Lyr Req: Drink the Night Away (Gaelic Storm)

Subject: Lyr Req: Drink the Night away
From: BDenz
Date: 23 Feb 04 - 05:12 PM

I've searched high and low [well, mostly low, given the title] and can't find the lyrics to this drinking song. Anyone know? The refrain is easy -- "Hey, hey, hey, laddie hey. Weigh hey hey, well we'll drink the night away."

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Drink the Night away
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 24 Feb 04 - 11:36 PM

DRINK THE NIGHT AWAY is sung by Gaelic Storm on two albums: "Herding Cats" (1999), and Special Reserve, (2003). It was written by two members of Gaelic Storm: Steve Twigger and Stephen Wehmeyer. I transcribed the following excerpt from a sound sample at Barnes & Noble:

... claim on a foreign shore
With the screws of me fiddle (?) an' a half a shillin'.
Hey, hey, hey, laddie, hey,
Way, hey, hey, we'll drink the night away.

... place, I know it's true,
Where the dolphins play and it's always sunny.
The girls are brown and the ocean blue.
There's work to do but you make more money.
Hey, hey, ...

I couldn't find any more lyrics than that, but maybe someone else will recognize it.

Subject: Lyr Add: DRINK THE NIGHT AWAY (Twigger, Wehmeyer)
From: ranger1
Date: 26 Feb 04 - 06:01 PM

BDenz, here are the lyrics, directly from the liner notes of "Herding Cats."

DRINK THE NIGHT AWAY
We set sail at half-past morn, looking for a new tomorrow,
don't know when we're coming home, so we'll drink,
and we'll dance, and we'll drown our sorrow!

chorus:
Weigh-hey! Hey Laddie, hey!
Weigh, hey, hey! We'll drink the night away!

Now I don't know what there lies in store,
but it's better than this, that's why I'm willing,
to stake my claim on a foreign shore,
with me spoons and me fiddle, and half a ahilling!

I dreamt a place, I know it's true,
where the dolphins play and it's always sunny.
The girls are brown and the ocean blue,
less work to do, but you make more money!

I must be of by morning's light,
I can hear our bo'sun's whistle blowing,
so it's one more kiss and one more fight,
and one more song while the beer is flowing!

When the sky is grey, look out to sea.
When the waves are high and the light is dying,
raise a glass and think of me...
When I'm home again, boys, I'll be buying!

by Steve Twigger and Steve Wehmeyer

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Drink the Night away
From: BDenz
Date: 03 Mar 04 - 09:17 PM

Thank you both. I have Special Reserve and the lyrics aren't there.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Drink the Night away
From: ranger1
Date: 04 Mar 04 - 08:26 PM

Glad to be of help. I bought "Herding Cats" at a record sale for a buck, never heard the group before, vaguely knew that they'd been in the movie "Titanic" and took a chance. Loved the album from the first track (which was "Drink the Night Away"), bought their other album, "Gaelic Storm," and then "Tree" when it came out, and got to see them in concert (for free!) outside the LL Bean store in Freeport, Maine. If you ever get the chance, see them live!!! They have fun with the music and don't take themselves too seriously.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Drink the Night away
From: BDenz
Date: 04 Mar 04 - 11:24 PM

Good to know. I knew of them, forgot about them, and rediscovered them on a CD-buying binge at Christmas.

Two other groups whom I love for the same reasons are Wicked Tinkers and Molly's Revenge, both West-coast groups. They are wonderful in concert -- our group had to compete with Wicked Tinkers at the Washington State Highland Games and we ALL had a ball, even if our stages were about 100-feet apart. I think both our audiences had fun, too.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Drink the Night away
From: Charley Noble
Date: 05 Mar 04 - 02:04 PM

The first verse seems not to fit in structure with the other verses. Anyone know if it's a unique verse or is something is missing?

Cheerily,
Charley Noble

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Drink the Night away
From: ranger1
Date: 05 Mar 04 - 05:34 PM

Nope, it's all there. It was all printed in one big block of text, and I had to guess at the line breaks. I guess the only two people who can answer your question definitively would be writers themselves.

Subject: Lyr Add: DRINK THE NIGHT AWAY (Twigger, Wehmeyer)
From: BDenz
Date: 06 Mar 04 - 06:29 PM

Just listened to it [several times] and the words listed above are indeed what they're singing. I've fixed the layout to match how they break it up with the melody. Those that don't seem to fix are sung pretty fast to match the melody.

DRINK THE NIGHT AWAY
We set sail at half-past morn,
Looking for a new tomorrow,
Don't know when we're coming home,
So we'll drink, and we'll dance, and we'll drown our sorrow!

chorus:
Weigh-hey! Hey Laddie, hey!
Weigh, hey, hey! We'll drink the night away!

Now I don't know what there lies in store,
But it's better than this, that's why I'm willing,
To stake my claim on a foreign shore,
With me spoons and me fiddle, and half a shilling!

cho

I dreamt a place, I know it's true,
Where the dolphins play and it's always sunny.
The girls are brown and the ocean blue,
Less work to do, but you make more money!

cho

I must be off by morning's light,
I can hear our bo'sun's whistle blowing,
So it's one more kiss and one more fight,
And one more song while the beer is flowing!

cho

When the sky is grey, look out to sea.
When the waves are high and the light is dying,
Now raise a glass and think of me...
When I'm home again, boys, I'll be buying!

Cho X4 [last 2 a capella]