Lyr Add: Irish Captain's Garland

Subject: Lyr Add: Irish Captain's Garland
From: Fergie
Date: 27 Apr 09 - 07:35 PM

"Irish Captain's Garland"

There was a Captain bold
At Sunderland, 'tis told,
And be was a gallant gay Lothario;
So Irish was his air,
No one but did declare,
That he was the very Paddy Carey, O.

His ankle it was small,
His stature it was tall
As a camel, leopard, or dromedary, O;
And straight was his back,
And his whiskers were black,
Och! no one could mistake Paddy Carey, O.

His jacket it was laced,
A sash about his waist,—
By his side hung his Androferary, O;
With his spurs of polish'd steel
That jingled at his heel,
There was none could compare with Paddy Carey, O.

He loved a maiden tall,
Whom some called " Pretty Poll,"
Though her god-fathers only called her Mary, O,
Her shape and janty air,
Soft eyes and sunny hair,
Play'd havock with the heart of Paddy Carey, O.

Though lovers would annoy,
This damsel still was coy,
And always to their suit was contrary, O;
And little did she dream,
When to Sunderland she came,
That ever she should sigh for Paddy Carey, O.

On Sunderland Parade
He saw her first, 'tis said,
And straight the gallant Captain so wary, O,
Said " Ladies, I request
The tune that you love best."
She sigh'd, as she whisper'd "Paddy Carey, O."

Then straight unto the band ,
The Captain waved his hand,
Having bow'd to his charmer so airy, O,
And, determined to engage her,
He order'd the drum-major
To play up the planxty Paddy Carey, O.

While the tune it was lilting,
Sweet Polly's eyes so melting
Bewitch'd him, like an angel or a fairy, O;
And, when the tune was play'd,
He whisper'd her, and said,
"Have pity on your own Paddy Carey, O.

"I am a soldier tall,
An Irishman and all,—
I came all the way from Tipperary, O;
And, though I'm something frisky,
I'll love you more than whisky,
If you can love again your Paddy Carey, O.

"I fought at Waterloo,
Where Boney got his due,
And ran away from Pat in a quandary, O;
I've pocket-fulls of plunder,
So, joy, you cannot blunder
In striking up a match with Paddy Carey, O."

Her voice it was hush'd,—
Like the morning she blush'd,
And red unto white did she vary, O;
And though she hated violence,
She pocketed in silence
A squeeze and a salute from Paddy Carey, O.

Now, good luck to the tune
That melts the girls so soon,
And puts them into such a sisserary, O;
Let us stick to the plan
Of being happy when we can,
So, piper, rattle up witli Paddy Carey, O.



'sleeves notes' concerning this song can be found here Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine

I will add information regarding the tune/air to this thread later.

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Irish Captain's Garland
From: Matthew Edwards
Date: 29 Apr 09 - 01:03 PM

Thanks, Fergie, for adding this song.

As camels, whether taken with one hump or two, are rather rare in Irish folklore to have them turn up twice in the same line seems a little excessive. I wonder if the lines in the second verse were misprinted by Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine. They would surely make better sense as:-

His stature it was tall
As a cameleopard or dromedary, O

A "cameleopard" being an old term for a giraffe - not that they feature much in Irish folklore or history either. Although wasn't there a story of a Dublin man who took a young lady to the Zoological Gardens to show her the neck of the giraffe but he was spotted?

Matthew Edwards

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Irish Captain's Garland
From: Snuffy
Date: 30 Apr 09 - 08:39 AM

Aren't all giraffes spotted, Matthew?

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Irish Captain's Garland
From: MartinRyan
Date: 30 Apr 09 - 08:42 AM

There were he-males and she-males of ev-er-y hue
Up in the zoological gardens!

Regards

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Irish Captain's Garland
From: Matthew Edwards
Date: 30 Apr 09 - 08:55 AM

And Martin has 'spotted' the connection to the Dubliner's song!

Snuffy, as you may recall from 'Easy and Slow' the motives for young Dublin men taking their ladyfriends into the Park were often questionable so they would much rather not be detected!

Matthew

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Irish Captain's Garland
From: Fergie
Date: 30 Apr 09 - 09:07 AM

There is a story about the Dublin man who was being followed home from the pub by a giraffe. He finds a cord and puts it around the giraffes neck and leads it along O'Connell St. A cop asks him where he got the giraffe and the drunk tell him that it was lost and followed him. The cop advises him to bring it to the zoo and the drunk replies "that a bloody great idea". A few days later, the cop sees the same drunk leading the same giraffe along the footpath. The cop says "hey, I thought I advised you to take that giraffe up to the zoo". The drunk says "you did officer and he bloody loved it, I'm taking him to a football match today".

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Irish Captain's Garland
From: Keith A of Hertford
Date: 30 Apr 09 - 10:03 AM

The tune "Fair Maid of Fyvie" would go.

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Irish Captain's Garland
From: Keith A of Hertford
Date: 30 Apr 09 - 10:05 AM

Bonny lass of Fyvie with tune
@displaysong.cfm?SongID=820