Origins: I Wish I Was in England (Christy Moore)

Subject: I wish I was in England
From: John O'Keefe
Date: 29 Mar 97 - 10:30 AM

I've been searching for this tune for over a year now. I heard it once, long ago, on a Christy Moore album. It was done about 1972 or 73, I think. The album was called "prosperous". I'm wondering if it is a traditional song, was it written by him, or is it a combination of both? I'm hoping to put it on a CD I'm soon recording, but I don't want any snags with copyrights. Anyone out there have any ideas?

Subject: RE: I wish I was in England
From: Peter
Date: 30 Mar 97 - 01:30 PM

I think you are mistaken about the artist in question, I have heard all of Christy's stuff and there is no such song. Maybe you're thinking of Luke Kelly? They are confused for each other sometimes. You might try to access that possibility. The tune is traditional, though, I've heard it in pubs many times. But I don't know the words. Sorry.

Subject: RE: I wish I was in England
From: Martin Ryan
Date: 03 Apr 97 - 05:49 PM

Sorry Peter - John is right! Christy Moore sang it on his first significant album (he had one before that - in England, I think. My recollectioin is that he wrote it himnself - I'll check the liner notes when I get back home.

Regards

Subject: RE: I wish I was in England
From: Bo Vandenberg
Date: 05 Apr 97 - 04:24 AM

I'm looking at the Notes for "Prosperous" right now. Indeed, song number three is "I Wish I Was In England".

The cd credits Christy with the song. In the notes he says:

"I wish I was in England: I got the idea for this song from an old book of Irish songs which had been poorly translated. I rewrote the song, put a new tune to it and this is the result."

I have no Idea what that means for Copyright but its probably not good. --Bo

Subject: RE: I wish I was in England
From: John O'Keefe
Date: 05 Apr 97 - 01:05 PM

Thank you very much, guys....I was begining to fear my memory was faulty. At least now I know. I'll start checking about for the recording.

Subject: RE: I wish I was in England
From: Bo Vandenberg
Date: 05 Apr 97 - 02:09 PM

Good luck finding the recording. The CD I have is by Tara Music Company ltd. TARA CD 2008 first released in 1972.

Last I heard, (Dec 1995) Tara records was having financial probs or had been bought out or something. Good Luck.

Subject: RE: I wish I was in England
From: Sean Laffey
Date: 26 Apr 97 - 07:33 PM

Hi I work for Irish Music magazine and I will attempt to put youyr question in one of our summer issues. I wish I was in England is on the Christy Moore album Prosperous. I think he got it from Mike Harding in Manchester. Prosperous has recently been re-issued, try Celtic Note, Nassaue St. Dublin for a copy or Topic Records London (they run Direct Distribution).

From memory I don't thik the words are in the Chrsity Moore song Book, check with Joe Loesberg at Living Tradition Book Shop Cork City.

Subject: RE: I wish I was in England
From: Teru
Date: 03 Jan 99 - 10:36 PM

Fortunately enough, I found the lyrics for this song. They are in a small sapplimental booklet to the Japanese edition of PROSPEROUS (originally made by Tara Music Co.) delivered by King International Inc. in 1997. If you still want to get the lyrics, please let me know in this thread.

Regards

Teru

Subject: RE: I wish I was in England
From: mm
Date: 04 Jan 99 - 02:28 PM

There is a song in Irish, Is trua nach bhfuil me i Sasana, which I suppose was the basis for Christy Moore's song.

Prosperous was an album named after the town of Prosperous in Kildare, but I'm not sure if it was Planxty or Moving Hearts or another of Christy Moore's bands.

Subject: RE: I wish I was in England
From:
Date: 04 Jan 99 - 06:56 PM

Here I thought this thread was about Kipling's poem.

