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ADD: Charladies' Ball
Related threads:
Lyr Req: Garbage Picker's Ball? (9)
Chords: The Cha Ladies Ball? / Charladies' Ball (18)
Lyr Req: Charladies' Ball (2) (closed)
In Mudcat MIDIs:
The Charladies' Ball [Harry O'Donovan]
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Subject: Lyrics: Char ladies' fancy dress ball From: bassen Date: 10 Sep 98 - 06:10 PM I heard a song in a pub i Doolin, Ireland in 1976. I can only remember the chorus and little bits of the rest. Anyone who can help me out with this? There was wine, porter and lemonade Whisky and cocktails and all There was rumbas and tangoes Half steps and fandangoes The night that we danced At the char ladies' ball.
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Subject: RE: Lyrics: Char ladies' fancy dress ball From: Ewan McV Date: 10 Sep 98 - 06:57 PM Dominic Behan recorded the following part of the song on an EP record in about 1962. At the charladies ball people said one and all "You're the belle of the ball, Mrs Mulligan" We had one steps and two steps, and the devil knows what new steps We swore we would never be dull again We had wine, porter and lemonade We cocktails and cocoa and all We had champagne that night, and we'd real pains next morning The night that we danced at the charladies ball
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Subject: RE: Lyrics: Char ladies' fancy dress ball From: bassen Date: 10 Sep 98 - 07:14 PM Thanks Ewan. There must be more out there tho. I remember through a dim haze (6 pints of porter can do that) lines like There were cowboys and indians came from Drumcondra, Francis Street marys all diamonds and gold or somesuch. |
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Subject: Lyr Add: THE CHARLADIES' BALL (O'Donovan/Brennan) From: Liam's Brother Date: 10 Sep 98 - 08:20 PM HE CHARLADIES' BALL (O'Donovan/Brennan) You may talk of your outings, your picnics and parties, Your dinners and dances and hoolies and all But wait till I tell you of the gas we had on The night that we went to the Charladies' Ball. I went there as Queen Anne and I went with my man. He was dressed as a monkey locked up in a cage. There were pirets and pirots and Hottentots and whatnots And stars that you'd see on the music hall stage.
CHORUS:
There were cowboys and Indians that came from Drumcondra,
SECOND CHORUS: At the Charladies' Ball people said one and all,
Mary Ellen O'Rourke was the Queen of the Dawn.
THIRD CHORUS (same as before but with these last 2 lines): From the book, "Songs of Dublin" Edited by Frank Harte. Ossian OMB 74. Frank says it was made famous by Jimmy O'Dea and written for the stage by Harry O'Donovan. If you like this kind of stuff, try to get hold of Frank's tape "Daybreak and a Candle-end" Faetain SPIN 995. It is extremely good. House of Musical Traditions might have it. Dominic Behan recorded Charladies' Ball for Selection Records in England in 1958. Folk-Lyric (Baton Rouge, LA)put it on an lp in the early '60s. |
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Subject: RE: Lyrics: Char ladies' fancy dress ball From: Joe Offer Date: 10 Sep 98 - 08:47 PM this kind of reminds me of KELLIGREWS SOIREE. I didn't check it closely to see if it scans perfectly, but could it be that they have the same tune? -Joe Offer- |
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Subject: RE: Lyrics: Char ladies' fancy dress ball From: Ewan McV Date: 11 Sep 98 - 03:06 PM I know what you mean, Joe, but the tunes are very different (at least, on first sight). Killigrew's Soiree is 4/4 with a 'scots snap' or 2/4 with a bounce, depending on how you view it. Charladies Ball is a swinging (or swingeing)Viennese waltz. If you start to think about the way the notes move, and the phrases, they begin to seem rather more similar, but probably because they both come out of a tight music hall style than because one is a rewrite with tempo change. |
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Subject: Tune Add: THE CHARLADIES' BALL (O'Donovan/Brennan) From: Joe Offer Date: 11 Sep 98 - 04:13 PM MIDI file: CHARLA~1.MID Timebase: 192 Name: The Charladies' Ball This program is worth the effort of learning it. To download the March 10 MIDItext 98 software and get instructions on how to use it click here ABC format: X:1
