Lyr Req: The Sodding (Dominic Behan)

Subject: Lyr Req: Funeral?
From: GUEST,Jimbob
Date: 04 Dec 03 - 03:56 PM

I am looking for the words of a FUNNY song about a funeral i heard a while back, it was basically a story of the afters of a funeral, and how they all say he was a nice man even though they hated him when he was alive, and then the music starts to play and "The poor mourning widow, The two faced aul bitch, her feet neath the table were beggining to twitch" or words to that effect! Have searche DT to no avail, a few good ones but not this one, thats all i have for you at the moment!!!!!

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Funeral?
From: Leadfingers
Date: 04 Dec 03 - 07:15 PM

That looks as though we NEED it in the D T to go with Keith Marsdens 'Funeral Song' and 'Isnt It Grand to be Bloody Well Dead'

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Funeral?(funny song-poor mourning widow)
From: Dave Bryant
Date: 05 Dec 03 - 05:51 AM

Keith Marsden's Funeral Song isn't actually in the DT, but young Bill Sables (Well he's younger than Leadfingers, Myself, and even Essex Girl) has posted it here.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Funeral?(funny song-poor mourning wid
From: Splott Man
Date: 05 Dec 03 - 07:48 AM

The song you want is "The Sodden" (not sure of the spellin) by Dominic Behan. The tune is an approximation of "The Irish Washerwoman".
I've done a brief google but not found it. I remember seeing it in a book of his stuff. It's sung around these parts by the inimitable Rory Furlong.

Good luck in your search

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Funeral?(funny song-poor mourning widow)
From: GUEST,weerover
Date: 05 Dec 03 - 08:09 AM

Dom Behan's song is "The Sodding" and looks as though it fits the bill here. If no one else posts first I'll dig out the book when I get home and shove it on here.

wr

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Funeral?(funny song-poor mourning wid
From: Uncle_DaveO
Date: 05 Dec 03 - 10:41 AM

If the mourning widow is song-poor, surely we can give her a few, don't you think?


Dave Oesterreich

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Funeral?(funny song-poor mourning widow)
From: GUEST,weerover
Date: 05 Dec 03 - 11:40 AM

Perhaps the widow is of pure French stock - "sang pur"...ouch!

wr

Subject: DTADD: The Sodding
From: Joe Offer
Date: 06 Dec 03 - 02:19 AM

Thanks for the hints, everybody. I knew I'd seen that song. The song wasn't written by Behan, but I found it in Dominic Behan's songbook, Ireland Sings (1973)

THE SODDING
(Fintan Connolly)

Were yeh ever above on the glasnevin bend
When the wind cut your face and the rain wouldn't end
And the corpses stood up and they gave three hurrahs
For they thought yeh were comin' to join them at last?
I'll tell yeh no lie, tho that cemet'ry sleeps
It always bejazes fills me with the creeps
Especially when up to a sodding I roam
And a voice somewhere whispers "Yer not goin' home.

Then some clergyman kicks up a bloody loud din
When he gets them singin' some mournful ould hymn,
And the silence is shook when he throws a few clods
Of turf on the top of the boxed-in poor sod.
Then out with the hankies and dryin' of eyes,
"I loved him!" "Adored him!" All bloody lies:
They think they'll not quick enough be from the joint
To get to the 'Brian Boru' bar for a pint!

With their small ones and large ones, the greedy oul things,
Some hypocrite says "Now he'd like to sing;
"A man of the world he'd never see wrong
If we cheered ourselves up with a bar of a song."
Then the widow she manfully tales off her cant,
"I'm sure that it's what Johnny would want,
And though she controls every muscle, the bitch,
Her feet below table are starting to twitch.

Well, talk about mourners beginning to sing,
Before long they're prancing and dancing the Fling;
There's a rush to the counter with fivers and pounds,
And Johnny, as usual's, out of the round.
Then some drunk 'round the widow places an arm
Tryin' to console her, and meanin' no harm,
When some narky relation, made brave on the stout,
Into the street he invites the man out!

The widow, she screams — to get into the act-
"For God's sake; For Johnny's sake hold them two back!
"If Johnny could see the disgrace to his name
"The poor man, bejazes, would die of the shame!
If you're thinkin' of dying now take my advice;
If yer thinkin' of dying in Dublin think twice.
Hang on till this crowd gets their call to appear,
Unless yeh want them to make the joke of the year.


