Lyr/Chords Add: Weela Wallia

Subject: Lyr/Chords Add: Pa
From: GUEST,Passia
Date: 16 Jul 02 - 11:36 AM

There was an old woman and she lived in the woods,
  Weile weile waila.
There was an old woman and she lived in the woods,
  Down by the river Saile.

Well, she had a baby three months old,
  Weile weile waila.
She had a baby three months old,
  Down by the river Saile.

And she had a penknife long and sharp,
  Weile weile waila.
She had a penknife long and sharp,
  Down by the river Saile.

Then she stuck the penknife in the baby's heart,
  Weile weile waila.
She stuck the penknife in the baby's heart,
  Down by the river Saile.

The were three loud knocks came a-knocking on the door,
  Weile weile waila.
Three loud knocks came a-knocking on the door,
  Down by the river Saile.

There were two policemen and a special branch man,
  Weile weile waila.
Two policemen and a special branch man,
  Down by the river Saile.

They took her away and they put her in the Gaol
  Weile weile waila.
They took her away and they put her in the Gaol
  Down by the river Saile.

So they put a rope around her neck,
  Weile weile waila.
They put a rope around her neck,
  Down by the river Saile.

Then they pulled the rope and she got hung,
  Weile weile waila.
They pulled the rope and she got hung,
  Down by the river Saile.

Well that was the end of the woman in the wood,
  Weile weile waila.
And that was the end of the baby, too,
  Down by the river Saile.

Subject: RE: Lyr/Chords Add: Pa
From: MMario
Date: 16 Jul 02 - 11:43 AM

You should hear Celtic Soul sing this!

Subject: RE: Lyr/Chords Add: Pa
From: Snuffy
Date: 16 Jul 02 - 08:00 PM

You couldn't hear the Dubliners sing this in the 60s on the BBC!

WassaiL! V

Subject: RE: Lyr/Chords Add: Pa
From: Genie
Date: 17 Jul 02 - 01:53 PM

Ah, yes, another tearjerker about mother love! ;-)

Subject: Lyr Add: WEELA WALLIA
From: masato sakurai
Date: 17 Jul 02 - 02:20 PM

I think this is a related (possibly Irish) song to "The Cruel Mother" (Child #20). Often as a jump-rope rhyme or some other game song. Dominic Behan (on Streets of Songs) and the Clancy Brothers (on The Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem in Ireland) sang this. Unfortunately I don't have these LPs.
(From: HERE)

WEELA WALLIA
(Probably The Clancy Brothers' version)

There was an old woman who lived in the woods
Weela weela wallia
There was an old woman who lived in the woods
Down by the river Sallia

She had a baby six months old
Weela weela wallia
She had a baby six months old
Down by the river Sallia

She had a penknife three foot long
Weela weela wallia
She had a penknife three foot long
Down by the river Sallia

She stuck the penknife in the baby's head
Weela weela walia
She stuck the penknife in the baby's head
Down by the river Sallia

Three big knocks came a-knocking at the door
Weela weela wallia
Two policemaen and a man
Down by the river Sallia

"Are you the woman what killed the child?"
Weela weela wallia
"Are you the woman what killed the child?"
Down by the river Sallia

"I am the woman what killed the child"
Weela weela wallia
"I am the woman what killed the child"
Down by the river Sallia

The rope got chucked and she got hung
Weela weela wallia
The rope got chucked and she got hung
Down by the river Sallia

The moral of this story is
Weela weela wallia
Don't stick knives in babies' heads
Down by the river Sallia

~Masato

Subject: RE: Lyr/Chords Add: Pa
From: Snuffy
Date: 17 Jul 02 - 07:33 PM

Guest Passia's version above seems like the Dubliners version I remember from the 60's. I'm sure there's an old thread somewhere discussing the relative merits of heads against hearts for sticking penknives in.

In many ways it resembles a shanty, and I suppose it is a work song, even if the work is skipping.

WassaiL!

Subject: RE: Lyr/Chords Add: Pa
From: masato sakurai
Date: 18 Jul 02 - 07:34 AM

WEILE WAILE has been posted and discussed in these threads: Bloody Gore -- But Just For Laughs and The Cruel Mother. The lyrics with guitar chords for the Dubliners' version are HERE.

~Masato

Subject: RE: Lyr/Chords Add: Pa
From: GUEST,Garmanach
Date: 30 Aug 08 - 06:27 PM

'sallia' would appear to be related to be connected to the Irish word 'sáile', meaning 'salty'. e.g., the original name for Tacumshin LLake in Co. Wexford was @Lough Sale' in English, and 'Loch Sáile' in irish. Being a tombolo, it is partially, a salt-water lake.   

I wonder does Weelia Wallia also come from Gaelic doggerl; was it originally sung in Irish/Gaelic? The Celtic tradition has 'shanty'-like work-songs that resemble Welia Wallia in form - e.g., women's working songs from the Scottish Western Isles, and repetitive and improvisable songs from the Irish tradition, like 'Cúnnla'.

Subject: RE: Lyr/Chords Add: WEELA WALLIA
From: GUEST
Date: 22 Aug 11 - 06:47 AM

hi, what are the chords for this?

Subject: RE: Lyr/Chords Add: Weela Wallia
From: mayomick
Date: 13 Mar 17 - 04:36 PM

Just saw this :
The Poddle was once known as the "Tiber' and was also known as the River Salach (dirty river), which is the origin of the children's song "Down by the river Saile". It is also the river whose peaty, mountain water gave Dublin its name ['Dubh-linn' = Black Pool].

Subject: RE: Lyr/Chords Add: Weela Wallia
From: FreddyHeadey
Date: 13 Mar 17 - 05:47 PM

In the ...1970s in Liverpool my big brothers taught me these lines, only slightly different from
masato sakurai - PM 
Date: 17 Jul 02 - 02:20 PM 
( Bled is good to rhyme with head
and
'hung' was shouted at the end of that line)

She had a penknife six inch long

She stuck the knife in the baby's head
Weela weela walia
The more she stuck it, the more it bled.

Three big scuffers come knocking on the door

The babby went to heaven and she got hung



~~~~~~~~~
2
scuffers
An amusing victorian phrase for the 
the police, the Old bill, the bizzies etc.
http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=scuffers 

Subject: RE: Lyr/Chords Add: Weela Wallia
From: Bugsy
Date: 14 Mar 17 - 12:28 AM

Try this for starters, then embellish as you see fit


(D7)There (G)was an old woman who lived in the woods

Weela weela (C)wallia(G)

There (D7)was an old woman who lived in the woods

Down by the river (G)Sallia.

CHeers

Bugsy