The Mudcat Café TM
Thread #82132   Message #1503411
Posted By: GEST
17-Jun-05 - 10:33 PM
Thread Name: Lyr Req: Oxymoronic songs
Subject: Lyr Add: PADDY BACKWARDS
Would you perchance mean a nonsense song such as this selection from GEST Songs Of Newfoundland And Labrador entitled:

PADDY BACKWARDS

As I was a-driving down Market town fair,
A-riding on horseback a bonny grey mare,
Short tail and a white mane and a hump on her back,
And not a hair on her but that wasn't jet black.

My horse standing still threw me off in the dirt,
He dirtied my body and bruised all my shirt;
And into my saddle my stirrups so gay,
And on my ten toes I went jogging away.

It rained and it blowed and I stood in the storm,
My hat in my hand to keep my head warm;
I took a glass of strong grape juice to drive gladness away,
To stiffen the dirt for it rained the whole day.

As I was a-driving up fair James' park,
In the middle of noon one night it was dark;
I met a man he was all dressed in green,
Black pants and white waistcoat 'twas plain to be seen.

Oh, it's home to old England I'll carry my bride,
With a ship on dry land and a fair wind and a tide;
And when I gets back in the place I was born,
I'll buy a new silver cup made of cow-horn.

As I was a driving down up market one day,
I saw three pretty fair maids a-making of hay;
I saw three pretty fair maids a-making of hay,
In the middle of winter one fine summer's day.

A one-legged drummer was beating his drum,
With his heels in his pockets up to me he did run;
He turned his back to me, stared me in the face,
And asked me the way as if I did know the place.

####.... Author unknown. One of many variants of stage or music hall nonsense songs popular with minstrels ....####

Sung by Alexander March (1865-1953) of Port au Port, NL, and published in MacEdward Leach And The Songs Of Atlantic Canada, p.274, © 2004 Memorial University of Newfoundland Folklore and Language Archive (MUNFLA).