Thanks for the hints, everybody. I knew I'd seen that song. The song wasn't written by Behan, but I found it in Dominic Behan's songbook, Ireland Sings (1973)

THE SODDING
(Fintan Connolly)

Were yeh ever above on the glasnevin bend
When the wind cut your face and the rain wouldn't end
And the corpses stood up and they gave three hurrahs
For they thought yeh were comin' to join them at last?
I'll tell yeh no lie, tho that cemet'ry sleeps
It always bejazes fills me with the creeps
Especially when up to a sodding I roam
And a voice somewhere whispers "Yer not goin' home.

Then some clergyman kicks up a bloody loud din
When he gets them singin' some mournful ould hymn,
And the silence is shook when he throws a few clods
Of turf on the top of the boxed-in poor sod.
Then out with the hankies and dryin' of eyes,
"I loved him!" "Adored him!" All bloody lies:
They think they'll not quick enough be from the joint
To get to the 'Brian Boru' bar for a pint!

With their small ones and large ones, the greedy oul things,
Some hypocrite says "Now he'd like to sing;
"A man of the world he'd never see wrong
If we cheered ourselves up with a bar of a song."
Then the widow she manfully tales off her cant,
"I'm sure that it's what Johnny would want,
And though she controls every muscle, the bitch,
Her feet below table are starting to twitch.

Well, talk about mourners beginning to sing,
Before long they're prancing and dancing the Fling;
There's a rush to the counter with fivers and pounds,
And Johnny, as usual's, out of the round.
Then some drunk 'round the widow places an arm
Tryin' to console her, and meanin' no harm,
When some narky relation, made brave on the stout,
Into the street he invites the man out!

The widow, she screams — to get into the act-
"For God's sake; For Johnny's sake hold them two back!
"If Johnny could see the disgrace to his name
"The poor man, bejazes, would die of the shame!
If you're thinkin' of dying now take my advice;
If yer thinkin' of dying in Dublin think twice.
Hang on till this crowd gets their call to appear,
Unless yeh want them to make the joke of the year.


Words by, and music adapted by Fintan Connolly
Copyright 1965, Coda Music Incorporated

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Click to play

OK, I know this tune - what's its name?

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So, what's a "sodding"?
-Joe Offer-