Lyr Req: Lily Bolero/Lilliburlero

Subject: Lyr Req: Lily Bolero
From: GUEST,Steve
Date: 03 Jun 07 - 05:21 AM

Hi,
Anyone got the lyrics to "Lily Bolero".

Also the origins of the song.

Cheers

Steve.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Lily Bolero
From: The Borchester Echo
Date: 03 Jun 07 - 05:37 AM

There are lots. It's usually written as Lilli Bulero.
This is a rather complicated explanation from Contemplator about how it was used in 17th century Ireland as an anti-Catholic rant.

What people usually want when asking about it is what Barry Dransfield sang on Morris On as Old Woman Tossed Up In A Blanket:

There was an old woman tossed up in a blanket
99 times as high as the moon
And where she was going I couldn't but ask her
For in her hand she carried a broom.
'Old woman, old woman, old women' quoth I
'O whither, O whither, O whither so high?'
'To sweep the cobwebs off he sky'
And I'll be with you by and by.

I think, from memory. It's a bit too early to annoy the neighbours with THAT CD.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Lily Bolero
From: masato sakurai
Date: 03 Jun 07 - 06:01 AM

See DigiTrad: LILLI BURLERO, and links to the threads there.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Lily Bolero
From: GUEST,Steve
Date: 03 Jun 07 - 07:14 AM

The lyrics I require are the ones used during the Williamite war in Ireland.

Cheers

Steve

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Lily Bolero
From: The Borchester Echo
Date: 03 Jun 07 - 07:35 AM

It's the Contemplator ones then, as doubtless the Rev. Ian Paisley would confirm LOUDLY.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Lily Bolero
From: masato sakurai
Date: 03 Jun 07 - 09:06 AM

See William Chappell's Popular Music of the Olden Time, vol. 2 (1859, pp. 568-574).

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Lily Bolero
From: Q (Frank Staplin)
Date: 03 Jun 07 - 11:15 AM

Unfortunate that 'lily' or 'bolero' produces zilch in Lyrics and Knowledge Search.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Lily Bolero
From: The Borchester Echo
Date: 03 Jun 07 - 11:21 AM

Q

Try this:

Lilli(s) Burlero(s)

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Lily Bolero
From: Geoff the Duck
Date: 03 Jun 07 - 11:28 AM

Diane - just curious, not having a go at you - why do you associate the piece of doggerel from Barry Dransfield with Lillibulero? I can't recall ever hearing it anywhere other than Morris On.
Quack!
GtD.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Lily Bolero
From: The Borchester Echo
Date: 03 Jun 07 - 11:41 AM

Hello Geoff

Doggerel? Well, I'd known it for ever. Old Woman Tossed Up In A Blanket is a nursery rhyme, innit?
Barry sings it to the tune of Lily/Lilli/Lili whatever.
I suppose you'd better ask Ashley why he thought it was a good idea.
Good grief, are we going to have peeps questioning Who's The Fool Now? because it's doggerel?
Yeah, it is but . . . so what?
Most of what is written here is equally so . . .

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Lily Bolero
From: dick greenhaus
Date: 03 Jun 07 - 11:50 AM

Ah me-
For the umpteen thousandth time, my I point out that song titles are a snare and a delusion. Computers are pretty dumb, and if you spell things differently that the way it's been entered, the poor machine gets lost.

It's in DigiTrad as Lilli Burlero, probably the most common spelling of a string of nonsense words (they're the ones "used during the Williamite war in Ireland.") If you remember any of the lyrics, it's a surer way to search--"Teague", f'rinstance, will locate it for you.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Lily Bolero
From: Geoff the Duck
Date: 03 Jun 07 - 12:14 PM

I checked Morris On, and the rhyme is spoken before "old woman" not sung to any tune.
Quack!
GtD.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Lily Bolero
From: The Borchester Echo
Date: 03 Jun 07 - 12:23 PM

Yeah, but you can sing it to that tune if you really, really want to.

