Origins: Steve O'Donnell's Wake

Subject: ?WORDS?
From:
Date: 06 May 97 - 08:54 PM

I need the words to an Irish drinking song called "Steve O'Donald's (may be O'Donnell's) Wake." Appreciate the help.

Subject: RE: ?WORDS?
From: dick greenhaus
Date: 06 May 97 - 10:30 PM

Please, please, please--put your request into the heading! Simply "Steve O'Donalds's Wake" will get you much more help than RE: ?WORDS?

Subject: Steve O'Donnell's Wake
From: Ginny
Date: 09 Mar 99 - 12:32 PM

I am looking for the words and music for "Steve O'Donnell's Wake" an Irish folk song. Please e-mail me at [e-mail]

Thanks

Subject: Lyr Add: STEVE O'DONNELL'S WAKE
From: Frank Maher
Date: 09 Mar 99 - 06:23 PM

Here are the Words to the Song.....
26-May-98 - 08:07 PM

This was recorded on Copley Records by "Hum & Strum" who I believe were from Canada.

Steve O'Donnell was a gentleman, so everybody said.
He was loved by all his friends both rich and poor,
And everyone felt sorry when they heard that Steve was dead,
And they saw the piece of crepe upon the door.

The barber came to shave the Galway slagga from his throat,
And cut his hair in à la pompadour.
A red necktie and buttonhole bouquet was in his coat,
And a bunch of shamrocks in his hand he wore.

Undertaker Feeney had the job to lay O'Donnell out
In a casket of the very finest make.
He dressed the corpse in broadcloth and said, "Boys, there'll be no doubt
That they'll all get drunk at Steve O'Donnell's wake."

CHORUS: There were fighters, and biters, and Irish dynamiters.
There was beer, gin, whisky, wine and cake.
There were men in high positions. There were Irish politicians,
And they all got drunk at Steve O'Donnell's wake.

There were fifty candles at his head and twenty at his feet,
Plenty flowers sent for friendship's sake.
"Oh Steve, me b'y, why did you die?" the weeping widow cried,
And we all felt sad at Steve O'Donnell's wake.

Mike McGovern said that Steve O'Donnell was an awful bum.
Of course he only meant it for a joke,
But Paddy Mack got up his back and he made McGovern run,
Because he hit him in the eye an awful poke.

Then all joined in the fightin' then 'cause ev'ryone was mad,
And blood enough was spilt to form a lake.
They knocked the corpse down on the floor and blew out all the lights.
There was murder down at Steve O'Donnell's wake.

CHORUS

Then the cops came in to stop the brawl to make them understand,
And the corpse was picked up by his brother Dan,
But someone stole the necktie from around O'Donnell's throat.
Mike McGovern said O'Reilly was the man.

O'Reilly's friends got crazy-mad and swore they'd have his life.
McGovern saw he made a great mistake.
They fought and fought and danced around until the cops came in,
And arrested all at Steve O'Donnell's wake.

CHORUS

Subject: RE: Steve O'Donnell's Wake
From: Martin _Ryan
Date: 09 Mar 99 - 07:05 PM

"slagga"?

Regards

I know people get upset when others get "terse", but.... Jeez.... let's be to the point!

Subject: Lookin for: Steve O'Donnels Wake
From: JedMarum
Date: 11 Aug 00 - 06:26 PM

Does anyone know this song? My dad sued to sing something like this:

There were fighters and biters(?) and Irish dynamiters there was beer rum whiskey wine and cake there were men in high positions there were Irish politicians and they all got drunk at Steve O' Donnels wake.

Subject: Lyr Add: STEVE O'DONNELL'S WAKE
From: Frank Maher
Date: 11 Aug 00 - 10:25 PM

This was Recorded on Copley Records by "Hum & Strum" who I believe were from Canada.

STEVE O'DONNELL'S WAKE

Steve O'Donnell was a gentleman, so everybody said.
He was loved by all his friends both rich and poor,
And everyone felt sorry when they heard that Steve was dead,
And they saw the piece of crepe upon the door.

