Lyr Req: Finigal / Finagle's Dream (Bernie Parry)

Subject: Lyrics to finigal
From: wordseeker
Date: 21 Sep 98 - 05:29 AM

Looking for words to "Finigal" please

Subject: RE: Lyrics to fingal
From: Joe Offer
Date: 21 Sep 98 - 04:51 PM

Hi - can you tell us any more about the song? The closest I can come is a Stan Rogers song called "Giant" about a creature named Fingal - Click here. It's on his "Home in Halifax" album.
The other one I can think of that's kind of close is a Jewish folk song called "Finjan." It's in the Rise Up Singing songbook.
-Joe Offer-

Finjan
Hebrew: Chaim Hefer
English: Teddi Schwartz & Arthur Kevess
Music: Moshe Wilensky

Haru-ach noshevet k'rira
Nosifa kesam lamdura
Vechach bizro-ot argaman
B'esh ye-aleh ke korban
Ha-esh me-havhevet, shira melavlevet
Sovev lo, sovev ha-finjan
Lalala....

The wind is so cool in the night
The logs on the fire are bright
And sparks all a-dancing arise
A-shining like stars in the skies
The singing is hearty and soon through the party
Around and around goes the finjan

"Finjan" is an Arabic name for an old type of coffee pot, held by its long handle over an open flame. After a hard day's work, the pioneers in Israel would often build a fire, sing, and relax and pass around finjan.

Subject: RE: Lyrics to finigal
From:
Date: 21 Sep 98 - 07:16 PM

The original version of "Giant" by Stan Rogers is on Fogarty's Cove, his first album.

Subject: RE: Lyrics to finigal
From: Joe Offer
Date: 21 Sep 98 - 07:23 PM

Wasn't there a character named "Fingol" in one of the Tolkien books? Anybody got a Middle-Earth Dictionary?
-Joe Offer-

Subject: RE: Lyrics to finigal
From: alison
Date: 22 Sep 98 - 12:42 AM

Hi,

Don't know if there are any songs about "Fingal's cave", but there is certainly a tune.

Slainte

alison

Subject: RE: Lyrics to finigal
From: wordseeker
Date: 22 Sep 98 - 03:54 AM

There is a line in it which goes "oh for a king and his lady"

Thanks to all

Subject: RE: Lyrics to finigal
From:
Date: 22 Sep 98 - 05:52 PM

Joe
Don't know about Fingol but there was a 'Smegol' lived in a cave and plagued Baggins!
Regards Baz

Subject: RE: Lyrics to finigal
From:
Date: 22 Sep 98 - 07:03 PM

Was the Fingal of whom Stan Rogers sings an Irish or Scottish creature? I seem to recall that Fingal is Irish.

Subject: RE: Lyrics to finigal
From: Alan of Australia
Date: 22 Sep 98 - 08:32 PM

G'day,
Alison tells me that Fingal's Cave is in Scotland. So she thinks it's probably Scottish.

Cheers,
Alan

Subject: RE: Lyrics to finigal
From:
Date: 23 Sep 98 - 06:12 PM

But wasn't it Fingal who built the Giant's Causeway in order to go and fight with another giant who resided in Scotland?

Subject: RE: Lyrics to finigal
From: John in Brisbane
Date: 24 Sep 98 - 12:15 AM

There are two places (at least) by the name of Fingal in Australia. One is in Tasmania and my knowledge is somewhat scant. Plus there is a rocky promontory just South of the Tweed River on the border of Queensland and New South Wales named Fingal Head. There are a number of places in very close proxomity which were first named by Capt. James Cook (eg Cook Is and Mt Warning/Point Danger). IF Cook named Fingal Head it is likely that his inspiration was associated with a familiar place name in Britain.

Regards
John

Subject: RE: Lyrics to finigal
From: alison
Date: 24 Sep 98 - 04:40 AM

Hi,

I typed a reply to this earlier but it seems to have disappeared.

Finn MaCool built the giant's Causeway.

Slainte

alison

Subject: RE: Lyrics to finigal
From: Mo
Date: 24 Sep 98 - 06:17 AM

I'm not certain, but I think Fingal was Irish, despite Fingal's cave being in the Western Isles. By the way, while in my eyes Stan Roger's is nothing short of a God himself, I think he may have been mistaken in referring to these islands as "The Isles of the Blest" - I've never heard them called that not even by those who live there. However, why spoil a good song and it's equally good introduction by a ha'porth of pedantry.... Mo

Subject: RE: Lyrics to finigal
From:
Date: 24 Sep 98 - 05:35 PM

Stan was sometimes wrong on the details, as I pointed out in my pedantic way on another thread. "Isles of the Blest" would make sense though if he was referring to the western islands of Scotland. There was at least one monastary there.

Yes, I have the wrong giant with respect to the causeway. Perhaps it was Fingal that the Irish giant was intending to fight.

Stan's liner notes to Fogarty's Cove seem to indicate that he was referring to a Scottish Fingal, because he writes of the Scots gaelic speakers of Cape Breton Island.

