjo Diagram

Red River Valley 

A classic song from the American West, conjuring up images of lonesome cowboys on the prairies and love lost.

3    4    5  5   4    3   4   3   1 3
From this valley they say you are going.

0  3    5    3    5      8    6   5     4
We will miss your bright eyes and sweet smile,

8   6    5   5   4   3  4   5   8  6
For they say you are taking the sunshine

1    1   0    3     5   4   5   4 3
That has brightened our pathway a while.

To learn more about this classic American song, check out this Wikipedia article.

Arrangement by Ben Baker
Copyright 2017 by C. B. Gitty Crafter Supply