Johnny I Hardly knew Ya (Trad)

It was on the road to sweet Athy, hurroo, hurroo
It was on the road the road to sweet Athy, hurroo, hurroo
It was on the road to sweet Athy,
With a stick in her hand and a tear in her eye,
A doleful damsel I did spy ,
Johnny I hardly knew ye.

Chorus

With your guns and drums and drums and guns, hurroo, hurroo
With your guns and drums and drums and guns, hurroo, hurroo
With your guns and drums and drums and guns,
The enemy nearly slew ye
Oh my darling dear, Ye look so queer
Johnny I hardly knew ye.

Where are the eyes that were so mild, hurroo, hurroo
Where are the eyes that were so mild, hurroo, hurroo
Where are the eyes that were so mild,
When my heart you so beguiled
Why did ye sci-daddle from me and the child
Oh Johnny, I hardly knew ye

Where are the legs with which you run, hurroo, hurroo
Where are the legs with which you run, hurroo, hurroo
Where are the legs with which you run,
When first you went to carry a gun
Indeed your dancing days are done
Oh Johnny, I hardly knew ye

Ye haven’t an arm, ye haven’t a leg, hurroo, hurroo
Ye haven’t an arm, ye haven’t a leg, hurroo, hurroo
Ye haven’t an arm, ye haven’t a leg,
Ye’re an armless, boneless, chickenless egg
Ye’ll have to put with a bowl out to beg
Oh Johnny I hardly knew ye


With your guns and drums and drums and guns, hurroo, hurroo
Oh Johnny I hardly knew yeWith your guns and drums and drums and guns, hurroo, hurroo
With your guns and drums and drums and guns,
The enemy nearly slew ye
Oh my darling dear, Ye look so queer
Johnny I hardly knew ye.The enemy never slew ye
Oh, my darling dear you look so queer

Wild Mountain Thyme, (Trad)

O the summer time has come 
And the trees are sweetly blooming 
And wild mountain thyme 
Grows around the purple heather. 
Will you go, lassie, go?

Chorus 
And we’ll all go together, 
To pull wild mountain thyme, 
All around the purple heather. 
Will you go, lassie, go?

I will build my love a bower, 
By yon clear crystal fountain, 
And on it I will pile, 
All the flowers of the mountain. 
Will you go, lassie, go?

I will range through the wilds 
And the deep land so dreary 
And return with the spoils 
To the bower o’ my dearie. 
Will ye go lassie go ?

If my true love she’ll not come, 
Then I’ll surely find another, 
To pull wild mountain thyme, 
All around the purple heather. 
Will you go, lassie, go?

The Mermaid

Twas Friday morn when we set sail
And we were not far from the land
When the captain, he spied a lovely mermaid
With a comb and a glass in her hand

Chorus.

And the ocean’s waves will roar
And the stormy winds will blow
While we poor sailors Lads skipping up aloft
And the landlubbers lie down below below, below
And the landlubbers lie down below

Then up spoke the captain of our gallant ship
And a fine old man was he
He said, “This fishy mermaid has cursed upon our ship:
We shall sink to the bottom of the sea!” chorus

And up spoke the mate of our gallant ship
And a well-spoken man was he
I have me a wife in Salem by the sea
And tonight she a widow will be

And up spoke the cook of our gallant ship
And a rbloody old butcher was he
Saying I care much more for my pots and my pans
Than I do for the bottom of the sea

Then three times around went our gallant ship
And three times around went she
Three times around went our gallant ship
And she sank to the bottom of the sea

The Gallawa’ Hills

I’ll tak’ my plaidie contented to be, 
A wee bittie kilted abune my knee, 
An’ I’ll gie my pipes another blaw, 
An’ I’ll gang oot o’er the hills tae Gallowa’

Chorus: 
Oh the Gallowa’ hills are covered wi’ broom, 
Wi’ heather bells in bonnie bloom, 
Wi’ heather bells an’ rivers a’ 
An’ I’ll gang oot o’er the hills tae Gallowa’

Hi bonnie lassie will ye come wi’ me 
Tae share your lot in a far country 
For tae share your lot when doon fa’s a’ 
An’ we’ll gang oot ower the hills tae Gallowa’

For I’ll sell my rock, an’ I’ll sell my reel, 
I’ll sell my granny’s spinning wheel, 
I will sell them a’ when doon fa’s a’, 
An’ we’ll gang oot ower the hills tae Gallowa

The Lowlands Low

From Dunmore we drifted Michelmas gone by

Cowhides and wool was our cargo

Twenty young Wild Geese ready fledged to fly

Sailing for the lowlands low

Chorus.

The lowlands low, the lowlands low

Sailing for the lowlands low

The lowlands low, the lowlands low

Sailing for the lowlands low

.

Sean Rouse the skipper from the church of Crook

Piery keeps log for his father

Crew all from Bannow, Fethard and the Hook

Sailing for the lowlands low

.

Gone from our country driven by the foe

Proud and yet sad that we departed

Green hill behind us foreign lands before

Sailing for the lowlands low

.

