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Johnny Tarr


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Lemme tell you a little story about a man named Johnny Tarr

He was a hard drinking son of a preacher, always at the bar

Lager from the tap or shots of Paddy from the shelf

He could open his throttle and throw backa bottl as quickas the devil himself ... Johnny Tarr!

Word got around that Johnny Tarr was no pretender,

From Clare to here they'd lock up the beer when Johnny went on a bender

Down at Dickey Mack's, the Rising Sun, or at the Swan

If he was drinking at seven by ten to eleven well all the booze woulb be gone! Johnny Tarr!

Chorus:

Even if you say it yourself, you wouldn't believe,

And I wouldn't trust a person like me, if I were you

I wasn't there, I swear I have an alibi

I heard it from a man who knows a fell who says it's true!

It was nine in the morning on a cold rainy night,

Johnny rolled into the Castle Bar, looking to get tight

He had money in his pocket, he had whiskey in his eye,

He said: Get up off your asses and set up the glasses, I'm drinking this place dry!

Now all the serious boozers, they were soon broken hearted

When Johnny finished off six and he was only getting started

Guzzling down the pints, knockin' em back like candy,

He was lookin' alright to be drinkin' all night, then Nora brought out the Brandy! Johnny Tarr!

Chorus

Johnny drank the whole damn bottle, had another pint or two,

When it made no impression he started his session with Murphy's Millenium Brew

He was waiting for a pint when his face turned green

Jesus, Johnny fell down after only fifteen!

You could have heard a pin drop, then the crowd let out a roar

It took five cork women to lift Johnny off the floor!

The doctor looked him over and said you better call the hearse:

but it's not what you're thinkin' it wasn't the drinkin' this man died of thirst

Chorus

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I've always loved that song... Gaelic Storm does a great rendition of it!

Touche'

Ship's Marksman & Crab Fiend

Pyrates of the Coast

"All the skill in the world goes out the window if an angel pisses in the flintlock of your musket."

"Florida points like a guiding thumb, To the southern isles of rumba and rum, To the mystery cities and haunted seas, Of the Spanish Main and the Caribbees..."

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:lol: do ye know 'jolly roving tar' and 'johnny jump-up'? :)

~snow :D

with faith, trust and pixiedust, everything is possible ;)

if it be tourist season, why can't we shoot them?

IWG #3057 - Local 9

emmf steel rose player - bella donna, 2005

improv cast member and dance instructor - fort tryon medieval festival

lady neige - midsummer renaissance faire

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O' course, they be great standards...

Johnny Jump Up

Come and listen, I'll tell you what happened to me

One day as I went down to Cork by the sea

The day it was hot and the sun it was warm,

So says I a quiet pint wouldn't do me no harm

I went in and I called for a bottle of stout

Says the barman, I'm sorry, all the beer is sold out

Try whiskey or paddy, ten years in the wood

Says I, I'll try cider, I've heard it was good.

Chorus:

Oh never, Oh never, Oh never again

If I live to be a hundred or a hundred and ten

I fell to the ground and I couldn't get up

After drinking a quart of the Johnny Jump Up

Ahhh...

After downing the third I went out to the yard

Where I bumped into Brody, the big civic guard

Come here to me boy, don't you know I'm the law?

Well, I up with me fist and I shattered his jaw

He fell to the ground with his knees doubled up

But it wasn't I hit him, 'twas Johnny Jump Up

The next thing I remember down in Cork by the sea

Was a cripple on crutches and says he to me

I'm afraid of me life I'll be hit by a car

Won't you help me across to the Celtic Knot Bar?

After drinking a quart of that cider so sweet

He threw down his crutches and danced on his feet

Chorus...

I went down the lee road, a friend for to see

They call it the madhouse in Cork by the Sea

Well when I got there, sure the truth I will tell,

They had this poor bugger locked up in a cell

Said the guard, testing him, say these words if you can

Around the rugged rock the ragged rascal ran

Tell him I'm not crazy, tell him I'm not mad

It was only a sip of the bottle I had

Chorus...

A man died in the mines by the name of McNabb

They washed him and laid him outside on the slab

Well after the parlors measurements did take

His wife brought him home to a bloody fine wake

Twas about 12 o'clock and the beer was high

The corpse sits up and says with a sigh

I can't get to heaven, they won't let me up

Til I bring them a quart of the Johnny Jump Up

Chorus...