As I said in my 2nd post to this thread, the lyrics the OP appears to want are at the link I provided therein to Contemplator.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Lily Bolero
From: RiGGy
Date: 03 Jun 07 - 08:43 PM

I like/sing the one the lass Bill Jones sings to this famous melody.
It's an interesting version of Devil & the Farmer's Wife. V1 for eg:

There was an old farmer near Hexham did dwell
Lili Bulero Bully me low
He had and old wife and she gave him Hell
Lili Bulero Bully me low
cho
Lero lero, lili bulero
Lili Bulero Bully me low
Lero lero, lili bulero
Lili Bulero Bully me low

Interesting twists on the usual text includes:
Now I've been the Devil most all of my life
But I never knew Hell 'til I met your wife
cute

Riggy

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Lily Bolero
From: McGrath of Harlow
Date: 04 Jun 07 - 05:16 PM

Lily Bolero - that's a great name for an exotic cancer though, isn't it?

..............
Doggerel? Well you can't deny the original song the title "doggerel" either, can you? Doggerel is an abiding feature of folk song through ages. Along with poetry.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Lily Bolero
From: Mr Happy
Date: 05 Jun 07 - 12:20 PM

'an exotic cancer' ?? -------AAAAAAArrrrrrrggggggghhhhhhhhh1

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Lily Bolero
From: Kim C
Date: 05 Jun 07 - 01:03 PM

Don't they also use this tune for "My Thing Is My Own"?

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Lily Bolero
From: GUEST
Date: 16 Apr 10 - 05:20 AM

the original lyrics:

Ho brother Teague did you hear the decree
Lillibolero bullen a la,
That we shall have a new deputy,
Lillibolero bullen a la,

Chorus:
Lero, lero, lillibolero
lillibolero bullen a la,
lero, lero, lillibolero,
lillibolero bullen a la.

There was an old prophecy found in a bog,
Lillibolero bullen a la,
We shall be ruled by an ass and a dog,
Lillibolero bullen a la,

CHORUS:

Now that old prophecy has come to pass,
Lillibolero bullen a la.
Talbots the dog, and James is the ass,
Lillibolero bullen a la.

CHORUS:

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Lily Bolero
From: GUEST,The origins of the song Lilllibolero
Date: 16 Apr 10 - 05:25 AM

Williamite War
James II was born Protestant, but converted to Catholicism in 1669. His deviant religion was no subject when King James II succeeded his brother King Charles II in 1685, but soon became a hot issue and triggered the Williamite War.

Although fought on Irish soil, the Williamite War was not an Irish war. In fact the Williamite War was an European battle brought to Ireland by King James II.
For the source of the conflict we have to go to Versailles. Despite treaties the Catholic French King Louis XIV reduced religious tolerance to the French Huguenots. He had also reorganised his army and conquered territory, such as the principality of Orange. The Protestant Prince of Orange, William, who was stadhouder (some sort of viceregent) of Holland at that time, led the fierce opposition against King Louis XIV.

William of Orange looked with Argus' eyes at the developments when the Catholic and French ally James II became king of England, Scotland and Ireland. William of Orange could not tolerate a second powerful enemy in Europe.

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King James II
Immediately after his coronation in 1685 King James II proclaimed a series of measurements aiming at the emancipation of Catholics, such as the Declaration of Indulgence. This, together with appointing Catholic officers, made him highly unpopular with the Parliament. As a result King James II simply abandoned the Parliament.
Without the ballast of the Parliament King James II replaced Protestants on military and political positions with loyal Catholics.
After the horrors of the Confederate War the royal support was welcomed by the Catholics on Ireland.

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William of Orange
At first Mary, the eldest daughter from King James' II marriage with Anne, was the successor to the throne. Because Mary was Protestant and King James II was well in his 50's at that time the Protestants initially decided to swallow and wait for better times. Their hope vanished when the second wife of King James II, Mary of Modena, gave birth to a son and a Catholic royal line was inevitable the Protestants took action.
Seven politicians asked their Protestant Dutch neighbour, William of Orange who was married with King James' II eldest daughter Mary, to take the crown and secure the Protestant line of the royal family.
William of Orange, not only eager to decrease Catholic influences, but also partially British by birth (son of Mary Stuart and grandson of King Charles I, in fact William and his wife were first cousins), accepted the invitation to overthrow his father-in-law King James II (nice family heuh?). An additional reason was perhaps that William of Orange was still pissed because King James II had captured the small Dutch trading post New Amsterdam a few years before and changed its name to New York.

