Tune of 'Limerick Rake'

Subject: Tune of 'Limerick Rake'
From: Leeder
Date: 09 Mar 02 - 12:59 PM

I can think of three songs, in addition to the original, that use the melody of "The Limierick Rake". Does anyone know any others?

Some versions of "The Galbally Farmer" use the tune; so do Ewan MacColl's "Champion at Keeping Them Rolling" and Ian Robb's "Champion at Driving 'Em Crazy" (not really a parody of MacColl's song, except for the title).

It's a good strong tune, and I keep thinking I've heard other songs set to it, but I can't think of any.

Subject: RE: BS: Tune of 'Limerick Rake'
From: Bat Goddess
Date: 09 Mar 02 - 03:31 PM

Dave Diamond's "Folksinger's Lament" -- a funny song rather than a parody.

Linn

Subject: RE: BS: Tune of 'Limerick Rake'
From: curmudgeon
Date: 09 Mar 02 - 05:45 PM

Also, The High Sheriff of Hazard, by Phil Ochs; and My First Love in Life Is For Whisky, by some group from the late '60s whose name has eluded me -- Tom

Subject: RE: BS: Tune of 'Limerick Rake'
From: Susan of DT
Date: 09 Mar 02 - 07:44 PM

To search for songs sharing a tune:
First look up a song in the blue search box, ie limerick
look at the bottom of the file for tunefile: In this case LIMERPRG
put this tune filename in the search box. this shows 7 hits.
you may not get everything if we used a different tunefile name on some - say we entered a tune, listened to it and said "Oh that is such and such" after we entered it.

Subject: RE: BS: Tune of 'Limerick Rake'
From: GUEST,Martin Ryan
Date: 10 Mar 02 - 04:58 PM

The Bold Tenant Farmer (originally!)

Subject: RE: BS: Tune of 'Limerick Rake'
From: Leeder
Date: 13 Mar 02 - 04:00 PM

How could I overlook "The Folksinger's Lament"-- I do a version myself, under a different title.

Subject: RE: BS: Tune of 'Limerick Rake'
From: GUEST,Declan
Date: 14 Mar 02 - 01:20 PM

There's a very funny song about Dublin Busses written by Mick Fitzgerald to this air. Don't have time to post the lyrics now, and anyway they are Mick's property, but if you get a chance to hear it, its well worth it.

Subject: RE: BS: Tune of 'Limerick Rake'
From: GUEST,Philippa
Date: 29 Jul 02 - 10:05 AM

see also It's not what I'd sing were I sober
Declan, maybe you could ask Mick about posting his song?
I don't think a full lyrics to the Limerick Rake itself are posted at Mudcat yet!

Subject: RE: BS: Tune of 'Limerick Rake'
From: Declan
Date: 30 Jul 02 - 05:43 AM

Philippa,

I haven't seen Mick in a few years now and I have no information on how to contact him. I learned the song directly from Mick and I don't know whether he ever had it formally published or copyrighted, so I wouldn't like to post it to a public forum without his permission. I've been singing the song on and off for a long time now, but Mick knew about this and had no problem with it.

Next time I meet Mick I'll ask him if its OK to post the words.

Subject: RE: Tune of 'Limerick Rake'
From: GUEST,Philippa
Date: 30 Jul 02 - 04:14 PM

Despite my failures to find the "Limerick Rake" with supersearch, it is indeed in the DT.

Subject: RE: Tune of 'Limerick Rake'
From: MMario
Date: 30 Jul 02 - 04:24 PM

Philippa, you cdon't have much luck with supersearch, do you?

limerick rake

Subject: RE: Tune of 'Limerick Rake'
From: Roughyed
Date: 30 Jul 02 - 05:11 PM

There's an excellent song called 'The Collier's Wife'sung to part of the tune. I think the Teeside Fettlers sang it. I'd have to look up who wrote it.

Subject: RE: Tune of 'Limerick Rake'
From: GUEST,Philippa
Date: 31 Jul 02 - 10:43 AM

not quite a fair comment, MMario. How do you think I revived two threads about the Limerick Rake and provided a link to another song to the same tune?

Subject: RE: Tune of 'Limerick Rake'
From: MMario
Date: 31 Jul 02 - 10:50 AM

not meant to be snide - sorry Phillipa; just have seen a couple comments re: supersearch and not able to find songs in the DT lately - I know when my connection is bad I have more failures.

