Lyr Req: Paddy Ryan's Victory

Subject: Lyr Req: Paddy Ryan's Victory
From: ejsant
Date: 07 Jul 05 - 09:01 AM

Greetings All,

Given the events of the day in London my prayers go out for all. I apologize as my request seems rather trivial at this time.

I am in search of the lyrics to the cited ballad. It is purported to be the story of Paddy Ryan's bout with Joe Goss in West Virginia in 1880. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Peace,
Ed

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Paddy Ryan's Victory
From: GUEST,David Ingerson
Date: 07 Jul 05 - 04:56 PM

I'll look it up in my database when I get home this evening. Doesn't sound familiar, though.

David

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Paddy Ryan's Victory
From: Peace
Date: 07 Jul 05 - 05:05 PM

Only reference I can find with a quick look is this:

http://www.ibiblio.org/folkindex/Ptitles.htm

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Paddy Ryan's Victory
From: ejsant
Date: 07 Jul 05 - 05:25 PM

Greetings,

Thank you for checking David. It is rather elusive I think. I have Harold Thompson's book which is the book reference you found Peace. There are what appear to be two versus cited in this book. The bout lasted 86 rounds as Joe Goss failed to answer the bell for the 87th. Paddy obviously was victorious.

Once again thank you for your help.

Peace,
Ed

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Paddy Ryan's Victory
From: Peace
Date: 07 Jul 05 - 05:27 PM

Ed,

Would you please post those lyrics?

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Paddy Ryan's Victory
From: ejsant
Date: 08 Jul 05 - 07:49 AM

Excerpted from "Body, Boots, and Britches – Tales and Ballads of Up Country America" by Harold W. Thompson, published in 1940 by the J. B. Lippincott Company.

The author wrote; "His triumph was sung by the American folk in Paddy Ryan's Victory, a ballad of ten double stanzas containing these fervid lines:" (page 232)

        From round seventy-eight to eighty-six,
        Left room for to believe
       No Englishman could even stand
        The weight of Paddy's sleeve;
        For his well trained hundred pounder
        It lighted with free will
        In the very corner that Joe choose
        His flood* did freely spill.

        Round eighty-seven you would swear
        The heavens burst out in war,
        The word of victory freely went
        From every ancient craw;
        The referee the time did call,
        But Joe could not reply,
        And the fight was freely given
        To our bold Tipperary boy.

* This may be a typographical error as substituting the word "blood" seems to make more sense relative to the story. Now this is only a theory as I only have the two versus to go by.

Peace,
Ed

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Paddy Ryan's Victory
From: GUEST,David Ingerson
Date: 08 Jul 05 - 05:00 PM

Couldn't find it in my collection. Sorry. Sounds like an interesting topic, though.

David

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Paddy Ryan's Victory
From: GUEST
Date: 27 Dec 09 - 02:54 AM

"For his well trained hundred pounder"


Google that and open the following site


Body, boots, & britches: folktales, ballads, and speech from ... - Google Books Result

There is more history before and after the section excerpted by ejsant. Worth reading. Alas, no more song lyrics.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Paddy Ryan's Victory
From: GUEST,999
Date: 27 Dec 09 - 03:04 AM

That was me again.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Paddy Ryan's Victory
From: Joe Offer
Date: 17 Jan 10 - 08:27 PM

Gee, we still don't have this one. I looked in Body, Boots, & Britches and all they have is the two verses of this ten-verse song.

-Joe-

Subject: Lyr Add: GRAND VICTORY OF PADDY RYAN OVER JOE GOSS
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 14 Jan 12 - 03:42 PM

This broadside can be seen at the Bodleian collection, Harding B 26(225), or at the University of Notre Dame, BPP 1001-130.

GRAND   VICTORY   OF
Paddy Ryan,   OVER   Joe Goss,
I N   A M E R I C A.
(For the heavy Championship and £400, in Gold.)


You lovers of the manly game attend to what I state,
It is of a glorious victory the truth I will relate,
Which happened in America far across the briny wave
When a gallant bold Tipperary man did valiantly behave.

It was for the heavy Championship and £400, in gold,
In a place called West Virginia, as from New York we're told,
It was arranged this gallant fight should be decided there,
When the Irishmen assembled in droves from everywhere.

At half-past five in the morning, it was on the 1st. of June,
Those champions met each other in Virginia in their bloom,
They shook hands with one another and Ryan jokingly did say
"I feel quite well, I thank you Joe, how do you do to-day."

On time being called those gallant men they stepped into the ring
They advanced towards each other and then shook hands again,
They sparred and tarried for awhile with elegance and ease,
Untill two left hands were exchanged, Goss fell on his knees.

From the first round to the fifth, some heavy blows took place,
Goss kept to the body, and Ryan on the face,
Joe Goss sent in a stinger and Ryan's claret drew,
First blood in favour of Joe Goss they all acknowledged true.

From the first round to the forty-forth Joe Goss he bore the sway
Only three rounds of that number did Ryan lead the way,
And Goss from dropping on his knees which he nimbly did pursue
But before the finish of the fight he had reason for to rue.

Now the sixty-second was the best of all the rounds they fought,
It was the balance of the Championship and dearly it was bought,
Without either flinching from their ground they delivered blow for blow,
But Ryan's youth began to tell and Goss did overthrow.

From that time to the sixty-ninth, was horrid to behold,
They looked like as if painted they were covered over with blood,
A fearful gash on Ryan's eye in the next round did appear,
But Ryan sent in a ten-fold blow and split open Joe's left ear.

The number of rounds were eighty-five, which closed this horrid scene,
In the annals of the Prize Ring it has never equalled been,
Over fifty Prize Ring men were there and one and all they swore
'Twas the best contested battle they ever saw before.

On time being called for the next round Joe Goss did not appear,
Paddy walked up to the scratch without either dread or fear,
He was declared the winner of this great victory,
It's another laurel on record for his native country.

Now to end these lines I do incline my pen I will lay down,
With success to Paddy Ryan, may he always gain renown,
He wore a green silk handkerchief and on it he did smile,
It is the colour of our fatherland, and emblem of our Isle.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Paddy Ryan's Victory
From: georgeward
Date: 15 Jan 12 - 12:54 AM

Now that's interesting. Right fight. Right meter. But apparently a different broadside than the one Harold Thompson saw (see Ed's posting of Thompson's stanzas above).

Good find Jim!

- G