poem by Boys of the Lough
Tom from Texas
it was a set by the Boys of the Lough which began with a poem that started,
"Was the Pig Fair of past September". Does anyone have the rest of the verses?
Tom (desperate) from Texas
Peter MacDonald
Tom, here you go. Does this mean I can skip my donation to The Fund?
(inside joke from another ng)
'Twas the pig fair last September,
A day I well remember,
I was walking up and down in drunken pride,
When my knees began to flutter,
And I sank down in the gutter,
And a pig came up, and lay down by my side.
As I lay there in the gutter,
Thinking thoughts I could not utter,
I thought I heard a passing lady say,
"You can tell the man who boozes,
By the company he chooses."
And with that, the pig got up and walked away.
This is also available on the Boys of the Lough CD "Live at Club
Passim", paired with the song General Guinness.
Peter
Rudy Ramsey
wrote:
>'Twas the pig fair last September,...
I've heard this before, and enjoyed it, but never knew its origin. Do
you know the title?
Rudy
Peter MacDonald
wrote:
Just "The Pig Fair", according to the CD.
Peter
Tom from Texas
Tonight I hoist a Guinness and make a toast to the health and happiness of all
of you. If ya come by the house tonight, I'll share with ya.
Tom from Texas
robin morton
was me who declaimed the poem and the song, General Guinness on the
recording. I got he original poem from one Jimmy Foy who was a friend of
my uncles and a regular at the singing sessions at Lawson's pub (known
locally as 'The Head of the Road') in the townland of Tartaraghan near
Portadown, Co Armagh. I collected a lot of great songs from the singers
in that pub during the mid to late sixties and included a lot of them in
a collection published in 1970, (Folksongs Sung in Ulster) and I hope to
put it out again when time allows. Anyway back to Jimmy Foy. He didn't
sing but recited poems including the 'Pig Fair' and others. He was
especially fond of the poems of Rev. W.F.Marshall, a wonderful
colloquial poet from Co Tyrone- Poems like 'Living in Drumlister' and
'Sarah Ann'- still available in print by one of the Ulster publishers
like Blackstaff or Appletree Press. Jimmy was a great character and nice
man and a 'philosopher'. He'd buy you a whiskey and just as you put it
to your lips, took great delight in exclaiming, 'That's the pick-me-up
that lets you down!'
I got the song 'General Guinness' from another Co Armagh man Dick
Bamber, who I was told wrote the words of a popular Orange song 'The
Hills of Tandragee'. (Dick belonged to Tandragee). When Tommy Gunn,
Cathal McConnell and myself formed Boys of the Lough in the late 1960s
I joined the poem and the song together (they were made for each other)
and preformed them regularily during my years with Boys of the Lough
including the two recordings mentioned in the thread. When I played in
the band we always made a lot of where the songs and music came from and
so I felt it important to fill in the background for you. Cathal, the
last remaining founding member of the band, told me recently that he
sometimes sings General Guinness now and so the memory of Jimmy Foy and
Dick Bamber continue in the tradition.
--
robin morton
Alexander D. Mitchell IV
> A day I well remember,
> I was walking up and down in drunken pride,
> When my knees began to flutter,
> And I sank down in the gutter,
> And a pig came up, and lay down by my side.
>
> As I lay there in the gutter,
> Thinking thoughts I could not utter,
> I thought I heard a passing lady say,
> "You can tell the man who boozes,
> By the company he chooses."
> And with that, the pig got up and walked away.
>
Cross (comedy folk singer from North Carolina) on a recent album (maybe his
newest), with a chorus, "It's sailing, Sailing I will go, On the sea,
underneath the stars....... Sailing, Sailing I will go, and I'll never get
on ground any more...."
"Soon the whales I will be chasing, and the gales I will be facing,
Sailing all across the seven seas,
And maybe one day it'll happen, I'll become a great sea captain,
With a girl in every port to wait for me.....
[three lines forgotten]
If only I could get up off the ground!"
I have no idea who is stealing from which great folk tradition. Good luck.
Peter MacDonald
<temple...@templerecords.demon.co.uk> wrote:
>I dip into this group every now and again and am glad I did today. It
>was me who declaimed the poem and the song, General Guinness on the
>recording.
--------- snip ----------
> When Tommy Gunn,
>Cathal McConnell and myself formed Boys of the Lough in the late 1960s
>I joined the poem and the song together (they were made for each other)
>and preformed them regularily during my years with Boys of the Lough
>including the two recordings mentioned in the thread. When I played in
>the band we always made a lot of where the songs and music came from and
>so I felt it important to fill in the background for you. Cathal, the
>last remaining founding member of the band, told me recently that he
>sometimes sings General Guinness now and so the memory of Jimmy Foy and
>Dick Bamber continue in the tradition.
Thanks, Robin, it's great to have the true background of this
marvelous poem and song.
Peter