Subject: RE: Lyrics to finigal
From: John in Brisbane
Date: 24 Sep 98 - 11:59 PM

New release from Mulligan Records:

The Return From Finigal
Seamus Ennis
13.95 Punts

Subject: RE: Lyrics to finigal
From: Joe Offer
Date: 25 Sep 98 - 01:53 AM

Hmmmm. Sounds like we're finally getting somewhere. We actually found a song with the proper name. Now, is there some generous soul who's going to post the lyrics to this song for poor, patient Wordseeker?
-Joe Offer-

Subject: RE: Lyrics to finigal
From:
Date: 26 Sep 98 - 07:31 AM

PMI, "punts"? What be they?

Subject: RE: Lyrics to finigal
From: alison
Date: 26 Sep 98 - 09:22 PM

Hi,

Punts is the currency used in the Republic of Ireland. Usually there's not much difference between the price in Punts and in Pounds Sterling.

Slainte

alison

Subject: RE: Lyrics to finigal
From:
Date: 27 Sep 98 - 03:53 PM

Fingal was part of the fraudulent Ossian poems of the 18th century, so maybe he wasn't a folk character at all. "Fingal at the Siege of Carric-Thura - The Poems of Ossian - James MacPherson " -- 1762?

Samuel Johnson detected the fraud, saying it was no more a real epic than the Ballad of Robin Hood, and at one point was ready to come to physical violence with MacPherson, who had threatened him. Turned out Johnson was right, and MacPherson never could produce the manuscripts in Scots gaelic he claimed he had. When Johnson finally visited the Highlands and the Hebrides with Boswell he was pleased to learn from gaelic speakers that they had never heard such an epic, although it seems the stories may have been adapted from real folk tales.

Subject: RE: Lyrics to finigal
From: Jerry Friedman with some useless facts
Date: 27 Sep 98 - 05:52 PM

In Tolkien, Thingol Greycloak was the king of the Sindar or Grey-elves during the First Age. Not to be confused with Smeagol and his brother Deagol. I don't remember a Fingol, but there easily could have been one. (After all, there's an Elmo.)

"Fingal's Cave" is the name of an overture by Mendelssohn. I'll bet its famous tune, based on a descending phrase, is the tune Alison mentioned.

Wordseeker, I hope you get more responses that are better than mine.

Subject: RE: Lyrics to finigal
From: alison
Date: 28 Sep 98 - 06:53 AM

hi Jerry,

Yes, that's the one. It's a lovely piece of music.

Slainte

alison

Subject: RE: Lyrics to finigal
From: Susan-Marie
Date: 28 Sep 98 - 12:29 PM

A dictionary of Celtic mythology that I once picked up said that Fingal is the Scottish version of Finn MaCuil. So, I'm assuming that the Irish folk stories of Finn found their way to Scotland, where Finn's deeds and person assumed giant proportions.

Subject: RE: Lyrics to finigal
From: mike from cas
Date: 30 Sep 98 - 02:15 PM

Could it be that the words that you are looking for are for a bernie parry song about finigal and called "the Harper"? if so then say so and I'll post them, or you can buy his CD "man of the earth" ISBN 1 899512 41 1. it's very good

Subject: RE: Lyrics to finigal
From:
Date: 30 Sep 98 - 06:43 PM

I've checked the CD and this is the one your looking for. If I've got some time over the next couple of days I'll copy them for you, and post them here.

Subject: Lyr Add: FINAGLE'S DREAM (Bernie Parry)
From: mike
Date: 01 Oct 98 - 04:11 AM

As promised:-

FINAGLE'S DREAM.
By Bernie Parry.

Long have I wondered far and wide
With my harp in the misty morning.
Many is the song and tune I’ve played
On many a starry evening—
Played you a jig and I’ve played you a reel,
Played for a penny, a drink or a meal,
But I dream of a day when at court I’ll kneel
And play to a king and his lady.

Well I’ve waited long to play my song,
But now I’m old and leaning.
You hear the old man sighing near.
It’s Finagle the harper dreaming.

In the summers, I’ve played in the meadows green
With my songs both gentle and stirring.
Long cold nights I’ve played in the light
Of the tavern fires burning—
Songs of the forest and songs of the sea,
A song for your brothers, and a song for thee,
But I dream of a day at court I’ll kneel
And play for a king and his lady.

Well, I’ve waited long to play my song
But now I’m old and leaning.
You hear the old man sighing near.
It’s Finagle the harper dreaming.

But the seasons they pass and the short years fly
Creeping upon my shoulders.
The legs grow week and the eyes grow dim
And the nights are feeling colder.
Now I am aged, my head is old,
My hands are feeble and my fingers cold,
And my songs are forgotten and strewn by the road,
And all of my tunes forsaken.

Well, I’ve waited long to play my song,
But now I’m old and leaning.
You hear the old man sighing near.
It’s Finagle the harper dreaming.

Subject: RE: Lyrics to finigal
From: Wordseeker
Date: 19 Oct 98 - 11:22 AM

Mike,

Many thanks indeed. Only just picked this up - been on vacation.

thanks again