Harald, many thanks, but that is not the song I recall.

A little more sleep put a the "pattern" of the tune and a very few more of the words in my head:

Line by line, the tune runs in a repetitive pattern (I think -- memory ain't Memorex):

A B A B C D C-prime

Where x-prime means "same words as x but different tune," and D is the "oh-laddie-oh-laddie-ay" line.

The tune was appropriately minor.

Kind regards, Ol' Dad GAD