1. |
The Rambling Irishman
05:29
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I am a rambling Irishman, in Ulster I was born in
And many's the happy hour I spent on the banks of the sweet Loch Erin
But to be poor I could not endure like others of my station
To Amerikay I sailed away and left this Irish nation
The day before I went away, I spent it with my darling
From three o'clock in the afternoon 'til the break of day next morning
And when came time for us to part, we held each other's arms
And you may be sure, and very sure, it wounded both our charms
The very first night I slept on board I dreamt about my Nancy
I dreamed I held her in my arms, aye and well she pleased my fancy
But when I awoke out of that dream and I found my arms empty
Well, you may be sure, and very sure, that I lay discontented
When we reached at the other side we were both stout and healthy
We cast our anchor in the bay going down by Philadelphi
Let every lad link with his lass, blue jacket and white trousers
And let every lass link with her lad, blue petticoats and white flounces
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2. |
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In the Village of Kilgory lived a maiden young and fair
Her eyes, they shone like diamonds, she had long and golden hair,
When the countryman came riding he came to her father’s gate,
Mounted on a milk-white stallion, he came at the stroke of eight
Step it out Mary, my fine daughter,
Step it out Mary if you can.
Step it out Mary, my fine daughter,
Show your legs to the countryman.
I have come to court your daughter, Mary of the golden hair,
I have gold and I have silver, I have land beyond compare.
I will buy her silks and satins and a gold ring for her hand.
I will build for her her a mansion, she'll have servants to command
But kind Sir I love a soldier and I've pledged to him my hand.
I don't want your gold nor silver, I don't want your house nor land."
Mary's father spoke up sharply, you will do as you are told,
you'll get married on a Sunday and you'll wear the ring of gold."
In the village of Kilgory there's a deep stream running by.
They found Mary there on Sunday, she had drowned with soldier boy.
In the cottage there is music, you can hear her daddy say
Step it out Mary my fine daughter, Sunday is your wedding day.
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3. |
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Young Mary went out walking down by the ocean tide
Her beautiful form and features they were known as the village pride
Until a bold sea captain came out to take the air
Down by the royal ocean, he met with this maiden fair.
If you don't consent to marry me and be my loving bride
I will send your body floating on the waves of the silvery tide.
Young Mary then she trembled for the vow she could not break
It was true she loved young Henry and would die for his fond sake.
It was with a red silk handkerchief her hands and feet he tied
And he sent her body floating on the waves of the silvery tide.
It being only a few days after young Henry came from sea
With a hope for to get married and appoint a wedding day.
It's true your love was murdered, her parents both they cried,
She has proved her own destruction on the waves of the silvery tide.
Young Henry went to bed that night but no rest there could he find
Still the thoughts of loving Mary ran through his wandering mind.
Then he arose, put on his clothes; for a midnight stroll went he
Down by the royal ocean, down by the silvery sea.
And he stayed there 'til daylight came and her corpse he did then find
Saying It's true my love was murdered on the waves of the silvery tide
This villain he was then taken; to the scaffold he must go
For the murder of young Mary who had scarcely reached her bloom.
And young Henry went distracted and he wandered 'til he died
And his last words were of Mary and the waves of the silvery tide.
