Ballinderry Song Lyrics And Chords, Irish Folk Song
A Traditional folk song about Ballinderry. Recorded by Tommy Makem and first published by Edward Bunting 1809. Recorded by The Cottars. I have given the guitar chords in the keys of D and G.Ballinderry sheet music and tin whistle notes in D now included.
[D]Tis [G]pretty to[D] be [G]in [A]Ballin[D]derry,
[G]Pretty [D]to [G]be in [A]Aucho[D]lee*
'Tis prettier to[G] be on bonny Ram's Island
A-[D]sitting for[A]ever be[D]neath a tree.
Ochone, ochone
Ochone, ochone.
For often I sailed to bonny Ram's Island,
Arm in arm with Phelim, my demon.**
He would whistle and I would sing,
And we would make the whole island ring.
Ochone, ochone
Ochone, ochone.
I'm going," he said, "from bonny Ram's Island
Out and across the deep blue sea,
And if in your heart you love me, Mary,
Open your arms at last to me."
Ochone, ochone
Ochone, ochone.
'
Twas pretty to be in Ballinderry
But now it's as sad as sad can be,
For the ship that sailed with Phelim, my demon,
Is sunk forever beneath the sea.
Ochone, ochone
Ochone, ochone.
Here's the guitar chords in the key of G.
[G]Tis [C]pretty to[G] be [C]in [D]Ballin[G]derry,
[C]Pretty [G]to [C]be in [D]Aucho[G]lee*
'Tis prettier to[C] be on bonny Ram's Island
A-[G]sitting for[D]ever be[G]neath a tree.
Ochone, ochone
Ochone, ochone.
[G]Tis [C]pretty to[G] be [C]in [D]Ballin[G]derry,
[C]Pretty [G]to [C]be in [D]Aucho[G]lee*
'Tis prettier to[C] be on bonny Ram's Island
A-[G]sitting for[D]ever be[G]neath a tree.
Ochone, ochone
Ochone, ochone.
Probably no people on earth have produced folk music comparable, in quality and quantity, to that of the Irish. They have had a firm tradition of song for at least two thousand years; and even though being an Irishman has not always. been an easy profession to follow, the songs have continued to arise, and to be sung. All the earlier songs were, of course, in Gaelic, but as English came to be an important tongue in Ireland, songs of equal beauty and power were made in the new language, although the good Gaelic was not forgotten. Today, the Republic of Ireland has re-established the Irish language, and is encouraging the collecting, preserving, and singing of Irish folk songs.
Traditionally, these folk songs have been sung without accompaniment. (The great harpers and bards of olden times were accompanied by the harp, of course, but their songs were not folk songs.) My use of the guitar is not, therefore, in keeping with the Irish folk tradition. In fact, it should be under- stood that there is nothing really Irish about this recording except the songs themselves; I was brought up in an American way of singing and playing, and these songs are translated into that manner. But I have tried to seek out and preserve the spirit that gave rise to the songs, and if I cannot sing as a member of the group that made them, I hope I can sing as an admiring and sympathetic outsider.
THE WREN SONG-One of the most satisfying aspects of the study of folk music is the frequent feeling of identification with the past. Children today like to sing "Let's hunt for the wren, said Robbin the Bobbin." and when they do so, they are playing a part in a tradition that extends unbroken from prehistoric times-a tradition that goes, back to man's early attempts to cope with nature by participating in its magic. The wren, in nearly every part of Europe, has long been considered as the King of Birds, and may not be killed without terrible risk of supernatural retribution. In common with peoples all over the world, however, the early Europeans believed that the ritualized killing of a worshipful animal, under the appropriate ceremonial conditions, was a proper religious action. Today no wren is used at all, but boys pretend to have one fastened to the end of a pole, or woven into a basket, and they parade with it from house to house on the 26th of December, collecting gifts at every stop. They usually announce their coming with some song such as this one.
WE HAVE BROUGHT THE SUMMER IN-The ceremony of "bringing in the summer" is another ancient one, which survives in this country, although feebly, as May Day. (The old-time May Day, with Maypoles and flower baskets-not the more recent international Labor Day.) May Day ceremonies have persisted in Britain right up to the present, in which Death was banished as the Summer was brought in. Most of these rituals centered around plants, but this particular song indicates a relation to the practice of worshiping a useful animal. The song itself comes from the little islands off the Irish coast, where the herring is indeed a useful creature.
