Help: Songs by other names

Subject: Songs by other names
From: Mían
Date: 17 Sep 99 - 05:07 PM

Reflecting on how songs wind up with different names. Thinking it would be useful if researchers would note them all, if known, for cross-referencing. And probably the misspelled ones, too.

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I did find the song as "Sí do mhamó í" as you suggested. All the best.

Bob Stourbridge, central England

-----Original Message----- From: Mían Newsgroups: rec.music.celtic Date: 18 August 1999 23:45 Subject: Re: Lyrics request: Cailleach An Airgid

> Robert Egan wrote: >> >> For some time I've been looking for the words >> to the song "Cailleach An Airgid", but so far no joy. >> >Try researching it under the name "Sí do mhamó í" or >"Sí do mhaimeo í". Altan performs it on "Celtic Voices" >collection CD. Also there's a CD with the lyrics written >down: "A Stor 's A Stoirín" by Pádraigín Ní Uallachain & >Garry O'Briain. The latter is on the Gael Linn label. > >-- >Mían >San Francisco

Subject: RE: Help: Songs by other names
From: Liam's Brother
Date: 17 Sep 99 - 05:27 PM

Hi!

I remember Paul Brady singing this song about 1973 at an Irish Arts Center concert in the Bronx. I recall he translated it as being about "the impending marriage between a young man and a much older woman... and that was being kind to the older woman" and the title as being "She Could Be Your Grandmother." Joe Heaney, if I remember correctly, told me it was written about a relative of his.

Many of the great folk song collections do give alternate titles of their contents. The Sam Henry collection, for example, has a truly exhaustive index. I can only add that a translation of any non-English title would also be helpful.

All the best,
Dan Milner

Subject: RE: Help: Songs by other names
From: Susanne (skw)
Date: 17 Sep 99 - 05:48 PM

Sometimes when I only hear a song live and the title isn't mentioned, I make a likely one up to 'place' the song in my own mind. Maybe that happens more often than we think. I have several songs in two or three different (or not so different) versions under two or three different titles on two or three LPs or CDs.
Sometimes maybe people just don't like the original title, or it isn't what they want to get across. I suspect something like this was the reason the Fureys turned No Man's Land into The Green Fiends of France.

Subject: RE: Help: Songs by other names
From: Bugsy
Date: 18 Sep 99 - 02:39 AM

Not only did the Fureys change the title but changed a couple of key words which took some of the power out of the song.

Bugsy