Wild Mountain Thyme

Written by Jimmy McPeake
As performed by Bob Dylan and Joan Baez during the Rolling Thunder Revues (1975-6), and in the version from the Isle of Wight concert, released on Bootleg Series 10: Another Self Portrait (2013)
Tabbed by Eyolf Østrem

Rolling Thunder version (with Joan Baez)

Intro and basic strumming pattern:

  C        Csus4 C
  >     >   >   >
  :   .   .   .
|-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-|
|-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-|
|-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-| repeat
|-2-2-2-2-2-3-3-2-|
|-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-|
|-----------------|
    
      C
Oh the summertime is coming
    F                  C
And the leaves are sweetly blooming
    F             C
And the wild mountain thyme
    Dm               F
Blooms around the purple heather.
        C   F      C
Will you go, lassie, go?

If my true love she won't go,
I will surely find another
To pull wild mountain thyme
From all around the purple heather.
Will you go, lassie, go?

      F        C
And we'll all go together
    F             C
To pull wild mountain thyme
      Dm               F
From all around the purple heather.
    C   F      C
Will you go, lassie, go.

I will build my love a tower   *)
At the foot of yonder mountain  *)
And then on it I will put
All the flowers of the mountain
Will you go, lassie, go?

And we'll all go together
To pull wild mountain thyme
From all around the purple heather.
Will you go, lassie, go?

*) Several other versions have “bower” and “fountain” here, but this seems to be what they sing.

Isle of Wight version (1969)

The strumming pattern is fairly regular throughout, something like this, whenever there's a G chord:

  :   .   .   .     :   .   .   .
|-----3---3---3---|-----3-3-3---3---|
|-----0---1---3---|-----0-0-1---3---|
|-----0---0---0---|-----0-0-0---0---|
|-----0---2---2---|-----0-0-2---2---|
|-----------------|-----------------|
|-3---------------|-3---------------|

And the recurring bass figure:

  C       /b        /a      /g        C       /b        /a
  :   .   .   .     :   .   .   .     :   .   .   .     :   .   .   .
|-----0-------0---|-----0-------0---|-----0-------0---|-----0-------0---|
|-----1-------1---|-----1-------1---|-----1-------1---|-----1-------1---|
|-----0-------0---|-----0-------0---|-----0-------0---|-----0-------0---|
|-----2-----------|-----------------|-----2-----------|-----------------|
|-3-------2-------|-0---------------|-3-------2-------|-0-------0-------|
|-----------------|---------3-------|-----------------|-----------------|
...around____________   the purple    heather_______            Will you go...
    
      G
Oh the summertime is a-coming
        C  /b /a           G
And the leaves are sweetly blooming
        C /b /a       G
And the wild mountain thyme
        C /b /a   /g     C    /b  /a
Blooms around the purple heather.
        G   C /b /a  G
Will you go, lassie,  go?

          C /b /a  G
And we'll all go together
        C /b /a       G
To pull wild mountain thyme
          C /b /a   /g     C /b /a
From all around the purple heather.
        G   C /b /a  G
Will you go, lassie,  go?

If my true love she won't go,
You know, I'll surely find another
To pull wild mountain thyme
From all around the purple heather.
Will you go, lassie, go?

I will build my love a tower
At the foot of the fountain
And then on it I will put
All the flowers of the mountain
Will you go, lassie, go?

Oh, the springtime is a-coming
and the wee birds are sweetly singing
And the wild mountain thyme
blooms around the purple heather
will you go, lassie, go?