Lyr Add: Real old Mountain Dew

Subject: Lyr Add: THE REAL OLD MOUNTAIN DEW
From: McGrath of Harlow
Date: 13 Jun 00 - 07:44 PM

This song came up in the course of another thread (O Canada - Song Challenge) So far as I can see, it's not in the DT, which is odd for one of the most commonly sung Irish songs. Maybe some shyster has claimed copyright in it - which as the note at the end indicates, that wouldn't carry much weight,

(There is an American version with some lines in common: REAL OLD MOUNTAIN DEW in the DT, but it's a very different song):

THE REAL OLD MOUNTAIN DEW

Let grasses grow and the waters flow
in the free and easy way,
but give me enough of the rare old stuff
that's made near Galway Bay.
The gaugers all, from Donegal,
Sligo and Leitrim too,
Oh we'll give them the slip,
and we'll take a little sip
of the real old mountain dew.
Hi the skiddley-al-the dall
dal the skiddley al-the dee,
dal the dal dal skiddley al the dee,
Hi the skiddley al the dal,
dal mthe skiddley al the dee,
dal the dal dal skiddley al the dee.

At the foot of the hill
there's a neat little still
where the smoke curls up til the sky,
by the whiff of the smell,
you can plainly tell
that there's poitín, boys, close by.
For it fills the air with a perfume rare,
and between both me and you,
as home be go, we will take a litttle bowl,
or a bucket of the mountain dew.
Hi the skiddley-al-the dall
dal the skiddley al-the dee,
dal the dal dal skiddley al the dee,
Hi the skiddley al the dal,
dal mthe skiddley al the dee,
dal the dal dal skiddley al the dee.

Now learned men who use the pen
have writ the praises high
of the sweet poitin from Ireland green,
distilled from wheat and rye.
Sure away with your pills,
it will cure all ills,
be ye Pagan, Christian or Jew,
so take off your coat, and grease your throat
with the real old mountain dew.
Hi the skiddley-al-the dall
dal the skiddley al-the dee,
dal the dal dal skiddley al the dee,
Hi the skiddley al the dal,
dal mthe skiddley al the dee,
dal the dal dal skiddley al the dee.
^^

The chorus varies - everyone seems to do the lilt a bit different (skiddery al, or dithery dal, or skiddley al etc.

And in Colm O Lochlann's Irish Street Ballads (1938) he writes in the notes: "I first heard this song at a meeting of newly released political prisoners in December 1916. I am told it was written by Phil O Neill of Kinsale."

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Real old Mountain Dew
From: GUEST,Bruce O.
Date: 13 Jun 00 - 07:54 PM

Levy sheet music collection, Box 72, item 68. Words by Edward Harrigan (1882)

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Real old Mountain Dew
From: McGrath of Harlow
Date: 13 Jun 00 - 08:10 PM

Well, that should definitely mean it's public domain...

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Real old Mountain Dew
From: GUEST,GMT (at work)
Date: 14 Jun 00 - 04:17 AM

Soodlum gives it as written by Samuel Lover (1797 - 1869) the son of a stockbroker.

Cheers Gary

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Real old Mountain Dew
From: The Walrus at work
Date: 14 Jun 00 - 08:35 AM

I've heard a slightly different first verse, instead of:-

...The gaugers all, from Donegal, Sligo and Leitrim too, Oh we'll give them the slip, and we'll take a little sip of the real old mountain dew....

I've heard:-

...The gaugers all, from Donegal, Sligo and Leitrim too, May they rot in Hell, May they never get a smell of the real old mountain dew....

Perhaps the singer of my version had had a run in with Customs?

Regards

Walrus

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Real old Mountain Dew
From: McGrath of Harlow
Date: 14 Jun 00 - 06:32 PM

I've heard say that modern technology is changing how it's done. You use a freezer instead of a still, to freeze out the water from a tray of liquor, and leave the alcohol. I can't imagine it'd taste right though. Though the taste has never been the prime concern in making moonshine

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Real old Mountain Dew
From: Q (Frank Staplin)
Date: 13 Oct 03 - 06:34 PM

A friend was looking for the composers of this song today (Canadian Thanksgiving). "The Mountain Dew," music by Dave Braham, lyrics by Ed. Harrigan, from the Irish drama, "The Blackbird," 1882, Pond and Co. NY and Chicago. In Levy.

God mountain dew is carefully distilled nectar, a pleasure to sip.
True story. When I was a child during the dry days before repeal, we had a judge in our district who would find a reason to dismiss the charges or throw the case out if the quality was high. Only the careless maker was fined.

We are drinking Highland Park malt today, but we wouldn't refuse quality mountain dew, which is clear as crystal and pleasant on the tongue. Haven't had any since the time I was living near the Piney Woods of NE Texas.

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Real old Mountain Dew
From: Rapparee
Date: 13 Oct 03 - 10:55 PM

One of these days when I get some time, I'm going to try to make it using a solar still.

Should work -- I'll use cheap wine for the try, though.

No more smoke going up to the sky!

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Real old Mountain Dew
From: GUEST,.gargoyle
Date: 13 Oct 03 - 10:59 PM

While solar might be effective....it is ALL in the mash.

Sincerely,

Gargoyle

Go to the ex-pats sites in the middle-east for some wonderfu threads on the subject.

Subject: Lyr Add: THE MOUNTAIN DEW
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 14 Jul 09 - 06:58 PM

From Wehman Bros.' Pocket-Size Irish Song Book, No. 2 [no author or editor named] (New York: Wehman Bros., 1909):


THE MOUNTAIN DEW.