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Subject: Lyr Add: THE CHARLADIES' BALL (O'Donovan/Brennan) From: Joe Offer Date: 11 Sep 98 - 04:32 PM Liam's Brother, I hope you don't mind. I reformatted your lyrics and added a few missing words. -Joe Offer- THE CHARLADIES' BALL (Harry O'Donovan) You may talk of your outings, your picnics and parties, Your dinners and dances and hoolies and all But wait till I tell you of the gas that we had On the night that we went to the Charladies' Ball. I went there as Queen Anne and I went with my man. He was dressed as a monkey locked up in a cage. There was pirets and pirots and Hottentots and whatnots And stars that you'd see on the music hall stage. CHORUS At the Charladies' Ball people said one and all, "You're the belle of the ball, Mrs. Mulligan." We had one-steps and two-steps and the divil knows what new steps. We swore that we never would be dull again, be dad. We had wine, porter and lemonade. We had cocktails and cocoa and all. We had champagne that night but we had real pains next morning, The night we danced at the Charladies' Ball. There was cowboys and Indians that came from Drumcondra, Sweet Francis Street fairies all diamonds and stars. There was one of the Rooneys as the clock over Mooney's And a telegram boy as a message from Mars. Mary Moore from the Lots was the Queen of the Scots With a crown out of Woolworth’s perched up on her dome. There was young Jemmy Whitehouse came dressed as a light-house And a Camden Street Garbo that should have stayed home. SECOND CHORUS At the Charladies' Ball people said one and all, "You're the belle of the ball, Mrs. Mulligan." We had one-steps and two-steps and the divil knows what new steps. We swore that we never would be dull again, be dad. We had wine, porter and Jameson, We had cocktails and cocoa and all. We had rumbos and tangos, half-sets and fandangos, The night that we danced at the Charladies' Ball. Mary Ellen O'Rourke was the Queen of the Dawn. By one-thirty she looked like a real dirty night. Mick Farren, the bester, came dressed as a jester. He burst his balloon and dropped dead with the fright. Kevin Barr came as Bovril, "Stops that sinking feeling" Astride of a bottle, pyjamas and all. But he bumped into Faust, who was gloriously soused And the two of them were sunk at the end of the hall. THIRD CHORUS (same as before but with these last 2 lines): We'd a real stand-up fight but we fell down to supper The night that we danced at the Charladies' Ball. (From Songs of Dublin, edited by Frank Harte (1978, 1993, Ossian) (pp. 88-90): this song was made famous by Jimmy O’Dea and written by Harry O’Donovan. The song was written for performing on stage, but it has so much that is Dublin in it, that it has been accepted by the tradition.) Frank Harte recording: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r4xK2uZoHa8 I couldn't find a listing for this song in either the Traditional Ballad Index or the Roud Index. |
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Subject: RE: Lyrics: Char ladies' fancy dress ball From: Liam's Brother Date: 11 Sep 98 - 05:39 PM Dear Joe, Liam's Brother doesn't mind. I have not checked with Liam but, chances are, he doesn't mind either. How did you make it look so neat and normal? All the best. |
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Subject: RE: Lyrics: Char ladies' fancy dress ball From: Jerry Friedman Date: 16 Sep 98 - 11:45 AM Are "pirets and pirots" the charladies' spelling or pronunciation of "Pierrettes and Pierrots"? |
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Subject: RE: Lyrics: Char ladies' fancy dress ball From: Joe Offer Date: 16 Sep 98 - 02:29 PM "Pierrettes and Pierrots"? What are they, Jerry? I gathered they were some sort of fancy French dance step that the charladies were mispronouncing. Did I guess right? -Joe Offer- |
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Subject: RE: Lyrics: Char ladies' fancy dress ball From: Mountain Dog Date: 16 Sep 98 - 04:14 PM Dear Joe Offer,
Had ye attended the Charladies' Ball, would ye have gone as a |
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Subject: RE: Lyrics: Char ladies' fancy dress ball From: Jerry Friedman Date: 16 Sep 98 - 04:59 PM Pierrot and Pierrette were characters in pantomime, a kind of comic fantasy show that was popular in England, especially during the Christmas season. I think it went out of style sometime between the world wars. The other main characters I know of were Harlequin and Columbine. They all had distinctive costumes--I think Pierrot's was black and white, with black and white makeup to make him look like he was crying. Pantomime was based on the Italian commedia dell'arte, via French. I'll bet anyone who knew that fact knew I wouldn't be able to resist passing it on. |
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Subject: RE: Lyrics: Char ladies' fancy dress ball From: Jerry Friedman Date: 16 Sep 98 - 05:23 PM Apparently "panto" still exists. The references I've found mostly assume you know what they're talking about, so I got a little frustrated. |
