Lyrics & Knowledge Personal Pages Record Shop Auction Links Radio & Media Kids Membership Help
The Mudcat Cafesj

Post to this Thread - Sort Descending - Printer Friendly - Home


Lyr Add: Milligan's Wake

DigiTrad:
FINNEGAN'S OTHER WAKE
FINNEGAN'S WAKE


Related threads:
(origins) Origins: Tim Finnegan's / Finigan's Wake (34)
Tune Req: Finnegans Wake (7)
Finnegan's Wake (progressive folk group) (1)


McGrath of Harlow 01 Mar 02 - 06:15 PM
Abby Sale 01 Mar 02 - 08:30 PM
McGrath of Harlow 02 Mar 02 - 04:45 AM
Abby Sale 02 Mar 02 - 10:25 AM
The Pooka 02 Mar 02 - 02:00 PM
Keith A of Hertford 02 Mar 02 - 03:03 PM
little john cameron 02 Mar 02 - 03:24 PM
McGrath of Harlow 02 Mar 02 - 03:29 PM
Keith A of Hertford 03 Mar 02 - 10:39 AM
Dave Bryant 04 Mar 02 - 04:22 AM
Nigel Parsons 04 Mar 02 - 04:39 AM
McGrath of Harlow 04 Mar 02 - 06:03 AM
Mikey joe 05 Mar 02 - 11:51 AM
Share Thread
more
Lyrics & Knowledge Search [Advanced]
DT  Forum Child
Sort (Forum) by:relevance date
DT Lyrics:





Subject: Milligan's Wake
From: McGrath of Harlow
Date: 01 Mar 02 - 06:15 PM

Here's a song I wrote today and posted in this thread - and now I've stuck it up on a website of some of my songs, with a few links to do with Spike Milligan and the Goons (including them singing the Ying Tong Song.)

And for the convenience of anyone who would like to see it - or like to sing it - here are the words:

Milligan's Wake

Spike Milligan was a mighty man,
An Irishman born on India's sod
He had a mind both rich and rare,
And he saw that the world was passing odd.
When Milligan died the world stopped still,
And we knew it must be some mistake,
For how could a man like Milligan die
When he was a man so wide awake.
Wack fol the dah, and join in the chorus,
Ying Tong Ying Tong Yiddley Po,
Isn't it the truth I tell ye -
Milligan's dead, but he'll never go.


When Milligan came to the undertakers
He jumped on the slab and he called out "shop".
And they carried the coffin down to the church,
Then they came to a pub and he shouted "stop".
And in for a jar and a song and a party,
In for a penny in for a pound,
With Milligan there so hale and hearty,
And all of the Goons were buying rounds.
Wack fol the dah, and join in the chorus,
Ying Tong Ying Tong Yiddley Po,
Isn't it the truth I tell ye -
Milligan's dead, but he'll never go.


And up in the church they all were weeping,
"Only 82, did you have to die",
While out of the back young Spike went creeping
With a hop and a skip and a roguish eye.
And they looked in the coffin, it was empty,
Looked for the man, and he was fled,
And a note in a manner quite perempt'ry.
"I've a funny feeling that I'm not quite dead."
Wack fol the dah, and join in the chorus,
Ying Tong Ying Tong Yiddley Po,
Isn't it the truth I tell ye -
Milligan's dead, but he'll never go.


March 1st 2002

(And that's a true story about him and the undertaker's slab, though it did take place a few years in advance.)


Post - Top - Home - Printer Friendly - Translate

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Milligan's Wake
From: Abby Sale
Date: 01 Mar 02 - 08:30 PM

McGrath...something about him walking down the street with a Behan, as I recall, and the Behan going on talking and then looking around to find no Milligan. Searching the street, he found Milligan as you say. Whimsey was the man, yes. A fitting sons for him, I think.


Post - Top - Home - Printer Friendly - Translate

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Milligan's Wake
From: McGrath of Harlow
Date: 02 Mar 02 - 04:45 AM

According to the Goon Show Preservation Society Spike was born in 1918, not 1919, and was 83, not 82. I reckon they'd be more reliable on this than the BBC.

So I've changed the song on my website accordingly. There are a couple of other minor changes, and there may be a few more to come. You have to ease a song in like a pair of shoes.