The barber came to shave the Galway slagga from his throat,
And cut his hair in a la pompadour.
A red necktie and buttonhole bouquet was in his coat,
And a bunch of shamrocks in his hand he wore.

Undertaker Feeney had the job to lay O'Donnell out
In a casket of the very finest make.
He dressed the corpse in broadcloth and said, "Boys, there'll be no doubt
That they'll all get drunk at Steve O'Donnell's wake."

There were fighters, biters, and Irish dynamiters.
There was beer, gin, whisky, wine and cake.
There were men in high positions. There were Irish politicians,
And they all got drunk at Steve O'Donnell's wake.

There were 50 candles at his head & 20 at his feet,
Plenty flowers sent for friendship sake.
"Oh Steve, me by'e, why did you die?" the grieving widow said,
And we all felt sad at Steve O'Donnell's wake.

Mike McGovern said that Steve O'Donnell was an awful bum.
Of course he only meant it for a joke,
But Paddy Mack got up his back and he made McGovern run,
'Cause he hit him in the eye an awful poke.

They all joined in the fightin' then 'cause everyone was mad,
And blood enough was spilled to form a lake.
They knocked the corpse down on the floor and blew off all the lights.
There was murder down at Steve O'Donnell's wake.

Then the cops came in to stop the brawl to make them understand,
And the corpse was picked up by his brother Dan,
But someone stole the necktie from around O'Donnell's throat.
Mike McGovern said O'Reilly was the man.

O'Reilly's friends got crazy mad and swore they'd have his life.
McGovern saw he made a great mistake.
They fought and fought and danced around until the cops came in,
And arrested all at Steve O'Donnell's wake.

Subject: RE: Lookin for: Steve O'Donnels Wake
From: Sailor Dan
Date: 11 Aug 00 - 10:55 PM

Dont Know the song but sounds like it could be sung to the music of Tim Finnegins Wake. I'm probably wrong but who knows.

Sailor DAn

Subject: RE: Lookin for: Steve O'Donnels Wake
From: JedMarum
Date: 11 Aug 00 - 11:24 PM

Well, Dan, I heard it with a very different melody.

Thanks very kindly Frank!

Subject: Steve O Donnells Wake
From: JedMarum
Date: 13 Feb 01 - 05:04 PM

I am looking for the lyrics to a song my Dad used to sing called, Steve O' Donnell's Wake. I didn't find it in the DT, but think this is a old standard. Can anyone help?

Subject: Lyr Add: STEVE O'DONNELL'S WAKE
From: MartinRyan
Date: 13 Feb 01 - 05:11 PM

I've a feeling we had this in a thread before - but here's a quick copy:

STEVE O'DONNELL'S WAKE
(Unknown)

Steve O'Donnell was a gentleman, so everybody said
He was loved by all his friends both rich and poor
And everyone felt sorry when they heard that Steve was dead
And they saw the piece of crepe upon the door

The barber came to shave the Galway slagga from his throat
And cut his hair in a la pompadour
A red necktie and buttonhole bouquet was in his coat
And a bunch of shamrocks in his hand he wore

Undertaker Feeney had the job to lay O'Donnell out
In a casket of the very finest make
He dressed the corpse in broadcloth and said: "Boys, there'll be no doubt
That they'll all get drunk at Steve O'Donnell's wake"

There were fighters, biters and Irish dynamiters
There was beer, gin, whiskey, wine and cake
There were men in high positions there were Irish politicians
And they all got drunk at Steve O'Donnell's wake

There were fifty candles at his head and twenty at his feet
Plenty flowers sent for friendship's sake
"Oh, Steve, me by'e, why did you die?" the grieving widow said
And we all felt sad at Steve O'Donnell's wake

Mike McGovern said that Steve O'Donnell was an awful bum
Of course he only meant it for a joke
But Paddy Mack got up his back and he made McGovern run
Cause he hit him in the eye an awful poke

They all joined in the fightin' then cause everyone was mad
And blood enough was spilled to form a lake
They knocked the corpse down on the floor and blew off all the lights
There was murder down at Steve O'Donnell's wake

