Lyr Add: Foot and Mouth Songs

Subject: Foot and Mouth Songs ^^
From: MartinRyan
Date: 29 Mar 01 - 05:44 AM

Foot and mouth is, of course, no joke. Here are the two songs which appeared in recent threads. I hear rumours of at least one from the 1940's outbreak in Ireland, but haven't found it yet. No sign of one from the current outbreak.

Regards

Here's the two songs about Foot and Mouth that have appeared in recent threads

Song 1: From 1967
Foot and Mouth Disease
(J Burke, Donegal)

Though you may boast of foreign lands, there's trouble everywhere
When you hear the farmers talking at the markets and the fairs
For we must take this warning at home or overseas
If we want to keep our country free from foot and mouth disease

'Tis raging over in England - in most places can be found
And it's bad news for our exiles - 'twill devaluate the pound
Should anyone return home, take all precautions please
To protect your native birthplace from the foot and mouth disease

Our statesmen are all working hard to give them all their dues
Don't enter fair or market till you disinfect your shoes
For if you do you'll break the law, no decent man you'll please
As we fight the epidemic of the foot and mouth disease.

They've had to ban all racing from our sportsmen one and all
And they could make no distinction right from Cork to Donegal
But we cannot grumble when we hear what Mister Wilson says
Of how many beasts they've slaughtered from the foot and mouth disease

Before I do lay down my pen, I'll say these few words more
May the Lord protect our Irish soil and keep it from our shore
Our racehorses too will get a rest and our greyhounds we can't praise
Till we can keep old Ireland free from foot and mouth disease!

The suggested air was "The Bonny Boy".

---

Song 2 : circa 1910? Posted by McGrath of Harlow

Air: The Groves of Blarney

As I walked over to Magheraroarty
On a summer evening not long ago,
I met a maiden most sadly weeping,
Her cheeks downstreaming with the signs of woe.
I asked what ailed her, as sure became me
In manner dacent with never a smile.
She said, I'll tell you, O youthful stranger,
What is my danger at the present time.

On my father's land there are many mansions
With sheep and cattle and pigs go léor,
Until the Saxon came over the border
With detention orders that raked him sore.
His herds they plundered and killed five hundred,
And the rest they sundered, north, east and south,
Saying keep the hides and the woollen fleeces
For the beasts have diseases of the foot and mouth!

With these words deceitful sure he was cheated,
Not a mouth was dropping, not a hoof was sprung,
But the only disease came over from England
The Cloven Hoof and the Dirty Tongue.
Now what can avail me, O youthful stranger
To save the beasts and my father's life,
And my marriage portion that's my only fortune
For the lad that's courting me to be his wife?
^^

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Foot and Mouth Songs
From: MMario
Date: 29 Mar 01 - 08:30 AM

Thanks for extracting them Martin - I'm sure Joe will aprreciate it - easier for him to find and harvest this way.

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Foot and Mouth Songs
From: GUEST
Date: 29 Mar 01 - 10:24 AM

"Cow cow Bogie"?

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Foot and Mouth Songs
From:
Date: 30 Mar 01 - 12:48 AM

oh a great one that I was trying to remember for our cattle/sheep song workshop at SingTime Frolics...

it may or may not be called the Drover's Sweetheart...by Henry Lawson, tune I believe by Priscilla Herdman....

here are some fragments...

....dusty cows..

beneath the ....dome For there was one I loved the best who'd bring the cattle home...

the flood is in the Darling now and footrot in the flock

....he tucked the remnant down

...his luck was always bad instead of making more he lost the money that he had and how he'll manage heaven knows my eyes are growing dim he says he says he don't suppose I'd want to marry him

as if I wouldn't take his hand without the golden glove Oh Jack you men don't understand howmuch a girl can love I long to se e him yet again Jack's dog thank God it's Jack I never thought I'd faint before he's coming down the track...

....

doubles as an absolutely wonderful love song..

mg

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Foot and Mouth Songs
From:
Date: 30 Mar 01 - 01:26 AM

here is the web site that will give the words to the poem..I think some verses are combined in the song to very good effect. mg

http://whitewolf.newcastle.edu.au/words/authors/L/LawsonHenry/verse/world_wide/droversweetheart.html

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Foot and Mouth Songs
From: MartinRyan
Date: 01 Oct 14 - 09:14 AM

The Goilin Song Project at the Irish Traditional Music Archive has included the J Burke song detailed above in its new website, sung by yours truly:

Click here

I remember learning it in 2001 or so, during an outbreak of the disease. Interestingly, despite my mentioning "The Bonny Boy" as the suggested air, I have no recollection of where I found the air I used!

Regards