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MULDOON, THE SOLID MAN I am a man of great influence And I'm educated to a high degree I came when small from Donegal On the Daniel Webster across the sea In the 14th Ward [(or) Jersey City] I was situated In a tenement with my brother Dan By perserverance I elevated And I rose to the front like a solid man. CHO: Then come with me and I'll treat you decent I will get you drunk and I'll fill your can And on the street every friend I meet Says there goes Muldoon; he's a solid man. To every party and every raffle I always go, an invited guest As conspicuous as General Grant, me boys I wear a rosebud all on my breast I'm called upon to address the meeting Without regard to clique or clan I show the constitution with elocution Because you see, I'm a solid man. Repeat CHORUS ____________________________________ Lisa Null found it in the singing of a Gaelic singer named Nioclas Toibin (Nich olas Tobin) from the Rinn district of Waterford. This was one of only a couple of English songs in his repertoire. It can also be found in Philip American Labo r Songs of the Nineteenth Century by Philip S. Foner might be available from the University of Illinois Press. There's a web-page: http://aaup.princTUNE FILE: cgi-bin/hfs.cgi/99/illinois/94165 CLICK TO PLAY 091.ctl But Mick Moloney has recorded it at least a couple of times--on Uncommon Bonds w ith Eugene O'Donnell (Green Linnet #1053, 1980), and on Long Journey Home (Unispher e Records (BMG), 1998). Lisa believes he sings an additional verse, at least on t he Green Linnet recording This song seems to beg a parody about the former Canadian prime minister Brian M ulroney, nicknamed Muldoon, considered by many Canadians to have lead the most corrupt g overnment since we became a nation. I've found out more about the history of "Muldoon, the Solid Man": an article in the programme of the 1998 Washington Irish Folk Festival by Don Meade (pp. 47-53) which concl udes with the note that a longer version of the article origically appeared in New York I rish History, the journal of the New York Irish History Roundtable. In the article, Don Meade t races the history of the song from its origins: it was written by Edward Harriga n and its first performance was probably in March, 1874, in conjunction with a v ariety sketch called "Who Owns the [Clothes] Line." It became very popular and w as covered by many other performers. It is alluded to in a short story by Rudyar d Kipling and in James Joyce's Finnegan Wake. It probably was spread to Ireland itself through the music-hall singing of William J. Ashcroft. A 78-rpm recording by Sam Carson also helped to spread the song through Ireland. The tune is proba bly traditional Irish; an 1874 songster directs that it be sung to the tune of C olleen Rhue (Red-haired girl). Other similar melodies include "Youghal Harbour," "Boulavogue," "Omagh Town," and perhaps some three percent of all Irish folk so ngs. It's in the Levy Sheet Music Collection (Mudcat's Links), box 72, item 69, but it's simplest just to put 'Muldoon' in the bibliographic search box. I had looked the for "I'm a man youse don't meet everyday with no luck filename[ LAYEDON2 TUNE FILE: LAYEDOWN CLICK TO PLAY CB apr00 |
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