THE FOX'S CONVERSATION-The fox gets a chance to talk back to her detractors in the second stanza of this song, and piously tries to justify her notorious barnyard activities .. The chorus, often sung or played separately under the title "The Fox Hunter's Jig." consists of non- sense syllables arranged in the form of "lilting," or "mouth music." This style of singing was developed as a substitute for the pipes or the fiddle. and many a country dance in various parts of the British Isles has been thoroughly enjoyed with no other accompaniment.
AN MAIDRIN RUAD (The Little Red Fox)-While foxes are supposed. to be sly and completely untrustworthy, their escapades are frequently viewed with an amused, somewhat admiring, tolerance. The fox in this song has stolen a fine, fat goose, and has the effrontery to invite the robbed farmer to join him in eating it. The chorus here is much like the "mouth music" in the preceding song, except that the words are not without meaning, being Gaelic for "the little red fox."
RINNCE PILIB AN CHEOIL (The Dancing of Phillip of the Music)- Known from various parts of Ireland, this song has usually been sung by children. The English words in this version are a paraphrase of the Gaelic words, which were translated for me by Dr. Colm Hough (pro- nounced O'Heocha) when he was a student in California. Colm also instructed me in the pronunciation of the Gaelic; this was several years ago, and Colm has long since returned to Ireland, and if my pronuncia- tion is not right, please blame my fallible memory rather than Colm's LILLIBURLERO-The tune to "Lilliburlero" is said to have been written by Henry Purcell as a harpsichord piece; the words came a little later, and are attributed to Lord Wharton. The song is a militant and sarcastic bit of Protestant political commentary. The Protestants had gained a lot of political power in Ireland, and no Catholic was allowed to hold any public office. James II, however, believed it politically expedient to turn some local control over to the Catholics; accordingly, Colonel Richard Talbot, a Catholic, was made Earl of Tyrconnel, and sent to Ireland to carry out King James' policies. English and Irish Protestants were outraged, and the song is an expression of their attitude; "Lilliburlero" may be credited with having played a substantial part in keeping alive their resentment and spirit of resistance.
THE OLD MAN ROCKIN' THE CRADLE-Baby-sitting was a problem 150 years ago, and the lady in this song solved it in an efficient, if some- what immoral, fashion... One of the most interesting things about this street song is that it gave rise to the famous American cowboy song. "Whoopee Ti Yi Yo. Git Along Little Dogies." I learned it from the singing of Robin Roberts.
ARTHUR MCBRIDE-This song goes back to the times when English recruiters were trying hard to persuade Irishmen to enlist in the army and fight against Napoleon. One technique was to offer the prospect a drink, or a gift of a little money; if he accepted, this put him in debt to the Crown, and his debt had to be worked off in military service. Catholic Irishmen wanted no part of the war against Bonaparte, whom they expected to help free them from English rule. The phrase in the last verse- "We rifled his pou" "-means "We robbed his pack." HE SMASHING OF THE VAN-Even after emigrating from the home country, or after being banished, Irishmen did not forget their feeling. about the sad lot of Ireland. One of the most active of the resistance groups, the Fenian Brotherhood, was begun in America in 1857. Ten years later, in 1867, a Fenian uprising was planned in Manchester, England. The planning was not carefully carried out, and the uprising was a complete failure; the two leaders, Kelley and Deasy, were captured by the British. Shortly after, they were rescued in a daring attack upon the prison van-unfortunately, a policeman was accidentally killed in the rescue, and the three rescuers-Allen, Larkin, and O'Brien-were captured and hanged. Their last words were "God Save Ireland!", and, as the Manchester Martyrs, their names lived long among the Fenians and other resistance groups. This song, and the better known "God Save Ireland" (the latter sung to the tune "Tramp, Tramp, Tramp") were very widely sung for over fifty years.
CRUISKEEN LAWN (The Full Little Flask)-Like its American counter- part, "The Little Brown Jug," this song pays homage to the very container that holds the beloved brew... One version of the "Cruiskeen Lawn" appears in Charles Coffey's opera "The Beggar's Wedding," (an Irish emulation of the popular "Beggar's Opera"), which was first performed in 1728.
THE REAL OLD MOUNTAIN DEW-Here is another song in praise of the good potheen. The word "gaugers" in the first verse refers to the excise tax inspectors, comparable to our own Internal Revenue Officers. Except for its title and general philosophy, this song does not appear to be related to the American song of the same name.
THE SON OF A GAMBOLIER-One of the best known of the Irish drinking songs, this one has been a favorite in America for several generations-particularly at Georgia Tech, where the words have been adapted to the local college scene.
THE EAGLE'S WHISTLE-This lullaby is supposed to be sung by a mother eagle to her babies. I haven't tried it on baby eagles, but I can attest that it's a good sleepy song for baby humans. The tune, done at a faster clip, was the official clan march of the O'Donovans, and it has survived in the United States as a fiddle tune..