Post - Top - Home - Printer Friendly - Translate

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Milligan's Wake
From: Abby Sale
Date: 02 Mar 02 - 10:25 AM

The always 100%-guaranteed-accurate-you-can-bet-your-home-and-children-on-it "Happy!" file gives:

Sir Spike Milligan was born April 16, 1918 in Ahmed Nagar, India (dFeb 27, 2002). His father was Irish Captain in the British Raj and Milligan lived in India until he was fifteen. At that time, his father retired from the military and the family moved to England. [see http://www.fireflycafe.org/spike/bio.html] On 12/29/2000, Milligan was knighted in the New Years Honours list. It is however an honorary title as he is an Irish citizen.

Not 'sons' song. A fitting song.


Post - Top - Home - Printer Friendly - Translate

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Milligan's Wake
From: The Pooka
Date: 02 Mar 02 - 02:00 PM

Hurrah fer McGrath! Magnificent.


Post - Top - Home - Printer Friendly - Translate

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Milligan's Wake
From: Keith A of Hertford
Date: 02 Mar 02 - 03:03 PM

I've just got back from The Sun Runner, Hitchin. Am I the first mudcatter to hear this song Kevin?


Post - Top - Home - Printer Friendly - Translate

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Milligan's Wake
From: little john cameron
Date: 02 Mar 02 - 03:24 PM

Great stuff,me ould trout.ljc


Post - Top - Home - Printer Friendly - Translate

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Milligan's Wake
From: McGrath of Harlow
Date: 02 Mar 02 - 03:29 PM

Well, I think you will have been, Keith - unless someone else saw it on the site and sang it somewhere. That was the first time I'd sung it, anyway. (And I've put the changes that came in when I sang it on the website version).


Post - Top - Home - Printer Friendly - Translate

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Milligan's Wake
From: Keith A of Hertford
Date: 03 Mar 02 - 10:39 AM

Great song, as usual Kevin.
Keith.


Post - Top - Home - Printer Friendly - Translate

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Milligan's Wake
From: Dave Bryant
Date: 04 Mar 02 - 04:22 AM

Do you just sing it to the straight Finnegan's Wake tune or do you vary for the "Ying-tong" bit, Kevin.


Post - Top - Home - Printer Friendly - Translate

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Milligan's Wake
From: Nigel Parsons
Date: 04 Mar 02 - 04:39 AM

On "Heroes of Comedy" (Saturday night) Eric Sykes claimed to have been with Spike when he lay down outside an undertaker's & shouted "Shop".
Quite possibly this is one Spike perpetrated several times, with different people. Much akin to the young lad who goes into a chip shop late on Friday evening and asks
"Have you got plenty of chips left?"
"Yes" comes the reply
"Well you shouldn't have cooked so many!" (boy runs off.)


Post - Top - Home - Printer Friendly - Translate

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Milligan's Wake
From: McGrath of Harlow
Date: 04 Mar 02 - 06:03 AM

Or the Oxford joke of phoning up Jesus College on Christmas Day. "Is that Jesus?" "Yes" "Well, Happy birthday!"

I sang it as Finnegans Wake all the way through. But I might experiment with Dave's sugestion. Perhaps in the last verse, or it might get out of hand. It might be quite fun to segue (as they say, rather grotesquely)into a full blooded rendering of the Ying Tong Song. (Here is a link to the words, with I'm walking backwards for Christmas as well for good measure. And here is a Real Audio version of part of it.


Post - Top - Home - Printer Friendly - Translate

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Milligan's Wake
From: Mikey joe
Date: 05 Mar 02 - 11:51 AM

Thanks McGrath

I sang it last night and it recieved much acclaim. The song that is not my singing. Well done. I did of course give you the well deserved credit.

Slán leat

Mj


Post - Top - Home - Printer Friendly - Translate
  Share Thread:
More...

Reply to Thread
Subject:  Help
From:
Preview   Automatic Linebreaks   Make a link ("blue clicky")


Mudcat time: 10 February 4:23 AM EST

[ Home ]

All original material is copyright © 2022 by the Mudcat Café Music Foundation. All photos, music, images, etc. are copyright © by their rightful owners. Every effort is taken to attribute appropriate copyright to images, content, music, etc. We are not a copyright resource.