Lyr Req: Nancy Hogan's Goose (from Con Greaney)

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Nancy Hogan's Goose (from Con Greaney)
From: AmyLove
Date: 14 Apr 17 - 12:17 AM

I was intrigued by Martin's mention of his booklet of Con's songs and I searched Con Greaney Gabriel Fitzmaurice and found a poem Fitzmaurice wrote about Greaney. I was able to view the whole just over six pages poem in Fitzmaurice's The Lonesome Road: Collected and New Poems 1984-2014 via google books. The first line of the poem: "Big Con lives in the mountain"

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Nancy Hogan's Goose (from Con Greaney)
From: Mick Pearce (MCP)
Date: 30 Oct 11 - 09:24 PM

It appears in Shakespeare Jim: OED quotation No more then I esteeme an addle egge Tr&Cr I,ii,125 Rom&Jul III,i,25.

Addle as noun was stinking urine, liquid filth Old English

adj as in Addle egg: (translation of med Latin ovum urinae a perversion of Latin ovum urinum representative of Greek "can't be botherered to sort out Greek font for this" meaning wind-egg): Rotten or putrid; producing no chicken - Middle English

Mick

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Nancy Hogan's Goose (from Con Greaney)
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 30 Oct 11 - 08:55 PM

I, on the other hand, have never heard of an addled egg.

I've heard of rotten eggs, which is what critics are reputed to throw at bad performers, but that's a figure of speech, not to be taken literally, at least in my experience.

I've also heard the smell of "natural" gas—used for cooking or heating—described as the smell of rotten eggs. The gas companies deliberately add traces of hydrogen sulfide, and, I think, some other chemicals, to the gas which would otherwise be odorless, so that people will be warned of a leak if one occurs.

I well remember smelling hydrogen sulfide in a high-school chemistry class, and I remember then too it was described as the smell of rotten eggs.

But I have never smelled, or encountered, an actual rotten egg! So I can't confirm that it actually has that smell.

Anyway, I assume "addled" means "rotten" when speaking of eggs, and that "addled" is a British or Irish expression. Is that right?

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Nancy Hogan's Goose (from Con Greaney)
From: MartinRyan
Date: 28 Oct 11 - 04:48 PM

Yeah - the word seems to come from the Irish word gliogar which is pronounced roughly "glugger" and means an empty sound or rattle. ubh gliogair is an addled egg.

Regards

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Nancy Hogan's Goose (from Con Greaney)
From: Mick Pearce (MCP)
Date: 28 Oct 11 - 11:36 AM

Thanks for that Jim. For once my shorter OED (and Partridge) let me down. (Not even glug. My OED is ca 1980 - maybe I need a newer edition!).

A web search does find several references though.

Mick

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Nancy Hogan's Goose (from Con Greaney)
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 28 Oct 11 - 10:05 AM

From A Dictionary of Hiberno-English by Terence Patrick Dolan:

gliogar, also glugger, gliug-ar n., the rattling sound of a rotten egg; an addled egg; a gurgle; the slurping noise in a pipe of tobacco; fig. a foolish blabber; a childless woman < Ir (cf, GLIOG)

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Nancy Hogan's Goose (from Con Greaney)
From: Mick Pearce (MCP)
Date: 28 Oct 11 - 08:10 AM

Jim - I found it a lot easier than some of the early blues recording transcriptions I've been involved in - didn't need any EQ or time-stretching to make things out!. Maybe it's just better familiarity with the accent (although I'm in England).

The only word I did have trouble with was that gluggers. It's not a term I'm familiar with (from context I'd assume it means unferilized eggs). I took the word used in the earlier version you posted.

If I've got some time later I'll post an abc of the tune.


Mick

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Nancy Hogan's Goose (from Con Greaney)
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 27 Oct 11 - 11:31 PM

Mick Pearce: I wouldn't have thought it possible, but it looks like you've nailed it! With the aid of your transcription, I have listened again to Con's performance, and now it makes perfect sense. Thanks.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Nancy Hogan's Goose (from Con Greaney)
From: MartinRyan
Date: 25 Oct 11 - 11:58 AM

No, unfortunately - I have a booklet of Con's songs compiled by Gabriel Fitzmaurice but Nancy's Goose is not included.

Regards

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Nancy Hogan's Goose (from Con Greaney)
From: MartinRyan
Date: 25 Oct 11 - 11:55 AM

Jim

He was! He was an amazing singer who reached a wide audience quite late in life. I remember him singing at a concert during the Ennistymon Traditional Singing festival many years ago, in the converted church which served as community hall. Balanced precariously on two sticks and swaying gently in front of the microphone, he utterly dominated his audience. Even when you couldn't really hear the words he sang, the emotion and the story seemed to communicate directly to you - along with Con's own enjoyment of the song.

I may have a copy of Con's words somewhere - though he was well capable of changing them from performance to performance!

Regards

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Nancy Hogan's Goose (from Con Greaney)
From: Mick Pearce (MCP)
Date: 25 Oct 11 - 11:44 AM

Jim

This is what I hear. I've used the word gluggers as it appears in a version above; I hope that's OK.

