Tune Origins: Whiskey Before Breakfast

Subject: Whiskey Before Breakfast
From:
Date: 24 Feb 97 - 05:14 PM

I think I have heard a Scottish tune that has elements of Whiskey Before Breakfast, an American fiddle tune. Can anyone tell me what Celtic tune it is or similar to or derived from?

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Click for lyrics in the Digital Tradition

Whisky Before Breakfast

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Messages from multiple threads combined.
-Joe Offer-

Subject: Lyrics??: Whiskey Before Breakfast
From:
Date: 13 Oct 97 - 09:07 PM

This is an old fiddle tune and I have heard lyrics by some dulcimer players. But a fiddlin' friend say he believed it to be from an Irish tune of a similar name with possible lyrics. Any help?

Subject: tune request: Whiskey before breakfast
From: willie
Date: 28 Oct 97 - 12:34 PM

Am looking for the words to Whiskey before breakfast, and any info about the song. Thanks

Subject: Lyr Add: WHISKEY BEFORE BREAKFAST^^^
From: Barbara Shaw
Date: 28 Oct 97 - 04:00 PM

Whiskey Before Breakfast
(Irish Traditional)

  D	   A		     G	        D
  Early one morning ‘fore the sun could shine
            G		 D	    Em	       A
  I was walking down the street, not feeling so fine
     D	       A	  G	    D
  I saw two old men with a bottle between ‘em
       G		D	     Em	
  And this is the song that I heard them singing.
  
  (Chorus)
  Lord protect us
  Saints preserve us
  We been drinkin’
  Whiskey ‘fore breakfast.
  
  I passed by the steps where they were a’sitting
  I couldn’t believe how drunk they were getting
  I said, "Old men, you been drinking long?"
  "Long enough to be singing this song."
  
  They handed me a bottle, said, "Take a little sip"
  And it felt so good, I just couldn’t quit
  So I took a little more, next thing I knew
  There were three of us sitting there singing this tune.
  
  One by one everybody in town
  Heard our ruckus and they all came down
  Pretty soon all the streets were a-ringing
  With the sound of the whole town laughing and singing.

Subject: RE: tune request: Whiskey before breakfast
From: Barbara
Date: 28 Oct 97 - 04:08 PM

Just looked at my response which I pasted in from a WORD document, all formatted neatly in stanzas. What happened? Now it's all run together and the chords are not over the right words. (Sorry. . .)

Subject: RE: tune request: Whiskey before breakfast
From: willie
Date: 28 Oct 97 - 09:29 PM

Barbara- thanks alot for the words. We do the song as an instrumental so I don't need the chords. Thanks again. willie

Subject: RE: tune request: Whiskey before breakfast
From: Ralph Butts
Date: 28 Oct 97 - 11:26 PM

Just heard Norman Blake do this one - great. Guitar workshop following was something you tell your grandchildren about. Awesome......Tiger

Subject: RE: tune request: Whiskey before breakfast
From: Joe Offer
Date: 29 Oct 97 - 03:50 AM

Hi, Barbara - You're in HTML land here. To enter HTML commands, you enclose them in those angle brackets above the comma and period on your keyboard. The basic command you need is [br] for a new line, but you enclose that in those angle brackets. I do a search-and replace in my word processor, and replace paragraph marks with a new paragraph mark and [br]. For more advice, look at past threads that talk about HTML (use the filter at the top of the list of threads, and set it to HTML and 365 days). We've learned the hard way to use HTML very sparingly. Fancy stuff makes Mudcat even slower. Hey - stick around and give us more good songs.
-Joe Offer-

Subject: WHISKEY BEFORE BREAKFAST
From: Jeep man
Date: 24 Jul 01 - 05:06 PM

I used to have a download of this song and now its gone. I have the words and Norman's tape, but I want to hear it sung. Really a good'un. Jeep

Subject: RE: WHISKEY BEFORE BREAKFAST
From: nutty
Date: 24 Jul 01 - 05:30 PM

Hi Jeepman .... there are some great MIDI's including WHISKY BEFORE BREAKFAST ......... HERE

Subject: RE: WHISKEY BEFORE BREAKFAST
From: Pene Azul
Date: 24 Jul 01 - 05:36 PM

Looks like there's one here.

Jeff

Subject: RE: WHISKEY BEFORE BREAKFAST
From: Pene Azul
Date: 24 Jul 01 - 05:37 PM

Sorry, it doesn't have vocals.

Jeff

Subject: RE: WHISKEY BEFORE BREAKFAST
From: nutty
Date: 24 Jul 01 - 05:57 PM

FOUND IT - SONG SAMPLE IS HERE ..........WHISKEY 'FORE BREAKFAST

Subject: RE: WHISKEY BEFORE BREAKFAST
From: Jeep man
Date: 24 Jul 01 - 06:24 PM

Thanks, you guys. I'm back in business again. Jeep

Subject: RE: WHISKEY BEFORE BREAKFAST
From: paddymac
Date: 25 Jul 01 - 07:48 AM

sounds like a great idea to me - 'specially on those cold mornings when coffee just takes too long.

Subject: RE: WHISKEY BEFORE BREAKFAST
From: JohnInKansas
Date: 25 Jul 01 - 01:34 PM

Re the vocal.
Mike Cross is a tremendous performer, and is dearly loved by many of us, but:
His vocal of "Whiskey 'Fore Breakfast" is definitely a 'performance piece.' The background music seriously departs from the traditional melody - which is around in several variations.

