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Lyr Req: Whack Fol the Diddle (Peadar Kearney)
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Lyr Req: Whack Fol the Diddle (Peadar Kearney) |
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Subject: Lyr Req: Mother England Loves Us Still From: Joe Offer Date: 09 Jul 04 - 03:45 AM Yesterday was a slow day, unbearably hot - so I spent it reading Malachy McCourt's forgettable book on "Danny Boy." It's a quick read and kind of fun, but it was not what one would call a serious treatise on music. Anyhow, he mentioned a couple of songs that had subtle anti-British meaning. One was Moses Ri-tooral-i-ay and the other was a song called "Mother England Loves Us Still." I Googled to a couple of mentions of the song, but that's all. Can anybody post lyrics for us? Thanks. -Joe Offer- |
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Subject: ADD: Mother England (Dominic Behan) From: Joe Offer Date: 09 Jul 04 - 04:14 AM In his Ireland Sings songbook, Dominic Behan has one he wrote called "Mother England," but I don't think that's the one McCourt is talking about. -Joe Offer- Mother England (Dominic Behan) Oh, how gentle Mother England when you're getting grey and old, You'll give freedom to your colonies, the ones you cannot hold. You'll pose benign and loving, as defender of the weak, But there's one complaint you'll dodge and feint and never of it speak. CHORUS: Oh, you've pains around your Kenya, your Guiana's not so hot; Your Malaysia's turning cypric, your Rhodes disease has gone to pot. But you could easily overcome them without calcutting off your kong, If your duodenal Ulster wasn't quite so wrong. Wasn't it lovely when Victoria could go riding o'er the Rand Knowing well that loyal Pretoria was in the best of hands? She had Disraeli in her pocket, and Prince Albert by the head, And a fine big strapping Scotsman underneath the bed. Chorus: Oh, when King Georgie ruled the waves - our well—loved sailor King, To think he'd let us be his slaves was enough to make us sing; And when those I. R. A. guerillas tried to push him from the land Was he angry? No! sound fellow, he sent over the Black and Tans. Chorus: Oh Princess, we apologise, it's not like us at all To wait till darkness fills the skies and blow out your bedroom wall; But when the young have ancient memories, or they wouldn't misbehave, They say it's to do with a hanging or two and a million famine graves! Chorus: Copyright 1965, Coda Music Limited |
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Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Mother England Loves Us Still From: Wolfgang Date: 09 Jul 04 - 04:30 AM It's in the DT! (Sorry about that, Joe, but I did it for my fun). My guess is Whack fol the diddle is meant. Wolfgang |
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Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Mother England Loves Us Still From: Jim McLean Date: 09 Jul 04 - 05:41 AM Wolfgang's correct. Just a mention that Dominic's song is set to Hot Ashphalt. |
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Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Mother England Loves Us Still From: GUEST,.gargoyle Date: 09 Jul 04 - 06:20 AM Old mother England loves us still, When we were savage fierce and wild, She came as a mother to her child'.