Mick

---

NANCY HOGAN'S GOOSE

Oh come all you gentle muses, and no dream that you hear,
It is all about a story that has happened in this very year
And meaning no harm, oh, to Brogan's door I steered my boat
And I met Pat Halpin's gander and he's treading Nancy Hogan's goose

Oh you all know poor old Nancy, she has the devil's own auld tongue
And she swore by all the high courts that she would get the gander hung.
You will not hang my gander, for the goose herself is more to blame
When she strolls out in the morning, sure I'm dreadful sure she's out for game
The peelers came next morning and they took th'old gander off to jail
And waiting for the Assizes he would not get out without good bail.

The gander lay in prison until his pleaing day came on
And when Nancy Hogan did appear against him she swore right was wrong
The jury found him guilty. Says the judge "My boy you won't get loose
You'll get seven long year's transportation for treading Nancy Hogan's goose."

Now, when th'auld gander heard the sentence passed he looked at the judge straight in the face
Sayin' "Is it for doing my duty that I have to leave my native place.
If I didn't do my duty sure the story would be ten times worse
And the eggs would be all gluggers and I'd have Nancy Hogan's curse."

Oh when I go home to Grogan's door I'll feed myself on oats and grass
And I'll tread Nancy Hogan's goose when I get Nancy gone to Mass.
Oh come all you cocks and ganders and your turkey cocks and drakes likewise
Oh be sure to shun night walking or you'll be in for a big surprise
You'll be fined for doing your duty, ah, like Halpin's gander when he got loose
Sure, he nearly got transported for treading Nancy Hogan's goose


Source: Con Greany, 1997, youtube video

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Nancy Hogan's Goose (from Con Greaney)
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 25 Oct 11 - 11:07 AM

Con Greaney's version seems quite different from what Peace posted.

Is anyone out there capable of transcribing it? It would be very difficult—he seems practically toothless.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Nancy Hogan's Goose
From: MartinRyan
Date: 17 Oct 11 - 05:00 PM

Click here for video of the late Con Greaney singing this one.

Regards

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Nancy Hogan's Goose
From: knight_high
Date: 03 Jun 08 - 04:27 AM

Actually I think I have all except some words in the last verse please

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Nancy Hogan's Goose
From: knight_high
Date: 03 Jun 08 - 04:25 AM

Thanks Jim and thanks peace.

I think Jim's version is nearest the Con Greaney version.
Peace - In Con's version the geese were not courting - at least not in the romantic sense. They were far bolder they were.

Jim can you post all the verses you have please.

Subject: Lyr Add: NANCY HOGAN'S GOOSE
From: Peace
Date: 02 Jun 08 - 08:45 PM

Nancy Hogan's Goose

As I roved out one morning down by O'Grady's store
I met Frank Halpin's gander couring Nancy Hogan's goose,
Nance herself sure she was there, and you know she has the devil's own tongue
She swore by all the high courts that she would get my gander hung.

Oh! you will not hang my gander, for the goose herself she's more to blame
She steals out every morning, by that you know she's on for game
The police they came right after and marched the gander off to jail
He was put back till the next Assizes and wouldn't be let out without strong bail.

When the gander came before the judge, says he "My lad I won't let you loose
You'll get seven year's transportation for courting Nancy Hogan's goose."
When the gander heard the Judge's words he looked the man right in the face
Sayin' "And is it for doing my duty that I should leave my native place.
If I hadn't done my duty the story would be seven times worse
The eggs would be all gluggers and I'd have Nancy Hogan's curse."

When the Judge he heard the gander's words, says he "My lad I will let you loose,
But when you get back to O'Grady's store now don't court Nancy Hogan's goose."
"When I get back to O'Grady's store I'll feed myself on oats and grass
And I'll court Nancy Hogan's goose when Nancy Hogan is gone to Mass.


Air: Miss McCloud's Reel


Found with a Google of the title.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Nancy Hogan's Goose
From: Declan
Date: 02 Jun 08 - 08:03 PM

I know a man with a set of lyrics.

I'll try to get a copy of same and post if necessary.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Nancy Hogan's Goose
From: Jim Carroll
Date: 02 Jun 08 - 05:15 PM

Oh come all you gentle muses, come listen now and I'll let you hear,
It's of a terrible story that happened in this present year
I, thinking of no harm, to Brogan's (in the version I know)....

Do you want the whole song, or just the two missing lines from verse 1.
Jim Carroll

Subject: Lyr Req: Nancy Hogan's Goose
From: knight_high
Date: 02 Jun 08 - 02:32 PM

Hello . Would anyone have the words for this song please. I have a tape of Con Greany singing it , but I cannot decipher some of the words.

..........
Thinking it no harm, to Grogan's store I steered my course
Where I met Pat Halpins Gander and him threading Nancy Hogan's Goose

Now you all know poor old Nancy, she has the Devil's own old tongue.
etc. etc.