Words by, and music adapted by Fintan Connolly
Copyright 1965, Coda Music Incorporated

---

Click to play

OK, I know this tune - what's its name?

---

So, what's a "sodding"?
-Joe Offer-

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Funeral?(The Sodding)
From: Barbara
Date: 06 Dec 03 - 03:18 AM

See above, Joe: variant of Irish Washerwoman.
And I'm guessing that a sodding is a burying; putting someone
into the sod, but it might also be a double entendre, with
'sodding' being an expletive, or descriptive.
Blessings,
Barbara

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Funeral?(The Sodding)
From: Jim McLean
Date: 06 Dec 03 - 06:46 AM

Joe, Fintan Connolly was just a another name Dominic Behan used. He gave me a proof copy of Ireland Sings before it was published.
Jim McLean

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Funeral?(The Sodding)
From: weerover
Date: 06 Dec 03 - 01:37 PM

Glasnevin, for anyone who hadn't already guessed, is a cemetery in Dublin.

wr

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Funeral?(The Sodding)
From: Kevin Sheils
Date: 09 Dec 03 - 01:18 PM

And the Brian Boru is the pub down the hill by the Cross Guns Bridge IIRC close by the Royal Canal

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Funeral?(The Sodding)
From: Jim McLean
Date: 09 Dec 03 - 05:25 PM

Hi Splott man,
Is that Rory Og you're talking about? I knew Rory Furlong (Dominic's Brother) but I'm sure he's dead now. Young Rory was the son who I met also. If it is he, give him my regards,
Jim McLean

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Funeral?(The Sodding)
From: Splott Man
Date: 10 Dec 03 - 05:39 AM

Hi Jim.

Yes indeed it is he. He's living in Penarth, South Wales and still includes The Sodding in his repertoire.
He has a webpage:
http://www.geocities.com/roryfurlong/
(Sorry, I haven't mastered the clicky thing)

Sadly, his father left us a few years ago now, but I enjoyed his company on the few occasions we met.

Regards

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Funeral?(The Sodding)
From: GUEST
Date: 10 Dec 03 - 11:38 AM

Uncle Dave O:
If the mourning widow is song-poor, surely we can give her a few, don't you think?

Why should we givew her "a few", if she's lost her man surely we should offer to 'give her one'

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Funeral?(The Sodding)
From: GUEST,Pontardawe
Date: 07 Jun 04 - 11:38 AM

Rory og is alive and well and living, working, singing and causing chaos as usual in Pontardawe near Swansea. I'll pass on your kind thoughts to the man himself. He'll be MCing & playing at the Small Nations Festival @ Cilycwm near Llandovery 15 - 17th July and at Pontardawe Festival 20-22 August 2004. He wasn't able to get over to Dublin for the unvieling of Brendan's statue last month but will be visiting Ireland in the next month or so for a brief visit. If anyone wants to get in touch / book him contact him via [e-mail]
Regards

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Funeral?(The Sodding)
From: GUEST,Rory Furlong
Date: 22 Jul 04 - 04:49 PM

I am Rory Furlong, Fintan Connolly is Dominic Behan, Jim McLean was not only a friend of Dominic Behan's but was also Dominic's publisher. "The Soddin" is not an expletive - it's the tale of Stephen Behan's funeral (with some embelishments)I have no idea who Splottman is and I would like him to get in touch with me because my mobile is up the creek and I haven't been able to get in touch with you Ned (oops)as for Jim McLean - dear Jim I got your message via Danny Kilbride but as my computer is also the same way as my mobile I've not been able to get in touch but seeing as you are a prolific contributor to Mudflaps or whatever this site is called if you make contact with me thru the Pontardawe Festival site - [e-mail] - I will get back to you by return - well, when I get back to Wales - am in Ireland at present. Will be in Scotland very soon to visit Josephine & would like to meet up for a pint & a chat about "the Soddin". To anyone else - there is no G in "soddin"!

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Funeral?(The Sodding)
From: GUEST,Henry Kirwan
Date: 07 Oct 04 - 04:54 AM

Rory, henry Kirwan here from St Enda's School Crumlin. Came across your name whilst browsing for words to some songs. I'm living in Australia, here since 1972. Great to see you still into the music. Drop me a note if you have a mind to and if you remember me from school,

Henry

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Funeral?(The Sodding)
From: Dani
Date: 07 Oct 04 - 09:58 AM

God bless the Mudcat.