Sincerely, |
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Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Mother England Loves Us Still From: GUEST,.gargoyle Date: 09 Jul 04 - 06:23 AM Sorry, the source was: The Republican News
http://republican-news.org/archive/2000/November16/16lett.html |
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Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Mother England Loves Us Still From: GUEST,weerover Date: 09 Jul 04 - 07:21 AM |
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Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Mother England Loves Us Still From: GUEST,weerover Date: 09 Jul 04 - 07:22 AM Oops! I have the musical notation somewhere if anyone wants an abc. wr. |
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Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Mother England Loves Us Still From: Barbara Date: 09 Jul 04 - 02:22 PM I'm sure this is the one, Joe. I've heard the verse in DT "ould Brittania loves us still" also rendered as "old Mother England..." as it is in other verses. It's hard to appreciate how sardonic/sarcastic a song it is until you hear it sung. I think the Clancy Bros. do it. I've certainly heard it live at Harmony and up here in Portland. And for those of you who don't want to do the extra work, the tune is also available in DT. Blessings, Barbara |
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Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Mother England Loves Us Still From: Joe Offer Date: 10 Jul 04 - 11:49 AM Thank you all. Gee, and to think it was in the DT all the time.... -Joe Offer- |
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Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Mother England Loves Us Still From: Keith A of Hertford Date: 11 Jul 04 - 04:45 AM Subtle anti British ? |
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Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Mother England Loves Us Still From: belfast Date: 11 Jul 04 - 08:32 AM The DT gives the maker of the song as Peadar Carney. It was, of course, Peadar Kearney, uncle to the aformentioned Dominic Behan. He also wrote the great anti-recruiting song, The Recruiting Sergeant. And the National Anthem. The Irish National Anthem, that is. The DT version of the song mentions "Bunker Hill". My memory tells me that it should be "Pieter's Hill" a reference, I think, to the Boer War. The Boer War would probably be more relevant to Irish republicans of Kearney's generation. |
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Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Mother England Loves Us Still From: ard mhacha Date: 11 Jul 04 - 03:55 PM I`ll tell you a tale of peace and love, Whack fol the diddle o the dih di do day. Of the land that rules all lands above, Whack fol etc, May peace and plenty be her share that kept us all from want and care Oh!, God Bless England is our prayer , Whack fol the diddle o the dih do day. From memory,the first verse of Peader Kearneys song. |
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Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Whack Fol the Diddle (Peadar Kearney) From: Gavin Paterson Date: 24 Nov 16 - 09:59 AM I was doing a bit of researching into Whack Fol the Diddle/God Bless England and found this clip. The last person to sing solo is Dominic Behan and some of the other faces look familiar. The Rediffusion logo and Elkan Allan (producer) places it early/mid 60's I would say. Does anyone have any info on this? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1sPXR8gDlEQ |
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Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Whack Fol the Diddle (Peadar Kearney) From: Jim Carroll Date: 24 Nov 16 - 10:24 AM This from the excellent Balladeers site Rebellion at Easter 1966 - Rex LPR 1005 LP (TV soundtrack) Side One Erin Go Brath (Kearney) — Dominic Behan The Croppy Boy (Kirtpatrick) — Maeve Mulvany The Foggy Dew (Stanton) — Eileen Colgan & Dominic Behan The Soldiers' Song (arr. Stanton) — Chorus Inc. Eddie McGinley & Patrick Duggan Erin Go Brath (Reprise) (Kearney) — Dominic Behan God Save Ireland! (Behan) — Gerry Fox & Chorus The Wearing 0f The Green (air. Stanton) — Maeve Mulvany & Joe Lynch Skibereen (Behan) — Maeve Mulvany, Joe Lynch & Billy Boyle Mo Buacaillain Donn (arr. Behan) — Eileen Colgan Bold Fenian Men (Kearney) — Mick Flynn My Old Fenian Gun (Stanton; McBurney) — Billy Boyle The Dying Rebel (Mallory) — Eileen Colgan Side Two The Foggy Dew (Reprise) (Stanton) — Joe Lynch The Merry Ploughboy (Behan) — Billy Boyle & Chorus The Bold Black & Tans (Behan) — Dominic Behan Tipperary So Far Away (arr. Stanton) — Jimmy Caffrey Shall My Soul Pass Through Old lreland? (arr. Stanton) — Joe Lynch Kevin Barry (Behan) — Maeve Mulvany, Gerry Fox & Chorus Boys From Counly Cork (arr. Mallory) — Billy Boyle Arbour Hill (Trad.) — Maeve Mulvany "The Mother" (Trad.) — Elleen Colgan The Foggy Dew (Reprise) (Stanton) — Eileen Colgan & Chorus Whack Fol The Diddle (Kearney) — Gerry Fox, Joe Lynch, Billy Boyle. Dominic Behan & Chorus Musicians Billy Boyle, Dominic Behan, Eddie McGinley, Eileen Colgan, Gerry Fox, Jimmy Caffrey, Joe Lynch, Maeve Mulvany, Mick Flynn & Patrick Duggan Credits Producer: Elkan Allan Script: Elkan Allan Design Henry Federer Program Associate John Penycate Musical Director Kate O'Connor Musical Associate Dominic Behan Director: John Sheppard The Soundtrack of the Rediffusion, London, Production first seen on April 6th, 1966 Sleeve Notes Like most aware Englishmen of my generation, I had grown up ashamed of how our fathers treated the Irish in the Black & Tan period, and I had long wanted to make my own small gesture towards reparation. In 1964 I wrote and produced a television programme called 'Freedom Road' which used the songs of the Negro people as accompaniment to films, stills and prints of them to tell the story of their persecution and fight for equality. So, when the 50th Anniversary of the Easter Rising was imminent in 1966, I had a ready-made means of expressing what I wanted to say. The parallels between the Negroes and the Irish were astonishing, even down to the denigration of their peoples as comedy idiots in their masters' drama and literature. I found the songs with the help of Dominic Behan, the singers with the aid of Cliff Castle and the facts with the assistance of John Penycate. In Dublin, everyone was helpful, particularly Peggie Jordan and her daughter Mary, and Martin Walton, who is the musical chronicler of the Rebellion. Old Joe Cashman, who was there taking photographs, was most kind and useful. Back in the studio, John Sheppard added to my script his idea of a reconstruction of a symbolic barricade and coached our singers and actors, with the help of the musician, Kate O'Connor. In the cases of Eileen Colgan, Patrick Duggan and Jimmy Caffrey, he had of course distinguished Irish players who started off stronger actors than singers, while Joe Lynch is a leading Dublin singer and actor, and Billy Boyle, a star of musical comedy. Dominic Behan is a man of many talents, but the beautiful Maeve Mulvany and 'Tinkers' Gerry Fox, Mick Flynn, had never really acted before. That they all did so outstandingly well in their dual roles as singers and actors is due to their belief that they were doing something above the normal call on their talents — they were singing and acting for Ireland. ELKAN ALLAN "Erin Go Brath". A Major Marshall, who employed Dominic Behan's mother, called the start of the Easter Rising just 'a row in the town', providing the first line of her brother Peadar Kearney's song of 1916. The first verse of "The Croppy Boy", an 18th Century revolutionary ballad follows. Cropped heads signified convicted felons, here for political offences. "The Foggy Dew" is based on a traditional street ballad, but here has lyrics by the Rev. P. O'Neil, a Republican priest. It is the best-known, and possibly the best, of the songs about Easter Week. "The Soldiers' Song" was also written by Peadar Kearney as a marching song for the Irish Volunteers — formed in 1914 — and is now the Irish National Anthem. "God Save Ireland" was the last cry from the dock of the Fenian 'Manchester Martyrs' convicted in 1867 for killing a policeman. The tune is the old English air "Up with the Crown!", which became the American Civil War Song "Tramp, Tramp, Tramp" and which was brought back by Irish emigrant soldiers. "The Wearing of the Green" was composed during the legal persecution that followed the Irish revolt of 1798 and the Act of Union of 1800. "Skibereen" is a ballad about the 1847 Potato Famine sung by homesick emigrants who fled their homes that year. The village of Skibereen, Co. Cork, was ravaged by plague and starvation, but the song describes the misery of an entire nation. "Mo Buacaillain Donn" (My Brown-haired Boy) is a love-song dating from the 16th Century. The "Bold Fenian Men" and "My Old Fenian Gun" refer back to the 19th Century revolutionary movement and proclaim the continuity of Irish nationalist agitation. Each new rising took heart from the courage of its predecessors. "The Dying Rebel" is a street-ballad of 1916, but its theme gave it far wider relevance. Traditionally it tells of an old man seeking his wounded son; but here Eileen Colgan, as a mother, sings the lament. "The Merry Ploughboy" was a recruiting song for the I.R.A. with an English folk tune, "The Jolly Ploughboy". "The Bold Black & Tans". An old English tune, "The Devon Maid", is used for this indictment of that notorious corps named after its motley uniforms. Balbriggan and the city of Cork were but two of the places burned by the Tans as reprisals. An extra verse was written by Dominic Behan for the programme to match the film "Tipperary So Far Away" is one of many extant laments for Sean Treacy, a member of Michael Collins' I.R.A. Intelligence Squad, shot down in Talbot Street, Dublin, on Oct. 14th, 1920. "Shall My