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4. |
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There were two sisters side by side
Sing I-dum, sing I-day
There were two sisters side by side
The boys are born for me
There were two sisters side by side
The eldest was young Johnny’s pride
I'll be true unto my love if he'll be true to me
Johnny bought the youngest a gay-gold ring
Sing I-dum, sing I-day
Johnny bought the youngest a gay-gold ring
The boys are bound for me
Johnny bought the youngest a gay-gold ring
He didn’t get the eldest a single thing
I'll be true unto my love if he'll be true to me
Johnny bought the youngest a beaver hat
Sing I-dum, sing I-day
Johnny bought the youngest a beaver hat
The boys are bound for me
Johnny bought the youngest a beaver hat
The eldest didn't think much of that
I'll be true unto my love if he'll be true to me
As they went a-walking by the foamy brim
Sing I-dum, sing I-day
As they went a-walking by the foamy brim
The boys are bound for me
As they were a-walking by the foamy brim
The eldest pushed the youngest in
I'll be true unto my love if he'll be true to me
Sister, oh sister, give me your hand
Sing I-dum, sing I-day
Sister, oh sister, give me your hand
The boys are born for me
Sister, oh sister, give me thy hand
And you can have Johnny and all his land
I'll be true unto my love if he'll be true to me
Sister, I'll not give you my hand
Sing I-dum, sing I-day
Sister, I'll not give you my hand
The boys are bound for me
Oh sister, I'll not give you my hand
And I'll have Johnny and all his land
I'll be true unto my love if he'll be true to me
So away she sank and away she swam
Sing I-dum, sing I-day
So away she sank and away she swam
The boys are born for me
Away she sank and away she swam
Until she came to the miller's dam
I'll be true unto my love if he'll be true to me
The miller, he took her gay-gold ring
Sing I-dum, sing I-day
The miller, he took her gay-gold ring
The boys are bound for me
The miller, he took her gay-gold ring
And then he pushed her in again
I'll be true unto my love if he'll be true to me
The miller, he was hanged on the mountain head
Sing I-dum, sing I-day
The miller, he was hanged on the mountain head
The boys are bound for me
The miller, he was hanged on the mountain head
The eldest sister boiled in lead
I'll be true unto my love if he'll be true to me
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5. |
Partans In His Creel
02:58
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Oh I laid in bed o'er lang this morning,
heedless o' my mother's scorning,
tossed and twisted all last night and never closed an e'e.
While outside a million stars were winkin',
sleep it would nae come for thinkin',
O' the three sweet lovin' words that Willy said to me.
Willy's tall and Willy's bonny,
Willy has nae muckle money,
Oh but siller matters though I ken I lo'e him weill.
So I think I'd better tarry,
Bide a wee afore I marry,
No 'til Willie catches mair than partans in his creel.
Oh me mother ca's me young and silly,
Far too young tae marry Willy,
Seventeen come Christmas day tae Willy's twenty three
And I dou' he's ever saved a shillin,
wouldna keep a cock a-livin’,
A' the work that Willy does is runnin' after me.
Willy's slow and Willy's lazy,
Willy tak's things o'er easy,
Faither says he's nothin' but a throwie ne'er-dae-weel
So I think I'd better tarry,
Bide a wee afore I marry,
No 'til Willie catches mair than partans in his creel.
There's a peedie croft amangst the heather,
Whar' he says we'll bide taegether,
While he maks a livin' wi' his body on the sea,
There's a wee bit house his faither biggit,
Stoutly thatched and snuggly riggit,
Waitin' tae be taken ower by Willy and by me.
Willy stands around and whistles,
Willy’s fields are full o' thistles,
Thistles willnae buy a body honey, milk or meal
So I think I'd better tarry,
Bide a wee afore I marry,
No 'til Willie catches Mair than partans in his creel.
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6. |
Bridget O'Malley
03:03
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Bridget O'Malley, you have my heart shaken,
With a hopeless desolation I'd have you to know.
It's the wonders of admiration your quiet face has taken
And your beauty will haunt me wherever I go
Pale moon above the white sands, the bright stars above the cornfield
Are cold beside my darling, but no purer than she.
I gaze upon the cold moon till the stars drown in the warm seas
But the eyes of my darling are never on me
The day it is approaching when we were to be married
But it's rather I would die than live only to grieve.
Meet me, my darling, where the sun sets on the barley,
And I'll meet you there on the road to Drumslieve
My Sunday’s the are dreary, my Sunday’s they are grey now,
My heart is a cold thing, my heart is a stone.
All joy is dead in me, my love has gone away now
For another has taken my love for his own.
Bridget O'Malley, you have my heart shaken,
With a hopeless desolation I'd have you to know.