Dani

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Funeral?(The Sodding)
From: GUEST,Stephen Behan
Date: 28 Dec 06 - 06:37 AM

'The Sodding' Was written by Dominic Behan; for tax reasons he used two psuedonyms n his work, both named after his sons (Fintan and Stephen) So any songs by Fintan Connoly or Wolfe Stephens are actually by Dominic behan

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: The Sodding (Dominic Behan)
From: GUEST,Michael Quigley
Date: 06 Jan 07 - 02:29 PM

For what it's worth,

I have a copy of "Ireland Sings" by Dominic Behan, which has "The Sodding" on it. I could share an MP3 copy of the song. Out of respect for his family though, I would only do it if they have no objects.

Please email me at [e-mail] if you'd like more information.

Regards

Michael

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: The Sodding (Dominic Behan)
From: GUEST,Michael Quigley
Date: 06 Jan 07 - 02:33 PM

Sorry,

That's a copy of the original LP "Ireland Sings" by Pye Records circa 1965, not the book. I had a copy of the book as well, but a former business partner, (the effin b*****d!) stole it from me.

MQ

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: The Sodding (Dominic Behan)
From: GUEST,Ciara Furlong
Date: 04 Mar 07 - 06:43 PM

he he he ! hello Uncle Rory and dad's ( Brendan Furlong) cousin Stephen. I was just seeing what came up for people's names who are in our family and decided to put yours in Rory so i taught I'd say hi write back when ever dad says hi.

regards

ciara xxx

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: The Sodding (Dominic Behan)
From: GUEST,Stephen Behan
Date: 27 Mar 08 - 12:10 PM

Ciara,


say hello to Brendan for me; long time since I've seen him but he was always one of my favourites.

Kind regards



Stephen

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: The Sodding (Dominic Behan)
From: Jim McLean
Date: 27 Mar 08 - 02:47 PM

This is not a personal chat forum for the Behans and Furlongs! By the way how's your Mam, Stephen, and Rory og?

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: The Sodding (Dominic Behan)
From: GUEST,donald leiper
Date: 11 Aug 10 - 03:28 AM

Got here, belatedly, trying to check the lyrics of "The Soddin", a song we adopted for family song sessions since "Ireland Sings" came out on Pye 1965. I'd transcribed the words fr LP but never was happy with "the widow she manfully takes off her cant" ... I'd assumed, being a lazy Scot, that "cant" was some oirish word for veil or bonnet, but could never find dictionary confirmation.

So thanks, Joe Offer, if yer still around, for the published words, I can understand "tales off her cant" cos I know "cant" from traveller tongue, BUT, replaying the album, I'd swear Dom sings "takes off". But who cares, its a wonderful rant. We could use more of them these days. If yer singing this song, be aware that Dominic sings "begod" rather than Joe's quoted "bejeyes" in verses 1 and 6 ... and rightly so, it scans better to the tune.

Thx for the interesting thread, and now I have directions to the pub after my planned Glasnevin visit in October
don

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: The Sodding (Dominic Behan)
From: GUEST,^&*
Date: 11 Aug 10 - 07:48 AM

"the widow she manfully tales off her cant" sounds a bit awkward doesn't it? I suspect "mournfully" and "tells" (as in "tells her Rosary"), meself!


The book was fairly roughly proofed, IMHO - pace Jim McClean!

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: The Sodding (Dominic Behan)
From: GUEST,Another little Furlong
Date: 05 Mar 11 - 07:05 PM

I love my family!!! =) You're all beautifully barmey and cheerfully charming which makes the world a brighter place.
Love and hugs to you all, wherever you are in the world.

Fynn - Rory og's youngest daughter.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: The Sodding (Dominic Behan)
From: Jim McLean
Date: 06 Mar 11 - 08:53 AM

Guest ^&*,I didn't proof read the copy only received as a gift from Dom.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: The Sodding (Dominic Behan)
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 13 Mar 11 - 11:56 AM

Here's a singer who calls himself Blind Drunk Al doing quite a nice job on THE SODDING at YouTube.