Lyr/Chords Req: Molly and Johnny (from Dervish)

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: loughisle castle
From: GUEST,Martin Ryan
Date: 15 Apr 09 - 03:50 PM

Jim

I reckon you're right!

Regards

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: loughisle castle
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 15 Apr 09 - 12:16 PM

Amy: Dervish's recording of MOLLY AND JOHNNY appears on 4 other albums. I've listened to sound samples, and I have these corrections to make to your lyrics:

Verse 1 line 3: For although we are parted we'll always be true-hearted
Verse 1 line 4: And again I'll return in the sweet month of May
Verse 3 line 1: I'll dress myself up like a ... sea-boy
Verse 3 line 2: Amidst all ... strangers I will stand your friend
Verse 5 line 4: Cryin' "O my beloved, will I never see you more?"

I couldn't hear the whole song, so I can't vouch for everything else being right.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: loughisle castle
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 15 Apr 09 - 11:53 AM

MOLLY AND JOHNNY is mentioned in Traditional Singers and Songs from Ontario by Edith Fulton Fowke (Hatboro, Pa.: Folklore Associates, 1965).

MOLLY AND JOHNNY is in the songbook Best of Dervish (Milwaukee, Wis.: Hal Leonard, 2005).

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: loughisle castle
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 15 Apr 09 - 09:50 AM

Something strange is going on here. If you go to Allmusic.com and compare The Rough Guide to Irish Music (#1006, 1996) with The Rough Guide to Irish Music: Second Edition (#1148, 2005), in both cases, you will see that the track listing says that track 9 is LOUGHISLE CASTLE performed by Ciarán Ó Maonaigh and Dermot McLaughlin.

However, if you play the sound samples, in the first album you will hear a song sung by a female voice. (The lyrics seem to match what is posted above.) In the second album, you will hear a fiddle tune played on two fiddles.

Allmusic's review of the "second edition" implies that it's a whole new album. (It seems to me "volume 2" would have been a better designation than "second edition".)

At World Music Network, the publishers of the Rough Guide CD series, there is only one album called "The Rough Guide to Irish Music". It has no designation "second edition" or the equivalent, but its cover design resembles the "second edition" pictured at Allmusic, and it has the same catalog number: 1148.

My guess is, the "first edition" has gone out of print and the publishers have no plan to reissue it, so they simply dropped it from their catalog without comment, and then repackaged the "second edition" so it looks like the one-and-only edition. This is a bad and misleading marketing tactic and has probably resulted in some lost sales.

Wouldn't they think people who bought and liked the "first edition" would be likely to buy the "second edition"? They won't if they don't know it exists, or if they think the green album is merely a repackaged copy of the red one.

That's probably what caused Allmusic.com to post the wrong track list for the "first edition." When screw-ups like this occur, I am often in doubt whether to blame Allmusic or the record company, but in this case, I think the record company is mostly at fault for misleading Allmusic, although Allmusic should have caught the error.

Another result will be that people who own a bootlegged copy of the first CD will go online to find a track list, and, not knowing that two CDs exist with the same title, will be misinformed.

Here is what I suppose is the correct track listing for the "first edition", copied from Amazon.co.uk:

1. Solid Ground - Keane, Dolores
2. Tommy Peoples/Windmill/Fintan McManus's - Altan
3. Coinleach Ghlas An Fromhair - Clannad
4. On Horseback - Ivers, Eileen
5. Season of Mists - Crawford, Kevin
6. Lakes of Pontchartrain - Deanta
7. White Petticoat/Kerry Jig/Katy Is Waiting - Patrick Street
8. Terry Cuz Teahans Polka/Murphy's Polka/O'Sullivan's Polka - Sliabh Notes
9. Molly and Johnny – Dervish
10. Humours of Lissadell/Music in the Glen/Johnson's - Derance, Joe
11. Boys of Malin/Gravel Walks - Tourish, Ciaran & Dermot McLaughlin
12. Dulman/Charlie O'Neil's Highland - Cran
13. Mist on the Mountain/Three Little Drummers' - Larrissey, Brendan
14. Untitled/Untitled/Hand Me Down the Tackle - O'Donnell, Siobhan & Karen Tween/Andy Cutting
15. Colm Cille Na Feile - Ni Dhomhnaill, Maighread
16. Sod of Turf/Katie Goes to Granny - Murray, Martin
17. O'Connell's March/Galway Bay Hornpipe/Banshee's Wail/Over - Hayes, Martin

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: loughisle castle
From: MartinRyan
Date: 13 Apr 09 - 05:24 PM

BTW Lough Isle Castle is a dance tune (reel) as far as I know - better check your track listing!

