Originally Posted by
dukedy
Looking for some non-bluegrass/country/irish tunes that have a sad tinge to them.
I don't know if this is the style you're looking for, but it's definitely in the "non-bluegrass" category and it has a somewhat wistful/nostalgic vibe: "Hamabe No Uta" (Song Of The Seashore, Japanese waltz), written in 1916 by Tamezo Narita. It can be played either as an instrumental or with vocals.
A bunch of us posted our mandolin versions of this tune at MandolinCafe Song-a-Week 547 last year. My version is also here:
(or direct link)
Here is the Hamabe No Uta sheet music, mandolin tab, and chords, key of G that I used for the above version. (Viewable in browser, or to download a printable PDF just ignore the signup/login blurb and proceed to the "Download"/arrow link.) There are also other versions of the sheet music that other people have posted at the aforementioned Song-a-Week thread.
In addition, if you happen to already use the iRealPro phone app, there's a backing track for this tune using the above chords, accessible in the app via standard search - once on the correct page, scroll down to the 9th post to get the corrected versions. (For lack of any better ideas, I put the tune into the "Holiday, Film, Worship, Classical, World, Other" category.)
As to lyrics, here is a very pretty version with vocals by Saori Yuki and Sachiko Yasuda - the music starts at 20 seconds in, so fast-forward to 0:20:
(or direct link)
LyricsTranslate.com has this English translation:
"If I wander about ashore this morning
It will bring me back to good ol' times
The sound of the wind, the way clouds change
Waves breaking in, the color of the shells
"If I roam about ashore this evening
My beloved will bring me back then
Waves breaking in and waning back
The color of the moon, the light of the stars
"A gust of wind causes the waves to rise
The hem of my red kimono is soaking wet
I once was sick, getting back on my feet
Here I stand ashore like a fine grain of sand"
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