BALINDERRY-This love song should be sung with a "cronan," a type of harmony in which one group sings the same simple phrase over and over while another group does the melody. It will sound better if you join in on the part played here by the guitar, and sing the same words- "Och, hone, och, hone"-repeatedly. "Och hone," means "Oh, alas!" or words to that effect. The song was collected by Bunting in the 1790's. THE SHEPHERD'S LAMB-Another love song, combined with wishful thinking of a practical nature. The chorus may be translated as "And oh, I hail thee, I hail thee./ And the love of my heart without deceit thou art;/ And oh, I hail thee, and I hail thee,/ Thou art the fair pet of thy mother." FATHER O'FLYNN-Although the melody is an old pipe and fiddle tune. known as "The Top of Cork Road," the words were written by Albert Percival Graves, and have apparently never entered the oral folk tradition. Several settings of words have been done to this fine tune, but "Father O'Flynn" is by far the best known.
THE FAMINE SONG-The potato, or "pratie," became the mainstay of Irish poor folks immediately upon its introduction from the New World. A series of potato blights beginning in 1817 culminated in the terrible famine of the 1840's, during which hunger and disease killed nearly two million Irishmen. Emigration to America had begun some years before, but it now swelled to a great tide, which was to continue for a long time; between 1820 and 1910, well over four million people came here from Ireland. Folk songs developed at both ends of the emigrants' trail, and this one reflects the despair of the starving folk in the old country.
SHE SAID THE SAME TO ME-Here is a sad little fragment of a song. We may comfort ourselves by imagining that the story had a happy ending, and that the sad lady's lover followed a custom of the times, and had her brought across the sea to him as soon as he had saved her passage money..
PADDY ON THE RAILWAY-It was mainly Irish labor that built the railroads of America. The work was hard and the pay was low-but that couldn't stop an Irishman's singing! "Paddy" is sung to many tunes, and probably dates back to the early days of the great migration during the vears of the Hunger.
NO IRISH NEED APPLY-Today we appreciate the tremendous part played by the Irish in developing our country, but in the 1850's there were too many Irishmen concentrated in too few places, and many a man. seeking employment found his way blocked by the hated notice on the factory gates-"No Irish Need Apply." Several resentful songs arose about this situation. This one was found by Pete Seeger in a book dated 1865; a number of other versions are known, the most famous one appearing in Wehman's Irish Song Book in 1887.
DRILL, YE TARRIERS, DRILL-Tarriers were laborers who first drilled holes in the rock for the insertion of explosives, then cleared away the rubble after the blast. The word was hard and dangerous, and, as the song tells us, the workers were not always treated fairly. Authorship of this song is variously ascribed to Thomas Casey, Frank Harding, and others. It probably appeared in the Midwest sometime in the '80's, and, whoever wrote it, it has become firmly established in the folk tradition. CLANCY'S WOODEN WEDDING-This is not a folk song, but is included here to illustrate an outgrowth of the popular interest in Irish song. Irish characters were seen on the American stage as early as 1767, and before very long there had developed a stereotyped stock character- the irrepressible, blarney-speaking Paddy, loving equally well the colleens, the potheen, and a good rousing fight. Stereotypes such as these have brought much real misery to minority groups, and are usually better forgotten; but the Irishman is so securely established as a part of American life that such mistaken categorization can no longer harm him. This song is typical of those sung by the stage "Oirishmen" from the Civil War to the death of Vaudeville. Sam Hinton
Traditionally, these folk songs have been sung without accompaniment. (The great harpers and bards of olden times were accompanied by the harp, of course, but their songs were not folk songs.) My use of the guitar is not, therefore, in keeping with the Irish folk tradition. In fact, it should be under- stood that there is nothing really Irish about this recording except the songs themselves; I was brought up in an American way of singing and playing, and these songs are translated into that manner. But I have tried to seek out and preserve the spirit that gave rise to the songs, and if I cannot sing as a member of the group that made them, I hope I can sing as an admiring and sympathetic outsider.
THE WREN SONG-One of the most satisfying aspects of the study of folk music is the frequent feeling of identification with the past. Children today like to sing "Let's hunt for the wren, said Robbin the Bobbin." and when they do so, they are playing a part in a tradition that extends unbroken from prehistoric times-a tradition that goes, back to man's early attempts to cope with nature by participating in its magic. The wren, in nearly every part of Europe, has long been considered as the King of Birds, and may not be killed without terrible risk of supernatural retribution. In common with peoples all over the world, however, the early Europeans believed that the ritualized killing of a worshipful animal, under the appropriate ceremonial conditions, was a proper religious action. Today no wren is used at all, but boys pretend to have one fastened to the end of a pole, or woven into a basket, and they parade with it from house to house on the 26th of December, collecting gifts at every stop. They usually announce their coming with some song such as this one.
