Lyr Req: Versa Vienne (Shoe the Donkey)

Subject: Lyr Req: Versa Vienne (Shoe the Donkey)
From: Rog Peek
Date: 30 Sep 09 - 05:06 PM

A friend we go set dancing with and who plays a box, asked me last week if I knew the lyrics to Verse Vienne aka Varsovienne. As dancers, we tend to recognise this tune as Shoe the Donkey, as it's commonly played for the two hand dance of the same name.

I managed to find the following on the internet:

County Clare tin whistle player Micho Russell (1915-1994) is remembered fondly for singing the following lyrics to the tune:
Take it aisy, take it aisy, take it aisy like me.
Take it aisy, take it aisy, take it aisy like me.
(2nd part)
Take it aisy like me, take it aisy like me,
Take it aisy like me, take it aisy like me.'

A number of the names going about are from comic lyrics that have been put to the tune - for example:
Father Halpin/Father Halpin's/Father Halpin's Top Coat
Father Murphy/Father Murphy's/Father Murphy's Top Coat
Joe the Yankee/Joe the Yankee's Big Toe
Little Foot/Put Your Little Foot (Right Here/Out)
Shoe the Donkey/Shoot the Donkey
and the first 4 bars worth of a few of these:
"Father Halpin, Father Halpin, Father Halpin's Top Coat-" (or Father Murphy's)
"Joe the Yankee, Joe the Yankee, Joe the Yankee's Big Toe-"
"Put Your Little Foot, Put Your Little Foot, Put Your Little Foot Right Here(Out)-"
I do remember that some lyrics were rude, and I imagine that 'Shoot the Donkey" is abit too non-PC for some modern tastes…………
                        (From 'The Session' web site)

"Shoe the donkey, Shoe the donkey, Shoe the donkey and fold" repeated lots and lots of times!!

Come to bed love, come to bed love, come to bed love says he.
What to do love, what to do love, what to do love says she.

I also note that Eamon Kelly includes the following in the telling of his story 'Coughed up the Red Shirt and Flagged Down the Train' on Utube:

Father Walsh's, Father Walsh's Father Walsh's top coat,
And he wore it, And he tore it, and he spoiled his top coat.

Anyone know of any other lyrics to this tune?

Rog

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Versa Vienne (Shoe the Donkey)
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 04 Oct 09 - 09:43 PM

See this thread: Lyr Req: Varsouvianna and the other threads it links to.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Versa Vienne (Shoe the Donkey)
From: Rog Peek
Date: 05 Oct 09 - 03:54 PM

Thanks Jim, of course I searched Versa Vienne, I should have tried other versions of the name.

Rog

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Versa Vienne (Shoe the Donkey)
From: An Buachaill Caol Dubh
Date: 18 Dec 10 - 10:47 AM

"Shoe my Donkey, Shoe my Donkey, Shoe my Donkey's big toe" (bis)

and for the second measure,

"Oh, we shoe'd him in France,
And we shoe'd him in Spain,
Then we came back to Ireland, and
Shoe'd him again!"

(the word "my" tends to be pronounced "mi" - rather shorter than "me" - and "donkey" is pronounced "Dunky", to rhyme with "monkey")