Regards

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: loughisle castle
From: MartinRyan
Date: 13 Apr 09 - 04:46 PM

And here's the earlier one:

Said Johnny to Molly, "I'm now going to leave you,
And do not be grieved at my going away,
For the more we are parted, we'll always be true-hearted,
And again I'll return in the sweet month of May."

Said Molly to Johnny, "Oh, I will mourn for you,
And I will be grieved at your going away,
For you know very well that your absence does grieve me.
I'm afraid you might die in some strange country.

"I'll dress myself up like a neat little sea boy.
Amidst all life's dangers, I will stand your friend.
Through the winds that lie lofty and high winds that are blowing,
My dear, I'll be with you to plow the rough main."

"Your delicate fingers our ropes could not handle.
Your lily-white feet, love, our decks could not stand.
Nor the cold nights of winter, you ne'er could endure them,
So stay at home, darling. To the seas do not go."

Her two little arms round his neck she entwined them,
And the clear crystal tears from her eyes down did flow,
And her lily-white hands on the decks she kept wringing,
Crying, "Oh, my beloved, will I ne'er see you more?"

So come, all you young fair maids that's inclined to marry.
Never place your affections too much upon one man,
For first they will court you and then they'll deceive you,
And they'll leave you as I was left to mourn when they're gone.


I think you'll find this version resolves most of your trnascription problems.

Regards

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: loughisle castle
From: Amy_Florence_Nthants
Date: 13 Apr 09 - 04:18 PM

This is my Translation from the CD, but the third verse is dodgy because I couldn't catch all of the words:


Says Johnny to Molly: "I'm not going to leave you,
But do not be grieved at my going away,
For although we are parted, we are still through hearted,
And again I'm returning the sweet month of May."

Says Molly to Johnny: "Oh, I will mourn for you,
And I will be grieved at your going away,
For you know very well that your absence does grieve me.
I'm afraid that you might die in a strange country.

"And yes, my dear Johnny, I will live by the sea n by
And though we stand like strangers I will stand your friend.
Through the winds are high n lofty, high winds they are a-blowin'.
My dear I'll be with you to plough the rough main."

"But your delicate fingers our ropes could not handle.
Your lily-white feet, love, our decks could not stand,
And the cold nights of winter you ne'er could endure them,
So stay at home, darling. To the seas do not go."

Her two little her hands round his neck she entwined them
And the clear crystal tears from her eyes down did flow
And her lily-white hands on the deck she kept wringing,
Cryin', "Oh, my beloved, I'll never see you more!"

So come all your young fair maids that soon claim to marry.
Never place your affections too much upon one man,
For first he'll court you and then he'll deceive you,
And He'll leave you as I have done and then he is gone.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: loughisle castle
From: MartinRyan
Date: 13 Apr 09 - 03:57 PM

I've never heard it under that title - but there's a version in THIS THREAD which may give you a start, at least.

Regards

Subject: Lyr Req: loughisle castle
From: Amy_Florence_Nthants
Date: 13 Apr 09 - 03:36 PM

Loughisle Castle as sung by Ciaran O Maonaigh and Dermot McLaughlin on 'The rough Guide to Irish Music'

I think the first verse is as follows;

'Says Johnny to Molly
I don't want to leave you
But do not be greived at my going away
But the more we are parted we'll (Always be sweet hearted?)
and again I'm returning the sweet month of May'

Subject: RE: chrds req: Molly and Johnny
From: Sorcha
Date: 22 Feb 02 - 10:01 AM

If anyone wants to give it a listen and try to figure them out, there is an RA clip here. Didn't find any chords, abc, whatever. Sorry.

Subject: RE: chrds req: Molly and Johnny
From: Sorcha
Date: 22 Feb 02 - 09:54 AM

If it's the right one, lyrics are posted here. Didn't find chords at Mudcat, but I'll ask GoogleGod.

