Lyr Add: Tunnel Tigers (Ewan MacColl)

15 Oct 97 - 04:50 AM (#14768)
Subject: ADD: Tunnel Tigers
From: Wolfgang Hell

One of the finest working songs I know (from the splendid a cappella singing of The Johnstons) is Tunnel Tigers. It is about Irish work emigrants helping to build the London tube (underground). The words are from Ewan MacColl, the tune my source (a xerox with no hints to which book I made it from) says is traditional Irish, but I have never heard it with any other song. The Copyright is from 1967 by Stormking Music. I have left all the place names spellings as I found them in print with one exception. I thought it safe to replace Laugh Derg by Lough Derg.

The Tunnel Tigers

1. Hares run free on the Wicklow mountains,
wild geese fly and the foxes play;
sporting Wicklow boys are working,
driving a tunnel through the London clay.

Up with the shields and jack it! Ram it!
Drive a tunnel through the London clay.

2. Lough Derg trout grow fat and lazy,
salmon sport in Cushla bay;
and fishermen from Connemara
drive a tunnel through the London clay.

3. Below Armagh the wild ducks breeding,
wild fowl gather on Loch Rea,
the sporting boys of Longford County
are digging a tunnel through the London clay.

4. The curragh rots on the Achill Island,
tourists walk on the Newport quay;
the Mayo boys have all gone roving,
digging a tunnel through the London clay.

5. The Carlow girls are fine and handsome,
all decked out so neat and gay;
the Carlow boys don't come to court 'em
they're driving a tunnel through the London clay.

6. Down in the dark are the tunnel tigers
far from the sun and the light of day;
down in the land that the sea once buried,
driving a tunnel through the London clay.

Wolfgang

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04 Oct 99 - 02:44 AM (#120401)
Subject: Tunnel Tigers
From: John in Brisbane

I think that this was one of Ewan MacColl's Radio Ballads. Here's the tune in Em, but I still need the lyrics please. Regards, John.

MIDI file: tunnel.mid

Timebase: 96

Text: Tunnel Tigers - Lyrics Ewan MacColl from a trad Irish tune.
Key: G
Tempo: 120 (500000 microsec/crotchet)
TimeSig: 4/4 24 8
Key: G
Start
0000 1 71 064 0096 0 71 064 0000 1 71 064 0096 0 71 064

0000 1 69 064 0096 0 69 064 0000 1 71 064 0048 0 71 064

0000 1 71 064 0048 0 71 064 0000 1 67 064 0096 0 67 064

0000 1 66 064 0096 0 66 064 0000 1 64 064 0048 0 64 064

0000 1 62 064 0048 0 62 064 0000 1 59 064 0000 0 59 064

0000 1 71 064 0096 0 71 064 0000 1 71 064 0096 0 71 064

0000 1 69 064 0096 0 69 064 0000 1 71 064 0048 0 71 064

0000 1 71 064 0048 0 71 064 0000 1 67 064 0096 0 67 064

0000 1 66 064 0096 0 66 064 0000 1 67 064 0096 0 67 064

0096 1 71 064 0096 0 71 064 0000 1 72 064 0048 0 72 064

0000 1 74 064 0048 0 74 064 0000 1 76 064 0048 0 76 064

0000 1 74 064 0048 0 74 064 0000 1 71 064 0048 0 71 064

0000 1 69 064 0000 0 69 064 0000 1 67 064 0096 0 67 064

0000 1 64 064 0096 0 64 064 0000 1 64 064 0048 0 64 064

0000 1 62 064 0048 0 62 064 0000 1 59 064 0096 0 59 064

0000 1 64 064 0096 0 64 064 0000 1 64 064 0048 0 64 064

0000 1 64 064 0048 0 64 064 0000 1 67 064 0048 0 67 064

0000 1 67 064 0048 0 67 064 0000 1 69 064 0048 0 69 064

0000 1 67 064 0048 0 67 064 0000 1 64 064 0096 0 64 064

0000 1 62 064 0096 0 62 064 0000 1 64 064 0000 0 64 064

0096 1 64 064 0096 0 64 064 0000 1 64 064 0048 0 64 064

0000 1 62 064 0048 0 62 064 0000 1 59 064 0096 0 59 064

0000 1 59 064 0096 0 59 064 0000 1 62 064 0048 0 62 064

0000 1 62 064 0048 0 62 064 0096 1 66 064 0048 0 66 064

0000 1 69 064 0048 0 69 064 0000 1 71 064 0144 0 71 064

0000 1 71 064 0048 0 71 064 0000 1 69 064 0048 0 69 064

0000 1 69 064 0048 0 69 064 0000 1 73 064 0096 0 73 064

0000 1 71 064 0048 0 71 064 0000 1 69 064 0048 0 69 064

0000 1 66 064 0096 0 66 064 0000 1 64 064 0096 0 64 064

End

This program is worth the effort of

learning it.

To download the March 10

MIDItext 98 software and get instructions on how to use

it HREF="http://www1.tpgi.com.au/users/afostes/miditext.html

">click here

ABC format:

X:1
T:Tunnel Tigers
M:4/4
Q:1/4=120
K:G
B2B2A2BB|G2F2EDB,2|B2B2A2BB|G2F2G4|B2cdedBA|
G2E2EDB,2|E2EEGGAG|E2D2E4|E2EDB,2B,2|DD3FA3|
B3BAA^c2|BAF2E2||

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10 Oct 99 - 06:49 AM (#122439)
Subject: RE: Tune Add: Tunnel Tigers
From: Wolfgang

Thanks for the tune, John; the lyrics are in the DT.

Wolfgang

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10 Oct 99 - 08:14 PM (#122561)
Subject: RE: Tune Add: Tunnel Tigers
From: John in Brisbane

Thanks Wolfgang - I actually have it on my hit-list of tunes missing from the DT, but had forgotten.

By the way, can you make any comments please on the Der Wasserfall thread which I posted in the last week?

Regards, John

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26 Apr 07 - 01:27 AM (#2036021)
Subject: RE: ADD: Tunnel Tigers
From: GUEST,Gerry

Wolfgang writes, "the tune my source (a xerox with no hints to which book I made it from) says is traditional Irish, but I have never heard it with any other song."

Frankie Armstrong uses this tune for William Taylor, on her album, Out of Love, Hope, and Suffering.

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26 Apr 07 - 02:22 AM (#2036033)
Subject: RE: ADD: Tunnel Tigers
From: GUEST

The tune is more-or-less identical as the version of William Taylor, as sung by Critics Group member Brian Byrne, a Dubliner (I think) who died of lukemia in 1968.
It is very similar to the Lincolnshire version as collected by Percy Grainger.
Jim Carroll

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26 Apr 07 - 11:50 AM (#2036331)
Subject: RE: ADD: Tunnel Tigers
From: GUEST,Lighter

Sometimes copyrights on "folksongs" are largely wishful thinking, but just to clarify in this case, MacColl was indeed the author of the
words.

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26 Apr 07 - 11:54 AM (#2036334)
Subject: RE: ADD: Tunnel Tigers
From: Wolfgang

Thanks for the tune information.

Wolfgang

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