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Subject: RE: Lyrics: Char ladies' fancy dress ball From: Jerry Friedman Date: 16 Sep 98 - 09:03 PM It still exists, but it doesn't have Pierrot any more--see this history. Here are some |
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Subject: RE: Lyrics: Char ladies' fancy dress ball From: Jerry Friedman Date: 16 Sep 98 - 09:06 PM No, THESE pictures of Pierrot. |
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Subject: RE: Lyrics: Char ladies' fancy dress ball From: Joe Offer Date: 17 Sep 98 - 01:11 AM I guess I guessed wrong, huh? Methinks the charladies weren't as unsophisticated as they want us to think they are.... -Joe Offer- Oh, I know! It was "pirouette" I was thinking of....but then, you knew I knew. But now, I know more. |
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Subject: RE: Lyrics: Char ladies' fancy dress ball From: Martin Ryan Date: 17 Sep 98 - 06:15 AM Jerry I'm sure you're right. Harry O'Donovan, who wrote the song, would have been thinking of pantomime - he and Jimmy O'Dea (for whom Biddy Mulligan was also written) were involved with the Theatre Royal in Dublin for many years. Panto would have been part of the staple diet.
Regards |
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Subject: RE: Lyrics: Char ladies' fancy dress ball From: D_hand@hotmail.com Date: 21 Jan 99 - 11:36 AM Another song that Jimmy O'Dea sang was 'Half-a-Crown' anyone heard it? I brought Miss Linda Lee To see a fancy ball The ticket I bought was two and six pence I thought that was all But when she asked for supper You might have knocked me down For all the money i had in the world Was only a half-a-crown. |
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Subject: RE: Lyrics: Char ladies' fancy dress ball From: Steve Parkes Date: 21 Jan 99 - 12:36 PM Whaddya mean Jerry apparently Panto stilll exists? It lives and thrives over here, and long it may continue. This is stil the panto season, so get over here and get some in! Pierrot was a character in the Comedia dell'Arte, desperately in love with Columbine; The English Pierrot and Pierrette were chorus members in the frightfully English End of the Pier Show, without which no seaside pier would have been complete before WWII. Steve |
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Subject: Charladies' Ball From: Ed & Robin Date: 11 Sep 99 - 08:56 PM Trying to fill in a few missing words to the "Charladies' Ball". Any help on lyrics would be appreciated! |
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Subject: RE: Charladies' Ball From: RiGGy Date: 11 Sep 99 - 09:35 PM This Michael Black's [Shay & Mary's brother] party piece. I e-mailed him the post & invited him in to chat with the neighbors. RiGGy |
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Subject: Lyr Add: THE CHARLADIES' BALL (O'Donovan/Brennan) From: Big Mick Date: 11 Sep 99 - 09:47 PM Here you go. The Charladies Ball You may talk of you outing, your picnics and parties, You dinners, your dances, and hoolies and all But wait 'till I tell you of the gas that we had, On the night that we danced at the Charladies Ball. I went there as Queen Anne and I went with me man He was dressed as a monkey locked up in a cage There was pirates and pirots and hottentots and whatnots And stars you might see on the music hall stage CHORUS: At the charladies ball, people said one and all, You're the belle of the ball, Mrs. Mulligan We had one steps and two steps and the devil knows what new steps we swore that we never would be done again, bedad We had wine, Porter and Jamesons, We had cocktails and cocoa and all We had champagne that night but we'd real pain next morning The night that we danced at the Charladies Ball There was cowboys and Indians,that came from Drumcondra, Sweet Frances street fairies all diamond and stars There was one of the Rooneys as a clock over Mooneys And a telegram boy with a message from Mars Mary Moore from the Lots was the Queen of the Scots With a crown out of Woolworths perched up on her dom There was young Jimmy Whitehouse came dressed as a lighthouse And a Camden St. Garbo that should have stayed home. CHORUS At the charladies ball, people said one and all, You're the belle of the ball, Mrs. Mulligan We had one steps and two steps and the devil knows what new steps we swore that we never would be done again, bedad We had wine, Porter and Jamesons, We had cocktails and cocoa and all We had rumbas and tagos, half sets and fandangos, the night that we danced at the Charladies Ball Mary Ellen O'Rourke was the Queen of the dawn, by one thirty she looked like a real dirty night Mickey Farren the bester came dressed as a jester, he burst his balloon and dropped dead at the fright Kevin Barr came as Bovril stops that sinking feeling, Astride of a bottle, pyjamas and all, But he bumped into Faust, who was gloriously soused and the two of them sunk to the end of the hall. CHORUS: At the charladies ball, people said one and all, You're the belle of the ball, Mrs. Mulligan We had one steps and two steps and the devil knows what new steps we swore that we never would be done again, bedad We had wine, Porter and Jamesons, We had cocktails and cocoa and all We'd a real standup fight, but we fell down to supper, The night that we danced at the Charladies Ball. |