Subject: RE: Tune of 'Limerick Rake'
From: Hrothgar
Date: 01 Aug 02 - 07:36 AM

And of course, John Lewis's song "Ferrets are Illegal in Queensland."

Lyrics available on request. Telling the story behind it is more complex.

Subject: RE: Tune of 'Limerick Rake'
From: GUEST,Philippa
Date: 01 Aug 02 - 09:57 AM

Oh, I've got to have that one to give to my ferret-fancying friends!

Subject: RE: Tune of 'Limerick Rake'
From: Felipa
Date: 19 May 03 - 04:18 PM

I don't think I ever got that ferret song. Now that I have a pm box (with my name spelled Felipa) maybe you can send it.

PW Joyce, "Old Irish Folk Music and Song" (published 1909) has a song the Spalpeen's Complaint (version of the Galbally farmer) to the tune of the Bold Tenant Farmer (as I know it - minus the chorus) and he writes, "The air is Fágaimid siúd mar atá sé, which was published by me for the first time in my Ancient Irish Music ...".

- it's not the tune to which I know the Limerick Rake or Champion at Keeping them Rolling or Champion at Keeping them Rolling (which do share a tune)

Martin Ryan, were you saying that the Limerick Rake originally went to the tune of the Bold Tenant Farmer, or vice versa?

Subject: RE: Tune of 'Limerick Rake'
From: MartinRyan
Date: 19 May 03 - 04:22 PM

Vice versa, Philippa!

Regards

Subject: RE: Tune of 'Limerick Rake'
From: MartinRyan
Date: 19 May 03 - 04:26 PM

The background to the BTF and its tune was discussed HERE
Regards

Subject: RE: Tune of 'Limerick Rake'
From: Jim McLean
Date: 19 May 03 - 05:55 PM

Barney McKenna of the Dubliners recorded a single (1969) with him singing A Comical Genius to the tune of the Limerick Rake.
Jim McLean

Subject: RE: Tune of 'Limerick Rake'
From: GUEST,Felipa
Date: 20 May 03 - 10:10 AM

I didn't mean to write Champion at Keeping them Rolling twice; the third one to the same tune was meant to be High Sheriff of Hazard

Subject: RE: Tune of 'Limerick Rake'
From: Brían
Date: 20 May 03 - 12:50 PM

Robbie McMahon composed his song THE FLEADH DOWN IN ENNIS to this song

Brían

Subject: RE: Tune of 'Limerick Rake'
From: dick greenhaus
Date: 20 May 03 - 03:00 PM

There's a poem that I've set to this very useful melody:
>SONGS OF EDUCATION
>Gilbert Keith Chesterton
>
>The earth is a place on which England is found
>And you find it however you twirl the globe round
>For the spots are all red and the rest is all grey,
>And that is the meaning of Empire Day.
>
>Gibraltar's a rock that you see very plain
>And attached to its base is the district of Spain
>And the island of Malta is marked farther on
>Where some natives were known as the Knights of St. John.
>Then Cyprus, and east to the Suez Canal
>That was conquered by Dizzy and Rothschild his pal
>With the sword of the Lord in the old English way;
>And that is the meaning of Empire Day.
>
>Our principal imports come far as Cape Horn
>For necessities, cocoa; for luxuries, corn;
>Thus Brahmins are born for the rice fields, and thus
>The Gods made the Greeks to grow currants for us.
>Of earth's other tributes are plenty to choose,
> Tobacco and petrol and Jazzing and Jews
>The Jazzing will pass but the Jews they will stay;
>And that is the meaning of Empire Day.
>
>Our principal exports, all labeled and packed
>At the ends of the earth are delivered intact.
>Our soap or our salmon can travel in tins
>Between the two poles and as like as two pins.
>So that Lancashire merchants whenever they like
>Can water the beer of a man in Klondike
>Or poison the meat of a man in Bombay;
>And that is the meaning of Empire Day.
>
>The day of St. George is a nasty affair
>Which Russians and Greeks are permitted to share;
>The day of Trafalgar is Spanish in name
>And the Spaniards refuse to pronounce it the same.
>But the Day of the Empire from Canada came
>With Morden and Borden and Beaverbrook's fame
>And Saintly seraphical souls such as they;
>And that is the meaning of Empire Day.