Tis the wonder of admiration your quiet face has taken
And your beauty will haunt me wherever I go
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7. |
Ard Ti Chuain
04:50
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I wish I was in Ard ti Chuain
Near yon mountain far away
I would seldom let the Sunday go
From the Cuckoo's glen across the bay
And it's oh dear Ireland, you're my home
Far from you I had to roam
And my heart is sore and heavy
It was many’s a Christmas Day I had
In Cushendun while still a lad
Hurling on the White Shore Strand
With my good ash hurley in my hand
And it's oh dear Ireland, you're my home
Far from you I had to roam
And my heart is sore and heavy
But the grave is waiting for us all
The whole wide world must heed its call
It steals the mother from her brood
As it stole away my boyhood
And it's oh dear Ireland, you're my home
Far from you I had to roam
And my heart is sore and heavy
If I only had a boat and oar,
I would row to Erin's shore
Trusting God to see me o'er
In time to die in Ireland.
And it's oh dear Ireland, you're my home
Far from you I had to roam
And my heart is sore and heavy
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8. |
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Seven days are in the week in almost every circumstance,
And there's four seasons in the year, that’s what we learned in school;
But never count your chickens when you're dealing with a women
For many's the wise man fell asleep and wakened up a fool.
The first time I met my love was on a Monday morning,
And the second time I saw her was a Tuesday afternoon;
When she kissed me on a Wednesday, I couldn't wait til Thursday,
But I can tell you now, my boys, that Thursday never came.
My love, she took the springtime and turned it into wintertime,
I never thought that love could change the world so much before;
I gave her my heart and in return she promised summertime,
But I can tell you now, my boys, that summer never came.
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9. |
The Blarney Roses
03:53
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Can anybody tell me where the Blarney Roses grow?
It might be down in Limerick town or over in Mayo.
It's somewhere in the Emerald Isle, and this I want to know:
Can anybody tell me where the Blarney Roses grow?
'Twas over in auld Ireland near the town of Cushendall,
One morn I met a damsel there, the fairest of them all.
'Twas with my young affections and my money did she go,
And she told me she belonged to where the Blarney Roses grow.
Her cheeks were like the roses red, her hair a raven hue.
Before that she was done with me, she had me raving too.
She left me sorely stranded, not a coin she left, you know,
And she told me she belonged to where the Blarney Roses grow.
They've roses in Killarney, and some in County Clare,
But 'pon my word those roses, boys, I can't find anywhere.
She blarney'd me and, by the powers, she left me broke you know
Did this damsel that belonged to where the Blarney Roses grow.
Cuisle gradh mo chroi, me boys, she murmured soft, did she,
If you belong to Ireland, it's yourself belongs to me.
Her Donegal come-all-ye brogue, it captured me, you know.
Bad luck to her and to the place where the Blarney Roses grow.
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10. |
McNaghten
03:37
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One night I walked a lonely road with storm clouds overhead,
There I spied a strange young man and this to me he said:
“My name it was McNaghten, I was just twenty-three,
When I fell in love with a rich young girl who couldn’t marry me.
Her father was a cruel man, Knox it was his name,
He forbade us two young lovers to ever meet again.
We planned to elope one night, to Scotland we would go,
But her cruel father he found out, our plan he got to know.
He drew round the carriage and his daughter in it placed,
Then they drove out the Prehen road with the greatest of haste.
A mile along the roadside, I hid among the grass,
There I saw my own true love in the carriage driving past.
Realising what was wrong, I drew a flintlock gun,
I meant to shoot her father but I shot my own loved one.
My case was heard in Lifford Court, and guilty I was found,
I was sentenced to be hanged in the square in Lifford town.
On Tuesday morn in Lifford square, on a scaffold made of wood,
With a gallows rope around my neck, blindfolded there I stood.
Well twice they tried to hang me, but the trapdoor shut did stay,
Once more they tried to hang me, but the rope it did give way.
Then as was the custom, my life they offered me,
But I declined, saying: In this world no pleasure would there be,
For my only love I’ve murdered, one thing worse I fear,
Half-hanged McNaghten to be called, and this I could not bear.
I stepped back on the scaffold, my fear it being past,
I placed the rope around my neck and there I breathed my last.”
