Lyr Req: King of the Fairies

Subject: King of the Fairies
From: GUEST,summerblues47
Date: 19 Oct 00 - 12:16 AM

Looking for Irish Rovers lyrics to "King of the Fairies"

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: King of the Fairies
From: Joe Offer
Date: 19 Oct 00 - 02:20 AM

Hi - You'll find a thread here (click) which has links to the tune and lyrics.
-Joe Offer-

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: King of the Fairies
From: BigDaddy
Date: 19 Oct 00 - 02:20 AM

"Up the airy mountain, down the rushy glen,
we daren't go a hunting for fear of little men.
Wee folk, good folk trooping all together.
Green jacket, red cap and white owl's feather.
By the craggy hillside and through the mosses bare,
they've planted thorntrees for pleasure here and there.
If anyone's so daring as to dig them up in spite,
he'll find the sharpest thorns in his bed at night."

This is based on a poem by William Allingham. He had his folklore "down." The same warning about damaging thorn trees was given to me 25 years ago by a lovely red-haired Irish lass. Check here for the complete original text

Slainte,

J.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: King of the Fairies
From: McGrath of Harlow
Date: 19 Oct 00 - 12:09 PM

The William Allingham words don't really fit the tune too well, I think. I'd like to know a tune thtat would fit them, because they're good words. I'm sure I've heard them sung though, and wasn't to the King of the Fairies.

I'd think the Red Buckled Shoes would have been writtten to the existing tune, or the tune would be called that; so maybe there is a King of the Fairies set of words that gave it the name. In which case it'd be great to have them.

King of the Fairies works best if you start it pretty slow, and work up the speed as you go.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: King of the Fairies
From: Malcolm Douglas
Date: 19 Oct 00 - 09:50 PM

I'm not familiar with "The Irish Rovers" (they'd be American, perhaps?) so I don't know which set of lyrics we're talking about; "The Girl with the Buckles on her Shoes" or "The Fairies" (as mentioned by "BigDaddy" above).  If the latter, then the point is that Allingham wrote his poem (as a poem, not as a song) a long time ago -it was first published in 1850, and it was never intended to be sung to the "King of the Fairies" setdance tune.  The version on the DT is garbled and incomplete, and evidently posted by somebody who copied it from a record (describing it as "Irish Traditional"; it's nothing of the kind!)  I've said before that if somebody actually has sung it to the dance tune, they must have used a very large shoehorn to force it to fit.  He didn't call it "The King of the Fairies", either, but "The Fairies".  Aarrgghh.  More fake tradition...

Rant over.

Malcolm

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: King of the Fairies
From: alison
Date: 19 Oct 00 - 09:53 PM

I put the "girl with the buckles on here shoes " into a thread a few months back....

I'll try to find it

slainte

alison

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: King of the Fairies
From: alison
Date: 19 Oct 00 - 10:00 PM

The girl with the buckles on her shoes lyrics are halfway down this thread

slainte

alison

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: King of the Fairies
From: Alice
Date: 19 Oct 00 - 10:04 PM

I refreshed if while you were linking to it. I had it traced to my personal page... on my list to learn. Thanks for the words, alison.

Alice

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: King of the Fairies
From: alison
Date: 19 Oct 00 - 10:13 PM

thanks Alice

slainte

alison

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: King of the Fairies
From: McGrath of Harlow
Date: 20 Oct 00 - 02:08 PM

Still hoping for a real King of the Fairies set of words.

Subject: Lyr Add: THE FAIRIES (William Allingham) - part
From: Jimmy C
Date: 20 Oct 00 - 05:35 PM

Sorry for not responding earlier, I was a little confused by the title "King of the Fairies." As far as I know the "King of the Fairies" is an instrumental for a set dance.

By chance I happen to know a little poem from my schooldays, and I think it may be the one you want. When we learned it the title was "Up the Airy Mountain."

It's the same as "Big Daddy's" submission with the first verse repeated. The third verse I got from an earlier thread.

Up the airy mountain, down the rushy glen,
We dare not go a-hunting for fear of little men.
Wee folk, good folk, trooping all together,
Green jacket, red cap and white owl's feather.

Up the craggy hillside, through the mosses bare,
They have planted thorn trees for pleasure here and there.
Is any man so daring as to dig them up for spite?
He'll find their sharpest thorns in his bed that night.

High up on the hilltop the old king sits.
He's now so old and grey, he's nearly lost his wits.
He's rising with the music on the cold starry night,
To sup with the queen of the gay north light.

Up the airy mountain, down the rushy glen,
We dare not go a-hunting for fear of little men.
Wee folk, good folk, trooping all together,
Green jacket, red cap and white owl's feather.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: King of the Fairies
From: JTT
Date: 20 Oct 00 - 06:31 PM

I don't think the tune has words. It's a traditional tune which is supposed to have been picked up by a fiddler who overheard it played in a rath by those of the otherworld.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: King of the Fairies
From: McGrath of Harlow
Date: 21 Oct 00 - 06:16 AM

The Good People might have had some words to it though...