Subject: RE: I wish I was in England
From: BAZ
Date: 06 Jan 99 - 05:53 PM

According to the Christy Moore song book He (Christy) says this is one of the first songs I wrote and is based on a fragment of a song I came accross in 1964. If you still need the tune John leave a message.
Regards Baz

Subject: RE: I wish I was in England
From: Reta
Date: 06 Jan 99 - 11:37 PM

I'm really going to push my memory here but I believe the Prosperous recording was the first by the group Planxty. Christy's sister, Anne, and her husband, Davoc lived in the house where the album cover was taken. I recall Anne having to repeat 3 or 4 times the name for me as I had never heard it before. She said it was a new group and her brother, Christy was in it. When I need a record the public library in our town orders it for me. They bought Prosperous about 6 months ago. Some of you may be surprised at what the libraries will do for you. I have ordered all the Loreena McKennitt cd's, and many other traditional music cd's. They are really great at providing what I have requested. I live in a small town now and all the 'townies' wait to see what will come in next. They love it! They order videos too. When I order it's through Rego Irish records. E-mail at [e-mail] or toll free in U.S. 800-338-1757 I hope this will help. They stock a lot of Irish oldies.

Blessings and regards. Reta

Subject: Tune Add: I WISH I WAS IN ENGLAND
From: John in Brisbane
Date: 13 Jan 99 - 12:49 AM

Here's the tune from the CM songbook. It sounds fine but the bar spacing on the score looks a bit odd - I think I've managed to notate it as 4/8 or something. Still learning!

Regards

John

MIDI file: i_wish_i.mid

Timebase: 192

TimeSig: 2/4 24 8
Key: D
Tempo: 140 (428571 microsec/crotchet)
Text: Produced by AbcMus 1.1
Name: I Wish I Was In England
Start
0192 1 59 064 0096 0 59 000 0000 1 61 064 0096 0 61 000 0000 1 62 064 0192 0 62 000 0000 1 62 064 0096 0 62 000 0000 1 62 064 0096 0 62 000 0000 1 61 064 0096 0 61 000 0000 1 59 064 0096 0 59 000 0000 1 57 064 0192 0 57 000 0000 1 59 064 0192 0 59 000 0000 1 59 064 0192 0 59 000 0192 1 59 064 0192 0 59 000 0000 1 62 064 0192 0 62 000 0000 1 62 064 0192 0 62 000 0000 1 64 064 0096 0 64 000 0000 1 62 064 0096 0 62 000 0000 1 64 064 0192 0 64 000 0000 1 66 064 0384 0 66 000 0192 1 66 064 0096 0 66 000 0000 1 66 064 0096 0 66 000 0000 1 71 064 0192 0 71 000 0000 1 71 064 0192 0 71 000 0000 1 69 064 0192 0 69 000 0000 1 66 064 0192 0 66 000 0000 1 64 064 0096 0 64 000 0000 1 66 064 0096 0 66 000 0000 1 64 064 0096 0 64 000 0000 1 62 064 0096 0 62 000 0000 1 59 064 0192 0 59 000 0000 1 59 064 0096 0 59 000 0000 1 61 064 0096 0 61 000 0000 1 62 064 0192 0 62 000 0000 1 62 064 0192 0 62 000 0000 1 64 064 0096 0 64 000 0000 1 62 064 0096 0 62 000 0000 1 64 064 0192 0 64 000 0000 1 66 064 0384 0 66 000 0288 1 66 064 0096 0 66 000 0000 1 71 064 0192 0 71 000 0000 1 71 064 0192 0 71 000 0000 1 69 064 0192 0 69 000 0000 1 66 064 0192 0 66 000 0000 1 64 064 0096 0 64 000 0000 1 66 064 0096 0 66 000 0000 1 64 064 0096 0 64 000 0000 1 62 064 0096 0 62 000 0000 1 59 064 0192 0 59 000 0000 1 59 064 0096 0 59 000 0000 1 61 064 0096 0 61 000 0000 1 62 064 0192 0 62 000 0000 1 62 064 0192 0 62 000 0000 1 61 064 0096 0 61 000 0000 1 59 064 0096 0 59 000 0000 1 57 064 0192 0 57 000 0000 1 59 064 0768 0 59 000
End

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
T:I Wish I Was In England
M:2/4
Q:1/4=140
K:D
B,6C2|D4D2D2|C2B,2A,4|B,4B,4|-B,4B,4|D4D4|
E2D2E4|F8|-F4F2F2|B4B4|A4F4|E2F2E2D2|B,4B,2C2|
D4D4|E2D2E4|F8|-F6F2|B4B4|A4F4|E2F2E2D2|B,4B,2C2|
D4D4|C2B,2A,4|B,8|-B,8||