And when his story ended, this brave young man was gone,
Leaving but a coil of rope remaining with the dawn.
Bare branches rattle in the gale on nights of winter chill,
McNaghten roams the woodland vale, his soul in torment still.
‘McNaghten! McNaghten!’ cries the winter breeze,
That blows around the old ‘Black Gates’ and rattles through the trees.
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11. |
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I’d roam through all creation new fortunes to find still;
The fortune I would seek the most you all must understand
Is to win the heart of Martha, the flower of sweet Strabane.
Her cheeks are like the roses red, her hair a lovely brown
And o’er her lily-white shoulders it carelessly falls down
She’s one of the finest creatures of the whole creation clan
And my heart is captivated by the flower of sweet Strabane.
If I had you lovely Martha away in Inishowen,
Or in some lonesome valley in the wild woods of Tyrone;
I would do my whole endeavour and I’d try to make my plan
To gain the prize and feast my eyes on the flower of sweet Strabane.
I’ll go o’er the Lagan down where the tall ships roam
I’m sailing to Amerikay across the briny foam
My ship is bound for Liverpool down by the Isle of Man
So I’ll say farewell, god bless you my flower of sweet Strabane.
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12. |
Long Cookstown
03:21
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These three long quarters I’ve been weaving
And for my wages I was penned down.
I bought a coat of formal fashion,
All for to walk through Long Cookstown.
As I walked up through Long Cookstown,
There Nancy whiskey I chanced to smell.
Says I to myself ‘I’ll go in and taste you,’
These three long quarters I've loved you well.
I entered into a little alehouse,
Begged Nancy’s pardon for making free,
And Nancy met me at every corner,
‘You're heartily welcome, young man,’ said she.
We both sat down at a little table
And looked at each other for a while,
We both sat down at a little table
Then Nancy Whiskey did she me beguile.
I found myself all in a little corner,
I found myself all in a little bed
And I tried to rise but I wasn’t able,
For Nancy whiskey she held down head.
When I arose the following morning
And I asked the reckoning I’d have to pay,
It was fifteen shillings for ale and porter
Come pay it quickly now and get away.
I put my hand into my pocket,
And the ready money I laid it down.
It was fifteen shillings for ale and porter
And all that remained was a fair half crown.
I looked up, I looked out the window,
Where a pretty maiden I chanced to spy.
I called her in we spent two and tuppence
And all the maiden was a fourpenny boy.
I laid this money down on the table,
I laid this money down with all the rest,
And I drank a health to every young man
And to the lassie that I love best.
Now I’ll go home and I’ll begin my weaving,
I’ll steer my shuttle for another while,
And if I live through another season
Sure Nancy Whiskey will not me beguile.
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13. |
The Exile's Lament
03:28
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Kiss the children for me Mary
Don't let them pine or grieve
Tell them it's hard I'm working for them
Though it breaks my heart to leave.
Building dams over fields and factories
Moving mountains by the load
I'll be with you in December
When I'm finished on the road.
Don't forget
I’ll be working night and day
I'll be thinking of you Mary
Though you’re many miles away
Kiss the children for me Mary
Don't let them pine or grieve
Tell them it's hard I'm working for them
Though it breaks my heart to leave.
Kiss the children for me Mary
Don't let them pine or grieve
Tell them it's hard I'm working for them
Though it breaks my heart to leave.
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14. |
Come By The Hills
02:57
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Oh, come by the hills to a land
where fancy is free
And stand where the peaks meet the sky
and the lochs reach the sea
Where the rivers run clear and the bracken
is gold in the sun
And the cares of tomorrow must wait
till this day is done.
Come by the hills to a land
where life is a song
And sing while the birds fill the air
with their joy all day long
Where the trees sway in time, and even
the wind sings in tune.
And the cares of tomorrow must wait
till this day is done.
Come by the hills to a land
where legends remain
Where stories of old fill the heart
and may yet come again
Where our past has been lost the future
is still to be won
And the cares of tomorrow must wait
till this day is done.