If you are going to sing Mike's words, then his is the version to use.

It would suit me, personally, a lot better if instrumental performances would stick to one of the traditional tunes. Most of them are a lot prettier.

Unfortunately for people like me (nuts, cranks, old...) Mike is S.O.O.O Popular, that for the past 3 or 4 years "his" version is about the only one heard in our area.

It might be well to note, too, that Mike has been reported to very actively guard his "rights" to his arrangements.

John

Subject: RE: WHISKEY BEFORE BREAKFAST
From: Robby
Date: 25 Jul 01 - 02:54 PM

There used to be a group, all Americans I believe from the New England area in the US that used this as its name. I have a couple of their CDs. Anyone know if they're still around or what happened to them?
Robby

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Angeline the baker & whiskey before
From: Margo
Date: 09 Aug 01 - 05:19 PM

I heard this song sung at camp a couple of weeks ago and the words in the chorus were

Oh lord preserve and protect us
We've been drinking whiskey for breakfast.

I like it that way because the alliteration seems just right; protect us/breakfast - works very well.

Margo whose pre-breakfast drink is coffee...

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Angeline the baker & whiskey before
From: JohnInKansas
Date: 10 Aug 01 - 05:01 AM

The only vocal version I've heard of Whiskey Before Breakfast is by Mike Cross, on several of his CDs. He agrees almost with Margo:

Lord preserve us, and protect us
We've been drinking whiskey 'fore breakfast.

Given Mike's popularity, his rendition has probably taken over most campground pickers and singers. While Mike is a trained professional, he does things with music that shouldn't be attempted at home by amateurs. But they keep trying....

His instrumental backup is close to the traditional Whisky 'Fore Breakfast, although the leadin phrase on the A part is "simplified" - probably for the speed. It's not nearly as "pretty" as more trad versions, but is the only version I've heard in campground pickin' for about the last 3 years. Pity.

The vocal does not fit with the tune, but is done as a "voice-over" almost in "talkin' blues" style. There is a "tune" there, but it's pretty much monotone.

Mike Cross, "Best of the Funny Stuff," Sugar Hill, SH-CD-1010 or "Live & Kickin'", SH-CD-1005 are a couple of Mike's CDs that have this tune.

John

Subject: RE: WHISKEY BEFORE BREAKFAST
From: Lonesome EJ
Date: 25 Jun 09 - 03:39 PM

Any info on history of this fiddle tune, earliest publication, antecedents, etc?

Subject: RE: Tune Origins: Whiskey Before Breakfast
From: Charley Noble
Date: 26 Jun 09 - 03:56 PM

The only words I've ever heard were fragments from the sea shanty "Whisky for Me Johnny-o."

Such as:

A-Part

Whisky killed me pore ol' dad,
Whisky for me Johnny-o;
Whisky drove me mother mad;
Whisky for me johnny-o!

Whisky went an' tore me cloths,
Whisky for me Johnny-o;
Whisky gave me this broken nose,
Whisky for me Johnny-o!

B-Part

Whisky here and whisky there,
Whisky, whisky everywhere,
Whisky when you're in despair,
Whisky for me johnny-o!

Whisky up and whisky down,
Whisky, whisky all around,
Whisky when you're back in town,
Whisky for me johnny-o!

Cheerily,
Charley Noble

Subject: RE: Tune Origins: Whiskey Before Breakfast
From: GUEST,GK
Date: 30 Sep 11 - 02:04 AM

Did Mike Cross write the lyrics posted by Barbara Shaw above?   
And when you (JohninKansas) say that Mike has reportedly been closely guarding his rights to his arrangement, are you referring to the lyrics or some other aspect of his arrangement?   
If anyone else can answer these questions I'd be happy to hear from you as well.   
Thanks in advance,   GK

Subject: RE: Tune Origins: Whiskey Before Breakfast
From: meself
Date: 30 Sep 11 - 02:42 PM

The story I picked up over on Fiddle-L, that someone there got from the Fiddler's Companion, is that, according to Lawrence 'Teddy Boy' Houle, the tune was a combined effort of his father, Lawrence Flett, and Andy DeJarlis - an attempt in the morning to recall a tune they had constructed in the wee small hours, fueled by the energy drink commemorated in the title. The editors of the Fiddler's Companion apparently accept that provenance, for what that's worth.

For those who don't know: Andy DeJarlis was a prominent professional fiddler from Manitoba; he composed countless tunes, many of which are widely played - 'Poor Girl's Waltz' is one you'll hear all over Canada, at least. The fiddlers in the Ebb & Flow area of Manitoba old enough to have been around at the time claim DeJarlis learned everything he knew from the Ebb & Flow fiddlers, of whom Walter Flett was no doubt one of the best. Andy DeJarlis was apparently a frequent visitor to Ebb & Flow; I don't know if he had family there.

'Teddy Boy' Houle is a leading fiddler in the Manitoba Native tradition.

Subject: RE: Tune Origins: Whiskey Before Breakfast
From: meself
Date: 30 Sep 11 - 02:54 PM

Andy Dejarlis

Can't find anything of 'Teddy Boy' on-line, but here's Walter Flett playing the tune for a popular dance: Drops of Brandy

Subject: RE: Tune Origins: Whiskey Before Breakfast
From: GUEST,Richie
Date: 30 Sep 11 - 03:10 PM

Mike told me he wrote the lyrics.

I assume they are copyrighted,

Richie