Then the cops came in to stop the brawl to make them understand
And the corpse was picked up by his brother Dan
But someone stole the necktie from around O'Donnell's throat
Mike McGovern said O'Reilly was the man

O'Reilly's friends got crazy mad and swore they'd have his life
McGovern saw he made a great mistake
They fought and fought and danced around until the cops came in
And arrested all at Steve O'Donnell's wake

RegardsHTML line breaks added. --JoeClone, 12-Jul-02.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Steve O Donnells Wake
From: Zebedee
Date: 13 Feb 01 - 05:11 PM

click here

Ed

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Steve O Donnells Wake
From: MartinRyan
Date: 13 Feb 01 - 05:12 PM

Sorry about the formatting!A quick copy and paste job.

Regards

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Steve O Donnells Wake
From: MartinRyan
Date: 13 Feb 01 - 05:13 PM

Great minds, Zebedee... that's where I found it too!

Regards

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Steve O Donnells Wake
From: JedMarum
Date: 15 Feb 01 - 02:23 AM

Thanks all.

Subject: Frag 1: Steve O'Donnel's Wake
From:
Date: 01 Nov 01 - 08:32 AM

'D'Cats--

I've been "collectin'" songs from my dad, and we've got two fragments we'd like to complete. Here's the first:

There were fighters and blighters and Irish dynamiters
There was beer gin and whiskey, ale and cake (ale and cake)
There were men in high positions, there were Irish politicians
And they all got drunk at Steve O'Donnel's wake (at the wake)

I did a search of the DT on "dynamiters" and didn't find this one.

Any ideas???

V

Subject: Lyr Add: STEVE O'DONNELL'S WAKE
From: Gypsy
Date: 01 Nov 01 - 10:26 PM

This was Recorded on Copley Records by "Hum & Strum" who I believe were from Canada.

Steve O'Donnell was a gentleman so everybody said,
He was loved by all his friends both rich and poor,
And everyone felt sorry when they heard that Steve was dead,
And they saw the piece of crepe upon the door.

The barber came to shave the Galway slagga from his throat,
And cut his hair in à la pompadour,
A red necktie and buttonhole bouquet was in his coat,
And a bunch of shamrocks in his hand he wore.

Undertaker Feeney had the job to lay O'Donnell out,
In a casket of the very finest make,
He dressed the corpse in broadcloth and said, "Boys, there'll be no doubt,
That they'll all get drunk at Steve O'Donnell's wake."

There were fighters, biters and Irish dynamiters.
There was beer, gin, whisky, wine and cake.
There were men in high positions. There were Irish politicians,
And they all got drunk at Steve O'Donnell's wake.

There were 50 candles at his head & 20 at his feet,
Plenty flowers sent for friendship sake,
"Oh, Steve, me b'y, why did you die?" the grieving widow said,
And we all felt sad at Steve O'Donnell's wake.

Mike McGovern said that Steve O'Donnell was an awful bum,
Of course he only meant it for a joke,
But Paddy Mack got up his back and he made McGovern run,
Cause he hit him in the eye an awful poke.

They all joined in the fightin' then cause everyone was mad,
And blood enough was spilled to form a lake,
They knocked the corpse down on the floor and blew off all the lights,
There was murder down at Steve O'Donnell's wake.

Then the cops came in to stop the brawl to make them understand,
And the corpse was picked up by his brother Dan,
But someone stole the necktie from around O'Donnell's throat.
Mike McGovern said O'Reilly was the man.

O'Reilly's friends got crazy mad and swore they'd have his life.
McGovern saw he made a great mistake.
They fought and fought and danced around until the cops came in,
And arrested all at Steve O'Donnell's wake.

HTML line breaks added, etc. --JoeClone, 27-Nov-01.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Frag 1: Steve O'Donnel's Wake
From: Gypsy
Date: 01 Nov 01 - 10:28 PM

Oooppps...wasn't paying attention when pasting in. Added the line breaks, and thought i was done. Help, to any JOECLONE to fix! Thanks

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Frag 1: Steve O'Donnel's Wake
From: Sorcha
Date: 01 Nov 01 - 10:37 PM

Very dam good, Gypsy!! A gold star for you!