WE HAVE BROUGHT THE SUMMER IN-The ceremony of "bringing in the summer" is another ancient one, which survives in this country, although feebly, as May Day. (The old-time May Day, with Maypoles and flower baskets-not the more recent international Labor Day.) May Day ceremonies have persisted in Britain right up to the present, in which Death was banished as the Summer was brought in. Most of these rituals centered around plants, but this particular song indicates a relation to the practice of worshiping a useful animal. The song itself comes from the little islands off the Irish coast, where the herring is indeed a useful creature.
THE FOX'S CONVERSATION-The fox gets a chance to talk back to her detractors in the second stanza of this song, and piously tries to justify her notorious barnyard activities .. The chorus, often sung or played separately under the title "The Fox Hunter's Jig." consists of non- sense syllables arranged in the form of "lilting," or "mouth music." This style of singing was developed as a substitute for the pipes or the fiddle. and many a country dance in various parts of the British Isles has been thoroughly enjoyed with no other accompaniment.
AN MAIDRIN RUAD (The Little Red Fox)-While foxes are supposed. to be sly and completely untrustworthy, their escapades are frequently viewed with an amused, somewhat admiring, tolerance. The fox in this song has stolen a fine, fat goose, and has the effrontery to invite the robbed farmer to join him in eating it. The chorus here is much like the "mouth music" in the preceding song, except that the words are not without meaning, being Gaelic for "the little red fox."
RINNCE PILIB AN CHEOIL (The Dancing of Phillip of the Music)- Known from various parts of Ireland, this song has usually been sung by children. The English words in this version are a paraphrase of the Gaelic words, which were translated for me by Dr. Colm Hough (pro- nounced O'Heocha) when he was a student in California. Colm also instructed me in the pronunciation of the Gaelic; this was several years ago, and Colm has long since returned to Ireland, and if my pronuncia- tion is not right, please blame my fallible memory rather than Colm's LILLIBURLERO-The tune to "Lilliburlero" is said to have been written by Henry Purcell as a harpsichord piece; the words came a little later, and are attributed to Lord Wharton. The song is a militant and sarcastic bit of Protestant political commentary. The Protestants had gained a lot of political power in Ireland, and no Catholic was allowed to hold any public office. James II, however, believed it politically expedient to turn some local control over to the Catholics; accordingly, Colonel Richard Talbot, a Catholic, was made Earl of Tyrconnel, and sent to Ireland to carry out King James' policies. English and Irish Protestants were outraged, and the song is an expression of their attitude; "Lilliburlero" may be credited with having played a substantial part in keeping alive their resentment and spirit of resistance.
THE OLD MAN ROCKIN' THE CRADLE-Baby-sitting was a problem 150 years ago, and the lady in this song solved it in an efficient, if some- what immoral, fashion... One of the most interesting things about this street song is that it gave rise to the famous American cowboy song. "Whoopee Ti Yi Yo. Git Along Little Dogies." I learned it from the singing of Robin Roberts.
ARTHUR MCBRIDE-This song goes back to the times when English recruiters were trying hard to persuade Irishmen to enlist in the army and fight against Napoleon. One technique was to offer the prospect a drink, or a gift of a little money; if he accepted, this put him in debt to the Crown, and his debt had to be worked off in military service. Catholic Irishmen wanted no part of the war against Bonaparte, whom they expected to help free them from English rule. The phrase in the last verse- "We rifled his pou" "-means "We robbed his pack." HE SMASHING OF THE VAN-Even after emigrating from the home country, or after being banished, Irishmen did not forget their feeling. about the sad lot of Ireland. One of the most active of the resistance groups, the Fenian Brotherhood, was begun in America in 1857. Ten years later, in 1867, a Fenian uprising was planned in Manchester, England. The planning was not carefully carried out, and the uprising was a complete failure; the two leaders, Kelley and Deasy, were captured by the British. Shortly after, they were rescued in a daring attack upon the prison van-unfortunately, a policeman was accidentally killed in the rescue, and the three rescuers-Allen, Larkin, and O'Brien-were captured and hanged. Their last words were "God Save Ireland!", and, as the Manchester Martyrs, their names lived long among the Fenians and other resistance groups. This song, and the better known "God Save Ireland" (the latter sung to the tune "Tramp, Tramp, Tramp") were very widely sung for over fifty years.
