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'High dunne and low dunne' song -

05 Dec 03 - 09:59 PM (#1066488)
Subject: 'High dunne and low dunne' song -
From: GUEST,thecantrells3@yahoo.com

Is anyone familiar with a clever, funny Irish song that describes a family named "Dunne" (sp?) and makes a lot of double meanings with the name, as in "high Dunne and low Dunne, over Dunne and under Dunne".

I've spent a lot of time searching, with no luck. I'd appreciate it if someone knows where I can find a recording or sheet music!
Al Cantrell


05 Dec 03 - 10:15 PM (#1066496)
Subject: RE: 'High dunne and low dunne' song -
From: Malcolm Douglas

Search engines will be your friends if you let them (and the one we have onsite here is really rather good nowadays; you'll see it on the main Forum page), but you do have to try one or two alternative spellings in cases like this. See these two fairly extensive earlier discussions:

Old Dunn's Dunn (Dunne Song)

Mr. Done and Over Done and Under....


06 Dec 03 - 06:34 AM (#1066602)
Subject: RE: 'High dunne and low dunne' song -
From: Moleskin Joe

This song must be older than any of the suggested accreditations as I have a recording of it made in 1968 by the Livingstones and they cite it as "trad". I assume it is an Irish song from the spelling of Dunne.
Cheers.


06 Dec 03 - 07:46 AM (#1066619)
Subject: RE: 'High dunne and low dunne' song -
From: GUEST,Martin Ryan

There has also been a satirical remake of it (by Fintan Vallely) based on the the family members controlling Dunne's Stores, a major retailer in Ireland!

Regards


06 Dec 03 - 10:22 AM (#1066675)
Subject: RE: 'High dunne and low dunne' song -
From: GUEST,tndarln

I've heard Tommy Sands perform it more than once, although I didn't see it listed on his recordings. T


06 Dec 03 - 01:09 PM (#1066779)
Subject: RE: 'High dunne and low dunne' song -
From: GUEST,Anne

When I saw this posting it brought back many memories. My brother, who died a few years ago, was in the Livingstones. I know that they learned the song from my father's cousin who sang it at family parties. Not being able to find the author it went on their recording as 'trad'. It is still a regular at our sing-songs.


06 Dec 03 - 01:54 PM (#1066814)
Subject: Lyr Add: THE DUNNE SONG
From: GUEST

I Have no Information on the author, or artists that performed it, but i do have the words,

THE DUNNE SONG

I once was well acquainted with a man called Mr. Dunne,
A very jolly man indeed and full of harmless fun.
He courted young and married was when he was twenty one,
And soon a big fine family had Mr. And Mrs. Dunne.

Chorus;
For there was high Dunne and low Dunne, overdone and underdone,
All the other younger Dunne's it's in and out they run,
There was old Dunne and young Dunne and young Dunne's younger son,
And young Dunne will be a Dunne when the old Dunne's done.

In course of time the eldest Dunne he took himself a wife,
But then he found out that he had the hardest fight for life,
For to try and keep three bellies full and a wife who weighed twelve stone,
Any man that could do that you'd have to say well done.

For there was high Dunne and low Dunne, overdone and underdone,
All the other younger Dunne's it's in and out they run,
There was old Dunne and young Dunne and young Dunne's younger son,
And young Dunne will be a Dunne when the old Dunne's done.

Well when Mrs. Dunne presented Dunne with their first bouncing son,
He named it Herbert Duncan Dunne but called it cherry bun,
And when as thick as hops they come and many more do run,
Says Mrs. Dunne to Mr. Dunne, "More bread or we'll be done."

For there was high Dunne and low Dunne, overdone and underdone,
All the other younger Dunne's it's in and out they run,
There was old Dunne and young Dunne and young Dunne's younger son,
And young Dunne will be a Dunne when the old Dunne's done.

So here's good luck to the eldest Dunne likewise the youngest Dunne,
Let's hope the youngest Dunne can do as the eldest Dunne has done.
For any chance to be a Dunne and not a vacant one,
What's done says Dunne should be well done so well done good old Dunne.