Subject: RE: Tune of 'Limerick Rake'
From: Jim McLean
Date: 20 May 03 - 03:42 PM

Dera Dick,
It's really quite amazing! We Scots, and other non English members of the UK, were taught that we were members of a United Kingdom, and that, according to the Union of 1707, Scotland and England were one country called Great Britain. In fact England (and Scotland) lost its independence before America gained hers. Now we read Chesterton and realise we were wrong in his eyes. Is it any wonder that Scottish, Welsh and Irish nationalism flourishes under such arrogant assumptions? The Monarchy has refused to accept British titles and continues to assume that no change has ever taken place in the line of English monarchs! SONGS OF EDUCATION indeed.

Subject: RE: Tune of 'Limerick Rake'
From: Jim McLean
Date: 20 May 03 - 04:59 PM

PS In less of course he was joking!

Subject: RE: Tune of 'Limerick Rake'
From: Brían
Date: 24 May 03 - 07:00 AM

At Felipa's suggestion, I am moving this discussion here:

Subject: RE: Irish song Limerik rake
From: Brían - PM
Date: 23 May 03 - 11:41 AM

I know this is probably not scholarly information but Dominic Behan in his book Ireland Sings says that the tune he uses for his song THE SEA AROUND US(The sea, oh the sea is the grádh geal mo chroí) is the the old melody of 'S FÁGAIMID SIÚD MAR ATÁ SÉ, I am assuming this is THE LIMERICK RAKE. I was listening to a recording of a set of jigs by The St. Peter Ceili Band on a CD titled Celtic Ceili. One of the jigs is named THEW GALBALLY. it is the same melody that Dominic used for his song. Is this also the tune you know THE BOLD TENANT FARMER, Felipa?

Brían


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Subject: RE: Irish song Limerick rake
From: Felipa - PM
Date: 23 May 03 - 04:38 PM

The tune I know for the Bold Tenant Farmer is on a ClancyBros recording, and - minus the chorus - in PW Joyce for the Cranbally farmer (see MMario's abc in Galbally farmer thread, link above). The tune I know for the Sea Around Us is as recorded by the Johnstons; I would need to check Dominic's book (next time I go to the library)to see what tune he published with the lyrics

Note that there is another thread specifally called "Tune of 'Limerick Rake'" Perhaps Brian and I should copy these last two messages onto that thread and continue the discussion there?

Subject: RE: Tune of 'Limerick Rake'
From: Brían
Date: 24 May 03 - 07:26 AM

The midi for THE SEA AROUND US is in the DT. It is the same melody that is in Dominic Behan's book and the tune of the jig I heard on the recording. I suspect the Clancy brothers got THE BOLD TENANT FARMER from Joe Heaney. I have been meaning to learn ABC so I have copied the the one for THE CRANBALLY FARMER to compare the melodies.

Brían

Subject: RE: Tune of 'Limerick Rake'
From: Brían
Date: 27 May 03 - 11:02 AM

Well I am rather pleased to find out those lists of numbers and letters MMario keeps posting actually can be tranlated by a mere mortal like me. THE CRANBALLY FARMER sounds very familiar, but it's not the same as THE SEA AROUND US. It sounds a lot more like THE BOLD TENANT FARMER. I have a friend who I am going to ask about the jig titled THE(W?)GALBALLY and see if it goes by any other name.

Brían

Subject: RE: Tune of 'Limerick Rake'
From: Jack Campin
Date: 02 Sep 09 - 11:55 AM

I first came across the title "The Limerick Rake" listed as the tune for "Too Many Daves", the song with words by Dr Seuss that was included on one of Anne Feeney's early recordings. (I think it might have been D.C. Fitzgerald's idea to put the tune and words together).

But as far as I was concerned I already knew the tune - it was "The Rakes of Kildare". Maybe a few notes different but not so anyone would notice.

Do people think of them as being two different tunes?

Subject: RE: Tune of 'Limerick Rake'
From: The Sandman
Date: 02 Sep 09 - 12:30 PM

yes,
they are very different,its nothing like the Rakes of kildare,Rakes OF k is a 32 bar jig, the limerick rake has 16 bars,plus a little refrain.
the only simialarity is in the fact they both are about Rakes.

Subject: RE: Tune of 'Limerick Rake'
From: Jack Campin
Date: 02 Sep 09 - 12:44 PM

The Mudcat MIDI doesn't have a refrain (not that that makes much difference).

Sounds more like two different ways of doing the same tune than two really different ones.