Let grasses grow and water flow in a free and easy way.
Give me enough of the prime old stuff that's made in Granua;
Ye gangers all from Donegal, Galway and Leitrim, too,
We'll give ye the slip and take a sip of the rale ould mountain dew.

Under the hill there's a little still where the smoke rolls up to the sky,
Ye'd aisy tell by a whiff of a smell there's whiskey, boys, close by;
It fills the air with perfumes rare, and, between both me and you,
When home you roll, come take a bowl of the rale ould mountain dew.

All learned men who use the pen have wrote the praises high.
Of the sweet potheen from Ireland green, distilled from the wheat and rye;
Away with pills—'twill cure the ills of Pagan, Christian and Jew,
Off wid your coat and wet your throat wid the rale ould mountain dew.

Subject: Lyr. Add: The Mountain Dew (Harrigan Braham)
From: Q (Frank Staplin)
Date: 14 Jul 09 - 08:08 PM

Lyrics in Mudcat attributed to Harrigan (DT, McGrath post) differ in part from the published sheet music. Words are changed in Wehman 1909 and dialect is added; gangers rather than guagers, Leitrim rather than Wexford, auld not old, Off wid your coat instead of Then off with coat, etc.

Lyr. Add: THE MOUNTAIN DEW
E. Harrigan, Music D. Braham, 1882

1
Let grasses grow and water flow
In a free and easy way,
Give me enough of the prime old stuff
That's made in Granua;
Ye guagers all from Donegal,
Galway and Wexford, too,
When home you roll, come take a bowl
of the rale old mountain dew.
2
On ev'ry hill there's a little still,
Where the smoke curls up to the sky,
You could *ala--y tell by a whiff of the smell
There's whiskey, boys, close by;
It fills the air with perfume rare,
And 'twixt me and you,
When home you roll, come take a bowl
of the rale old mountain dew.
3
All learned men, who use the pen,
They wrote your praise up high,
My sweet poteen from old Erin green,
Distill'd from wheat and rye;
Away with pills, 'twill cure the ills
Of Pagan, Christian or Jew,
Then off with coat, and wet your throat
with the rale old mountain dew.

*always?
No chorus printed.
Wm. A. Pond & Co., 1882. As sung by Edward Harrigan in the Irish Drama, "The Blackbird."
Dedicated to Wm. Nolan, Reading, PA

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Real old Mountain Dew
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 14 Jul 09 - 10:52 PM

Q: Your mystery word in verse 2 is "aisy"—a dialect spelling of "easy."

Subject: Lyr Add: THE MOUNTAIN DEW (Samuel Lover)
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 14 Jul 09 - 11:16 PM

The one by Samuel Lover is a different kind of song. Sometimes "dew" really means "dew."

From Songs and ballads by Samuel Lover, 2nd edition (London: Chapman and Hall, 1844):


THE MOUNTAIN DEW.
Samuel Lover

By yon mountain tipp'd with cloud,
By the torrent foaming loud,
By the dingle where the purple bells of heather grew,
Where the Alpine flow'rs are hid,
And where bounds the nimble kid,
There we've wander'd both together through the mountain dew.
With what delight in summer's night we trod the twilight gloom,
The air so full of fragrance from the flow'rs so full of bloom,
And our hearts so full of joy—for aught else there was no room,
As we wander'd both together through the mountain dew.

Those sparkling gems that rest
On the mountain's flow'ry breast,
Are like the joys we number—they are bright and few,
For a while to earth are given,
And are called again to heaven,
When the spirit of the morning steals the mountain dew.
But memory, angelic, makes a heaven on earth for men,
Her rosy light recalleth bright the dew-drops back again;
The warmth of love exhales them from that well-remember'd glen
Where we wander'd both together through the mountain dew.

Subject: Lyr Add: MOUNTAIN DEW (Charles Mackay)
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 14 Jul 09 - 11:29 PM

From The Hope of the World, and Other Poems by Charles Mackay (London: Richard Bentley, 1840):


MOUNTAIN DEW.
Charles Mackay

Away with your port, your champagne and your sherry,
And fill up with toddy as high as you please;
We men of the northland should know ourselves better
Than pledge her in liquors so foreign as these!
In whisky that reeks of the peat and the heather,
We'll drink to the land of the brave and the true;—
Unsullied in honour,
Our blessings upon her!
Scotland for ever, and old Mountain Dew!

Mountain dew! clear as a Scot's understanding,
Pure as his conscience wherever he goes,
Warm as his heart to the friend he has chosen,
Strong as his arm when he fights with his foes!
In liquor like this should old Scotland be toasted;
So fill up again, and the pledge we'll renew.
Long flourish the honour
Her children have won her;
Scotland for ever, and old Mountain Dew!

May her worth, like her lowland streams, roll on unceasing;
Her fame, like her highland hills, last evermore;
May the cold of her glens he confined to the climate,
Nor enter the heart, tho' it creep through the door;
And never may we while we love and revere her,
As long as we're brave, and warm-hearted and true,
Want reason to boast her,
Or whisky to toast her;
Scotland for ever, and old Mountain Dew!

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Real old Mountain Dew
From: Q (Frank Staplin)
Date: 15 Jul 09 - 12:13 AM

I'll drink to that!

aisy- the sheet music wasn't too clear (not like good mountain dew)- and the word looked like ala -- y. Thanks for the clarification.

That wasn't the only poem by Charles Mackay that extolled the bottle. No teetotaler he!
I think I'll post his "Give, oh give me, Clos Vougeot!"

There are others, I am tempted to start a thread. He wrote many "Songs for Music."

My copy of his works differs in the text of "Mountain Dew."
The first verse is omitted and in the last two lines, liquor is substituted for whisky.- Hmmm, revisions by an editor? I'll have to do some checking.