Lyr Add: Paddy O'Neil (sea poetry)

Subject: Lyr Add: PADDY O'NEIL (sea poetry)
From: Q (Frank Staplin)
Date: 02 Dec 05 - 07:55 PM

Lyric Add: PADDY O'NEIL

Ye sons of Hibernia, who snug on dry land,
Round a sparkling turf fire with whiskey in hand,
Ne'er think of the dangers attending the boys
Who are fighting your battles through nonsense and noise.
To Dublin I went up, that damnable place,
A spalpeen came up, and he swore to my face,
He called for the pressgang, they came without fail,
And they neck and heels tied me, poor Paddy O'Neil.

Away to the tender, they made me repair,
Of tenderness devil a morsel was there,
I roared and I cursed, but it did not avail,
In the cellar they crammed poor Paddy O'Neil.
They called up all hands, hands and feet soon obeyed.
I wished my (s)elf home, cutting turf with my spade;
The first thing I saw made my courage to fail.
'Twas a large floating castle for Paddy O'Neil.

I let go with my hands to hould fast by my toes;
The ship took a rowl, and away my head goes,
I fell in the water, and splashed like a whale,
And with boat hooks they fished up poor Paddy O'Neil.
For a bed they'd a sack hung as high as my chin,
They called it a hammock, and bid me git in;
I laid hold, took a leap, but my footing frail,
I swung clean over, poor Paddy O'Neil.

Up hammocks, down chests, the boatswain did bawl,
There's a French ship in sight, tunder an'ouns, is that all?
To a gun I was stationed, they uncovered her tail,
And the leading strings gave to poor Paddy o'Neil.
The captain cries: "England and Ireland, my boys!"
Oh! when he mentioned ould Ireland, my heart made a noise,
I clapped fire to her back, whilst I held by her tail,
The damned devil flew out and threw Paddy O'Neil.

So we lathered away, by my soul! hob or nob,
'Till the Frenchman gave up what he thought a bad job,
To tie him behind- a strong cord we did bring,
And we led him along like a pig in a string,
Peace now is returned, but should war come again,
By the piper of Leinster, I'd venture a-main;
Returning I'd tell you, fine folks, such a tale,
That you'd laugh till you'd cry at poor Paddy O'Neil.

H. De Marsan, N. Y., Song sheet, 19th c.,New York.
American Memory, http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/index.html, and click on music.

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: PADDY O'NEIL (sea poetry)
From: MartinRyan
Date: 03 Dec 05 - 08:32 AM

Interesting. Tune?

Regards

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: PADDY O'NEIL (sea poetry)
From: Charley Noble
Date: 03 Dec 05 - 11:02 AM

Nice one!

Charley Noble

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: PADDY O'NEIL (sea poetry)
From: Q (Frank Staplin)
Date: 03 Dec 05 - 01:40 PM

No tune with the song sheet at American Memory. I haven't found it anywhere else.

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: PADDY O'NEIL (sea poetry)
From: MartinRyan
Date: 03 Dec 05 - 05:20 PM

My instincts suggest ""The Limerick Rake" as the air.

Regards

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: PADDY O'NEIL (sea poetry)
From: GUEST,Soundcatcher
Date: 04 Dec 05 - 04:43 AM

Alternatively, The Rambler From Clare

Regards

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: PADDY O'NEIL (sea poetry)
From: Q (Frank Staplin)
Date: 04 Dec 05 - 02:09 PM

"Rambler from Clare":
Music, ABC, Midi, etc. in Digital Tradition Mirror-
Rambler Clare

This song seems to have first appeared in broadsides from 1838-1840 (see Mustrad and Bodleian Library).
-------------------------------------
"The Limerick Rake":
Music, ABC, Midi, etc. in Digital tradition Mirror-
Limerick Rake

Also DT, midis, at Mudcat. Appeared in Dublin broadsides c. 1867.

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: PADDY O'NEIL (sea poetry)
From: GUEST
Date: 04 Dec 05 - 06:53 PM

I have it in my files as related to "The Kerry Recruit."

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: PADDY O'NEIL (sea poetry)
From: Q (Frank Staplin)
Date: 04 Dec 05 - 07:54 PM

There are several of these songs about an Irishman either enlisting or being pressed, going off to fight for the English in some sea or land battle, and either continuing to serve, perhaps coming back in pieces, or going off to America. They were copied, with variations, from one song sheet printer to another.
The "Kerry Recruit" (c. 1850-1860) belongs to the same 19th c. period. The idea has persisted in songs like "And the Band Played Waltzing Matilda," but the straight forward bitterness of the latter usually is not present in these earlier songs.
An Irish provenance seldom can be proven.

