Welsh Language Song Lyrics

I’ve recently used the SSiw free downloadable mini-course for Calon Lân and Yma O Hyd (I already knew the National Anthem). I really enjoyed it (diolch!) and was thinking how nice it would be to be able to sing along in Welsh with other Welsh songs. It’s also a great way for learning new Welsh vocabulary!

I personally particularly enjoy Georgia Ruth, Gwenno, Adwaith, Meic Stevens. Yws Gwynedd, Plethyn and I would love to be able to sing along with their songs at home and in the car. It isn’t always easy as a Welsh learner (I’ve done Level 1& 2) to pick out exactly what the words are when being sung.

So - might it be a good idea to start a thread here for Welsh language song lyrics? Or is there one already - I have tried the search function but cannot find such a thing.

I’d particularly love to know the Welsh lyrics for Georgia Ruth’s song “Hallt”, if anyone has them? Or any for the artists I’ve mentioned above.

Have you joined any of @Hendrik 's online Sesiwn Canu evenings on Slack (the WSP group)? That’s a great way to learn some Welsh songs.

There are quite a few other threads that have some song lyrics on them, but they are dotted about a bit. They should come up if you put “lyrics” or “words to songs” into the search, though. One main thread for them would help!

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Diolch - I will look out Sesiwn Canu. Yes, it’d be great to have them all in one place! The one I particularly love and would love the translation for is this - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TEUYWptvLZQ

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Welsh lyrics are really hard to find, so sometimes the only thing you can do is to try and transcribe them yourself. I found her voice in the studio version a bit easier to understand than the one you linked to, so I’ll see what I can achieve over the weekend.

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There’s already a topic for this which might be of interest! :slight_smile: Sharing Favourite Lyrics / Help with Welsh Lyrics / All things Lyrics!

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Thanks. I did actually look at that thread, but it isn’t what I am after at all. The thread you mention seems to be English translations of Welsh song lyrics. That isn’t what I want!

I am wanting Welsh lyrics for Welsh songs, so that I can sing along in the car! (I can work out the English translations for myself) When I listen to the singers/bands I like, I cannot always make out what words they are singing - that’s why I asked if there was a thread for that. Sorry if I didn’t make myself clear.

Thank you so much!

Here’s my first attempt. There are still some gaps to be filled, and I probably have misheard a few things, as well, so please take with a grain, nay, a metric ton of salt…

Des yn ôl ar ôl amser, atgofion byw yn gwegian yn fy nghof
i gyfeiliant yr olwynion daeth gwynt teg i dywys fi yn ôl
daeth gwyntoedd teg i’m tywys i’n ôl

Ac ar fy nhafod mae gweddillion hen benillion fydd gwrthod cadw draw
(bu?) nhw’n crafu (? ymylon) waeth bynnag pa beth a ddaw,
waeth bynnag (?gall rhywun?) beth a ddaw

Cytgan: (?) hel atgofion er anghofio’r bur hoff bau
a tra bo dau bydd yna hollt yng nghalon, hallt afradlon
a tra bo dau bydd yna hollt yng nghalon, hallt afradlon

Mae’n ddrwg gen i os ydyw ngeiriau yn blaenau’ch wnaeth (?)
ond mi rwyt ti fel fflam yn meddwl mai cymhariaeth cam fyddwn ni
mai cymhariaeth yn un cam fyddwn ni

Ond os gweli di fod y gwely hwn yn gweddi (?) esgyn di
yna gawn ni (?esgyn i ddoe?) mae llwybrau haf yn llenwi’th lygid di
Mae llwybrau haf yn llenwi’th lygid di

Cytgan

Ac mae hunaniaeth yn gyfanwaith (daw begwn?) a geiriau yn glytwaith
a blodau gwyllt (er gloddion?) pell a iaith heb faich orfodaeth
a iaith heb orfodaeth

Cytgan

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Amazing! Thank you SO much, Hendrik! (And I feel much better for knowing that even a fluent Welsh speaker like yourself can find it tricky to hear some of the lyrics!)

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Is this the sort of thing you’re looking for (the letters in between square brackets indicate chords)?

{title:Blaenau Ffestiniog}
{subtitle: Dewi Morris}

[G]Nawr Gymry dewch yn llu i [C]wrando ar fy nghân
Mae [G]rhywbeth bach yn poeni fi yn [D7]fawr
Mae [G]byw yn Aber[G7]tawe yn [C]chwarae ar fy nerfau
Ac rwy’n [G]gadael am y [D7]brynie gyda’r [G]wawr.

{c:Cytgan}
{soc}
O rwy’n [G]mynd nôl i [C]Flaenau Ffes[G]tiniog
Rwy’n dala’r trên cynta’ ma’s o’r [D7]dre
O rwy’n [G]mynd nôl i [C]Flaenau Ffes[G]tiniog
Canys yno mae fy [D7]seithfed [G]ne’.
{eoc}

[G]Mrs Jones cymerwch lythyr, sgri[C]fennwch hwn ar frys:
“Diar [G]Mam, rwy wedi drysu ar y [D7]dre;
O rwy [G]wedi cau’r ffe[G7]nestri, y [C]dŵr uwchben y llestri
Ac mae’r [G]celfi i gyd yn [D7]daclus yn eu [G]lle”.

Mi [G]es i Iwgoslafia ar fy [C]ngwyliau yn yr haf;
Mi [G]basiais drwy y Swistir ar fy [D7]nhaith
Medde [G]dyn bach yn yr [G7]Almaen,
“Ble’r [C]y’ch chi’n mynd, mein Fraulein?”
Fe [G]drois yn ôl i [D7]ateb ar un[G]waith.

Bydd y [G]’Steddfod yn y gogledd ac [C]yna lawr i’r de,
A’r [G]llys yn penderfynu ble i [D7]fynd.
Gwaeddodd [G]Gwyndaf lawr i’r [G7]dyrfa,
“Ble [C]fydd y ’Steddfod nesa?”
Clywyd [G]llais o’r [D7]cefn yn gweiddi [G]hyn…

Mae’r [G]dyn sy’n talu’r delyn yn [C]galw am y gân;
Mae’r [G]dyn sy’n canu’r gân yn cael y [D7]sbri.
Gan mai [G]fi sy’n canu’r [G7]delyn, y [C]chi sy’n gorfod dilyn,
Felly [G]’munwch fone[D7]ddigion gyda [G]mi.

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Plenty of traditional songs are to be found at this page on the site of the Society for the Traditional Instruments of Wales: Geiriau caneuon Cymraeg - Words for Welsh songs

And if you go to the Cerddorfa Ukulele site’s page at Caneuon Cymraeg and follow the link to Llyfr Caneuon Cymraeg (last in the list), you’ll find a wonderful collection in PDF format.

Don’t be put off by the ukulele connection: the lyrics remain the same!

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Helo! I enjoy digging in to Welsh lyrics from time to time as well. My playlist of Welsh music on Spotify is growing! One of my current favourites is Allwedd by Bwncath - even though it’s a bit Gog :laughing:

I have the chords and lyrics, courtesy of Ultimate Guitar… let me see if it’s possible to upload…

allwedd chords.pdf (205.0 KB)