Soul Pass Through Old Ireland?" The tune is the English "Rolling Home to Merry England", but the words tell of Terence McSwiney, the Lord Mayor of Cork, who died on hunger strike. "Kevin Barry" used the same tune for another tragedy, the hanging of a young medical student in Dublin. The song originated among Irishmen in Glasgow and has become the best-known rebel song of this century. "Boys From County Cork" is a rousing victory song commemorating the famous I.R.A. brigade in that county, though giving credit to those emigrant Irishmen who returned to fight. "Arbour Hill" is a more recent ballad about the 1916 heroes' resting-place in Dublin. "The Mother" is a poem by Patrick Pearse, the leader of the Easter Rising, written between his capture and execution at his mother's request. There are two strong sons because his brother Willie fought, and died, beside him. "Whack Fol the Diddle" by Peadar Kearney belies the gaiety of its tone with the irony of its lyrics. It was one of the few songs that went unproscribed by the occupying British, who evidently did not understand it. JOHN PENYCATE ©1966, The Decca Record Company Limited, London Notes This is the soundtrack from 1966 TV documentary Rebellion At Easter: The Songs They Sang Were Of Ireland Free — Commemoration of the 50th Anniversary of the 1916 Easter Rising in Dublin, using songs of the time as commentary. Singers include Dominic Behan, Billy Boyle, James Caffrey, Eileen Colgan, Jerry Fox, Joe Lynch, Maeve Mulvanny, Michael Flynn, Eddie McGinley, and Patrick Duggan. On Easter Monday, 1916, a tiny but determined army sized five key buildings in Dublin. Their stories and the events that followed are told through the songs they sang and the films and photographs of the time. Source: Irish Film & TV Research Online - Trinity College Dublin |
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Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Whack Fol the Diddle (Peadar Kearney) From: GUEST,Martin Ryan Date: 24 Nov 16 - 04:17 PM Very interesting. I note the "P O Neill" ascription for "The Foggy Dew". Wonder if that's an early example of what has become a rather Freudian slip? Regards |
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Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Whack Fol the Diddle (Peadar Kearney) From: Gavin Paterson Date: 25 Nov 16 - 08:32 AM Thanks Jim - I use The Balladeers site a lot but I must have missed this one. |
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Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Whack Fol the Diddle (Peadar Kearney) From: Felipa Date: 25 Nov 16 - 05:38 PM I remembered hearing Liam Clancy sing Whack Fol the Diddle on an early Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem lp, so I looked online, and I see that you can listen on youtube to the song as sung by Clancys and Makem, and read a nasty discussion in the comments https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1CySri9RAuQ Whack Fol The Diddle Peadar Kearney I'll sing you a song of peace and love Whack fol the diddle fol the di dol day To the land that rules all lands above Whack fol the diddle fol the di dol day May peace and plenty be her share Who kept our homes from want and care Ah, but God bless England did our prayer Whack fol the diddle fol the di dol day Whack fol the diddle fol the di dol day So we say "Hip Hooray!" Come and listen while we pray Whack fol the diddle fol the di dol day When we were savage fierce and wild Whack fol the diddle fol the di dol day She came like a mother to her child Whack fol the diddle fol the di dol day She gently raised us from the slime and kept our hands from hellish crime And she sent us to Heaven in her own good time Whack fol the diddle fol the di dol day Whack fol the diddle fol the di dol day So we say "Hip Hooray!" Come and listen while we pray Whack fol the diddle fol the di dol day Our fathers oft were naughty boys Whack fol the diddle fol the di dol day For pikes and guns are dangerous toys Whack fol the diddle fol the di dol day From Baile Atha Buidhe to Peter's Hill [? Mudcat database has Bearna Baol to Bunker Hill] They made ould England cry her fill Ah, but ould Brittania loves us still Whack fol the diddle fol the di dol day Whack fol the diddle fol the di dol day So we say "Hip Hooray!" Come and listen while we pray Whack fol the diddle fol the di dol day Oh, Irishmen forget the past Whack fol the diddle fol the di dol day And think of the day that's coming fast Whack fol the diddle fol the di dol day When we will all be civilized Neat and clean and well advised Oh, won't Mother England be surprised? Whack fol the diddle fol the di dol day Whack fol the diddle fol the di dol day So we say "Hip Hooray!" Come and listen while we pray Whack fol the diddle fol the di dol day Whack fol the diddle fol the di dol day So we say "Hip Hooray!" Come and listen while we pray Whack fol the diddle fol the di dol day |
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