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Lyr ADD: all worth the lovely half crown

15 Feb 05 - 08:39 PM (#1411286)
Subject: Lyr Req: all worth the lovely halfcrown
From: GUEST,spalpeen

this song was about family allowance for the third child born and thereafter every child that followed.


16 Feb 05 - 08:33 PM (#1412557)
Subject: RE: Lyr Req: all worth the lovely halfcrown
From: Celtaddict

Refresh. Doesn't even sound familiar; let's leave it up a bit longer. Good luck!


17 Feb 05 - 01:18 AM (#1412713)
Subject: RE: Lyr Req: all worth the lovely halfcrown
From: Peace

Could use more info re the song.

Where'd ya hear it?
When?
Know any other words?
Group or individual?

Stuff like that.


18 Feb 05 - 08:39 PM (#1414499)
Subject: RE: Lyr Req: all worth the lovely halfcrown
From: Jim Dixon

Jim Bainbridge & Patrick Forester sing THE LOVELY HALF CROWN on their album "The Drunken Billy Goat" (click for a review).


20 Feb 05 - 03:41 PM (#1415752)
Subject: RE: Lyr Req: all worth the lovely halfcrown
From: GUEST,spalpeen

Thank you all for your help. This song used to be sung at weddings in the 50's. Requested you want some more threads.

There's Mickey and Paddy and Tommy and Joe
And more of their names I've forgot.
They're precious I'm told,
They're as precious as gold
When I'm drawing my sweet half a crown.


09 Nov 10 - 08:13 AM (#3027505)
Subject: RE: Lyr Req: all worth the lovely halfcrown
From: Mr Happy

Might it be thishttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HRa4mKJR3LU

one?


12 Nov 10 - 01:40 PM (#3030491)
Subject: Lyr Add: THE HALF CROWN SONG (from Seamus Moore)
From: Jim Dixon

Here's my transcription from the video at YouTube (see Mr Happy's link above). Another version has been posted here. However, I suspect it's not the song that was requested. It's definitely not the same song that Spalpeen quoted.


THE HALF CROWN SONG
As sung by Seamus Moore

1. One day de Valera stood up in the Dáil,
And he said the population of Ireland was small,
And so to improve it and not let it down,
Sure for every child born he would give a half-crown.

CHORUS:
Tooraloo (tooraloo), tooralay (tooralay),
Sure the children's allowance is comin' our way.

2. When I was a young man I was tired of me life,
So I traveled the country in search of a wife.
I married a widow and I then settled down,
And I did me dang best for to earn that half-crown.

3. But the job it proved harder than most people think,
For the first couple o' nights sure I ne'er slept a wink,
And the wife she keeps at me, she called me a clown,
And she said, "You're doin' nothin' to earn this half-crown."

4. In a week I resembled a half-hungry goose,
With the bones in me body disjointed and loose.
Sure when people see me they say with a frown:
"Sure the cause of this trouble is that bloody half-crown."

5. Then one night we broke an old spring in the bed.
Sure says I to the wife: "Sure I'm nearly half dead."
She turned to me sayin', "I'm sixty-three."
Ah, bedad, then says I, sure there's no half-crown for me.

6. Now all ye young men take a warnin' from me:
Make sure of the wife's age before you take her to wed,
And don't let her fool you like she fooled me,
Because you can't get a half-crown from a threescore-an'-three.


31 Aug 12 - 01:10 PM (#3398182)
Subject: RE: Lyr Req: all worth the lovely half crown
From: GUEST,JIm Bainbridge

I heard the half Crown song from a lady called Annie McCarthy of Baltimore, West Cork in about 1994 while singing at the 'Sibin' pub on the regular Sunday sing singsongs- it's on my 1998 CD (reissued this year 2012) - Seanie Burke of Swindon says it's a Dunmanway song but he would!! being from that place!!


20 Sep 12 - 01:33 PM (#3407806)
Subject: RE: Lyr Req: all worth the lovely half crown
From: GUEST,999

It seems we're looking for a song but have no idea what the tile is. I have Googled pieces of the OPs lyrics and come up empty. Nada. Ditto for YouTube.


17 Dec 14 - 01:36 PM (#3686562)
Subject: RE: Lyr Req: all worth the lovely half crown
From: GUEST,jim bainbridge

I'll put the words on here if it's still wanted- haven't heard anyone else sing it except Annie McCarthy about 20 years ago- the chorus quoted by spalpeen 9 years ago is the one I mean...


17 Dec 14 - 07:14 PM (#3686649)
Subject: RE: Lyr Req: all worth the lovely half crown
From: Sandra in Sydney

I'd love to read the words

sandra


26 Mar 16 - 02:29 PM (#3781496)
Subject: RE: Lyr Req: all worth the lovely half crown
From: GUEST,jim bainbridge

Sorry to be so long Sandra, but will do it very soon!


