Wee Falorie Man

Subject: RE: Wee Falorie Man
From: GUEST
Date: 23 Sep 17 - 01:28 PM

I'd associate it with David Hammond who recorded it at least twice as far as I know. I first encountered the song on his recording with Donal Lunny, The Singer's House.

Subject: RE: Wee Falorie Man
From: GUEST
Date: 23 Sep 17 - 01:13 PM

The late lamented Freddy Mackay put the song on a cassette of the same name about 30 years ago (maybe more!)

Subject: RE: Wee Falorie Man
From: Jim McLean
Date: 21 Jun 11 - 06:16 PM

Reiver 2, I wrote The Barras in 1960 at the request of Joe Gordon so it's hardly a street song.

Subject: RE: Wee Falorie Man
From: GUEST
Date: 15 Mar 11 - 08:59 PM

The clipe is a slice of ham the penny bap is a piece of bread. I believe Falorie is a village but I'm not sure on that

Subject: RE: Wee Falorie Man
From: Reiver 2
Date: 08 Aug 10 - 11:56 AM

OK, my memory has clicked in...here's the story. The songs were from a cassette tape I have entitled "David Hammond Sings Belfast Street Songs." On the cassette they were sung separately but Reiver 1 and I took these three songs and put them together as a medley. We called it "Belfast Street Songs," but that was our name for it.

A note for "I Am The Wee Falorie-Man" says "The song of a braggart traveling man. Belfast version of a song that is known to children throughout the British Isles." For "Fan-A-Winnow" the note is "A song from the linen industry -- a spinner avows her love for Barney, the band tier. Set basically to the melody of a hymn tune common in the 19th century." For "Johnny Todd" there is this note, "A simple song describing a sailor's problem when beset by his wife's infidelity." [Actually in the song the sailor and the girl are not married, and it's not exactly a "children's song" either.]

There were several other "children's songs" on the tape such as "Green Gravel, Green Gravel," "The Doffin Mistress," "The May Queen," and "King Billy Was A Gentleman."

The "Glesca Street Songs," another somewhat similar medley that we sang, came from a copied cassette tape I have of songs by Robin Hall and Jimmy MacGregor. Several of the other songs on the tape could, I think, also be considered "street songs," such as "The Barras," and "Ma Wee Gallus Bloke."

Reiver 2

Subject: RE: Wee Falorie Man
From: Reiver 2
Date: 06 Aug 10 - 11:51 PM

Reiver 1 and I used to sing a number we called 'Belfast Street Medley' but I have no notes on the source or even where we found it. I'll ask Reiver 1, maybe he knows more about it, and if so I'll post it. The first part of the medley we sang was:

I am the wee falorie man
A rattlin', rovin' Irishman,
I can do all that ever you can
For I am the wee falorie man

I have a sister, Mary Ann,
She washes her face in a frying pan,
Out she goes to hunt for a man,
For I am the wee falorie man.

I am a good old workin' man,
Each day I carry my wee tin can,
A large penny bap and a claip o' ham,
Oh, I am the wee falorie man. [repeat first verse]

The 2nd part of the medley went [totally different tune]:

Fan-a-winnow, winnow, winnow,
Fan-a-winnow day-sie
Fan-a-winnow, e-i-o,
She's away wi' Barney, the band tie-er man,
The band tie-er, oh, the band tie-er oh,
She's away wi' Barney, the band ti-er, oh.

"A' for apple, "P" for pear,
I love the girl wi' the long yellow hair.
All the girls I ever, ever knew,
The love I had for my lady,oh!
My lady, oh, my lady, oh,
My lovely blue-eyed lady, oh.

"B" for Barney, "C" for Cross,
"R" for my love, Barney Ross.
All the world will never, never know
The love I had for my Barney, Oh.
My Barney, oh, my Barney, oh,
My lovely, blue-eyed Barney, oh. [Repest 1st verse]

The 3rd part of the medley was a 7 verse version of "Johnny Todd."

Johnny Todd, he took a notion,
For to cross the ocean wide,
But he left__ his true love behind him
Walkin' by the Belfast tide.

For one week she wept so sadly,
Tore her hair and wrung her hands,
'Till she met wi-th another sailor
Walkin' by the Belfast sands.

"Oh, fair maid, why are you weeping,
For your Johnny, gone to sea?
If you'll wed with me tomorrow,
I will kind and constant be."

"I will buy you beads and earrings,
I will buy you diamond stones.
I'll buy you a- horse to ride on,
When your true love, he is gone."

"I will buy you sheets and blankets,
I'll buy you a wedding ring.
You shall have a guilded cradle,
For to rock your baby in."

When Johnny Todd came back from sailing,
Sailing oe'r the ocean wide,
Then he found that his fair and false one,
Was another sailor's bride.

Now young men who go a-sailing,
For to fight the foreign foe,
Do not leave your love like Johnny --
Marry her before you go.

