Lyr Req: Love Will Ye Marry Me (De Danann)

Subject: Lyr Req: love will ye marry me
From: GUEST,don and alberta
Date: 02 Jan 03 - 04:19 PM

I am looking for lyrics for a song, "Love Will Ye Marry Me". I have the song on De Danann's album, "Selected Jigs Reels & Songs, but it's difficult to make out the words exactly.
Thanks,
Don and Alberta

Subject: Lyr Add: SOME SAY THE DEVIL IS DEAD
From: Marion
Date: 02 Jan 03 - 06:29 PM

Hi Don and Alberta.

I think your song may be a version of "The Devil Is Dead", also known as "SOME SAY THE DEVIL IS DEAD." There is a discussion of the song and some variations on the lyrics, in an older thread: click here. If this isn't the one, let us know and hopefully someone will know your song.

Cheers, Marion


Here's how I know it:

Love, won't you marry me, marry me, marry me,
Love, won't you marry me, and keep me out of danger?
No, I won't marry you, no, I won't marry you,
No, I won't marry you, you dirty ugly stranger.

Chorus:
Some say the devil is dead, the devil is dead, the devil is dead,
Some say the devil is dead, and buried in Killarney.
More say he rose again, more say he rose again,
More say he rose again, and joined the British army.

Feed the pigs and milk the cow, milk the cow, milk the cow,
Feed the pigs and milk the cow, and early in the morning.
Cock your leg up Paddy dear, Paddy dear I'm over here,
Cock your leg up Paddy dear, it's time to stop your yawning.

Katie she is tall and thin and tall and thin and tall and thin
Katie she is tall and thin, she likes her drop of brandy.
Brings it into bed each night, brings it into bed each night,
Brings it into bed each night, it makes her nice and randy.

My old man is six feet tall, he's six feet tall and six feet tall
My old man is six feet tall, he likes his sugar candy.
Goes to bed at six o'clock, goes to bed at six o'clock,
Goes to bed at six o'clock, he's lazy, fat and randy.

My wife she has a hairy thing, a hairy thing, a hairy thing,
My wife she has a hairy thing, she showed it to me on Sunday.
Bought it in a furrier's shop, bought it in a furrier's shop,
Bought it in a furrier's shop, it's going back on Monday.

Subject: Lyr Add: LOVE WILL YE MARRY ME
From: Bonnie Shaljean
Date: 02 Jan 03 - 07:56 PM

Writing from memory (can't play my old LPs anymore) but I think the middle bit of DeD's version goes:

Why didn't you tell me so
Why didn't you tell me so
Why didn't you tell me so
What the devil ailed ye?

How could I tell you so?
How could I tell you so?
For if I did there isn't a doubt
I never would have gained ye

AND:

Why didn't you tell me so
Why didn't you tell me so
Why didn't you tell me so
Before you did the harm?

What harm did I do?
What harm did I do?
What harm did I do?
??? But only in me arm (or something...)

I also seem to remember the final lines of each verse (one refusing to marry, then one agreeing) as being "For why? You are a stranger" and "For sure you are no stranger" though I may be remembering it a bit wrongly. Makes you wonder what they got up to between the first and second verses...

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: love will ye marry me
From: Marion
Date: 03 Jan 03 - 04:07 PM

Bonnie, is that to the same tune as "The Devil is Dead", or is it a completely different song? In my lyrics cited above the various verses don't seem to have much connection with each other (other than "Katie she is tall and thin" being similar to "My old man is six feet tall"), so I wonder if it's a mix of different songs that have the same tune or can be fit into the same tune.

Marion

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: love will ye marry me
From: Musicman
Date: 03 Jan 03 - 04:09 PM

that's a great set of tunes (paired with Byrnes hornpipe)

i sing the 'love will ya marry me' words.. and just heard the 'devils dead' words christmas eve...... gonna start to include them too.....

thanks..

musicman

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: love will ye marry me
From: GUEST,don and alberta
Date: 03 Jan 03 - 08:29 PM

Hi Marion,
The lyrics in the older thread from Maelgwyn seem to match the De Danann version pretty well. Like you, we wondered if this is all the same song, or a mixture of 2 different ones. Has anyone heard a recording that combines the "love will ye marry me" lyrics with the "devil is dead" lyrics?
thanks,
don and alberta

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: love will ye marry me
From: Bonnie Shaljean
Date: 04 Jan 03 - 05:43 AM

The tunes to the two are the same, and although I don't know of any recordings that conflate the words, I have heard people do this live - no doubt for the same reasons as Musicman's: if you like it and it sounds good, do it! I sometimes play "Love Will You Marry Me" (as I think of it, having come to it through De Danann) instrumentally, on the harp. On more occasions than I can remember, people will spontaneously start singing the words, sometimes the "Devil" ones, sometimes the "Love" ones, and often a happy mixture of the two.

It seems to be a similar situation to All The Good Times Are Past And Gone - there are a million different verses & versions which can be added or subtracted as the singer pleases (or can remember). A southern-USA folkie friend of mine used to call them "zipper songs". The good old oral tradition in action, and long may it prosper -

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Love Will Ye Marry Me (De Danann)
From: Folkie Frank
Date: 01 Dec 19 - 02:22 PM

@Bonnie Shaljean

That last line is, "But roll you in me arms"

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Love Will Ye Marry Me (De Danann)
From: Steve Shaw
Date: 01 Dec 19 - 02:56 PM

The tune is a fling. It's great to have a set of them in your lexicon! Johnny Will Ye Marry Me, Love Will Ye Marry Me, and that "Devil" title with all its variants are all the same tune as far as I know. "Same tune" used advisedly!

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Love Will Ye Marry Me (De Danann)
From: Steve Shaw
Date: 01 Dec 19 - 03:25 PM

The tune goes well with the fling Green Grow the Rushes. There's a great set of flings on Patrick Street's third album, "Irish Times," which consists of Boston O'Connor/John Gaffney's Fling/The Kerryman's Fling.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Love Will Ye Marry Me (De Danann)
From: GUEST,Peter Laban
Date: 01 Dec 19 - 04:49 PM

Just by coincidence I happened to catch a little bit of the program 'Music from the tellie' just before twere he 9 O clock news on RTE. De Dannan were playng this tune and members of the Keane family of Caherlistrane, including Dolores, Sarah and Rita danced the fling, joined by Ciaran MacMathuna. Lovely.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Love Will Ye Marry Me (De Danann)
From: Steve Shaw
Date: 01 Dec 19 - 06:09 PM

I can imagine. What a treat, Peter, to talk about proper tunes for a change... ;-)

I haven't played tunes in a session for five years now because of my hearing loss. But I can still pick up the harmonica and strut me stuff like a good 'un when I'm on my own in the house. It's great to be reminded of tunes that I've "forgotten" - but they never really go out of your head...