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Lyr Req: The Old Woman from Wexford

31 Dec 96 - 11:50 PM (#998)
Subject: The Old Woman from Wexford
From: jhickman@fox.nstn.ca (Jack Hickman)

I'm trying to complete a set of lyrics for the above song. Much to my surprise I was unable to find in the DT database, either by the title, or by the use of several key words.

Thanks in advance for any help.

Keep the Faith

Jack Hickman

01 Jan 97 - 10:21 AM (#1001)
Subject: RE: The Old Woman from Wexford
From: Susan of DT

If you mean Eggs and Marrowbones (feed the old man stuff to make him blind and push him in the water), we have three versions listed under DT #344 (or Laws Q2). These old women are mostly from "our town" instead of from Wexford.

01 Jan 97 - 12:59 PM (#1003)
Subject: RE: The Old Woman from Wexford
From: Ralph Butts

I have one, not "Marrowbones", that might be it, only our old lady was from Belfast.

What are your keywords and theme?

....Tiger

01 Jan 97 - 03:03 PM (#1005)
Subject: Lyr Add: THE OLD WOMAN FROM DUBLIN
From: stephens@execpc.com

The old woman I know about was not from Wexford nor Belfast, but Dublin, and the words of the song went like this:

There was an old woman from Dublin. In Dublin she did dwell.
She loved her husband with all her heart but another man twice as well.

CHORUS: Sing dree-I-dree-I-dree, sing dree-I-dree-I-dree.

She went to the doctor to see if she could find
Some remedy or another that would make the old man blind. CHORUS

She took it home and gave it to him and made him take it all.
Said he, "My dearest darling wife, I can't see you at all. CHORUS

"I'd go to the river and drown myself if I thought I could find the way."
Said she, "I'll go along with you for fear you go astray." CHORUS

She stepped back a step or two to shove the old man in.
He stepped over to one side and headfirst she went in. CHORUS

The old man being tenderhearted and afraid that she might swim,
He gathered himself up a ten-foot pole and pushed her deeper in. CHORUS

This version from rural Oklahoma from "Uncle Tom Barker" who came there from northern Kentucky in l870-80.

Regards.

HTML line breaks added. --JoeClone, 6-Apr-03.

01 Jan 97 - 03:21 PM (#1006)
Subject: RE: The Old Woman from Wexford
From: Ralph Butts

Sorry, can't help.

...Tiger

01 Jan 97 - 05:48 PM (#1012)
Subject: RE: The Old Woman from Wexford
From: dick greenhaus

Hi-

If you can't find the title you're looking for, fear not! Just pick any characteristic phrase appearing anywhere in the song, and search for that. If you find one version, it may suggest ties to others. I'd start out with marrowbones and see what comes up.

01 Jan 97 - 11:26 PM (#1014)
Subject: RE: The Old Woman from Wexford
From:

Thanks for the responses. Certainly I got several good suggestions to help in further searches.

Keep the Faith.

Jack Hickman

02 Jan 97 - 04:12 AM (#1019)
Subject: RE: The Old Woman from Wexford
From: dick greenhaus

Another search tip: You may have noticed a listing under each title displayed that looks like: filename[ MARBONE

Related versions often look like MARBON2, MARBON3 etc.

ALSO: since the database distinguishes between Marrowbone, marrow bone and marrow bones, try a wildcard: i.e. marro* To limit a search further, you could try: marro* blind

02 Jan 97 - 04:59 AM (#1023)
Subject: Lyr Add: THE OLD WOMAN FROM WEXFORD
From: cpw@giga.com.pl

Hi Everyone,

Happy New Year !

"Old Woman from Wexford" is a very popular Irish ballad that can be found in numerous collections ex. Sam Henry Collection.

Here is the version I know:

THE OLD WOMAN FROM WEXFORD

D A D
Oh there was an old woman from Wexford and from Wexford she did dwell.
D G A G D A D
She loved her old man dearly but another one as well.
With your rum dom dom dom dei-ro and the blind man he could see.

One day she went to the doctor some medicine for to find
She said "will you give me something for to make me old man blind".
(With your rum dom dom dom etc. repeated after each verse)

Feed him eggs and marrowbones and make him suck them all
And it won't be very long after till he won't see you at all.

The doctor wrote a letter and he signed it with his hand
He sent it round to the old man just to let him understand.

She fed him eggs and marrowbones and made him such them all
And it wasn't very long after till he couldn't see the wall.

Says he: I'd like to drown myself, but that might be a sin'.
Says she: I'll go along with you and help to push you in.

The woman she stepped back a bit to rush and push him in,
And the old man quickly stepped aside and she went tumblin' in.

Oh how loudly she did yell and how loudly she did call,
Yerra hold your whist old woman, sure I can't see you at all.

Now eggs and eggs and marrowbones may make your old man blind
But if you want to drown him you must creep up close behind.

I'M SURE SHE WAS FROM WEXFORD!
Bye folks.

HTML line breaks added to replace double spacing, etc. --JoeClone, 6-Apr-03.

09 Jan 97 - 04:03 PM (#1236)
Subject: RE: The Old Woman from Wexford
From: stephens@execpc.com

After thinking about it, I believe the old woman from Wexford probably had two sisters,including one in Dublin, who dealt with their husbands the same way she did. My guess is that it ran in the family some way or the other. Regards to all.

06 Apr 03 - 04:51 AM (#927122)
Subject: there was an old woman wrapped up in a blanket
From: GUEST,ln.healy@infonie.fr

I have one verse and chorus of this song; can anybody compleat it for me, or give me an information about the song.

06 Apr 03 - 09:10 AM (#927185)
Subject: RE: The Old Woman from Wexford
From: George Seto - af221@chebucto.ns.ca

If you don't like the version given above, try :

Old Woman From ... Forum
Old Woman From ... Forum

Old Woman From ... Forum
Old Woman From ... Forum
DT Old Woman From Wexford
DT Eggs & Marrowbones 4
DT Marrowbones
DT Auld Man & the Churnstaff
DT Johnny Sands
DT Tipping It Up To Nancy

06 Apr 03 - 11:05 AM (#927237)
Subject: RE: The Old Woman from Wexford
From: curmudgeon

There's also "Tiggery Orum" on the Prestige LP, "The Best of A.L. Lloyd."

06 Apr 03 - 01:37 PM (#927312)
Subject: RE: The Old Woman from Wexford
From: GUEST, GEST

Here's another Old Woman From Wexford with very minor differences from the DigiTrad version. This one is the Newfoundland version. :-)

14 Dec 10 - 04:28 PM (#3053569)
Subject: RE: Lyr Req: The Old Woman from Wexford
From: GUEST

Similar ballad: 'Twas in the toon o Kelso', Scottish version. Can be found in 101 Scottish Songs.