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Subject: RE: Charladies' Ball From: lamarca Date: 11 Sep 99 - 11:07 PM This is sung by Frank Harte on his album "Daybreak and a Candle End", and the lyrics are in his book "Songs of Dublin"(1978 Gilbert Dalton, pub). He says "A song made famous by Jimmy O'Dea and written by Harry O'Donovan. The song was written for performing on the stage but it has so much that is Dublin in it that it has been accepted by the tradition." He has a couple differences from Mick's lyrics: "There were pirets and pirots" (Pierrettes and Pierottes, referring to the French puppets); "There were rumbas and tangos" (probably just a typo); The first chorus substitutes "lemonade" for "Jamesons"; after that they get into the hard stuff... Frank has been a wonderful collector and source of songs for people all over! I'm still stealing songs off his recordings, including this one, (although he's perfectly generous about teaching them and giving them away). He performed at the Washington Irish Festival last year and got Karan Casey and Mairead Ni ??(from Altan; I can neither spell nor pronounce Gaelic) up on stage with him to perform songs in their repertoires that they learned from him. He finished his set by bringing his 6-8 year-old grand-daughter up on stage to sing "Molly Malone" with him. It was truly wonderful! |
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Subject: RE: Charladies' Ball From: Ed & Robin Date: 12 Sep 99 - 12:46 PM There's a lot to be said about the oral tradition of handing down songs and lyrics from one generation to the next by learning them at grandma's knee... but boy, is the Internet a whole lot faster! Many thanks for the generosity in such complete responses! Is "Bovril" a cure for hangovers or something? I'm lost on that line! Will check into getting a copy of Frank Harte's songbook - we needed another bookcase anyway for our overload of music books. |
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Subject: RE: Charladies' Ball From: Martin Ryan Date: 13 Sep 99 - 10:09 AM Bovril was/is a beef extract taken as a health tonic - long before the days of BSE etc.! The reference is to an old advertising slogan, if I remember rightly. Regards |
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Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Charladies' Ball From: GUEST,Andy Date: 14 Jan 08 - 04:47 PM The Black Family recorded a great rendition of said song, although it could have featured 'Shay' more than Mary! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qZqvHTK7xy8 |
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Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Charladies' Ball From: leeneia Date: 08 Jun 21 - 01:01 AM A couple years ago I got hooked on pantomime, which is a genre I had only heard of in British detective stories. Here's an example: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=usoGRi8mz4s These pantomimes are not silent. Each one is a re-telling of a fairy story or other folktale, with singing, dancing, ridiculous costumes and broad vulgar jokes which go over the heads of the kids but keep the parents from getting bored. The shows are great fun. To my surprise my husband, whose idea of music is Beethoven piano sonatas, and whose idea of a good read is a depressing history book, loved them. |
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Subject: RE: ADD: Charladies' Ball From: GUEST,The big Sauce Date: 28 Jul 21 - 10:42 AM They say "Be god" like "Be god that was good song" its an Irish thing. CHORUS At the charladies ball, people said one and all, You're the belle of the ball, Mrs. Mulligan We had one steps and two steps and the devil knows what new steps we swore that we never would be done again, be god |
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Subject: RE: ADD: Charladies' Ball From: Jeri Date: 28 Jul 21 - 11:24 AM "By God", but we pretty much all knew that. |
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