I don't remember our source for this song or anything else about it, for that matter. If any 'catters can supply any information about this medley - or any parts of it, please do so. Back to the original thread topic, I assumed [probably in error] that falorie [we pronounced it "faloo-rie"] was just a nonsense word. If it has a definite meaning, I'd appreciate any information.

Reiver 2

Subject: RE: Wee Falorie Man
From: Alice
Date: 30 Jul 08 - 11:38 PM

More about Davy Hammond and The Wee Falorie Man recording is on the thread about Fan A Winnow.
click here

Subject: RE: Wee Falorie Man
From: Joe Offer
Date: 30 Jul 08 - 10:41 PM

Well, not really a coincidence, Gurney. I noticed and refreshed this thread when I was in the process of making crosslinks.

-Joe-

Subject: RE: Wee Falorie Man
From: Gurney
Date: 30 Jul 08 - 09:56 PM

Some coincidence, this. Two threads contemporaneously wanting elucidation of the term.

Subject: RE: Wee Falorie Man
From: Joe Offer
Date: 30 Jul 08 - 09:06 PM

There are three entries in Roud.
Here's the entry from the Traditional Ballad Index:

Wee Falorie Man, The

DESCRIPTION: "I am the wee falorie man A rattling roving Irishman. I can do all that ever you can." Sister Mary Ann "washes her face in the frying pan And she goes to hunt for a man." "I am a good old working man Each day I carry a wee tin can" with a bun and ham.
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1952 (_Rann Magazine_ Summer 1952, according Roud)
KEYWORDS: work food nonballad
FOUND IN: Ireland
REFERENCES (2 citations):
Hammond-Belfast, p. 13, "The Wee Falorie Man" (1 text, 1 tune)
DT, WEEFALRY*
Roud #5106
Notes: Also collected and sung by David Hammond, "The Wee Falorie Man" (on David Hammond, "I Am the Wee Falorie Man: Folk Songs of Ireland," Tradition TCD1052 CD (1997) reissue of Tradition LP TLP 1028 (1959))
Sean O Boyle, notes to David Hammond, "I Am the Wee Falorie Man: Folk Songs of Ireland": "The word 'falorie' is not of Gaelic origin, but probably derives from the English word 'forlorn,' which in rural Ulster is pronounced 'fa-loorn' and is associated not only with lonliness, but with mystery. The song is used in a singing game by the children of Belfast." - BS
File: Hamm013

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The version in the Digital Tradition is an exact transcription of the version in Songs of Belfast, by David Hammond (Mercier Press, 1978), page 13.

Here are the notes from Hammond:

Falorie-man is an odd fellow, a mystery man, perhaps a form of forlorn. Here he is a bit of a braggart, related to the English "Gable 'oary Man" - the Gabriel, Holy Man.

Subject: RE: Wee Falorie Man
From: Snuffy
Date: 11 May 06 - 08:10 AM

looks like it's been glued together from half-lines of various well-known Irish songs

Subject: RE: Wee Falorie Man
From: GUEST,Seanain
Date: 10 May 06 - 07:58 PM

I am trying to find the lyrics to a song that I always thought was Wee Falorie Man, but after having looked at the lyrics in the database I realized it's not. The chorus (as near as i can remember)is as follows:

I am the wee falorie man listen to the drum
Through the dusty bluebells to the rattle of a gun
I'll tell me ma when I go home, I'll go home if I can
It's one more time to hear the rhyme, Wee falorie man

I believe that I originally heard it on an Irish Brigade album (long since lost). Anyone know the rest of it?

Subject: RE: Wee Falorie Man
From: OHIO
Date: 17 Mar 99 - 01:03 PM

Thank you so much! I was able to use the information today- St. Patrick's Day!

Subject: RE: Wee Falorie Man
From: John Moulden
Date: 16 Mar 99 - 06:30 PM

Oh dear, I forgot about the "clipe of ham" - its the same as a whang - a brave wee bit - in normal English a fairly substantial piece but cut without much care.

John

Subject: RE: Wee Falorie Man
From: John Moulden
Date: 16 Mar 99 - 06:25 PM

This is a bit of a mystery - sometimes it's the wee melodie man, polony (a kind of sausage and the origin of baloney) man, the Gable Oary Man and the Holy Gabriel Man - look at a dictionary of children's singing games especially Lady A B Gomme: The traditional games of England, Scotland and Ireland (still in print I think from Dover Publications) for gable oary man.

The game in Belfast is a kind of follow my leader where thos following mimic the actions of the leader.

John

Subject: RE: Wee Falorie Man
From: AlistairUK
Date: 16 Mar 99 - 04:36 PM

penny bap is a type of bread roll

Subject: Wee Falorie Man
From: OHIO
Date: 16 Mar 99 - 03:15 PM

I am an elementary music teacher who has been able to find the meaning of some lyrics in a St. Patrick's Day song. in the "Wee Falorie Man"- Does anyone know what "falorie" means? How about "penny bap"? "Clipe of ham"? I'd be so happy if someone could help me! Thanks