JUICE
OF THE BARLEY
In the sweet County Limerick one cold winter's
night,
All
the turf fires were burning when I first saw the
light.
And a druken old midwife went tipsy with joy,
As she danced round the floor with her slip of
a boy.
CHORUS:
Singing: 'bainne na mbo is na ngamhna'
And the juice of the barley for me.
Well
when I was a gossoon of eight year or so,
With me turf and me primer to school I did go,
To a dusty old schoolhouse without any door,
Where lay the schoolmaster blind drunk on the
floor.
CHORUS
At
the learning I wasn't such a genius I'm thinking,
But I soon bet the master entirely at drinking,
Not a wake or a wedding for five miles around,
But meself in the corner was sure to be found.
CHORUS
One
day the priest read me out from the altar,
Saying: 'You'll end up your days with your neck
in a halter,
And you'll dance a fine jig between heaven and
hell.'
And his words they did frighten the truth for
to tell.
CHORUS
So
the very next morning as the dawn it did break,
I went down to the vestry the
pledge for to take,
And there in that room sat the priests in a bunch,
Round a big roaring fire drinking tumblers of
punch.
CHORUS
Well
from that day to this I have wandered alone,
I'm a jack of all trades and a master of none,
With the sky for me roof and the earth for me
floor,
And I'll dance our me days drinking whiskey galore.
CHORUS
JOHNNY
I HARDLY KNEW YE
While going the road to sweet Athy a-roo ha-roo.
While going the road to sweet Athy ha-roo ha-roo.
While going the road to sweet Athy a stick in
my hand and a tear in my eye,
Adoleful damsel I heard cry, Johnny I hardly knew
ye.
CHORUS:
With your drums and guns and guns and drums, A-roo,
Ha-roo
With your drums and guns and guns and drums, A-roo,
Ha-roo
With your drums and guns and guns and drums, the
enemy nearly slew ye
My darling dear, you look so queer, Johnny, I
hardly knew ye!
Where
are your eyes that looked so mild, A-roo, Ha-roo
Where are your eyes that looked so mild, A-roo,
Ha-roo
Where are your eyes that looked so mild, when
my poor heart you first beguiled
Why did you run from me and the child, Johnny,
I hardly knew ye!
CHORUS:
Where
are the legs with which you run, A-roo, Ha-roo
Where are the legs with which you run, A-roo,
Ha-roo
Where are the legs with which you run, when you
went to carry a gun?
Indeed your dancing days are done, Johnny, I hardly
knew ye!
CHORUS:
It grieved
my heart to see you sail, A-roo, Ha-roo
It grieved my heart to see you sail, A-roo Ha-roo
It grieved my heart to see you sail, though from
my heart you took leg bail
Like a cod you're doubled up head and tail, Johnny,
I hardly knew ye!
CHORUS:
You
haven't an arm and you haven't a leg, A-roo, Ha-roo
You haven't
an arm and you haven't a leg, A-roo, Ha-roo
You haven't an arm an you haven't a leg, you're
an eyeless, noseless, chickenless egg
You'll have to be put in a bowl to beg, Johnny,
I hardly knew ye!
CHORUS:
I'm
happy for to see you home, A-roo, Ha-roo
I'm happy for to see you home, A-roo Ha-roo
I'm happy for to see you home, all from the Island
of Sulloon
So low in flesh, so high in bone, Johnny, I hardly
knew ye!
CHORUS:
But
sad as it is to see you so, A-roo, Ha-roo
But sad as it is to see you so, A-roo, Ha-roo
But sad as it is to see you so, and I think of
you now as an object of woe
Your Peggy'll still keep ye on as her beau, Johnny,
I hardly knew ye!
CHORUS:
THE
KERRY DANCES
CHORUS
O the days of the Kerry dancing,
O the days of the pipers tune,
O for on of those hours of gladness,
Gone alas like our youth too soon.
When
the boys began to gather in the glen of a summer
night,
And the Kerry pipers tuning, made us long with
wild delight,
O to
think of it, O to dream of it, Fills my heart
with tears.
Chorus
Was
there ever a sweeter colleen in the dance than
Eily Moore,
Or a prouder lad than Thady as he boldly took
the floor.
Lads and lassies, to your places, up the middle
and down again,
And the merry hearted laughter ringing through
the happy glen,
Oh to
think of it, Oh to dream of it fills my heart
my tears.