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Frag 1: Steve O'Donnel's Wake
From: Gypsy
Date: 01 Nov 01 - 10:41 PM

blush......thankee kindly, Sorcha. From you, that is a REAL compliment!

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Frag 1: Steve O'Donnel's Wake
From:
Date: 02 Nov 01 - 08:02 AM

Thank you thank you Gypsy!

Well, I agree the general tone of the affair definitely reminds me of Finnegan's Wake. Also some of the details. But the melody my dad knows for this isn't the same as the one we both know for Finnegan's Wake. Having never been to a wake of this sort, I can't say for sure, but maybe they're all the same!

Thank you again!!!

V

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Frag 1: Steve O'Donnel's Wake
From: Gypsy
Date: 02 Nov 01 - 11:06 PM

Keep your dad's fragments coming, Vixen. I love old ballads, and research is my second favorite thing to do!

Subject: Origins: Steve O'Donnell's Wake
From: brian_reese
Date: 11 Mar 08 - 12:57 AM

I am trying to determine authorship of the Irish novelty song "Steve O'Donnell's Wake." The lyrics can be found here on Mudcat.

Here is what I know about the song already:

1. It was recorded c. 1940's on the Copley and Stellar labels by Hum & Strum (Tom Currier & Max Zides). They were former vaudevillians--I believe from the Boston area--they may have authored the song.

2. It was recovered from oral circulation by Helen Hartness Flanders three times (Mrs. Rosamont Robinson-1944, Partick L. Ryan-1949, Mrs. Halleck Lefferts-1950).

3. The song appears in a mimeographed songbook "Songs of the Century" printed by the 100th Bomb Group of the 8th A.A.F. in March 1945.

4. A text provided by A.D. Burr of Moab, UT in 1949 appears in Lester A. Hubbard's "Ballads and Songs from Utah" (1961).

5. The Irish Balladeers--a Scranton, PA group--recorded the song in the late 60's. I have contacted Bob Rogers from the group; he does not know the song's origin.

If anyone can provide definitive info on the song's origin I would greatly appreciate it!

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Steve O'Donnell's Wake
From: GUEST,liz brothers
Date: 02 Oct 09 - 10:57 PM

My Mom is trying to find a recording of Steve O'Donnell's wake. She remembers listening to it as a little girl. She really would like to have a copy. I would trully appreciate any help you could give me.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Steve O'Donnell's Wake
From: GUEST,Grace
Date: 09 Oct 11 - 04:13 PM

Hello, Everyone!
There's a site on BING Web called:
Malone and Hutch- Music For The Thirsty.
Once there, you can contact them and request a copy of 'Steve O'Donnell's Wake.' It's on the Malone and Hutch Live CD. Also available on that site, are MP3 downloads for 'Steve O'Donnell's wake' and more favorites. Hope this helps.
    Grace

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Steve O'Donnell's Wake
From: Lighter
Date: 09 Oct 11 - 05:15 PM

The Boston Daily Globe of Nov. 19, 1894, includes a letter from a reader who requests the words of this song.

That is the earliest reference to it I have found.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Steve O'Donnell's Wake
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 24 Oct 11 - 01:06 PM

For lots more songs in this genre see this thread: Lyr Add: Irish songs about balls, wakes, soirees

We have found around 70 comical songs about Irish people getting together at wakes, weddings, christenings, balls, parties, banquets, picnics, etc., then getting drunk and fighting.

Subject: RE: Origins: Steve O'Donnell's Wake
From: GUEST,Shari
Date: 01 Mar 12 - 08:02 PM

Can't help with origins, but I am in possession of an album of 3 78's by Hum and Strum on Stellar Records (SR501) from the late 1940's. It was produced by Trans Radio in Boston for Stellar. The album includes:

Steve O'Donnell's Wake
I Knocked the "L" Out of Kelly
Nobody Knows What Happened to McCarty
Bridget O'Flynn
The Irish Were Egyptian's Long Ago
The Daughter of Rosie O'Grady

The discs all seem to be in good condition, but I'm not sure what to do with them. I can't find references to any other surviving copies. Any suggestions?