Pray holy Brendon help us on our way

Guild and protect us from our danger

Keep safe our cargo bring us sailing home

Sailing for the lowlands low.

Whisky In The Jar (trad)

As I was going over the Cork and Kerry mountains
I met with captain Farrell and his money he was counting. 
I first produced my pistol, and then produced my rapier.
Said stand and deliver, for I am a bold deceiver,

musha ring dumma do damma da 
whack for the daddy ‘ol
whack for the daddy ‘ol
there’s whiskey in the jar

I counted out his money, and it made a pretty penny.
I put it in my pocket and I took it home to Jenny.
She said and she swore, that she never would deceive me,
but the devil take the women, for they never can be easy

I went into my chamber, all for to take a slumber,
I dreamt of gold and jewels and for sure it was no wonder.
But Jenny took my charges and she filled them up with water,
Then sent for captain Farrel to be ready for the slaughter.

It was early in the morning, as I rose up for travel,
The guards were all around me and likewise captain Farrel.
I first produced my pistol, for she stole away my rapier,
But I couldn’t shoot the water so a prisoner I was taken.

If anyone can aid me, it’s my brother in the army,
If I can find his station down in Cork or in Killarney.
And if he’ll come and save me, we’ll go roving near Kilkenny,
And I swear he’ll treat me better than me darling sporting Jenny

Now some men take delight in the fishing and the bowling,
But others take delight in the carriages a rolling.
But I take delight in the juice of the barley,
And courting pretty fair maids in the morning bright and early

The Rose Of Allendale

The morn was fair the sky was clear
No breeze came over the sea
When mary left her highland home
And wandered forth with me
The flowers be-decked the mountainside
And fragrance filled the vale
But by far the sweetest flower there
Was the rose of allendale

Oh the rose of allendale
Sweet rose of allendale
By far the sweetest flower there
Was the rose of allendale

Where e’er I wandered east or west
Though fate began to lour
A solace still was she to me
In sorrow’s lonely hour
When tempests lashed our lonely barque
And rent her quivering sail
One maiden’s form withstood the storm

‘Twas the rose of allendale

Oh sweet rose of allendale
One maiden’s form withstood the storm
‘Twas the rose of allendale

And when my fever’d lips were parched
On afric’s burning sands
She whispered hopes of happiness
And tales of distant lands
My life has been a wilderness
Unblessed by fortune’s wheel
Had fate not linked my love to hers
The rose of allendale

Oh sweet rose of allendale
Sweet rose of allendale
Had fate not linked my love to hers
The rose of allendale

Farewell to Nova Scotia. (Trad)

Chorus.

Farewell to Nova Scotia, the sea-bound coast,
Let your mountains dark and dreary be
When I’m far away, on the briny ocean tossed,
Will you ever heave a sigh or a wish for me?

The sun was setting in the West
The birds were singing on every tree
All nature seemed to be at rest
But, alas, there was no rest for me.

I grieve to leave my native home
I grieve to leave my comrades all
And my parents whom I hold so dear
And the bonny, bonny lass that I do adore.

I have two brothers and they are at rest.
Their hands are folded on their chest.
But a poor and simple sailor just like me
Must be tossed and turned on the deep, dark sea.

The drums do beat and the horns do alarm
My captain calls; I must obey
Farewell, farewell, to Nova Scotia’s charm
For it’s early in the morning I am bound far away

Farewell Tae Tarwathie (Trad)

Farewell tae Tarwathie
Adieu Mormond Hill
And the dear land of Crimmond
I bid you farewell
I’m bound off for Greenland
And ready to sail
In hopes to find riches
In hunting the whale

]Farewell to my comrades
For a while we must part
And likewise the dear lass
Who first won my heart
The cold coast of Greenland
My love will not chill
And the longer my absence
More loving she’ll feel

Our ship is well rigged
And she’s ready to sail
The crew they are anxious
To follow the whale
Where the icebergs do float
And the stormy winds blow
Where the land and the ocean
Is covered with snow

The cold coast of Greenland
Is barren and bare
No seed time nor harvest
Is ever known there
And the birds here sing sweetly
In mountain and dale
But there’s no bird in Greenland
To sing to the whale

There is no habitation
For a man to live there
And the king of that country
Is the fierce Greenland bear
And there’ll be no temptation
To tarry long there
With our ship bumper full
We will homeward repair

Dainty Davie. (Trad)

It was in and through the window broads
And a’ the tirlie wirlies o’t
The sweetest kiss that e’er I got
Was from my Dainty Davie

Chorus.

Oh, leeze me on your curly pow
Dainty Davie, Dainty Davie
Leeze me on your curly pow
My ain dear Dainty Davie

It was doon amang my daddy’s pease
And underneath the cherry trees
Oh, there he kissed me as he pleased
For he was my ain dear Davie

When he was chased by a dragoon
Into my bed he was laid doon
I thought him worthy o’ his room
For he’s my Dainty Davie