Lyr Req: Salt (The Chieftains)

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Salt
From: Felipa
Date: 19 Jun 21 - 03:20 PM

Ballinascreen aka Draperstown is in County Derry

I heard this song a few times in sessions in Derry. I think it was sung either by Bobby Mitchell (brother of the better known Kevin) or Robin Kane. Both men died in the past year so I can't ask them. Bobby used to sing "The Mountainy Farmer"
Robin played melodeon and harmonica regularly at a session where we sometimes played the air of The Salt. I remember one night when I said I was trying to think of a song that went to the tune, the answer I got was "The Wheels of the World" (which is another song to this air). But perhaps Robin wasn't there that night. I can think of a couple of other Derrymen who may be my personal source of the song, and I may still get a chance to ask them.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Salt (The Chieftains)
From: GUEST
Date: 29 Dec 18 - 11:35 PM

So is it by Walsh or Crowley? There's no indication on the insert of Conneff's recording, as he wrote that he had no idea where it originated.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Salt (The Chieftains)
From: GUEST,joe fitzpatrick
Date: 17 Jun 17 - 03:56 PM

Ifirst heard this in Darky Kelly bar in fishamble st in dublin by a man called George Mullins a great story teller sadly he has passed away but i have recordings of a lot of his stuff

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Salt (The Chieftains)
From: GUEST,Bob
Date: 23 Sep 15 - 08:28 AM

The Poem "The Salt" was written by Big Jack Walsh and the words of the poem are been used in songs by various artists.

I would be mindful of copyright

Subject: Lyr Add: THE SALT (from Kevin Conneff)
From: GUEST
Date: 07 May 12 - 10:12 AM

THE SALT
As recorded by Kevin Conneff on his album "A Week Before Easter"

Come all ye young lads and young lassies
Who hanker to work on a farm
Now be careful when choosing a master
It might serve for to keep yous from harm

When I was a strapping young fellow
Aged about seventeen
I hired meself to a farmer
At the horse fair in Ballynascreen

Now his farm was way up in the mountains
And it all only heather and bog
And me job well I got to look after
His donkey his goat and his dog

Now me, the farmer and his mother
We lived in a tumbledown shack
His mother was well over ninety
With the bones sticking out from her back

It was only a tumbledown ruin
Held up with old yella' clay
The roof it was past all repairing
For the goat had the thatch et' away

His poor mother she'd sleep by the fire
For the rain it came down on her bed
And when I'd get up every morning
She'd be sitting there nodd'n her head

The master was an awful old skinflint
His heart was as hard as a stone
He worked me from daylight 'til darkness
In a month I was just skin and bone

And he fed me on nothing but piners
He said they would make me a man
well they damn well near made me a dead one
Eaten half raw off the pan

Now he had three old hens and a rooster
One day they all died in the coop
So he plucked them he boiled them and salted them
We lived for a month on the soup

Bad luck now it never comes single
For the next day the nanny goat died
So he skint it he boiled it and salted it
And made a bodhran from the hide

It was then poor ol' Neddy the donkey
He broke his hind leg and suffered great pain
So he shot him and skinned him and boiled him
And called for the salt once again.

I thought now his mind was affected
And meself I was going insane
For when poor Fido died of distemper
He called for the salt once again

When I thought what had happened to poor old Fido
I couldn't sleep thinking that night
And when I got up the next morning
I got a most horrible fright

His poor mother was dead be the fire
When I ran for the door he cried "Halt
Where are you going so early
Come back here 'n help me to salt!"

Well went through the door like a rocket
Says I "I'll get out of this fault"
I tripped in the yard with excitement
And out he came running with salt

I took to my heels like a cowboy
And over the hills like a hare
I never stopped running for a fortnight
And I've never gone back to a fair.


Rog

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Salt (The Chieftains)
From: MartinRyan
Date: 07 May 12 - 04:34 AM

Heard this one as a recitation at a session in Kinvara a couple of days ago. It was written by a man called John Crowley (known as "the singing postman") from the village of Castletowngeoghegan near Mullingar in Ireland. Curiously, I have known the reciter for many years but never knew he had this in his repertoire!

Regards

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Salt (The Chieftains)
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 17 May 10 - 04:30 PM

Rog: "Thatch ate away" makes a lot more sense. In fact, it makes me suspect "touch as a way" is simply a mondegreen. It may be the first time I've encountered one in a a printed book.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Salt (The Chieftains)
From: Rog Peek
Date: 17 May 10 - 02:28 AM

These verses are in the version that Kevin Conneff sings.

However, he sings: For the goat had the thatch ate away.

Rog

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Salt (The Chieftains)
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 16 May 10 - 05:57 PM

There is a version of THE SALT in Song and Story: An Anthology of Irish Folk Songs by Michael D. Morrissey (Norderstedt Books-on-Demand, 2001), page 182.

It has 2 more verses than the one posted by Martin Ryan above, and one verse that is worded a bit differently, so I'll post only the relevant verses, and number them so you can see where to insert them:


0.5 Come all you young lads and young lassies
Who hanker to work on a farm.
Now be careful while choosing a master.
It might serve to keep youse from harm.

2. Now his farm was way up the mountains,
And it had only heather and bog,
And me job, well, I got to look after
His donkey, his goat and his dog.

3.5 It was only a tumble-down ruin
Held up with old yellow clay.
The roof it was past all repairing,
For the goat had the touch as a way.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Salt (The Chieftains)
From: Rog Peek
Date: 14 May 10 - 01:49 AM

There is an excellent version by Kevin Conneff on his album The Week Before Easter (Claddagh Records 1988).

Piners or Crubeens?