For there was high Dunne and low Dunne, overdone and underdone,
All the other younger Dunne's it's in and out they run,
There was old Dunne and young Dunne and young Dunne's younger son,
And young Dunne will be a Dunne when the old Dunne's done.


06 Dec 03 - 02:13 PM (#1066818)
Subject: RE: 'High dunne and low dunne' song -
From: Sorcha

Yes, we have the words in several different places. MMario has the tune, but has not had time to post it.


06 Dec 03 - 08:28 PM (#1067051)
Subject: RE: 'High dunne and low dunne' song -
From: Tattie Bogle

It's one of Cathal o'Connell's (Boys of the lough) party pieces, but I don't know if it's on any of their recordings. I've seen him do it at a session, standing on the seats, pint glass in hand: when he gets to the "High Dunne, Low Dunne" bit the glass goes high and low too, as does most of the beer: anyone in range gets a beer shampoo!


06 Dec 03 - 10:59 PM (#1067063)
Subject: RE: 'High dunne and low dunne' song -
From: Cluin

I have a cassette recording of Cathal O'Connell singing this one on a live BOTL concert broadcast on NPR that I made a few years ago.


03 Jun 06 - 05:25 AM (#1752074)
Subject: RE: 'High dunne and low dunne' song -
From: GUEST,eugenelambe@eircom.net

looking for notes for the "Dunne Song". Can anybody help?


03 Jun 06 - 10:55 AM (#1752165)
Subject: RE: 'High dunne and low dunne' song -
From: Sorcha

Maybe....I'll be back.


03 Jun 06 - 11:04 AM (#1752173)
Subject: RE: 'High dunne and low dunne' song -
From: Sorcha

Nope...just the lyrics. Sorry


03 Jun 06 - 01:54 PM (#1752268)
Subject: RE: 'High dunne and low dunne' song -
From: KT

Our own Seamus Kennedy has recorded it, too. It's on his children's CD, entitled, GETS ON EVERYBODY'S NERVES.

KT


03 Jun 06 - 03:55 PM (#1752325)
Subject: RE: 'High dunne and low dunne' song -
From: Sorcha

I suggest e mailing MMario, or join and send him a private message on here. He has the tune, just hasn't had time to post it.


03 Jun 06 - 04:10 PM (#1752333)
Subject: RE: 'High dunne and low dunne' song -
From: Sorcha

I sent an e mail to requester.


29 Oct 08 - 12:00 PM (#2479063)
Subject: RE: 'High dunne and low dunne' song -
From: GUEST

The whole song can be heard performed on Danny O'Flaherty's "the Celtic Folk" CD recorded live at O'Flaherty's Irish Pub before it was destroyed in Katrina.

The song is on this CD:
http://cdbaby.com/cd/celticfolk

We just had the great privilege of taking classes from him and getting to know him at O'Flaherty (no relation *g*) Irish Music Retreat in Dallas last weekend.

Rowan Golightly
www.queens-gambit.com


01 Jan 12 - 08:30 PM (#3283149)
Subject: RE: 'High dunne and low dunne' song -
From: GUEST

I heard this song performed at least 5 times at seisiuns in O'Donoghue's in Merrion Row in the early eighties. I don't know his name but he claimed to have written it. It has been rolling around in my head for this many years. Infections song.

Jessie Cowan


01 Jan 12 - 11:13 PM (#3283198)
Subject: RE: 'High dunne and low dunne' song -
From: chordstrangler

How things come back to haunt you!


02 Jan 12 - 04:31 AM (#3283269)
Subject: RE: 'High dunne and low dunne' song -
From: r.padgett

Irish chap I now have on facebook sang many of these songs is Kieran McGelligott. He sang this and "Holey Moley I love Nikkita Krewskov" sorry bout the spelling!)and "Does anybody know where the Blarney Roses grow" a great memory for songs and lived in England in the North somewhere certainly in the 1980s

Ray Padgett


02 Jan 12 - 07:49 AM (#3283336)
Subject: RE: 'High dunne and low dunne' song -
From: BB

I have two recordings of it, one by Billy Teare and the other by Rodney Corder - both have a trad. attribution.


