Nothing spells Irish spirit like a good drinking song. As an aficionado of Irish culture, I have taken to memorizing many of the delightful songs that have been sung in many an Irish pub. Here are my top ten favorite Irish Drinking shanties.
10) “Finnegan’s Wake”. This is the clever song about a man named Tim Finnegan who is a drunken clod. He falls off a ladder and he cracks his skull, so his friends take his corpse home for his wake. The song goes into great detail about his wake and all of his friends. A fight breaks out in the middle of the wake and everybody is drunk and clobbering each other. Someone throws a bottle of whiskey and wakes up Tim who was not dead merely sleeping.
This song has a very good beat to it and is very easy to learn. When someone breaks out into this song, you will be extremely glad you learned it!
http://celtic-lyrics.com/forum/index.php?autocom=tclc&code;=lyrics&id;=196
9) “Jug of Punch”. This little ditty has a beautiful melody about, what else, a jug of punch. For those of you who do not know what that is, it is a flagon of whiskey (and sometimes other spirits too) mixed with some kind of juice or water. In fact this song, would even include a rendition of Beethoven’s “Ode to Joy”.
For lyrics and chords of this song, go to http://www.thebards.net/music/lyrics/Jug_Of_Punch.shtml
8) “Spanish Lady” A classic good love ballad about a traveller who comes through Dublin at different times of the day and sees a beautiful Spanish lady, doing various chores about her daily life. It even mentions Napper Tandy who was one of the co-founders of the United Irishmen which led to the 1798 uprising that the English crushed brutally. Napper Tandy had fled to France in 1793 to avoid arrest but returned in 1798 with a small contingency of French soldiers. However, by the time he had arrived, the uprising was quelled.
Napper Tandy died in 1903. However, this song makes brief mention of this Irish folk hero. It has a classic tempo and beautiful melody which makes it easy to learn and easy to sing. Learning this song will increase your popularity at the pub this St. Patrick’s Day.
For lyrics to this song: http://www.scotsindependent.org/features/singasang/spanish%20lady.htm
7) “God Save Ireland” . The tune for this drinking will seem very similar to you if you ever went to church as a child and heard the song, “Jesus Loves the Little Children”. This is because Jesus Loves the Little Children was based on this drinking song. One of the funny things about drinking songs is that they are easy to sing with lyrics quickly committed to memory, making them perfect to adapt to children songs.
This particular song was written by T.D. Sullivan in 1867 and became an anthem for Irish nationalists between the 1870’s and the 1910’s. It has been used as an anthem for many other things since then as well. It is sung by fanatics of The Republic of Ireland’s football team games.
If you start to sing this song in the presence of any southern Irishman, you will become an instant hit.
http://www.lyricsmode.com/lyrics/i/ira/god_save_ireland.html
6) “Big Strong Man”. This song is a bragging song about a man’s brother named Sylveste. Sylveste is a big strong man who can punch holes through steel ships and swim across the Atlantic Ocean. Of course, this is all embelishment but it is a right fine song to sing. This is a less well known song that does not have a real purpose except for some small mentions to World War I and World War II. It mentions the Luistania which sank in the early 1900’s after being torpedoed by a German U-Boat.
For Lyrics to this song: http://www.thebards.net/music/lyrics/Big_Strong_Man.shtml
5) “Wild Rover” This song is a very well known Irish drinking song. In fact, anyone who has been to a pub on St. Patrick’s Day would very well know this song after only hearing it be sung once or twice. It is the story of a man who spent is youth traveling around Ireland with no care or responsibility. All he did was drink everywhere he went.
Many people believe this a song about being a drunken slob but it is not. This is actually a song about repentance and forgiveness. The son is ashamed of the life and money he wasted and is going home to ask forgiveness from his parents. I knew of an Alcoholics Anonymous group that would sing this song at their meetings.
This song has a rich history and many of the lines have been changed over the years but is still considered a song about temperance. This is the staple song of Irish pub players and buskers alike.
http://www.ireland-information.com/irishmusic/thewildrover.shtml
4) “Old Maid in the Garret”. This is the song of a woman in her mid-40’s who is unable to find a suitor to marry her. He talks about all the stuff she would do for her man if she could get one. She talks about her sister Jean, who is already married with two kids and she’s only twenty four years old.
It is a song about jealousy, depression, and the attitude of “why-me”. Great song with an absolutely catchy beat. You can find the lyrics at the link below:
http://www.allthelyrics.com/lyrics/tommy_makem/old_maid_in_the_garrett-lyrics-1132808.html
3) “The Band Played Waltzing Matilda”. This song, originally, was written by the Scottish-born Eric Bogle in 1971 and is actually an anti-war song. It describes in detail and metaphorically the horrendous tragedy of a young Australian soldier who was maimed in the battle of Gallipoli. It also criticizes those who would seek to glorify modern war.
This song a soft ballad and has been sung in many Irish pubs. This was named an Australian song but it is more of a universal song for all people of any nation. And since, on St. Paddy’s Day, everybody’s Irish, it’s the perfect song for the pub.
The lyrics are here: http://www.pogues.com/Releases/Lyrics/LPs/RumSodomy/Waltzing.html
2) “Only Our Rivers Run Free” This is a song of the constitutional status of Northern Ireland. This song has a long sweet melody that is beautiful to hear and if the singer can pull of the notes, it will make tears well up in your eyes.
It is a toast to all of those that have died in the past to bring freedom to their lands. It is also a chastising of the current people for not having the courage to fight as they did. It is a rebuke to the English for not giving them their freedom like their brothers to the South. You will never find a more beautiful song. I am personally biased to the Jolly Beggarmen’s version of the song.
The lyrics are here:
http://celtic-lyrics.com/forum/index.php?autocom=tclc&code;=lyrics&id;=370
1) “Arthur McBride” This is, by far, my favorite song of all time. It is a song about a man (who is the narrator) and his cousin Arthur McBride. It is a story about how they were going for a walk along the coast when they were approached by three members of the English Army, offering them money to join the English military.
They responded, saying that there is no way in hell they would join, and the English sargeant becomes angry and tries to press them into service. Well, the man and Arthur McBride kill all three of the English soldiers with their shillelaghs.
This song has been sang by the likes of Bob Dylan and Paul Brady. Listen to it and you will agree it is a wonderful song. And that is why is makes my number one on this list.
The lyrics for this amazing song are located here:
http://www.lyricsdownload.com/irish-folksongs-arthur-mcbride-lyrics.html
So learn the songs and go out there on St. Patrick’s Day to sing some of the grand ole songs that are sung back in the Motherland! You’ll be glad you did!
