The Boars Head

Song: "The Boar's Head"
Album: "The Light Came Down"
Artist: Josh Garrels
Tab interpreter: David Codington


[NOTE]
    Several lines of this song are written and thus sung in Latin. This translation is not mine; 
I found it at http://genius.com/Josh-garrels-the-boars-head-lyrics.

    ALSO, note that the words to this song are the words of a macaronic 15th century English 
Christmas carol. The boar's head, as I understand, was a delicacy at the old English Yuletide 
feast. Check out more history here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boar%27s_Head_Carol.

    ALSO, if you play with a piano the first eight notes (NOT chords) of the song, they follow 
the succession of C/B/A/G/F/E/D/C down one octave. Overlapping these notes of melody are the chords. 
I have listed the chords (as they are in the song, to the best of my ability) below.  
Because the chords here are overlapping the sing-song melody of C/B/A/G/F/E/D/C, they don't sound
absolutely accurate as written below. Whether or not what I've written is accurate is up for you to
judge, though this seems to me like a decent place to start.


[INTRO]
  C G Am G F C G C / G C G C G C 

[VERSE 1]
     C     G       Am       G
The boar's head in hand bear I
     F     C       G       C / G C G
Bedecked with bays and rosemary
     C     G       Am       G
And I pray you my masters be merry
  F   C    G      C / G C G 
Quot estis in convivio


[CHORUS]
 C  G    Am    G
Caput apri defero
 F      C    G      C / G C G 
Reddens laudes Domino


[VERSE 2]
     C     G      Am        G
The boar's head as I understand
     F     C      G         C / G C G
Is the rarest dish in all the land
     C     G      Am        G
When thus bedecked with a gay garland
   F    C   G      C / G C G
Let us servire cantico


[CHORUS]
 C  G    Am    G
Caput apri defero
 F      C    G      C / G C G / C G Am G F C G C / G C G C G C G
Reddens laudes Domino


[VERSE 3]
     C      G       Am     G
Our steward hath provided this
     F      C    G       C
In honour of the King of bliss
     C      G       Am       G
Which on this day to be served is
   F   C      G    C / G C G 
In Reginensis atrio


[CHORUS]
 C  G    Am    G
Caput apri defero
 F      C    G      C / G C G 
Reddens laudes Domino
 C  G    Am    G
Caput apri defero 
 F      C    G      C / G C G / C G Am G F C G C / G C G C G C 
Reddens laudes Domino


*****************


[TRANSLATION]

The boar's head in hand bear I
Bedecked with bays and rosemary
And I pray you my masters be merry
As many as are at the feast

I bring in the boar's head, 
Giving thanks to the LORD

The boar's head as I understand
Is the rarest dish in all the land
When thus bedecked with a gay garland
Let us serve it with a song

I bring in the boar's head, 
Giving thanks to the LORD

Our steward hath provided this
In honor of the King of bliss
Which on this day to be served is
In the hall of Queen's (College, Oxford)

I bring in the boar's head, 
Giving thanks to the LORD. 
I bring in the boar's head, 
Giving thanks to the LORD


[NOTE]
    I cannot say what good fun it was to listen to this song for the first time, 
playing it over and over again, listening carefully for the chords. Josh Garrels
is a musical genius!