10 Apr 12 - 03:52 PM (#3336411)
Subject: RE: 'High dunne and low dunne' song -
From: GUEST,Jacky Hintze

I have the music in a small book of a cappella favourites for mixed voices by Jean Harlow in the Sing for Pleasure series. It is described as an Irish folksong, collected by Chris Green and arranged by John Coates. This arrangement in for Soprano, alto and bass but I have had to rewrite it in SSA for a ladies' choir.

I got it from the BKA (Britihs Kodaly Academy) bookstore, which supplies a whole range of vocal music: www.britishkodalyacademy.org. If you want to browse for this and other folk songs, you can have visit the bookstore at the BKA's summer school (12-18 August this year). I don't know if it's still available but if you're hunting for an SSA arrangement, please contact me at hintez@btinternet.com

Hope this helps!


10 Apr 12 - 06:47 PM (#3336503)
Subject: RE: 'High dunne and low dunne' song -
From: nigelgatherer

This is how the Scottish folk group The Livingstones sang it on The Livingstones In Concert (Waverley SZLP 2105, 1968):

High Dunn

I once was well acquainted with a man called Mr Dunne,
A very jovial man was he and full of coortin' fun.
He very soon was married, and he was twenty one,
And soon a great big family had Mr And Mrs Dunne.

Chorus;
For there was High Dunne, Low Dunne, Over Dunne, Under Dunne,
All the little younger Dunnes it's in and out they'd run,
For there was Young Dunne, Old Dunne, Young Dunne's youngest son,
Young Dunne will be undone when Old Dunne's done.

Well, Young Dunne thought to himself that he would take a wife,
And like his father found it hard to struggle through this life,
To keep six little children full, and a wife weighing twenty ton,
Well, any man that can do that he ought to say well done.

(Chorus)

Well here's good luck to Mr Dunne likewise his youngest son,
We hope the younger Dunnes will do as the older Dunnes have done.
"What's done," says Dunne, "should be well done." and to avoid a Dunne,
"What's done," says Dunne, "can't be undone, so well done good old Dunne!"

(Chorus)


11 Apr 12 - 05:01 AM (#3336622)
Subject: RE: 'High dunne and low dunne' song -
From: GUEST,SteveT

For a fairly detailed history of recent (last 60 years or so) history of the song's travels see the post "Subject: RE: ADD:Dunne Song /Mr. Done and Over Done and Under.. From: GUEST,Frank Jeal. Date: 17 May 10 - 12:50 PM" on the thread "http://www.mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=4548"
(Sorry my computer doesn't understand the instructions about inserting links.)


11 Apr 12 - 07:28 AM (#3336663)
Subject: RE: 'High dunne and low dunne' song -
From: maeve

Guest, Steve T.'s link Subject: RE: ADD:Dunne Song /Mr. Done and Over Done and Under


26 Sep 12 - 01:34 PM (#3410546)
Subject: RE: 'High dunne and low dunne' song -
From: GUEST,Dave

Did anyone ever have the chords?


06 Jan 13 - 01:21 PM (#3462184)
Subject: RE: 'High dunne and low dunne' song -
From: GUEST,Peter

You just made my 89 year old dad's day. He has many times mentioned hearing this song sung during a party aboard his ship, HMS Vindictive, while they were stationed off the coast of Sierra Leone, Africa in WW2. I finally decided to search for it and here it is! Thank you!


17 Aug 20 - 04:02 PM (#4068660)
Subject: RE: 'High dunne and low dunne' song -
From: Joe Offer

Needs some background information.


18 Aug 20 - 05:01 AM (#4068695)
Subject: RE: 'High dunne and low dunne' song -
From: The Sandman

perhaps Jim Carroll knows, i have his contact he is very helpful, give him an e mail Joe


18 Aug 20 - 08:07 AM (#4068711)
Subject: RE: 'High dunne and low dunne' song -
From: clueless don

I know it as "... All the other little Dunnes, in and out they run", and I'll cast another vote for "... and young Dunne's youngest son."

Don (definitely old Don!)