So if ever you go down to Cork by the sea

Stay out of the ale house and take it from me

If you want to stay sane don't you dare take a sup

Of that devil drink cider called Johnny Jump Up

Chorus... (x2)

Jolly Rovin' Tar

Ships may come and ships may go

As long as the sea does roll.

Each sailor lad just like his dad,

He loves the flowing bowl.

A trip on shore he does adore

With a girl that's nice and round.

When the money's all gone

It's the same old song,

``Get up Jack! John, sit down!''

Chorus: Come along, come along, You jolly brave boys,

There's plenty of grog in the jar.

We'll plough the briny ocean

With the jolly roving tar.

When Jack gets in, it's then he'll steer

For some old boarding house.

They'll welcome him with run and gin,

They'll feed him on pork scouse.

He'll lend and spend and not offend

Till he's lyin' drunk on the ground

When the money's all gone

It's the same old song,

``Get up Jack! John, sit down!''

He then will sail aboard a ship

Bound for some foreign shore

When he gets there, the ladies fair

The sailors do adore.

He'll go ashore and on a tear

He'll buy some girl a gown.

When the money's all gone

It's the same old song,

``Get up Jack! John, sit down!''

When Jack gets old and weatherbeat,

Too old to roam about,

In some rum shop, they'll let him stop

Till eight bells calls him out.

He'll raise his eyes up to the skies,

Sayin' ``Boys, we're homeward bound.''

When the money's all gone

It's the same old song,

``Get up Jack! John, sit down!''

I have to admit, I love both of these songs, but I'm still quite a fan of Rolling Down to Old Maui

Coastie :lol:

She was bigger and faster when under full sail

With a gale on the beam and the seas o'er the rail

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Is Jolly Roving Tar by Great Big Sea? Think I've heard it...

Rolling Down to Old Maui is another great one... if you like that, give Mingulay Boat Song a listen... another one of my favorites! Good songs, one and all!

Here's another of my favorites called "Jolly Sailor"

From a barque in the harbor,

I went roaming on shore.

And stepped into a pub,

Where I was, oft times before.

And as I was sitting, enjoying my glass,

What chance! to walk in, but a young Spanish lass.

She sat down beside me, and kept squeezing my hand,

saying, "Sir, you're a stranger, not long for the land.

Will you roam, jolly sailor, will you roam along with me?

To some lonesome spot, where no body can see?"

CHORUS

"Don't you leave me, jolly sailor," were the words she did cry,

wailing and weeping and wiping her eyes.

"When you reach home in your own Newfoundland,

Think of the Spanish lass, who kept squeezing your hand."

I quickly consented with her for to roam.

She lived by herself in a neat little home.

She was brisk, she was jolly, though scarce of nineteen,

the name of that maiden I think was Irene.

One fine summer morning, our ship she set sail,

and down by the sea shore, lovely Irene, she came.

Waving her pocket handkerchief and wiping her eyes,

these are the words, Irene she did cry:

"I'll bid you farewell, with the warm summer breeze,

but, my love, don't forget me as you're crossing the seas.

And when you are married, and joined with your bride,

think of the Spanish maiden who layed by your side."

CHORUS

"Don't you leave me, jolly sailor," were the words she did cry,

wailing and weeping and wiping her eyes.

"When you reach home in your own Newfoundland,

Think of the Spanish lass, who kept squeezing your hand."

Touche'

Ship's Marksman & Crab Fiend

Pyrates of the Coast

"All the skill in the world goes out the window if an angel pisses in the flintlock of your musket."

"Florida points like a guiding thumb, To the southern isles of rumba and rum, To the mystery cities and haunted seas, Of the Spanish Main and the Caribbees..."

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My favorite Jack song!

Jacky Tar

(Eliza Carthy, Heat, Light and Sound)

from the liner notes:

"A Jacky Tar is a name for a sailor. This seems to be another “trick the lass and run off” song, except that he doesn't get the chance to run off. I learned it from my Dad (Martin Carthy of Steeleye Span) and it appears in Cecil Sharp."

Well, a young Jacky Tar out one day a-walking,

He heard a squire and the lady talking.

Jack heard him to the lady say,

“Tonight with you, love, I mean to lay

Fol la la doo, right falero, right fol lol a doo.”

