Lyr Add: Magdalene Maid (Elizabeth Flynn)

Subject: Lyr Add: MAGDALENE MAID (Elizabeth Flynn)
From: mg
Date: 13 Feb 13 - 02:10 PM

for some reason there don't seem to be many Magdalene laundry songs..Joni Mitchell's, and someone linked to something here but I didn't hear it.

Anyway, my proposal is to play the Irish Washerwoman around the world, 12 o'clock your time...play an instrument, whistle it, play youtube or a cd or whatever..that is St. Patrick's Day..in honor of the washerwomen.

Here is a very formulaic song.tune is obviously If I were a blackbird..is that Scottish or Irish?

MAGDALENE MAID
(Elizabeth Flynn)

I am a young laundress my story is sad
One I was courted by a young grocer's lad
He got me with child and that was my doom
And now I'm encased in this cold bitter tomb

My Mickey was steamrolled and sent off to sea
He never came back for the baby and me
My darling Delila was sent to the states
I'll never more see her or know of her fate

The food won't sustain us it mostly is gruel
And some but not all of the sisters are cruel
We have women of 80 and girls of just 10
And if we escape we are brought back again

A girl with a past a girl with no shame
I'm a penitent now without even a name
With bleach to my elbows I wash away sin
But if you should ask it's Elizabeth Flynn

The fiddles and drums are prepared for the dance
We would so like to join them but there is no chance
So whenever the old washerwoman is played
I ask you remember each Magdalene Maid

Subject: RE: Magdalene Maid tribute
From: mg
Date: 13 Feb 13 - 02:26 PM

Here are couple of Dubliners..I don't know if it gets better than this.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cFBRaIOI85k

My other plan is to do what the Quebecois did a couple times..get people around the world playing together..I think they radio broadcast it and then maybe had live feeds? Or maybe they just recorded it all over the world and spliced it together....

I mean playing Irish Washerwoman

Subject: RE: Magdalene Maid tribute
From: Penny S.
Date: 13 Feb 13 - 04:46 PM

They are showing the film in England next week sometime.

Penny

Subject: RE: Magdalene Maid tribute
From: Jack Campin
Date: 13 Feb 13 - 07:31 PM

tune is obviously If I were a blackbird..is that Scottish or Irish?

The earliest version we know of is English.

http://mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=25099

Subject: RE: Magdalene Maid tribute
From: Nigel Parsons
Date: 14 Feb 13 - 05:14 AM

Here is a very formulaic song.tune is obviously If I were a blackbird

Scansion of each verse is not quite identical, but with a slight change to the first verse:

(Ohhh!)I am a young laundress my story is sad
And once I courted a young grocer's lad
He got me with child and that was my doom
And now I'm encased in this cold bitter tomb

It fits beautifully to The Irish Washerwoman. I realise that the tune is a little upbeat for the words, but the song's theme fits so well with the tune title.
Of course, if the whole tune is used (fortunately with the same scansion for both halves) then it is unfortunate that there's an odd number of verses.
Possibly:
V1 part A
V2 part A
V3 part B
V4 part A
V5 part B

Cheers

Nigel

Subject: Lyr Add: MAGDALEN LAUNDRY (Johnny Mulhern)
From: Willa
Date: 14 Feb 13 - 01:35 PM

Grace Notes Sing this one


MAGDALEN LAUNDRY
Johnny Mulhern / Con Cop

For seventeen years I`ve been
scrubbing this washboard
Ever since the fellas started in after me
My mother poor soul didn`t know what to do
The Canon said " Child there`s a place for you"
Now I`m serving my time at the Magdalen Laundry
I`m towing the line at the Magdalen Laundry

There`s girls from the country,girls from the town
Their bony white elbows going up and down
The reverend mother as she glides through the place
A tight little smile on the side of her face
She`s running the show at the Magdalen Laundry
She`s got nowhere to go but the Magdalen Laundry

Oh Lord won`t you let me
Don`t you let me
Won`t you let me wash away the stain
Oh Lord won`t you let me wash away the stain

I`m washing altar linen and cassocks and stoles
I`m scrubbing long johns for these holy joes
We know where they`ve been when
they`re not saving souls
What the red wine split what the
smooth hand poured
We`re squeezing it out at the Magdalen Laundry
We`re scrubbing it out at the Magdalen Laundry

Oh Lord won`t you let me
Don`t you let me
Won`t you let me wash away the stain
Oh Lord won`t you let me wash away the stain

Sunday afternoon when the Lord`s at rest
It`s off to the prom watch the waves roll by
We`re chewing on our toffees hear
the seagulls squawk
There go the maggies the children talk
Through our faces they stare at
the Magdalen Laundry
In our eyes see the glare of the Magdalen Laundry

Oh Lord won`t you let me
Don`t you let me
Won`t you let me wash the stain
Oh Lord won`t you let me wash away the stain

Oh Lord won`t you let me
Don`t you let me
Won`t you let me wash away the stain
Oh Lord won`t you let me wash away the stain

Oh Lord won`t you let me
Don`t you let me
Won`t you let me wash away the stain
Oh Lord won`t you let me wash away the stain

Subject: RE: Magdalene Maid tribute
From: Willa
Date: 14 Feb 13 - 01:37 PM

Last line of the first verse should read 'toeing the line', not 'towing'!

Subject: RE: Magdalene Maid tribute
From: GUEST,mg
Date: 14 Feb 13 - 01:55 PM

Great..thanks..and I hadn't thought of singing it to the Irish washerwoman...mg

Subject: RE: Magdalene Maid tribute
From: GUEST,Jack Sprocket
Date: 14 Feb 13 - 06:48 PM

mg- your first go was exactly right. If anyone sings it (I can't oblige you), the next time you hear it, it'll be "here's this old Irish song.."

Subject: RE: Magdalene Maid tribute
From: cujimmy
Date: 14 Feb 13 - 06:48 PM

There are not many songs- of course not it was all hidden away

Subject: RE: ADD: Magdalene Maid tribute
From: Nigel Parsons
Date: 15 Feb 13 - 10:52 AM

mg- your first go was exactly right. If anyone sings it (I can't oblige you), the next time you hear it, it'll be "here's this old Irish song.."
If this had been posted Monday I'd probably have sung it a Tuesday night's monthly Cardiff Folk Club. As it is I may well try it next month (6 days before St Patrick's Day)
To whom should it be credited?

Subject: RE: ADD: Magdalene Maid tribute
From: mg
Date: 15 Feb 13 - 11:05 AM

how about to the maids...but i wrote it ..sort of cookie cutter style.