Keep Your Eyes Off Her....

This is a lovely old Dublin Song with a moral.  As an explanation, ‘Twang’ is hard toffee and ‘mot’ is girlfriend….I hope you enjoy it………………..

"The Twang Man"

Come listen to me story, it's about a nice young man
When the militia wasn't wantin', he dealt in hawkin' twang
He loved a fair young maiden as fair as any old midge
And she kept a treacle depot one side of the Carlisle bridge

Well, another came a courtin' and his name was Mickey the Baggs
He was a commercial traveller and he dealt in bones and rags
Well, he took her out to Sandymount for to see the waters roll
And he stole the heart of the Twangman's mot playin' 'Billy In The Bowl'

Now when the twang man heard of this he flew into a terrible rage
And he swore be the contents of his twang cart, on him he'd have revenge
So he stood in wait near Saint James' gate till the poor old Baggs came up
And with his twang knife, sure he took the life of the poor old gather them up

So now yez have heard me story and I hope ye'll be good men
And not go chasing after the Twangman's mot or any other ould hen
For she'll leave you without a brass farthing, not even your old sack of rags
And that's the end of me story of poor old Mickey the Baggs

There is a lovely version on Youtube by

Ronnie Drew of the Dubliners

on this link

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RzU-VGWjHGU

--------Mike-------

Love and Porter

It was about August,1961, when my best friend Seannie and I were camping in Galway.  We had a good drink every night and were having a merry old time.   One night, in one of the pubs, The Dubliners – (the original team), began to sing and play some wonderful tunes.  It was a great night.   They had not made a name for themselves at this time and were in fact collecting money in a glass after each song.   During a lull, they called for anyone to get up to sing.   Yours truly jumped at the chance and got up.

This is the bit that you may find interesting.   I sang a song which I called ‘Love and Porter’.   It was based on an old Irish song called ‘The Butcher’s Boy’, but I changed it around so that it referred to a man grieving about his lost love and the curse of drink.

When I finished, Ronnie Drew, the lead singer of the Dubliners, came over and said ‘Be Jazus, that’s a great song, can you give me the words’.   There and then I dictated them to him and he wrote them down.   A few years later, when they became ‘famous’ they recorded the song and it was a hit.

So there you have it.  My one and only attempt at song writing and as I got no acknowledgement from the Dubliners, I cannot complain.   You see, I more or less nicked it from someone else (The Butcher’s Boy)…………… Mike.

Love Is Pleasing

The Dubliners

I wish, I wish, I wish in vain

I wish I was a youth again
But a youth again I can never be
Till apples grow on an ivy tree

I left me father, I left me mother

I left all my sisters and brothers too
I left all my friends and me kind relations
I left them all for to follow you.

But the sweetest apple is the soonest rotten

And the hottest love is the soonest cold
And what cannot be cured love must be endured love
So now I am bound for Americay.

For love is pleasin' and love is teasin'

And love is a treasure when first got new
But as it grows older sure love grows colder
And it fades away like the morning dew.

For love and porter makes a young man older

And love and whiskey makes him old and grey
So what cannot be cured love must be endured love
And now I am bound for Americay.

----------------------

There is a Youtube video of Ronnie Drew

Singing it on this link:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UDKqdJy73_U&t=20s

---------Mike------