ADD: The Ballad of Ben Hur

Subject: The Ballad of Ben Hur
From: MartinRyan
Date: 02 Apr 12 - 11:52 AM

For an epic tale of driving derring-do

Click here

The video is a bit Stygian but the sound is fine - as long as you can negotiate a West Cork accent!

Regards

Subject: RE: The Ballad of Ben Hur
From: michaelr
Date: 02 Apr 12 - 08:06 PM

Con Fada is the man!

Subject: RE: The Ballad of Ben Hur
From: MartinRyan
Date: 11 Apr 12 - 11:28 AM

Refresh

Subject: ADD: The Ballad of Ben Hur
From: Joe Offer
Date: 12 Apr 12 - 05:27 AM

For the record, here are the lyrics:

THE BALLAD OF BEN HUR
(Con Fada Ó Drisceoil)

You may chatter and sing of Mackey and Ring and the greats of the hurling game,
Of athletes bold who compete for gold and footballers of great fame,
Of horses like Arkle who galloped and sparkled, and followers' hearts did stir,
But the charioteer who knew no fear was the driver they called Ben Hur.

In his youth he was a force at water sports, at Olympus he swam for Rome,
He excelled at rowing with a style so flowing his boat skimmed across the foam,
His career aquatic by leg rheumatic was ended, despite his fame,
So he bought an old chariot from Judas Iscariot and tried out the racing game.

In 32 A.D. it happened to be that Messala was Empire Champ,
A scheming fiend full of bile and spleen, an unprincipled lowdown tramp,
At equine auctions this type obnoxious could buy any horse he pleased,
For that he knew all that all the while it was Pontius Pilate, his sponsor, that paid the fees.

One night it did occur that he met Ben Hur in a bar in downtown Beirut,
Messala was rowdy and talking loudly, he bragged of his high repute,
So ben walked up and he says 'You're a pup, a despicable cheating thug,
You always come first for your nags are nursed with performance-enhancing drugs'.

Messala he quaffed from his pint and laughed as he said to his nasty mates,
'I swear by Pythagarus, this dirty little shagger is foolishly tempting fate,
We Roman players are strong and fair, and at racing we are the best,
But in the four-o'-clock at Antioch your words you can truly test'.

So the challenge was met and they laid their bets and the fixture was advertised,
Centurions and Majors were laying big wagers Messala would claim first prize,
Not even his brother would chance a little flutter on Ben Hur as an each way pick,
And the racing cognoscenti declared in print he surely wouldn't do the trick.

All the pubs were chock-a-block in Antioch on the morning of this great race,
It was all sold out, and the shady touts of a ticket could find no trace,
There were fast food stalls all around the walls, where the customers stood in queues,
And a girl called Vera from Al-Jazeera conducted the interviews.

So the drivers' first task was to follow the Damascus Loyal Volunteer Pipe Band,
Those Syrians and Zionists dressed in their finest were cheering from terrace and stand,
In the dearest seating the Romans were eating sandwiches filled with prawns,
But they all came to the gala supporting Messala, their very own buachaill ban.

With Messala and Ben there were three more men who went to the starting line,
Some die-hard punters had money on Gunther, a hun from beyond the Rhine,
A brave Mesopotamian whose name was Damien was seen as an also-ran,
And a chap called Lazuras whose driving was hazardous excited the local fans.

The moment they got started, bould Lazuras darted like mad for the opening bend,
with a desperate swerve he tackled the curve, but his chariot did upend,
As he lay in his gore there remained just four until Damien lost the head,
When all his plans unravelled, through the air he travelled till he landed up in Row Z.

Then moving to the front was the valiant Gunther exhorting his eager steeds,
Messala was chasing, his eyes were blazing, determined on evil deeds,
With his big long whip, one horse he tripped and the Hun from his chariot threw,
The with his horrid smile Ben Hur he riled, saying ''The next one to die is you'.

So they galloped side by side and Messala tried his rival to intimidate,
He pushed right in and he crowded Ben who shouted at him 'Watch it mate,
You're putting us in danger, you half-witted langer, your horses on dope are high,'
He knew disaster beckoned for whoever came second, so his choice was to win or die.

Through all the dust and smoke Ben Hur then spoke to his thorough-bred broncos four,
He talked about pagan invaders plaguing his people, who suffered right sore,
'There's no freedom to be had without another jihad, we'll strike for our libertee,
And we'll clear the Middle East of these greedy beasts, or we'll die in the fray', says he.

Then his noble horses charged and on they barged as the enemy they shoved aside,
Messala was humbled, his thoroughbreds stumbled, their energies all had dried,
From his chariot falling, his fate was appalling, being battered by horses and wheels,
In the course of all this skirmish, his torn epidermis came off like potato peels.

So the race was in the bag, and past the checkered flag Ben Hur and his team came in,
Those Joyful Israelis were drinking rum and Baileys, to celebrate a noble win,
The ambulance brigade were giving first aid with Messalas own back room team,
And a specialist from Babylon was rubbing on Savlon soothing antiseptic cream.

But of those gallant drivers, the only survivor was Ben, with the laurel crowned,
For all of his rivals with ceremonies tribal were laid in the burial ground,
Only Lazarus's folk complained they were broke, saying 'The undertaker we can't pay,
For we buried him already but instead of staying dead he turned up for his dinner next day.'


Recorded at Inishowen Traditional Singers' Circle, 20 March 2010

Subject: RE: ADD: The Ballad of Ben Hur
From: GUEST,.gargoyle
Date: 12 Apr 12 - 06:34 AM

My aunt Cody (named in honor Wild Bill and with a son named Bill) would enthral us all with a memorized piano piece "Ben Hur's Charriot Race".

A player piano version is found here.

Click here

Sincerely
Gargoyle

Subject: RE: ADD: The Ballad of Ben Hur
From: MartinRyan
Date: 12 Apr 12 - 08:59 PM

Check the link?

Regards