Irish choruses lyrics

Subject: Irish choruses lyrics
From: GUEST,Sheila
Date: 10 Dec 00 - 12:57 PM

Hello all. Can anyone give me some knowledge (or educated guess) how some of the wonderful choruses of Irish folk songs get their variations? For example, "The Spanish Lady" offers, (1) "Raddy a the too dum;" (2) "Whack for the toor a;" (3) "Whack fol the toora." Just curious as I relish the music. Have happy holidays. Sheila

Subject: RE: Irish choruses lyrics
From: nutty
Date: 10 Dec 00 - 02:48 PM

It's just a guess but it could be a follow-on from 'mouth-music' which people danced to when they had no instruments

Subject: RE: Irish choruses lyrics
From: Malcolm Douglas
Date: 10 Dec 00 - 04:36 PM

By no means a uniquely Irish phenomenon, of course.  Have a look at these past discussions for all sorts of ideas, some informed, some... less so:

meaning - musha ring dumma do dumma da
Help: Whack-fol-the-diddle et al
Song Style?
Type of song?
Lilting
Mouth tunes

Malcolm

Subject: RE: Irish choruses lyrics
From: bill\sables
Date: 10 Dec 00 - 04:57 PM

Could it have something to do with the drinking habits of us in the British Isles and Ireland and not remembering words while under the influence.

Subject: RE: Irish choruses lyrics
From: whistledon
Date: 10 Dec 00 - 06:03 PM

perhaps for the same reasons ' shoo bop shoo bop, my baby ' is heard in American music. Sounds good and maybe it takes the place of where words were either forgotten or never even written down. Slan,whistledon

Subject: RE: Irish choruses lyrics
From: GUEST,james
Date: 11 Dec 00 - 10:34 AM

what is an inting of an inting of an ido di day ? It is from a Tommy Makem song about a shoemaker..wish I could remember the name of it...does anyone know ?

James

Subject: RE: Irish choruses lyrics
From: GUEST,Mary
Date: 11 Dec 00 - 10:36 AM

The name of that song is "Dick Darby". It starts out "Oh me name is Dick Darby I'm a cobbler..." The words don't really make much sense.

Subject: RE: Irish choruses lyrics
From: Mrrzy
Date: 11 Dec 00 - 10:46 AM

The only song by any Clancy brother I actually don't like. But look at Whiskey you're the divil - the "mouth music" part is so fast and so quirky that if you've been drinking you can't sing the song any more. I think those things evolved to keep the performers sober enough to entertain!

Subject: RE: Irish choruses lyrics
From: GUEST
Date: 11 Dec 00 - 05:25 PM

"Dick Darling the cobbler" on the Bodley Ballads website is in cante-fable form, with chorus for the song part, "With my twing, twing..". (Probably derived from "My Name is Old Hewson the Cobbler")

Subject: RE: Irish choruses lyrics
From: paddymac
Date: 11 Dec 00 - 06:38 PM

"Dick darby" also goes under the name "The Cobbler" fairly commonly.