An imposing Dutch fleet landed on 5 November 1688 at Brixham. William of Orange (King William III) and Mary II (Queen Mary) were declared sovereigns of England, Scotland and Ireland in January 1689. King Louis XIV immediately declared war to England and the Netherlands.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Lily Bolero
From: Jim Carroll
Date: 16 Apr 10 - 06:04 AM

Some notes on the song:
Jim Carroll

In the past political songs often had great influence on political life. In 1704 Andrew Fletcher of Saltoun, a Scots patriot and active opponent of the union of England and Scotland wrote to a friend;

"If a man were permitted to make all the ballads, he need not care who should make the laws of a nation".

Probably the most spectacular example of a ballad influencing the course of history is to be found in the song Lillibulero,
The song is said to have first appeared in Ulster in 1641. Richard Talbot, a Catholic and Royalist, had been made Earl of Tyrconnel after the Restoration, and King James II later appointed him Lord Lieutenant of Ireland where he pursued strong pro-Catholic policies. Even after James was deposed in England, Tyrconnel governed Ireland in James' name. The Irish Catholic forces were eventually defeated by William at the Battle of the Boyne.
The song represents two Irish Catholics gloating over Tyrconnell's appointment as Lord Lieutenant and goes;

Ho brother Teague, come hear the decree
Lilli burlero, bullen a la;
Ireland's to have a new deputie,
Lilli burlero, bullen a la.

Ho, by my soul, it is a Talbot;
Lilli burlero, bullen a la
And he will cut every Protestant throat
Lilli burlero, bullen a la

Jonathan Swift, in 1712, named the Whig leader Thomas Wharton as the author, quoting him as claiming to have "whistled a king out of three kingdoms".

Bishop Burnet's History of His Own Time, 1724 - 1734, gives a contemporary account of public response to the original song:

"A foolish ballad was made at that time, treating the papists, and chiefly the Irish, in a very ridiculous manner, which had a burden, said to be Irish words, lero, lero, lilibulero, that made an impression on the army that cannot be well imagined by those who saw it not. The whole army, and at last all people both in city and country, were singing it perpetually. And perhaps never had so slight a thing so great an effect."

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Lily Bolero
From: CupOfTea
Date: 18 Apr 10 - 08:31 PM

Lili Burlero is a favorite tune used for English Country Dancing. It's also a thing that brings to my attention how much I appreciate that so much of what I love in folk music - the tune, the song, the ballad - each one is a part of a larger whole.

When it was fairly new to us in Cleveland, the oringinal ECD band included Josh Stier on hammer dulcimer & tinwhistle. In those days, Josh was known to sing the verses during the dance. Dancers would sing the chorus/B part of the tune back at him. Always a fount of folk knowledge, Josh would then, during the break explain to anyone remaing in ignorance what the lyrics were about/historical import.

Josh has been dead for a horrid long time - but I never play, or even hear, the tune without thinking of an eccentric New York Jewish guy, known for his love of Irish music, gleefully singing these Protestant Anglo lyrics. It reminds me of how much I owe him, and all the other folks over the years who've shared their love and knowledge where I could absorb some.

Joanne In Cleveland

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Lily Bolero
From: SPB-Cooperator
Date: 19 Apr 10 - 03:19 AM

The full song can be found in Irish Street Ballads by Colm O Lochlainn

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Lily Bolero
From: Steve Gardham
Date: 19 Apr 10 - 03:30 PM

Isn't this also the tune for 'Rock-a-bye, baby'?

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Lily Bolero
From: Rowan
Date: 19 Apr 10 - 07:09 PM

Isn't this also the tune for 'Rock-a-bye, baby'?

Not anywhere (in Oz) that I've heard either sung or played.