“Just tie a string all around your finger

Let the other end dangle down from your window,

And I'll come by, pull on the string

You come down and you'll let me in,

Fol la la doo, right falero, right fol lol a doo.”

“Damn me,” says Jack, “Oh, why don't I fetch her,

See if a poor sailor can't win this treasure.”

So he went by, pulled on the string;

She came down and she let him in,

Fol la la doo, right falero, right fol lol a doo.

The squire came by, he whistling a song-a,

Thinking to himself how it wouldn't be long-a,

But when he got there, no string he found,

Behold, his hopes were all dashed to the ground,

Fol la la doo, right falero, right fol lol a doo.

Now the squire he came a-riding, he was singing a song,

He was thinking to himself how it wouldn't be long.

But when he got to the window, no string he found.

Behold his hopes was all dashed to the ground

Fol la la doo, right falero, right fol lol a doo.”

Jack lay in her arms all the livelong night-a

And she woke up in a terrible fright-a!

For there lay Jack in his tarry shirt

Behold, his face was all covered with dirt,

Fol la la doo, right falero, right fol lol a doo.

It was early next morning, it was just getting light,

The lady sat up with a terrible fright.

For there lay Jack in his tarry old shirt,

And behold his face was all covered in dirt

Fol la la doo, right falero, right fol lol a doo.”

“Why what d'ya want, oh you nasty sailor

Stealing in my chamber to steal my treasure?”

“Oh no,” he says, “I pulled on the string,

You came down and you let me in

Fol la la doo, right falero, right fol lol a doo.”

And then, says Jack, “Why I beg your pardon

But I'll steal off quiet first thing in the morning.”

“Oh no!” she says, “Don't you go far

For I never will part from my little Jack Tar

Fol la la doo, right falero, right fol lol adoo.”

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:lol: oh, i absolutely love the mingulay boat song and the sailor's prayer! and yes mercenary - flashbacks to last fall! do you have the 3 cast cd's of faire? :lol:

~snow :D

with faith, trust and pixiedust, everything is possible ;)

if it be tourist season, why can't we shoot them?

IWG #3057 - Local 9

emmf steel rose player - bella donna, 2005

improv cast member and dance instructor - fort tryon medieval festival

lady neige - midsummer renaissance faire

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Yes, Mingulay is a great one. I'm also a big fan of Westering Home, but to mention all the sea shanties that I like would take forever, so I limited my selections a bit.

Lorien: I love the lyrics, though I've never heard it before. Is it an adaptation to a popular tune (some of the lyrics reminded me of Yarmouth Town), or does it have an original melody?

Coastie :D

She was bigger and faster when under full sail

With a gale on the beam and the seas o'er the rail

sml_gallery_27_597_266212.jpg

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No lady snow . . . I was too dirt poor to buy the CDs, and when I did have money I spent it only on a Clann an Drumma CD on scottish weekend (long story on how I eventually came to buy it . . .) and a Faire Enough CD. But the songs are all burned on my memory, listenen to them from Pirate's cove for 5 weekends in a row.

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The Pyrates Royale do great versions of both Mingulay and Westering Home.

as for Johnny Jump Up and Johnny Tarr are both best done by Gaelic Storm.

HUZZAH for great music!

"Time Flies When Your Having RUM!!!!"

"But everyone talks with a British accent when they drink."

Stow Away on the Juryrig

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Coastie: regarding Jacky Tar

If you go to Amazon you can hear a sample here:

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detai...product-details

Eliza's liner notes says the song is found in Cecil Sharp. Cecil Sharp began collecting English folk songs in 1903.

according to Reinhard Zierke's (Mostly) English Folk Music Website

http://www.informatik.uni-hamburg.de/~zier...s/jackytar.html

Sung and played by Eliza Carthy on her record Heat Light & Sound and on the English folk anthology And We'll All Have Tea.

Martin Carthy (Eliza's dad from from Steeleye Span) sang this as Domeama on his album Byker Hill.

Bob Copper collected a version of this story, as The Squire's Lost Lady, in about 1954 from Ben Butcher in Popham, Hampshire - a song he had learnt from his father George Butcher in Storrington, Sussex: see Chapter Fourteen, pp. 114-122, of Songs and Southern Breezes for the details - and wonderful story about a shoot; see also the appendix for the words.

