Lyr Add: The Outside Car

Subject: Lyr Add: The Outside Car
From: Jack Blandiver
Date: 29 Oct 08 - 05:24 AM

Following the Irish Jaunting Car thread I was reminded of this charming little song, as sung by an old Irish singer in the Durham City Folk Club back in the late 1980s whose name presently escapes me.

THE OUTSIDE CAR

I was riding out one day in me outside car,
When I met Miss Kitty Kay on the road to Mullengar.
She was looking so sedate, that I said to her now Kate,
would you like take a sate, on me outside car.

It's an awkward place to kiss is an outside car,
But I tried when she said Yes on the road to Mullengar.
And I'll bless the happy day, when the people they do say,
There goes Mistress Pat O'Shae on her outside car.

**

Just two verse, but so complete a thing as to be quite perfect! If anyone has any other information on this I'd be most interested. Meanwhile, I'll try to find out the name of the singer.

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: The Outside Car
From: Joe Offer
Date: 30 Oct 08 - 03:03 AM

What's an outside car? It's also mentioned in Rocky Road to Dublin.
Thanks.
-Joe-

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: The Outside Car
From: GUEST,Donal
Date: 31 Oct 08 - 01:01 AM

As I remember the explanation Joe, it was a horse-drawn vehicle with a row of back-to-back seats running lengthwise down the centre so that the passengers had their backs to each other and faced outwards.

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: The Outside Car
From: Jack Blandiver
Date: 31 Oct 08 - 04:59 AM

In the context of the song it was explained simply as an open horse drawn buggy. Looking at the Rocky Road to Dublin I'd say it's a term that might be applied to any open horse-drawn carriage.

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: The Outside Car
From: MartinRyan
Date: 31 Oct 08 - 06:11 AM

According to Terence Dolan's Dictionary of Hiberno-English , a jaunting-car was/is a two-wheeled open carriage with a seat for the driver and side-seats for the passengers, either facing each other ('inside jaunting-car') or seated back-to-back ("outside jaunting-car').

So an "outside car" is an abbreviation for an "outside jaunting-car".

Regards

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: The Outside Car
From: MartinRyan
Date: 31 Oct 08 - 06:23 AM

Outside

Inside

Regards
p.s. Incidentally, note the song references in the first link.

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: The Outside Car
From: Jack Blandiver
Date: 31 Oct 08 - 06:48 AM

Excellent, Martin. So outside & inside have nothing to do with covered or uncovered. An awkward place to kiss for sure! I think that picture's pretty amazing too actually, here's a link to it as an entity in itself:

Irish Outside Jaunting Car

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: The Outside Car
From: MartinRyan
Date: 31 Oct 08 - 07:42 AM

Incidentally, the "Strawberry Beds" mentioned in The Rocky Road Dublin is a placename - it's an area along the River Liffey in Dublin. Amazing rural leftover in an urban jungle.

Regards

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: The Outside Car
From: GUEST,Donal
Date: 01 Nov 08 - 02:32 AM

Nice to see that my memory wasn't at fault.