Lyr Add: The Old Turf Fire

Subject: Lyr Add: The Old Turf Fire
From: Joe Offer
Date: 16 Aug 21 - 06:29 PM

THE OLD TURF FIRE

Oh, the old turf fire and the hearth swept clean,
There is no-one half so happy as myself and Paddy Keane;
With the baby in the cradle you could hear her mammy say
"Wouldn't you go to sleep, Alanna, till I wet your daddy's tay."
"Oh the man that I work for is a richer man than me,
But somehow in this world, feth, we never can agree;
He has big tow'ring mansions and castles over all
But sure I wouldn't exchange with him my little marble hall."

"I have got a house and a tidy bit of land;
You would never see a better on the side of Knocknacran;
No piano in the corner and no pictures on the wall,
But I'm somehow quite contented in my little marble hall."
O the old turf fire and the hearth swept clean,
There is no-one half so happy as myself and Paddy Keane;
With the baby in the cradle you could her her mammy say,
"Wouldn't you go to sleep, Alanna, till I wet your daddy's tay."


Source: Singing Together, Spring 1976, BBC Publications

Notes:
Roud 8215, one example only at present: Hughes, Irish Country Songs 4, 1936, 41-44. Probably the original source of this text, though the song was recorded by John McCormack and other lyric tenors and was no doubt published as sheet music on the strength of that.

abc | midi | pdf

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http://www.joe-offer.com/folkinfo/songs/663.html

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Steeleye Span: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nj3EbRHT6Kk

https://www.jiosaavn.com/lyrics/the-old-turf-fire-lyrics/QiYhWCJ8Q0Q

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: The Old Turf Fire
From: Reinhard
Date: 16 Aug 21 - 09:55 PM

Steeleye Span (with Gay Woods) sang The Old Turf Fire in 1998 on their album Horkstow Grange. They credited Johnny Patterson (1840-1889) as the song's author.

THE OLD TURF FIRE
(Johnny Patterson)

Chorus:
Oh the old turf fire and the hearth swept clean,
There's no-one so contented as myself and Paddy Keane,
The baby in the cradle, you can hear its mammy say,
Ah, will you go to sleep, Alanna, while I wet your daddy's tea.

Now I've got a little house and land as neat as it can be,
You'll never see the likes of it this side of Lisnakea.
No piano in the corner and no pictures on the wall,
But I'm happy and contented in my little cottage hall.

Now the man that I work for, of noble blood is he,
But somethin' I'll be tellin' you we never can agree.
He has big towering mansions, he has castles great and tall.
But I wouldn't change the roof that crowns my own cottage hall.

Chorus

Round the old turf fire sit the old folk, bent with years,
As they watch us trippin' lightly they're smilin' thro' their tears.
So sadly they are dreaming of their youthful heart's desire –
In those dear old days so long ago around the old turf fire.

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: The Old Turf Fire
From: Charmion
Date: 17 Aug 21 - 11:19 AM

I learned this song from the Hughes collection, and I've sung it for some 50 years, but I never knew it had another stanza. I learned it from Hughes, of which I have a copy.

Thanks for starting this thread, Joe, and for the "cottage hall" version, Reinhard.