Lyr Add: Drumion Dubh Deelis

03 Dec 97 - 12:01 AM (#17030)
Subject: LYR ADD: Drumion Dubh Deelis
From: Bruce O.

Here's a more complete copy of "Drimindown" than that in DT.

Drumion Dubh: Or, The Irishman's Lamentation for the Loss of his Black Cow.

Oh! there was a poor man,
And he had but one cow
And how he had lost her
He couldn't tell how,
But so white was her face
And so sleek was her tail,
That I thought my poor Drumion Dubh
Never would fail.
[Chorus]
Agus oro Drumion Dubh
Oro ah!
Oro Drumion Dubh
Mhiel agrah!
Agus oro Drumion Dubh
O, ochone!
Drumion Dubh dheelis
Go dea tu slan.

Returning from mass
On a morning in May,
I met my poor Drumion dubh,
Drowning by the way
I roared and I bawled,
And my neighbours did call,
To save my poor Drumion Dubh,
She being my all.
Agus oro, &c.

Ah, neighbours, was this not
A sorrowful day?
When I gazed on the water;
[Where] my Drumion Dubh lay?
With a drone and a drizzen,
She bid me adieu,
And the answer I made, was
A loud phillilu.
Agus oro, &c.

Poor Drumion Dubh sunk,
And I saw her more
Till I came to an island
Was close by the shore;
And down on that island
I saw her again,
Like a bunch of ripe blackberries
Rolled in the rain.
Agus oro, &c.

Arrah, plague on you Drumion Dubh,
What made you die?
Or why did you leave me?
For what and for why?
I would rather lose Padeen
Ma mhogiel beg ban
Than part with you Drumion Dubh,
Now that you're gone.
Agus oro, &c.

When Drumion dubh lived,
And before she was dead,
She gave me fresh butter
To [eat] to my bread;
And likewise new milk,
That I soaked in my scon,
But now its black water,
Since Drumion Dubh's gone!
Agus oro, &c.

Text from 'The Universal Songster', 1828. There is a 4 verse text in 'The Irish Minstrel', c 1828 (not in the 1825 ed.) Robert Owenson (Mac Eoghain) sang it at a Dublin concert in 1778, as "DHRIMMINDUH". No 18th century copy of the song seems to have survived, however. One verse and chorus was noted from a Kerry piper around 1815. Owenson's daughter Sidney (later Lady Morgan) wrote a new song for the tune for her 'Twelve Hiberian Melodies', 1805? A version of the song above, with the same original tune, was published as a sheet music song in Baltimore in the 1830's. (Copy in Library of Congress) There is a version of the song in the R. W. Gordon MSS, #1035, at the Library of Congress Folklore Archive.

There are many copies of the tune, to a late as a copy of 1912 from Chicago (but new cow song). Below are two early versions of the tune in ABC. A version is already in DT for Hughie Graham, from 'The Scots Musical Museum', #303. All tunes collected in the 20th century seem to be different from this one. Leadbelly's tune got turned into "Kisses sweeter than wine"

X:1
T:Driman Duff
N:Thumoth's '12 Scotch and 12 Irish Airs', c 1743-5
Q:56
M:3/4
K:A dorian
A/2B/2|{d}~c2B|AGA/2B/2|{d}~c2B|{c}A2G/2A/2|B2A|\
GE3/4D/4E3/4G/4|gd/2B/2c/2A/2|!G2A/2B/2|{d}c2B|\
AGA/2B/2|{d}c2B|A2B|(c/2B/2c/2d/2e/2)g/2|\
a2g|~e/2d/2Bd/2B/2|A3:|]

X:2
T:Drimen Duff
N:Oswald's Caledonian Pocket Companion, bk. 8, c 1756.
Q:56
M:3/4
K:Am
(A/2B/2)|{B}c2B|AE(A3/4B/4)|c2B|A2(G/2A/2)|B2A|\
G(D/2E/2)(G/2A/2)|{A}B3/2 (c/2 B/2A/2)|G2(A3/4B/4)|\
c2B|AE(A3/4B/4)|c2B|A2E|cc/2d/2e/2g/2|{g}a2g|\
(e/2d/2e/2)g/2a/2B/2|A2:|]

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03 Dec 97 - 12:53 PM (#17034)
Subject: RE: LYR ADD: Drumion Dubh Deelis
From: Nonie Rider

I presume that the line "And I saw her more" should be "And I saw her no more"?

--Nonie

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03 Dec 97 - 03:34 PM (#17041)
Subject: RE: LYR ADD: Drumion Dubh Deelis
From: Bruce O.

Nonie, yes.
Also capitalize Dubh in all places.
Also in verse 5, change line to: Than part with my Drumion Dubh

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03 Dec 97 - 10:40 PM (#17068)
Subject: RE: LYR ADD: Drumion Dubh Deelis
From: Barry

How close the first verse is to a wassill song. Is there a connection somewhere? Are the tunes similar?

There was an old man who had an old cow Good sense to milk her he didn't know how He built up a barn to keep his cow warn And a little more liquor won't do us no harm

Barry

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04 Dec 97 - 12:28 PM (#17080)
Subject: RE: LYR ADD: Drumion Dubh Deelis
From: Bruce O.

Barry,

Thanks for pointing out the wassail verse. I had missed that.

Tune HUGRAME2 in DT is a version of "Drumion Dubh" (for 'Hughie Graham" from Scots Musical Museum, #303). The verse you quoted is in "Sommerset Wassail" in DT. Tune there, WASSOMER, doesn't sound the same to me. I think the verse you quoted was probably lifted from "Drumion Dubh", however.

It is possible the Irish song was known in the 17th century. There is a broadside ballad of the 1680's called "Colly my Cow" which has a pseudo-Gaelic chorus, and the song looks like a parody. However, it is in a different meter, and won't fit our tune "Drumion Dubh". A shorter version of "Colly" was sung at Marylebone Gardens in the 18th century and Baring-Gould collected a traditional version, published in 'Songs of the West'. His tune is unrelated to the Irish one. In spite of the fact that there is no solid connection, in O'Neill's 'Music of Ireland' we find an alternative title for "Drumion Dubh" given as "Colly my Cow".

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04 Dec 97 - 09:25 PM (#17116)
Subject: RE: LYR ADD: Drumion Dubh Deelis
From: Barry

Bruce, thanks for the low down. Barry

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