Subject: RE: Origins: Steve O'Donnell's Wake
From: GUEST,Mark Richards
Date: 28 Apr 17 - 09:51 AM

Is it the collection titled "Humorous Irish Songs" with a kind of funny cover illustration. I have seen that listed elsewhere. I am a big Hum & Strum fan, having first heard Steve O'Donnell's Wake and Bridget O'Flynn about 40 years ago. My folks, who were from Boston, had the 78. I now have them on a 45, plus 6 of their other songs. I don't have the last two songs you mentioned, and hope to eventually own as many as possible. If what you have is the collection with the funny cover art, I REALLY hope to find that some day.

Subject: RE: Origins: Steve O'Donnell's Wake
From: Joe Offer
Date: 28 May 18 - 03:02 PM

Here's a version posted in another thread:

Thread #43902   Message #643384
Posted By: GUEST,Mad4Mud at work
05-Feb-02 - 06:40 PM
Thread Name: Lyr Req: O'Reilly's Wake / Steve O'Donnell's Wake
Subject: Lyr Add: STEVE O'DONNELL'S WAKE

I found this on another site. I know you said it was called "O'Reilly's Wake" but the words are pretty much the same here:

STEVE O'DONNELL'S WAKE
(Unknown)

Steve O'Donnell was a gentleman, so everybody said
He was loved by all his friends both rich and poor
And everyone felt sorry when they heard that Steve was dead
And they saw the piece of Crepe upon the door

The barber came to shave the Galway slagga from his throat
And cut his hair in a la pompadour
A red necktie and buttonhole bouquet was in his coat
And a bunch of shamrocks in his hand he wore

Undertaker Feeney had the job to lay O'Donnell out
In a casket of the very finest make
He dressed the corpse in broadcloth and said: "Boys, there'll be no doubt"
That they'll all get drunk at Steve O'Donnell's wake

There were fighters, biters and Irish dynamiters
There was beer, gin, whiskey, wine and cake
There were men in high positions there were Irish politicians
And they all got drunk at Steve O'Donnell's wake

There were fifty candles at his head and twenty at his feet
Plenty flowers sent for friendship's sake
"Oh, Steve, me by'e, why did you die?" the grieving widow said
And we all felt sad at Steve O'Donnell's wake

Mike McGovern said that Steve O'Donnell was an awful bum
Of course he only meant it for a joke
But Paddy Mack got up his back and he made McGovern run
Cause he hit him in the eye an awful poke

They all joined in the fightin' then 'cause everyone was mad
And blood enough was spilled to form a lake
They knocked the corpse down on the floor and blew off all the lights
There was murder down at Steve O'Donnell's wake

Then the cops came in to stop the brawl to make them understand
And the corpse was picked up by his brother Dan
But someone stole the necktie from around O'Donnell's throat
Mike McGovern said O'Reilly was the man

O'Reilly's friends got crazy mad and swore they'd have his life
McGovern saw he made a great mistake
They fought and fought and danced around until the cops came in
And arrested all at Steve O'Donnell's wake

Subject: RE: Origins: Steve O'Donnell's Wake
From: GUEST,email to Joe Offer from Donna Halper
Date: 28 May 18 - 03:04 PM

Yes, New England-based vocal duo Hum and Strum became famous locally for this song, and they also made a recording of it on the Copley label. Hum was Max Zides (who was Jewish) and his musical partner, Strum, was Tom Currier (who was Irish Catholic). They were known for old-time standards and pop hits, but they also did some novelty and ethnic songs, including this one. They were well-known on radio from the 1920s through the 1950s, and they also played at many night clubs; but they were not the only ones who sang a version of "Steve O'Donnell's Wake. In fact, I believe the song itself goes back to the late 1880s, as this link suggests: http://www.traditionalmusic.co.uk/songster/26-steve-odonnells-wake.htm. What Hum & Strum did was adapt the lyrics to the Boston Irish community. But I've read that versions of the song were also popular in Philadelphia, Chicago, and elsewhere.

--
Donna L. Halper, PhD
Associate Professor of Communication & Media Studies
Lesley University, Cambridge MA