"Kerry Recruit" is in the DT; also see the Bodleian Collection and the Mustrad write-up by R. Brown.

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: PADDY O'NEIL (sea poetry)
From: GUEST
Date: 05 Dec 05 - 05:43 AM

Sorry,
       This is the marine recruit song that I was thinking of.

   Dearest Captain McGranis (mo gradh?) I am going to list,
Will you lend me the loan of your hand in my fist?
I am going to Dublin, is this the right way?
I set off last night, to get there yesterday.

The first they pressed me, and sent me to sea,
It was in the cold winter when making of hay,
They sent me on board of the jumping Torbay,
Bad luck to her guns, they did fright me away.

The boatswain says Paddy, what brought you here?
There's no grass to make hay, 'tis a rough time of year.
Blood an' 'ouns, then cries Paddy, I wish I was gone,
For your small wooden kingdom, I don't understand.

The first thing they gave me it was a red coat,
With two straps of leather made of the same cloth,
With a gun by my side, and a sword in my hand,
To fight in the wars that ne'er did begin.

The next thing they gave me it was a long gun,
And up to the trigger I fixed my fore thumb,
No sooner I'd pulled she began for to smoke,
And she hit my poor shoulder a damnable stroke.

The next thing they gave me it was a brown sack,
Where I was obliged to snooze on my back,
And there I had laid till the clock struck one bell,
When the bloody Marines cried all's well.

The next thing I heard, it was a great noise,
Boatswain at the hatchway, calls all hands a-hoy,
And Jack with his lantern comes tumbling down,
Crying shew me a leg or I'll cut you all down.

The Serjeant he cries, tumble up you marines,
You scarce can get time to keep yourselves clean,
With grumbling and growling and making sad moan,
With pulling and hawling the damned holy stone.

What a damnable place is this Newcastle,
Us fair men of London can't do as we please,
Was I in dear Dublin amongst the green bushes,
I would dance over hedges, unto the green rushes.

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: PADDY O'NEIL (sea poetry)
From: MartinRyan
Date: 05 Dec 05 - 05:51 AM

guest

Yes - that's certainly like The Kerry Recruit.
The first line name probably started life as McGrath.
Have youi seen this one as a ballad sheet online?

Regards

p.s. I like the "Bollod and 'ouns" line!

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: PADDY O'NEIL (sea poetry)
From: Dead Horse
Date: 05 Dec 05 - 05:11 PM

I wonder which came first, the chicken or the eigg?

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: PADDY O'NEIL (sea poetry)
From: Q (Frank Staplin)
Date: 05 Dec 05 - 05:43 PM

As pointed out earlier, there are several of these songs on undated songsheets, all roughly from the same time. Both are discussed in Mustrad by Brown, neither can be said to be prior to the other. Neither before 1840, according to study of the broadside printers.

The songs are different although both concern a poor sod in the military- one concerning a pressed recruit to the Navy, the other a recruit who took the shilling, and lost a leg in a land battle.

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: PADDY O'NEIL (sea poetry)
From: GUEST
Date: 05 Dec 05 - 07:33 PM

Martin,
      This came from Hugh Shields' "Old Dublin Songs" (1988) and his note to the song says
that it is from a chapbook published by B. Corcoran of Dublin in 1802.

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: PADDY O'NEIL (sea poetry)
From: Q (Frank Staplin)
Date: 05 Dec 05 - 09:00 PM

I believe the 1802 date hearkens back to "The Frolicksome Irishman," which seems to be the precursor of the other ballads. The earliest copies are dated roughly as 1802-1819, probably closer to the latter.
It was sometimes printed on the same ballad sheet as the "Kerry Recruit," but with words about Balaklava and the Crimean War of the 1850s.
The "Frolicksome Irishman" starts out with similar verses to some versions of the songs printed later:

About nine months ago I was digging the land,
With my clogs on my feet and my spade in my hand,
Thought I to myself it's a pity to see
Such a genius as I digging land by the way.
(nonsense refrain)
I pull'd off my clogs, shook hands with my spade,
And away to the fair like a roving young blade
I met with a sergeant, he asked me to list,
With my great gramachree give me your fist,

He'd give me two guineas...etc.
(He gets into battle, but succeeds in getting back to Ireland to dig murphys again).
Firth c14(116), and others, printed in London, Bodleian Collection.

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: PADDY O'NEIL (sea poetry)
From: GUEST,Martin Ryan
Date: 06 Dec 05 - 04:53 AM

GUEST (7.33 AM)

That explains why it looked vaguely familiar! I have that booklet on my shelves..

Regards