Oim planning to "upgrade"
Oirish Rover in sense that oi'd loike to play all 6 parts of OirishRover.. at the moment me and the crew are doing shorter version(only 4). But oim puzzled theres variations(small changes) and almost every singer changes sth a bit so for example even the lyrics given below don't match 100% to what Shane and Ronnie sing at Top of the Pops. Oi'll wroite few small observations
THE IRISH ROVER
Pogues/Dubliners on Top of the Pops
On the Fourth of July, 1806
We set sail from the sweet cove of Cork
We were sailing away with a cargo of bricks
For the Grand City Hall in New York
'Twas a wonderful craft
She was rigged fore and aft
And oh, how the wild wind drove her
She stood several blasts
She had twenty seven masts
And they called her The Irish Rover
(Ronnie sings exactly this in the song; Shane sings differently from this in later(solo) gigs)
We had one million bags of the best Sligo rags
We had two million barrels of stone
We had three million sides of old blind horses hides
We had four million barrels of bones
We had five million hogs
And six million dogs
Seven million barrels of porter
We had eight million bails of old nanny-goats' tails
In the hold of the Irish Rover
(this part Shane switches loines so its often the order of em' is different)
There was awl Mickey Coote
Who played hard on his flute
When the ladies lined up for a set
He was tootin' with skill
For each sparkling quadrille
Though the dancers were fluther'd and bet (Ronnie sings "till" here)
With his smart witty talk
He was cock of the walk
And he rolled the dames under and over
They all knew at a glance
When he took up his stance
That he sailed in The Irish Rover
There was Barney McGee
From the banks of the Lee
There was Hogan from County Tyrone
There was Johnny McGurk
Who was scared stiff of work
And a man from Westmeath called Malone
There was Slugger O'Toole
Who was drunk as a rule
And Fighting Bill Treacy from Dover
And your man, Mick MacCann
From the banks of the Bann
Was the skipper of the Irish Rover (the)
We had sailed seven years
When the measles broke out
And the ship lost its way in the fog
And that whale of a crew
Was reduced down to two
Just myself and the Captain's old dog
Then the ship struck a rock
Oh Lord! what a shock
The bulkhead was turned right over
Turned nine times around
And the poor old dog was drowned
And the last of The Irish Rover (should be Oim the last of...)
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It is rumored that there is a sixth verse on some issues of the 7" & 12" singles. The verse goes something like this:
For a sailor it's always a bother in life
It's so lonesome by night and by day
'Til he launch for the shore and this charming young whore (Ronnie sings "a pretty")
Who will melt all his troubles away
All the noise and the rout (oim not sure he sings "noise" oi think sth different here as well, loike Oisland or Oireland maybE)
Swollen poitín and stout
For him soon the torment's over
Of the love of a maid he's never afraid
And old sot from the Irish Rover (oi think it should be "a" not "and")
Traditional
Arrangement copyright 1987 The Pogues & The Dubliners
The attempt at understanding the fabled sixth verse was made by ShaneyMac.