Come by the hills to a land
where fancy is free
And stand where the peaks meet the skies
and the lochs meet the sea
Where the rivers run clear and the bracken
is gold in the sun
And the cares of tomorrow must wait
till this day is done
The cares of tomorrow must wait
till this day is done
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15. |
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16. |
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Chorus:
What's the life of a man any more than a leaf?
A man has his seasons so why should we grieve?
Although through this life we appear fine and gay,
Like a leaf we must wither and soon fade away.
As I was walking one morning with ease
Viewing the leaves as they fell from the trees
All in full motion appearing to be
Those that had withered, they fell from the tree.
And if you'd seen the trees just a few days ago
How beautiful and green they did all seem to grow.
A frost came upon them and withered them all,
And a storm came upon them and down they did fall.
If you look in the churchyard, there you will find
Those who have withered and fell to the ground.
When age and affliction upon them did call,
Like a leaf we must wither and down we must fall.
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17. |
Red Is The Rose
03:24
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Come over the hills to your bonnie, blue-eyed lass
Come over the hills to your darling
You take the high road and I will make a vow
That you'll be my sweetheart forever.
Red is the rose that in yonder garden grows
And clear is the lily of the valley
Clearer the water that flows from the Boyne
But my love is fairer than any.
'Twas down in Killarney's green valleys I have strayed
The moon and the stars they were shining
The moon shone so fair on her head of golden hair
As she swore she'd be my sweetheart forever.
Red is the rose that in yonder garden grows
And clear is the lily of the valley
Clearer the water that flows from the Boyne
But my love is fairer than any.
It's not for the parting of my sister Kate
Nor was it the loss of my mother
'Tis all for the sake of a bonnie blue-eyed lass
That I'm leaving auld Ireland forever.
Red is the rose that in yonder garden grows
And clear is the lily of the valley
Clearer the water that flows from the Boyne
But my love is fairer than any.
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18. |
The Yellow Bittern
06:30
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The yellow bittern that never broke out
In a drinking bout, might as well have drunk;
For his bones are thrown on a naked stone
Where he lived all alone like a hermit monk.
O yellow bittern! I pity your lot,
Though they say that a sot like myself is cursed
I was sober a while, but I'll drink and be wise
For fear I should die in the end of thirst.
It's not for the common birds that I'd mourn,
The black-bird, the corn-crake, or the crane,
But it’s for the bittern that lives apart
And drinks all alone from the lone bog-drain.
If I had known you were close to death,
While my breath held out I'd have run to you,
Till a splash from the Lake like the Son of the Bird
Your soul would have stirred and waked anew.
My love once told me to drink no more
Or my life would be o'er in a little short while;
But I told her that drink gave me health and strength
And will lengthen my road by many’s the mile.
You see how that bird with the long smooth neck
Can get his death from thirst at last--
Come, son of my soul, and drain your cup,
For you'll get no sup when your life is past.
On a wintering island near Constantine's halls
A bittern calls o’er the wineless plain,
And he tells me that hither he cannot come
Till the summer is here and the sunny days.
As he flies over the stream there and wings o'er the sea
A fear comes to me he may fail in his flight--
But, the milk and the ale they are drunk every drop,
And a dram won't stop my thirst this night.
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19. |
The Parting Glass
02:23
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Of all the money that ere I had, I spent it in good company.
And of all the harm that ere I've done, alas was done to none but me.
And all I've done for want of wit, to memory now I cannot recall.
So fill me to the parting glass. Goodnight and joy be to you all.
Oh, if I had money enough to spend and leisure time to sit awhile
There is a fair maid in this town that sorely has my heart beguiled
Her rosey cheeks and ruby lips, I own she has my heart enthralled.
So fill me to the parting glass. Goodnight and joy be to you all.
Of all the comrades that ere I had, they are sorry for my going away,
And all the sweethearts ere I had, they’d wish me one more day to stay,
But since it fell unto my lot that I should rise and you should not,
I’ll gently rise and softly call, "Goodnight and joy be to you all!"
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