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Another Jack Song....Maybe my second favorite

Hear a sample on the Portland band Spinnaker's web page

SPINNAKER,

follow "music" link for .mp3 samples

They also play a mean Johnny Jump Up, and Haul away for Rosie-o!

Captain Jack and the Mermaid

Copyright © Meg Davis 1975

PART ONE :

Captain Jack was a young man when he went to sea,

Oh, me young Ladies, go and kiss him goodbye.

He was barely a child of twenty and three,

Oh, tell him, young Ladies, go and tell him for me,

He can marry the Mermaid that lives in the sea.

Well, I loved Captain Jack and his bride I would be,

Oh, me young Ladies, go and kiss him goodbye.

We were soon to be wedded, my Jackie and Me.

Oh, tell him, young Ladies, go and tell him for me,

He can marry the Mermaid that lives in the sea.

But his ship it had needed a Captain one day,

Oh, me young Ladies, go and kiss him goodbye.

He took charge of the rigging and soon sailed away.

Oh, tell him, young Ladies, go and tell him for me,

He can marry the Mermaid that lives in the sea.

When three years had passed and his ship had returned,

Oh, me young Ladies, go and kiss him goodbye.

I went down to the sea for the man I had earned.

Oh, tell him, young Ladies, go and tell him for me,

He can marry the Mermaid that lives in the sea.

But my Jack was not there when I went to see,

Oh, me young Ladies, go and kiss him goodbye.

And this is the tale the crew told to me.

Oh, tell him, young Ladies, go and tell him for me,

He can marry the Mermaid that lives in the sea.

PART TWO :

It was almost eight bells and Jack had the watch,

He was finning and scaling the fish he had caught,

When out of the sea there rose such a tune

As he had not heard by the light of the moon.

He looked o'er to the waters and what saw he there

But a beautiful maiden with gold in her hair,

She had gowns made of seaweed and a crown on her head,

As he stared at the Mermaid she quietly said.

"I have followed your ship for many a mile.

One day the sea reflected your smile

And I'll give you my kingdom, eternally,

If you'll marry this Mermaid that lives in the sea."

Well, Jack was in love with the beautiful girl

And he jumped o'er the side in the watery swirl.

She then took his arm and she led him away,

And we searched all those waters 'till dawn the next day.

We tolled the bell loud, we tolled the bell long,

And the looks on our faces were saddened and drawn,

When, out of the sea, Jackie rose like a King,

And this is the message he begged us to bring.

"I have long loved the Lady who lives on the land,

But my life with the Mermaid is ever so grand,

Won't you go to my Lady and ask her for me,

May I marry this Mermaid that lives in the sea?"

And that is the story I heard from the crew,

My tears they were many, my choices were few.

I went down to the sea, the ship's bell to ring,

And this is the song that I was heard to sing.

PART THREE :

Captain Jack was a young man when he went to sea,

Oh, me young Ladies, go and kiss him goodbye.

He was barely a child of twenty and three,

Oh, tell him, young Ladies, go and tell him for me,

He can marry the Mermaid that lives in the sea.

Tell him, young Ladies, go and tell him for me,

He can marry the Mermaid that lives in the sea.

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Info on the Cecil Sharp book mentioned above (Jacky Tar)

One Hundred English Folksongs edited by Cecil Sharp

pub. 1975 Dover Books (unabridged republication)

c. 1916, 1944 by Oliver Ditson Co.

100 songs scored for piano (no guitar chords)

0-486-23192-5 cover price: $14.95

This book is a useful reference more because Cecil Sharp was one of the premier collectors of English, Irish and Scottish folk songs than for any other reason. The background notes for the songs are excellent, with historical and geographical origins as well as discussion of the type of songs (shanty, ballad, etc) and sometimes their musical structure.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Of course Gaelic Storm did the best versions of Johnny Tarr and Johnny Jump Up.

They wrote 'em!

Johnny Tarr was written by the members of the band.

Johnny Jump Up was a traditional tune arranged by Gaelic Storm.

Never give up--Never surrender!

Remember -- A good friend will come and bail you out of jail...BUT a true friend will be sitting next to you saying, "Damn...that was fun!"

Live while yer alive--an' when yore dead be done with it!

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