CRUISKEEN LAWN (The Full Little Flask)-Like its American counter- part, "The Little Brown Jug," this song pays homage to the very container that holds the beloved brew... One version of the "Cruiskeen Lawn" appears in Charles Coffey's opera "The Beggar's Wedding," (an Irish emulation of the popular "Beggar's Opera"), which was first performed in 1728.
THE REAL OLD MOUNTAIN DEW-Here is another song in praise of the good potheen. The word "gaugers" in the first verse refers to the excise tax inspectors, comparable to our own Internal Revenue Officers. Except for its title and general philosophy, this song does not appear to be related to the American song of the same name.
THE SON OF A GAMBOLIER-One of the best known of the Irish drinking songs, this one has been a favorite in America for several generations-particularly at Georgia Tech, where the words have been adapted to the local college scene.
THE EAGLE'S WHISTLE-This lullaby is supposed to be sung by a mother eagle to her babies. I haven't tried it on baby eagles, but I can attest that it's a good sleepy song for baby humans. The tune, done at a faster clip, was the official clan march of the O'Donovans, and it has survived in the United States as a fiddle tune..
BALINDERRY-This love song should be sung with a "cronan," a type of harmony in which one group sings the same simple phrase over and over while another group does the melody. It will sound better if you join in on the part played here by the guitar, and sing the same words- "Och, hone, och, hone"-repeatedly. "Och hone," means "Oh, alas!" or words to that effect. The song was collected by Bunting in the 1790's. THE SHEPHERD'S LAMB-Another love song, combined with wishful thinking of a practical nature. The chorus may be translated as "And oh, I hail thee, I hail thee./ And the love of my heart without deceit thou art;/ And oh, I hail thee, and I hail thee,/ Thou art the fair pet of thy mother." FATHER O'FLYNN-Although the melody is an old pipe and fiddle tune. known as "The Top of Cork Road," the words were written by Albert Percival Graves, and have apparently never entered the oral folk tradition. Several settings of words have been done to this fine tune, but "Father O'Flynn" is by far the best known.
THE FAMINE SONG-The potato, or "pratie," became the mainstay of Irish poor folks immediately upon its introduction from the New World. A series of potato blights beginning in 1817 culminated in the terrible famine of the 1840's, during which hunger and disease killed nearly two million Irishmen. Emigration to America had begun some years before, but it now swelled to a great tide, which was to continue for a long time; between 1820 and 1910, well over four million people came here from Ireland. Folk songs developed at both ends of the emigrants' trail, and this one reflects the despair of the starving folk in the old country.
SHE SAID THE SAME TO ME-Here is a sad little fragment of a song. We may comfort ourselves by imagining that the story had a happy ending, and that the sad lady's lover followed a custom of the times, and had her brought across the sea to him as soon as he had saved her passage money..
PADDY ON THE RAILWAY-It was mainly Irish labor that built the railroads of America. The work was hard and the pay was low-but that couldn't stop an Irishman's singing! "Paddy" is sung to many tunes, and probably dates back to the early days of the great migration during the vears of the Hunger.
NO IRISH NEED APPLY-Today we appreciate the tremendous part played by the Irish in developing our country, but in the 1850's there were too many Irishmen concentrated in too few places, and many a man. seeking employment found his way blocked by the hated notice on the factory gates-"No Irish Need Apply." Several resentful songs arose about this situation. This one was found by Pete Seeger in a book dated 1865; a number of other versions are known, the most famous one appearing in Wehman's Irish Song Book in 1887.
DRILL, YE TARRIERS, DRILL-Tarriers were laborers who first drilled holes in the rock for the insertion of explosives, then cleared away the rubble after the blast. The word was hard and dangerous, and, as the song tells us, the workers were not always treated fairly. Authorship of this song is variously ascribed to Thomas Casey, Frank Harding, and others. It probably appeared in the Midwest sometime in the '80's, and, whoever wrote it, it has become firmly established in the folk tradition. CLANCY'S WOODEN WEDDING-This is not a folk song, but is included here to illustrate an outgrowth of the popular interest in Irish song. Irish characters were seen on the American stage as early as 1767, and before very long there had developed a stereotyped stock character- the irrepressible, blarney-speaking Paddy, loving equally well the colleens, the potheen, and a good rousing fight. Stereotypes such as these have brought much real misery to minority groups, and are usually better forgotten; but the Irishman is so securely established as a part of American life that such mistaken categorization can no longer harm him. This song is typical of those sung by the stage "Oirishmen" from the Civil War to the death of Vaudeville. Sam Hinton