Chorus
LANIGAN'S
BALL
In the town of Athy one Jeremy Lanigan,
Battered away till he hadn't a pound.
His father he died and made him a man again,
Left him a farm and ten acres of ground.
He gave a grand party to friends and relations,
Who did not forget him when come to the wall.
If you but listen I'll make your eyes glisten,
At the rows and ructions at Lanigan's Ball.
CHORUS
Six long months I spent in Dublin,
Six long months doing nothing at all,
Six long months I spent in Dublin,
Learning to
dance for Lanigan's ball.
Myself
to be sure got free invitations,
For all the nice girls and boys I might ask.
And just in a minute both friends and relations,
Were dancing as merry as bees round a cask.
There was lashings of punch and wine for the ladies.
Potatoes and cakes, there was bacon and tea,
There were the Nolans, the Dolans, O'Grady's,
Courting the
girls and dancing away.
They
were doing all kinds of non-sensical polkas,
All round the room in a whirligig,
But Julia and I soon banished their nonsense,
And tipped them a twist of a real Irish jig.
Oh, how that girl got mad on me,
And danced till you'd think the ceilings would
fall.
For I spent three weeks at Brooks Academy
Learning to dance for Lanigan's Ball.
Chorus
The
boys were as merry, the girls all hearty.
Dancing away in couples and groups.
Till an accident happened, young Terence Mc Carthy,
He put his leg through Misses Finnerty's hoops.
The creature she fainted and cried meelia murther
Called for her brothers and gathered them all.
Carmody swore that he'd go no further,
Till he'd have satisfaction at Lanigan's Ball.
In the
midst of the row, Miss Kerrigan fainted,
Her cheeks at the same time as red as a rose,
Some of the boys declared she was painted.
She took a small dropeen too much, I suppose.
Her sweetheart Ned Morgan. so powerful and able.
When he saw his fair colleen stretched out by
the wall.
Tore the left leg from under the table,
And smashed all the dishes at Lanigan's ball.
Chorus
Boys,
oh boys 'tis then there was ructions,
Myself got a kick from big Phelim Mc Hugh,
But soon I replied to his kind introduction
And kicked up a terrible hullabaloo.
Casey, the piper was near to being strangled,
They squeezed up his pipes, bellows, chanters
and all.
The girls in their ribbons, they all got entangled,
And that put an end to Lanigan's Ball.
Chorus
THE
LITTLE BEGGARMAN
I am a little beggarman a beggin' I have been
For three score and more in this little Isle of
Green.
And up to the Liffey and down to Tessague,
I'm known by the name of the bold Johnnie Dhu.
CHORUS
Of all the trades that's goin sure a Beggin in
the best
For when a man is tired he can sit have a rest.
He begs for his dinner he has notin else to do
Only cut around the corner with his old Ricadoo.
I slept
last night in a barn at Currabawn
A wet night came on and I slipped in through the
door
Holes in me shoes and the toes a peepin' through
Singin' skiddy-me-re-me-doodlum for ould Johnnie
Dhu.
CHORUS
I must
be gettin' home for its gettin' late at night
The fire's all raked and there isn't any light
And now you've heard me story of the old ricadoo
It's good-night and God bless you from ould Johnnie
Dhu.
CHORUS
MAID
WHEN YOU'RE YOUNG
An old man came courting me, hey ding a doorum
dah
An old man came courting me,me being young.
An old man came courting me,all for his wife to
be,
Maids when you're young never wed an old man.
CHORUS:
For he's got no faloo doo rum, fal diddle oo doo
rum,
He's got no faloo doo rum,fa diddle day.
He's got no faloo doo rum, Lost his ding doo reeum,
Maids when you're young never wed an old man.
When
this old man comes to bed, hey ding a doorum dah
When this old man comes to bed me being young.
When this old man comes to bed, he lays like a
lump of lead,
Maids when you're young never wed an old man.
CHORUS
When
this old man goes to sleep, hey ding a doorum
dah
When this old
man goes to sleep, hey ding a doorum dah
When this old man goes to sleep, out of bed I
do creep,
Into the arms of a handsome young man.
CHORUS
I wish
this old man would die, hey ding a doorum dah
I wish this old man would die, me being young.
I wish this old man would die, I'd make the money
fly,
Girls for your sakes never wed an old man.
CHORUS
A young
man is my delight, hey ding a doorum dah
A young man is my delight, me being young
A young man is my delight, he'll kiss you day
and night,
Maids when you're young never wed an old man.