Subject: chrds req: Molly and Johnny
From: GUEST,Kristine
Date: 21 Feb 02 - 06:05 PM

Do you know the chords for that incredible song, sung by Dervish, Molly and Johnny? Thanks, Kristine

Subject: RE: molly and johnny - recorded by dervish
From: Philippa
Date: 27 May 99 - 03:47 AM

It should be 'wringing', but that means twisting her hands around each other in despair (as in "She fell in to despair/a-wringing of her hands and a tearing of her hair/'Since my Johnny's gone and left me, no man alive I'll take/But all my days on Claudy's banks/I'll wander for his sake') not his neck! Entwining hands on his neck I take to have been done affectionately! Of course, you are free to wewrite the song to make it more tragic and violent! The words remind me of another song:
Don't talk of leaving me here, dearest William,
Don't talk of leaving me here by the shore
For youo know that our parting in sorrow will grieve me
Stay at home, dearest William,
To the seas do not go

(I think one recording is by Cathal McConnell, Boys of the Lough)
I'm reminded also of High Germany (in database) and also of those songs in which the woman DO@ES dress up and go to sea. And there's an @parting category in the database if you particularly like farewell songs. You'll also find there's a [false young man] for every [fair young maid]. For slaying the false young man, don't forget Child no. 4 (False Sir John, The Outlandish Knight, etc. in the DT)

Subject: RE: molly and johnny - recorded by dervish
From: Rita64
Date: 27 May 99 - 12:49 AM

Oh dear! Thank you so much Maelgwyn though I must confess I am a little disappointed. Not with you dear M, just me. When I first heard the song I thought the "ringing of hands" was actually "wringing" and I understood that evil Molly tried to choke Johnny. He he he. Must've been in a black mood that day. Great idea for a song though ... a fair young maid slaying a false young man. Hee hee hee.

Subject: Lyr Add: MOLLY AND JOHNNY (from Dervish)
From: Maelgwyn
Date: 26 May 99 - 07:54 PM

Said Johnny to Molly, "I'm now going to leave you,
And do not be grieved at my going away,
For the more we are parted, we'll always be true-hearted,
And again I'll return in the sweet month of May."

Said Molly to Johnny, "Oh, I will mourn for you,
And I will be grieved at your going away,
For you know very well that your absence does grieve me.
I'm afraid you might die in some strange country.

"I'll dress myself up like a neat little sea boy.
Amidst all life's dangers, I will stand your friend.
Through the winds that lie lofty and high winds that are blowing,
My dear, I'll be with you to plow the rough main."

"Your delicate fingers our ropes could not handle.
Your lily-white feet, love, our decks could not stand.
Nor the cold nights of winter, you ne'er could endure them,
So stay at home, darling. To the seas do not go."

Her two little arms round his neck she entwined them,
And the clear crystal tears from her eyes down did flow,
And her lily-white hands on the decks she kept wringing,
Crying, "Oh, my beloved, will I ne'er see you more?"

So come, all you young fair maids that's inclined to marry.
Never place your affections too much upon one man,
For first they will court you and then they'll deceive you,
And they'll leave you as I was left to mourn when they're gone.

Subject: RE: molly and johnny - recorded by dervish
From: two of us
Date: 26 May 99 - 12:25 PM

The requester e-mailed me to say the wee laddie song IS NOT the one in question. Johnny tells Molly he's away off to sea and she goes hysterical and - if my eyes don't deceive me - she wrings his neck to make him stay at home. Lyrics are still required by the "Fair Young Maid" -- Philippa

Subject: RE: molly and johnny - recorded by dervish
From: ME AGAIN
Date: 24 May 99 - 04:15 PM

I AM A WEE LADDIE
just click the blue link above, or type [I am a wee laddie] in the search box

Subject: RE: molly and johnny - recorded by dervish
From: Philippa
Date: 24 May 99 - 09:26 AM

Could it be this one from the database?
I AM A WEE LADDIE

(first verse)

I am a wee laddie, hard, hard is my fate,
I have travelled this country both early and late
I courted a wee Iass, I did her adore;
Though she has denied me, I'll try her once more.

Subject: molly and johnny - recorded by dervish
From: Rita64
Date: 24 May 99 - 01:37 AM

Can anyone provide the words to this song? I love these bitter songs about parting ... Thanks.