Lyr Req: A Letter To Barney (an old Irish song)

Subject: Lyr Req: A Letter To Barney (an old Irish song)
From: GUEST,Newfiegirl
Date: 24 Nov 02 - 01:37 PM

Can someone please help with the lyrics to an old song
that my great aunt liked to sing?
here are some of the words that my mom remembers her singing.
I'm not sure if the name of the song is...

          "A Letter To Barney"

I just got a letter from my dear old mother
Saying she want's her dear boy to come home
But that I can't do dear mother for you
I'm here in exile and it's now I must roam

She said she was sick and no one to help her
Your father is dead and I'm here alone
But t'well be when the sun shines on the cross beams of Ireland
Then if your living mother your boy will come home
               thanks..... Newfiegirl

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: A Letter To Barney (an old Irish song)
From: Malcolm Douglas
Date: 24 Nov 02 - 06:08 PM

I've found just a very few references to the song as Come Back Barney.

Edith Fowke recorded a set in Newfoundland in 1960, but I don't think it's been published; there also seems to be a set noted by Lucile Morris Upton at The Western Historical Manuscript Collection, Columbia; but that is a catalogue reference only.

You can see a text noted by Nathan D. Rose from Seamus Duffy, Aghamore, County Mayo (1988) at http://villasubrosa.com/Nathan/texts/duffytext.html#4

On the face of it, it looks to be American "Stage Irish", but there aren't many references available at the moment; so that's only a guess.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: A Letter To Barney (an old Irish song)
From: GUEST,Newfie girl
Date: 24 Nov 02 - 06:27 PM

Hi Malcolm, thanks again for finding the lyrics to the song '
Are you by any chance from Ireland?

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: A Letter To Barney (an old Irish song)
From: GUEST,Martin Ryan
Date: 24 Nov 02 - 06:29 PM

Interesting. Seamus Duffy wrote a number of well known songs including "McAlpine's Crew" and, if i remember rightly, "Sean South Of Garryowen".

Regards

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: A Letter To Barney (an old Irish song)
From: GUEST,Martin Ryan
Date: 24 Nov 02 - 06:45 PM

In fact, I see Big Tim says in another thread that "Sean South" was written by a man called Costelloe. Wonder why Duffy's name come into my head?

Regards

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: A Letter To Barney (an old Irish song)
From: Declan
Date: 25 Nov 02 - 12:51 PM

No Malcolm isn't from Ireland, he just pretends to be sometimes ;-)

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: A Letter To Barney (an old Irish song)
From: Big Tim
Date: 26 Nov 02 - 07:50 AM

NOBODY from Ireland is called "Malcolm"!

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: A Letter To Barney (an old Irish song)
From: GUEST,Martin Ryan
Date: 26 Nov 02 - 09:56 AM

Not true, Malcolm! I know several! Now, as for Douglas....

Regards

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: A Letter To Barney (an old Irish song)
From: Malcolm Douglas
Date: 26 Nov 02 - 06:29 PM

You'll find a decent few Malcolms (and even some Douglases) in Ireland, I daresay; but I'm not one of them. From my point of view, though, traditional music in the English language is all related, and I'm interested in it all, wherever it started out. I get into trouble, sometimes, for pointing out that some songs aren't what people would like them to be; but that's another story, fortunately.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: A Letter To Barney (an old Irish song)
From: Big Tim
Date: 27 Nov 02 - 02:52 PM

Of course I know that Malcolm: I was only saying, tongue in cheek, that your name is not Irish: Scottish in fact, like Malcolm Canmore, "Malcolm the Great", or "Malcolm Bighead", it's given as both(!), an ancient King of Scotland. I've had to endure some Scotish history lessons from my wife, Jan Douglas!

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: A Letter To Barney (an old Irish song)
From: Malcolm Douglas
Date: 27 Nov 02 - 04:18 PM

I'm sure that you do know that, Tim; but I was replying to Newfiegirl's question, not to you! :-)

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: A Letter To Barney (an old Irish song)
From: Big Tim
Date: 27 Nov 02 - 04:23 PM

Nae worries.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: A Letter To Barney (an old Irish song)
From: widowmaker
Date: 28 Nov 02 - 01:43 AM

Hi Big Tim I had an old message traced on my personal pages and just dropped into check if any more replies, when i saw your request for info on " The Broad Black Brimmer". The song was written by a Belfast man, a good friend of my family Art Mcmillan, a belting song.
Apologies for posting to this thread Slan.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: A Letter To Barney (an old Irish song)
From: GUEST,Newfiegirl
Date: 28 Nov 02 - 08:30 AM

There's no need to apologize widowmaker for posting in this thread,
everyone's welcome.
and thank you Malcolm for answering my question.
          Take care all...god bless.

Subject: Lyr Add: BARNEY, COME HOME
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 30 Nov 02 - 03:40 PM

Copied from http://villasubrosa.com/Nathan/texts/duffytext.html#4

BARNEY, COME HOME
(Collected by Nathan D. Rose from Seamus Duffy, Aghamore, Co. Mayo, 1988.)

Ah, I just got a letter from my dear old mother.
She wants her dear boy to come home.
But that I can't do, dear mother, for you;
I'm an exile and here I must roam.
She said her heart's breaking; there's no one to care her.
The cot I was born in is now all alone.
My poor father's dead. O think of her trouble!
"O Barney, dear Barney, come home."

CHORUS: "Barney, come home," she said in the letter.
I know she's old and I cannot forget her.
I'm an exile from Erin. In America I roam,
But when Ireland's free, mother, your Barney'll come home.

This is the letter I got from my mother.
It's years since I had one before,
And it makes my heart sad when I think of poor Dad.
He's gone where I'll ne'er see him more.
'Tis a pardon she wants from the Queen for to get me,
But I'll write and tell her to leave it alone.
I'll wait till the sun shines from the crossroads in Ireland,
And if you're living then, Mother, your Barney'll come home. CHORUS

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: A Letter To Barney (an old Irish song)
From: GUEST,Newfiegirl
Date: 30 Nov 02 - 04:42 PM

Thanks Jim, I appreciate your help...God Bless

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: A Letter To Barney (an old Irish song)
From: GUEST,Martin Ryan
Date: 02 Dec 02 - 06:08 PM

Yeah - that makes more sense. It was collected from Seamus Duffy, rather than written by him.

Regards

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: A Letter To Barney (an old Irish song)
From: Malcolm Douglas
Date: 02 Dec 02 - 08:28 PM

As my earlier link indicated, I thought. Since Jim has copied the text to this thread, I had better add the following extract from Nathan's site; which will explain why I provided a link only.

"The texts here are transcriptions of particular performances. The performances belong to the singers, and the work of collection, transcription, and the construction of this archive belong to me. The archive and its contents may be used for any legitimate scholarly purpose, but don't sell them or put your name to them. You may download files for your own use, but please don't post them on another website; you are welcome, of course, to link to this page from another site."

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: A Letter To Barney (an old Irish song)
From: GUEST,Martin Ryan
Date: 03 Dec 02 - 06:32 AM

Malcolm

True - I hadn't checked the link. Mind you, there was a reason why my antennae twitched. A long story.

Regards