Lyr ADD: Irish Police (Darby And Tarlton)

Subject: Darby And Tarlton Irish Police
From: GUEST,Flatwoods1927
Date: 26 Sep 21 - 02:41 PM

Anyone able to hear what the lyrics are to Darby And Tarlton’s "Irish Police"?

Subject: RE: lyr req: Darby And Tarlton Irish Police
From: The Sandman
Date: 29 Sep 21 - 02:04 PM

re

Subject: RE: lyr req: Darby And Tarlton Irish Police
From: cnd
Date: 29 Sep 21 - 02:16 PM

Listen https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2G5BkY_G9WQ

I can take a stab at it this evening

Subject: RE: lyr req: Irish Police (Darby And Tarlton)
From: cnd
Date: 29 Sep 21 - 05:19 PM

Here's my rough transcription. Still a few spots I'm not sure about. Welcome to feedback.

Irish Police
(Darby And Tarlton)

I'm the Irish police, preserving the peace
I belong to the roadway patrol
Don't I look grand with a club in my hand
Every day out for a stroll

It's ?dawning and dusk? at the window of the pub
My darling, won't you come here
Oh Dolly, oh clover, I'll arrest you all over
I belong to the Patricko* clan

?If I get set wrong?, love is a drum [1:40]
I'm ?crippled? and ?purer than milk?
I'm the Irish police, preserving the peace
I belong to the roadway patrol

Each darling I meet a-walking these streets
I arrest 'em and ride 'em with me
I'm the Irish police, preserving the peace
I belong to the roadway patrol


* This is certainly not a real clan, but I couldn't find a name that matched closely with what I heard so I left it as this

Subject: RE: lyr req: Irish Police (Darby And Tarlton)
From: GUEST
Date: 02 Oct 21 - 12:18 PM

Re, any other ears?

Subject: RE: lyr req: Irish Police (Darby And Tarlton)
From: GUEST
Date: 24 Oct 21 - 01:10 PM

OMG! That’s amazing. I couldn’t figure out half of what they were sing. Time to resurrect a forgotten song. Thanks!

Subject: RE: lyr req: Irish Police (Darby And Tarlton)
From: GUEST,Modette
Date: 25 Oct 21 - 11:06 AM

Here's my take on the first two verses.

I'm Irish police, preserving the peace,
I belong to the Broadway patrol.
Don't I look grand with a club in my hand,
Every day out for a stroll?

It's a darling dove at the window above.
My Dolly, won't you come here?
Oh Dolly, oh clover, I'll arrest you all over,
I belong to the Patrick O’ clan.

Subject: RE: lyr req: Irish Police (Darby And Tarlton)
From: cnd
Date: 26 Oct 21 - 09:39 AM

Flatwoods, you should share any recordings you make -- I'd love to hear it!

Thanks for the input, Modette

Subject: RE: lyr req: Irish Police (Darby And Tarlton)
From: Stewie
Date: 26 Oct 21 - 11:17 PM

Here is the transcription from the book in the Bear Family box set 'Darby and Tarlton: Complete Recordings'.

I'm Irish police, preserving the peace
I belong to the Broadway patrol
Don't I look grand with a club in my hand
Every day out for a stroll

A darling in love from the window above
'Kind Charlie, won't you come here?'
'Oh Dolly, you're clover, how happy all over
I belong to Patrick O'Flynn

If I catch that bum a-loaded with rum
I'll cripple and sure run him in
I'm Irish police, preserving the peace
I belong to the Broadway patrol

Each darling I meet a-walking these streets
I arrest 'em and ride 'em with me
I'm the Irish police, preserving the peace
I belong to the roadway patrol

Parts of that transcription make no sense. 'How happy all over' is ridiculous. I agree with cnd and Modette that it should be 'I'll arrest you all over'. Like them, I hear 'Patrick-o clan'. I reckon it is simply saying that he is an Irish catholic who frowns upon prostitution. In the third stanza, it should be 'a bum' not 'that bum', suggesting that dealing with public drunkenness is another of his patrol activities.

--Stewie.

Subject: RE: lyr req: Irish Police (Darby And Tarlton)
From: cnd
Date: 27 Oct 21 - 04:20 PM

Thanks for that, Stewie. I agree the first half is somewhat suspect, however the third stanza is a huge improvement over mine and sounds largely correct.

I still haven't seen a transcription of the first line of the second stanza I'm happy with. I do think the line ends with pub (it would fit with stereotypes about Irish drunkenness). Perhaps "It's darling Linda at the window of the pub"?

Subject: RE: lyr req: Irish Police (Darby And Tarlton)
From: Stewie
Date: 28 Oct 21 - 07:36 PM

Cnd, the line ending is muffled, but I can't hear 'pub' - 'above' seems more likely to me. The ditty sounds like a D & T composition. The term 'pub' was prevalent in Britain, Australia and probably Ireland but was/is it a term used in America?

--Stewie.

Subject: RE: Lyr ADD: Irish Police (Darby And Tarlton)
From: cnd
Date: 29 Oct 21 - 09:19 AM

I agree it's probably of their own creation. Pub isn't used much (or really at all) nowadays stateside, but it does seem to have been used in the early 1900s based on my searching

Subject: RE: Lyr ADD: Irish Police (Darby And Tarlton)
From: GUEST
Date: 30 Oct 21 - 06:58 PM

Thanks Stewie!

Larry

Subject: RE: Lyr ADD: Irish Police (Darby And Tarlton)
From: GUEST
Date: 06 Nov 21 - 11:22 AM

So after listening to the song a million more times I think the transcription is on the money except for the second verse which I think is this

A darling in love from the window above
'Kind Charlie, won't you come here?'
'Oh Charlie, you're clover, I’ll kiss you all over
I belong to Patrick O'Flynn

Subject: RE: Lyr ADD: Irish Police (Darby And Tarlton)
From: Joe_F
Date: 06 Nov 21 - 05:46 PM

Actually, "pub" has made a comeback in the US. I began seeing it in New York City in the 1960s, as a term for a bar with a bit of snob appeal (British). These days it is a regular thing for a bar & grill with Irish pretensions to call itself a pub. Whether the customers call it that I don't know.