Rog

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Salt (The Chieftains)
From: GUEST
Date: 13 May 10 - 07:55 PM

I remember hearing this sung by the Chieftains..does anyone know if it is on any of their albums?

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Salt (The Chieftains)
From: Seayaker
Date: 08 Mar 10 - 11:33 AM

Tom Napper and Tom Bliss have a version of this song on their CD "The Silverlode" and I think the words are on their website

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Salt (The Chieftains)
From: MartinRyan
Date: 08 Mar 10 - 07:50 AM

Oddly enough, I DID have a similar first verse - learned from one Tony Holleran in the Athlone Folk Club, many years ago. It went

Come all you young lads and young lassies
Intending to work on a farm
Be careful when choosing a master
You'll find it'll keep you from harm!

No idea why I left it out all those years ago.

Regards

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Salt (The Chieftains)
From: GUEST,Cindy Mc Dermott
Date: 08 Mar 10 - 07:36 AM

Martin Ryan, This is exactly the way I heard it over 20 years ago. Except you didn't put the beginning verse in. The song started with,

    Come all you young lads and young lassies
      Who had come to work in the farm
      Now be careful when choosing a master
    It will prevent you to keep it from harm


And then the rest of the song happens. Thank you Martin, I only remember the first verse. The rest I had to hum.lol

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Chieftans Song
From: Matthew Moeller
Date: 29 Dec 99 - 06:37 PM

A great find! Being a storyteller as well as a singer, I cherish this sort of piece above all else. More! Give me more!

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Chieftans Song
From: wildlone
Date: 29 Dec 99 - 01:06 PM

It is a great song The only singer I have heard sing it is John Waltham of Purse Caundle.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Chieftans Song
From: Dani
Date: 29 Dec 99 - 09:58 AM

what a chiller! That would be great fun to speak/sing at a campfire...

Dani

Subject: Lyr Add: SALT (from The Chieftains)
From: Martin _Ryan
Date: 28 Dec 99 - 09:04 PM

SALT, THE

1. When I was a strapping young fellow
Aged about seventeen,
I hired meself to a farmer
At the Horse Fair in Ballinascreen.

2. His farm was way up the mountain.
There was nothing but heather and bog.
And me job, sure I had to look after
His chickens, his goat and his dog.

3. Now me, the farmer and his mother
We all lived in a tumbledown shack.
His mother was well over ninety
With the bones sticking out of her back!

4. His poor mother she slept by the fire,
For the rain it came down on her bed,
And when I'd get up every morning,
She'd be sitting there nodding her head!

5. The master was an awful oul skinflint.
His heart was as hard as a stone.
He worked me from daylight till darkness.
In a month I was just skin and bone.

6. He fed me on nothing but "piners."
He said they would make me a man.
Well they damn nearly made me a dead one,
Eaten half raw off the pan.

7. Now he had three oul hens and a rooster.
One day they all died in the coop,
So he plucked them, he boiled them and salted them,
And we lived for three weeks on the soup!

8. Bad luck now it never comes single,
For the next day the nanny goat died,
So he skint it, he boiled it and salted it,
And made a bodhran from the hide!

9. It was then poor old Neddy the donkey.
He broke his hind leg and suffered great pain,
So he shot him, he skint him and boiled him,
And called for the salt once again.

10. I thought, now, his mind was affected,
And meself, I was going insane,
For when poor Fido died of distemper,
He called for the salt once again!

11. When I thought of what happened poor old Fido,
I couldn't sleep thinking that night,
And when I got up in the morning,
I got a most horrible fright!

12. His poor mother was dead by the fire.
When I ran for the door he cried "Halt!
Where are ye going so early?
Come back here and help me to salt!"

13. Well, I went through the door like a rocket.
Sez I, "I'll get out of this vault."
I tripped in the yard with excitement,
And out he came running with salt!

14. I took to me heels like a cowboy.
I went over the hills like a hare.
I never stopped running for a fortnight,
And I never went back to a fair!



Regards

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Chieftans Song
From:
Date: 23 Dec 99 - 07:12 AM

I dont know the song you speak and i'm not sure if this has any relevance whatsoever to your discussion but there is a village in Galway called Monivea where, legend has it, St. Patrick once visited. However, he became enraged when he learned that the locals had eaten his goat. He cursed the villagers, turning some into salt, and condemned the village never to grow in size. The lyrics you mentioned reminded me of this tale and perhaps there is a remote possibility that there is a connection between the song and this incident. Possibly not. Incidentally, the village now claims to have the widest street in Europe. Paul

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Chieftans Song
From: Liz the Squeak
Date: 23 Dec 99 - 03:06 AM

There is a strange tradition of "Irish talking Blues" which I was introduced to back in the early '80s, which may be the origin of the recitation/song. This was a song that was spoken (rather like the Rex Harrison school of song) in rythmn, often with a quiet guitar tune behind it. The one I heard most often was about a father left babysitting one evening, but can't remember a damned word of it....

LTS

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Chieftans Song
From: Martin Ryan
Date: 22 Dec 99 - 06:43 PM

The song is usually called "The Salt". Thought there was a copy in the DT - but the search throws up something else under that title. Singer was Kevin Coneff who, as it happens, went to the same primary school as I did!
I have the words in a Mac file at home and will post them when I get a chance, if not forestalled.

Regards

p.s. I believe the song started life as a recitation - still heard in that form around here.

Subject: Chieftans Song
From:
Date: 22 Dec 99 - 03:27 PM

I am looking for lyrics to a song sung by the Chieftans bodhran player on a video special from about 10 years ago. It was a novelty piece something about eating goat and the last line someone was turned to salt. Any help apprecieate. Thanks, Dave