Cheers, Rowan

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Lily Bolero
From: McGrath of Harlow
Date: 20 Apr 10 - 04:08 PM

James II was born Protestant

No one is "born Protestant" any more than "born Catholic" or "born Muslim".   You get born into a family that may be one of those things, but that.s a different matter. (And James wasn't as it hapened - his father was Protestant, and his mother was Catholic.)

Incidentally, the Dalai Lama loves this tune.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Lily Bolero
From: Jim Carroll
Date: 20 Apr 10 - 05:35 PM

The tune was first published by Purcell, but it is claimed that he probably borrowed it from elsewhere - one of those 'anon' peices; like the folk songs, nobody knows.
Jim Carroll

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Lily Bolero
From: MartinRyan
Date: 20 Apr 10 - 06:22 PM

Oddly enough, I always associate this tune with corncrakes. Many years ago, I used to spend a few nights every spring locating these birds on the Shannon "callows" (floodplain, essentially) below Athlone in the Irish midlands. At some stage, I would take a break, pour a mug of coffee and turn on the car radio. I always seemed to hit the BBC World Service using Lililbulero as signature tune!

Regards

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Lily Bolero
From: pavane
Date: 21 Apr 10 - 02:57 AM

And my ancestor Samuel Chappuzeau was the person tasked in 1658 with instructing William of Orange in French and Calvinism. I will be publishing his biography this year.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Lily Bolero/Lilliburlero
From: GUEST
Date: 31 Oct 10 - 08:31 PM

stephen large.
yip the Dalai Lama loved it because it was the BBC world service intro, which represented an unbiased world view...being an orangeman myself my wife and grown up kids always have a good laugh whenever they hear the tune, as i said one or two times "did you ever hear the Dalai Lama whistling Lili Bulero" (anglisized). and yes James and Lieing Dick Talbot were the Ass and the Dog.
It is and was a galvanising tune and raises the neck hairs of protestants in Ireland. As any good Jacobite tune like the white cockade would stare a good republican.
I might stand corrected but i believe Lady Talbot received James in Dublin upon his retreat from the Boyne. He retorted your countrymen run well madam, she replied something to the tune.. it seems your Majesty runs faster as they are not here yet. Poor James..Louis's hapless puppet.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Lily Bolero/Lilliburlero
From: mayomick
Date: 01 Nov 10 - 02:52 PM

In John Bull's Other Island Brendan Behan gives a translation of the chorus which he said was a corruption of Gaelic . I don't have the book anymore but if I remember rightly he said it meant something like "the Lily will win ". The lily was the symbol of the apprentice boys of Derry who held the city during William's siege - according to Behan, they were all gaelic speakers.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Lily Bolero/Lilliburlero
From: mayomick
Date: 01 Nov 10 - 03:46 PM

That should have been during James' siege .

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Lily Bolero/Lilliburlero
From: Jim Carroll
Date: 01 Nov 10 - 03:57 PM

"Louis's hapless puppet."
It's comforting to know the peace and reconciliation process is in good hands!!
Jim Carroll

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Lily Bolero/Lilliburlero
From: mayomick
Date: 03 Nov 10 - 02:33 PM

From Brendan Behan's Island (and not as I wrote above John Bull's Other Island .)
"Many a writer has said that the chorus Lillibulero bullenala is incomprehensible gibberish , but this is not the case. At the time of the siege in 1689 , the apprentices were Irish-speaking and, defending the Dutch William ,their symbol was the Orange lily. The meaning of Lillibulero bullenala is simply An lile bar leir e – ba linn an la – the lily was triumphant ,we won the day ."

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Lily Bolero/Lilliburlero
From: GUEST
Date: 08 Nov 10 - 01:58 PM

I think that the tune and lyrics predates the siege of derry as Williams troops were playing the tune on the march from Torbay to Winchester. As for Louis's hapless puppet..i fail to see the connection with the peace process.....which i might add is and has been a triumphant sucess for all the people of these islands.it doesnt mean however that we all become of one faith and political persuasion just respect each others point of view Jim.

my meaning was that James was used by Louis in all sorts of ways James was no doubt aware of his position but was willing to sup with anyone to regain his kingdoms.