CHORUS
THE
MAIRMAID
It was Friday morn when we set sail and we were
not far from the land
When our captain spied a mairmaid so fair with
a comb and a glass in her hand
CHORUS
And the ocean waves did roll
And the stormy winds did blow
And we poor sailors skipping at the top
While the land-lubbers lie down below, below,
below
While the land-lubbers lie down below
Then
up spoke the captain of our gallant ship, and
a fine old man was he
This fishy mairmaid has warned me of our doom,
we shall sink to the bottom of the sea
CHORUS
Then
up spoke the mate of our gallant ship, and a fine
spoken man was he
Saying I've a wife in Brooklyn by the sea and
tonight a widow she will be
CHORUS
Then
up spoke the cabin boy of our gallant ship and
a brave young lad was he
Oh, I have a sweetheart in Salem by the sea and
tonight she'll be weeping for me
CHORUS
The
up spoke the cook of our gallant ship and a crazy
old butcher was he
I care much more for my pots and for my pans than
I do for the bottom of the sea
CHORUS
Three
time round spun our gallant ship and three times
round spun she
Three times round spun our gallant ship and she
sank to the bottom of the sea
CHORUS
MARY
FROM DUNGLOE
Oh, then fare ye well, sweet Donegal, the Rosses
and Gweedore,
I'm crossing the main ocean, where the foaming
billows roar.
It breaks my heart from you to part, where I spent
many happy days,
Farewell to kind relations, I'm bound for Amerikay.
Oh,
my love is tall and handsome and her age is scarce
eighteen,
She far exceeds all other fair maids when she
trips o'er the green.
Her lovely neck and shoulders are fairer than
the snow.
Till the day I die I'll ne'er deny my Mary from
Dungloe.
If
I was at home in sweet Dungloe a letter I would
write,
Kind thoughts would fill my bosom for Mary, my
delight.
"Tis in her father's garden the fairest violets
grow,
And 'twas there I came to court the maid, my Mary
from Dungloe.
Ah,
then Mary, you're my heart's delight my pride
and only care,
It was your cruel father would not let me stay
there.
But absence makes the heart grow fonder and when
I'm o'er the main,
May the lord protect my darling girl till I return
again.
And
I wished I was in sweet Dungloe and seated on
the grass,
And by my side a bottle of wine and on my knee
a lass.
I'd call for liquor of the best and I'd before
I would go,
And I'd roll my Mary in my arms in the town of
sweet Dungloe.
MOLLY
MALONE
In Dublin's fair city, where the girls are so
pretty,
I first set my eyes on sweet Molly Malone,
She wheeled a wheel-barrow, through streets broad
and narrow,
Crying: 'Cockles and Mussels a-live. a-live oh.'
CHORUS:
A-live, a-live oh, a-live, a-live oh.
Crying: 'Cockles
and Mussels a-live, a-live, oh.'
She
was a fishmonger, but sure 'twas no wonder,
For so were her father and mother before:
They both wheeled a barrow. through streets broad
and narrow,
Crying: 'Cockles and Mussels a-live, a-live oh.'
CHORUS
She
died of a fever,and no one could save her,
And that was the end of sweet Molly Malone,
Now her ghost wheels her barrow, through streets
broad and narrow,
Crying: 'Cockles and Mussels a-live, a-live oh.'
CHORUS
MY
IRISH MOLLY-O
Molly dear, now did you hear, the news that's
goin' round ?
Down in a corner of my heart, a love is what you've
found.
And every time I look into your Irish eyes so
blue,
They seem to whisper darling boy, my love is all
for you.
CHORUS:
Molly, my Irish Molly, my sweet a-cushla dear,
I'm fairly off my trolley, my Irish Molly, when
you are near,
Spring time, you know is ring time, come dear,
now don't be slow,
Change your name, go out with game, begorra I
would the same,
My Irish Molly-O.
Molly
dear, now did you hear, I furnished up the flat,
Three little cosy rooms with bath, and a welcome
on the mat,
Five pounds down, and two a week, we'll soon be
out of debt,
It's all complete except they haven't bought the
cradle yet.
CHORUS
Molly
dear, now did you hear, what all the neighbours
say.
About the hundred sovereigns, you've safely stowed
away.
They say that's why I love you so, but Molly that's
a shame,
If you had only ninety-nine, I'd love you just
the same.
CHORUS