27 Mar 16 - 09:29 AM (#3781654)
Subject: RE: Lyr Req: all worth the lovely half crown
From: GUEST,jim bainbridge

As I recall it--

(to the tune of Biddy 'Mulligan')

I'm a good living woman I live with my man
Not far from the town of Tralee
I've so many children they live like the sheep
There are twenty in our family.
I've children and children and then plenty more
They have black eyes and blue eyes and brown
They're living in scores with their heads through the doors
And they're all worth a lovely half crown.
chorus..
For they're in through the windows and out through the doors
And there's some from the roof hanging down
They're precious I'm told, more precious than gold
And they're all worth a lovely half crown

V2
As I was a walking one day through the town
I met with young Peter McHugh
He said 'you'll be gay on your journey today
For surely you've heard the good news?'
Those children of yours they're the joy of your life
They've black eyes and blue eyes and brown
But starting today you can dance all the way
For each one's to be worth half a crown...   chorus

V3
Well I've Molly and Mandy and Paddy and Joe,
I've Thady and Richard and Frances,
I've Ronan and Donal and Nora and Kate
And I've Rosie and Josie and Jane,
I've more of them too, but their names I forget-
I can count them at night lying down
They're precious I'm told, more precious than gold
And they're all to be worth half a crown...... chorus

V4
My own sister Brid's a respectable girl
Herself and her husband have two
But they're tearing their hair, they're deep in despair
For they really don't know what to do
But myself and my man we're the talk of the town
We have silver and lace hanging down
The schoolmaster greets me whenever he meets me
He twinkles and says 'half a crown!'   (last chorus)

(credit to Annie McCarthy of Baltimore, West Cork)

well it took 11 YEARS TO GET THERE BUT THIS SEEMS TO BE THE SONG IN QUESTION!!


14 Mar 21 - 12:24 PM (#4097606)
Subject: RE: Lyr Req: all worth the lovely half crown
From: GUEST,#

Regarding Jim's post ten years back, Seamus Moore's take is now on YouTube.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5wugsYC5unY


14 Mar 21 - 12:44 PM (#4097610)
Subject: RE: Lyr Req: all worth the lovely half crown
From: GUEST,jim bainbridge

I sang this song in a pub in Dromahair, Co Leitrim one St Patrick's Day.
It went down well, but one lady, who must have been younger than she looked came up & said 'that's a great song, but could you tell me what's a half-crown?
It was 12 and a half UK pence or two shillings and sixpence in old money- the coin went out of circulation in 1970.


14 Mar 21 - 05:45 PM (#4097647)
Subject: RE: Lyr Req: all worth the lovely half crown
From: The Sandman

i remember the woman you learned it from, at the suibin near baltimore, they were good days, jim


15 Mar 21 - 06:56 AM (#4097717)
Subject: RE: Lyr ADD: all worth the lovely half crown
From: The Sandman

slightly off topic,but when Jim lived in schull area we had some great nights in the courtyard in schull abnd arundels schull and colla house schull, suibin in baltimore, suibin was more of a singing pub, and i am sure that was where the singer was that jim learned that from, but maybe it was one of the other ones ,long time ago now and the memory can play tricks. big jim bainbridge and alec mckie and patrick forester


18 Oct 21 - 09:32 AM (#4123395)
Subject: RE: Lyr ADD: all worth the lovely half crown
From: GUEST,jim bainbridge

Yes it was the Sibin, where Annie was one of many singers on a Sunday night. Four of us went out on a bank hoiday lfor us looking for a pub to play a few tunes & found the Sibin, outside of Baltimore.
Seanie Daly the owner asked us back next Sunday for money & free beer & no mikes.
The idea was for us to fill the gaps in the singing, which sounded fine to me. The other couple weren't interested but me & Francie went along & had a lovely night, the first of many. Seanie did a fine version of the 'Boys of Barnashraide' and the 'Valley of Knockanure' and was delighted when he found out I knew old songs like the
'Rocks of Bawn' and the 'Rambling Irishman'.
On our first visit, we'd noticed that none of the several locals were over about 5'7'- now I'm 6ft but laughed when we arrived next time to find a sign outside saying 'Singing tonight with BIG JIM'-
Pete & Pat Elliott of Birtley , Co Durham came with us several times & became great pals with the locals. Seanie died about 1996 but his wife Maureen carried until we left West Cork in 1999.


18 Oct 21 - 10:03 AM (#4123398)
Subject: RE: Lyr ADD: all worth the lovely half crown
From: The Sandman

yes jim, it was a fine pub i sang there a few times myself and once or twice with you?, but you were very popular, deservedly so and thanks for putting up the words


19 Oct 21 - 05:18 PM (#4123547)
Subject: RE: Lyr ADD: all worth the lovely half crown
From: The Sandman

re