Get all 6 McDonnell Music releases available on Bandcamp and save 35%.
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1. |
Open The Door Softly
01:35
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Open the door softly
Open the door softly
I’ve something to tell you dear
Open it no wider
Than the crack upon the floor
Open the door softly
I’ve something to tell you dear
Warm summer grasses
Have whispered in your ear
Skeins of shining water
Ask you patiently to hear
Tall lonely timbers
Have thaught it to the deer
Sad winds in autumn
Tell you as they pass by
Wild gease flying eastward
Leave their music in the sky
Listen at evening
And answer the curlew’s cry
Open the door softly
I’ve something to tell you dear
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2. |
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Bound for Van Dieman’s Land
I'll ne'er forget when first we met,
The years were long and lean,
A war did rage upon the stage
And a ship sailed on the scene;
It's true to say life's but a play,
A play that's been well planned;
We play our roles like poor lost souls
Bound for Van Dieman's land.
Chorus:
Bound for Van Dieman's land, brave boys,
Far, far across the sea;
If you don't stand with cap in hand,
Transported you will be.
And as we sail, blows wild the gale,
Dark shadows guard the grill;
They try in vain our minds to chain,
Our thoughts of freedom kill,
And as we sulk in convict hulk,
Aye, shackled feet and hand,
But men be free who poachers be
Bound for Van Dieman's land.
In East or West, man's but a jest,
For freedom's free for all;
You're free to die, but don't ask why
When blows the bugle call;
Their heartless lips build convict ships
With Bligh still in command;
Their ships today still plough their way
Bound for Van Dieman's land.
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3. |
Dance To Your Daddy
03:02
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Dance to your daddy
Dance to your daddy, my little laddie
Dance to your daddy, my little lad
Thou can have a fish and thou can have a fin
Thou can have a coddlin when the boat comes in
Thou can have a haddock baked in a pan
Dance to your daddy, my little man
Dance to your daddy, my little laddie
Dance to your daddy, my little man
When you are a young man you shall have a wife
Find a bonny lass and love her all your life
Find a bonny lassie love her all you can
Dance to your daddy, my little man
Dance to your daddy, my little laddie
Dance to your daddy, my little man
You can have a fishy on a little dish
You can have a bloater when the boat comes in.
You can have a fishy on a little dish
Dance to your daddy, my little man
Dance to your daddy, my little laddie
Dance to your daddy, my little man
Dance to your mammy, my little lassie
Dance to your mammy my little lass
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4. |
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Tráthnóna Beag Aréir
Thíos i lár an ghleanna, tráthnóna beag aréir
Agus a’ drúcht ‘na dheora geala ‘na luí ar bharr an fhéir,
‘Sea casadh domhsa an ainnir ab áille gnúis ‘gus pearsa,
‘Sí a sheol mo stuaim ‘un seachráin, tráthnóna beag aréir.
Do chiabhfholt fáinneach frasach, do mhalaí bhán, is do dhéad,
Do chaolchoim álainn mhaiseach agus glórthaí caoin’ do bhéil,
Do bhráid mar chlúmh na heala, do shúil mar réalt’ na maid’ne
Ó ‘s faraor gur dhual dúinn scaradh, tráthnóna beag aréir.
Agus a Rí, nár lách ár n-ealaín ‘gabháil síos an gleann aréir,
Ag éalú fríd an chanach agus ciúnas ins an spéir,
Órú, a rún mo chléibh, nár mhilis ár súgradh croí ‘s nár ghairid,
Ós a Rí na glóire gile, tabhair ar ais an oíche aréir.
Dá bhfaighinnse arís cead pilleadh ‘gus labhairt le stór mo chléibh,
Nó dá bhfaighinnse buaidh ar an chinniúint, char mhiste liom fán tsaol,
Shiúlfainn leat fríd chanach, fríd mhéilte ar chiumhas na mara,
Ó ‘gus dúiche Dé dá gcaillfinn, go bpógfainnse do bhéal.
Agus a Rí, nár lách ár n-ealaín ‘gabháil síos an gleann aréir,
Ag éalú fríd an chanach agus ciúnas ins an spéir,
Órú, a rún mo chléibh, nár mhilis ár súgradh croí ‘s nár ghairid,
Ós a Rí na glóire gile, tabhair ar ais an oíche aréir.
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5. |
The Jolly Tinker
01:30
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The Jolly Tinker
As I went down a shady lane
On a door I chanced to knock
Have you any pots or kettles, mam
Or rusty holes to block?
With’a me ring a doo a day
With’a me ring a doo a daddy o
The missus came out to the door
She asked me to come in
Sayin’ you’re welcome jolly tinker
And I hope you brought your tin
She brought me through the kitchen
And she led me through the hall
And the servants cried the divil
Has he come to block us all?
She brought me up the stairs me boys
To show me what to do
And she fell on the feather bed
And I fell on it too
She reached into her pocket
And she pulled out twenty pound
Sayin’ take this me jolly tinker
And we’ll have another round
Well I’ve been a jolly tinker now
For forty years or more
But such a lovely job as that
I never done before
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6. |
Thirty Foot Trailer
03:30
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Thirty Foot Trailer
The old ways are changing you cannot deny
The days of the traveler’s over
There's nowhere to go and there's nowhere to bide
So farewell to the life of the rover
Farewell tae the cant and the traveling tongue
Farewell tae the Romany talking
The buying, the selling, the old fortune telling
The knock on the door and the hawking
chorus :
Goodbye to the tent and the old caravan
To the tinker, the gipsy, to the travelling man
And goodbye to the thirty-foot trailer
You got to move fast to keep up with the times
For these days a man cannot dander
There's a bylaw to say you maun be on your way
And another to say ye can't wander
Farewell to the besoms of heather and broom
Farewell tae the creel and the basket
The folk of today they would far sooner pay
For a thing that’s been made out of plastic
The old ways are going and soon they’ll be gone
For progress is aye a big factor
Its sent to afflict us and when they evict us
They’ll tow us away with a tractor
Farewell tae the pony, the cob, and the mare
The reins and the harness are idle
You don't need a strap when you're breaking up scrap
So farewell tae the bit and the bridle
Farewell tae the fields where we've sweated and toiled
At pulling and hauling and lifting
They'll soon have machines and the traveling queens
And their menfolk had better start shifting
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7. |
Gallo Del Cielo
04:48
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Gallo Del Cielo
Carlos Zaragoza left his home in Casas Grandes when the moon was full
No money in his pocket, just a locket of his sister framed in gold
He rode into El Sueco, stole a rooster called el Gallo Del Cielo
Then he crossed the Rio Grande with that fighter nestled deep beneath his arm.
El Gallo Del Cielo was a rooster born in heaven so the legends say
His wings they had been broken, he had one eye rollin' crazy in his head
He'd fought a hundred fights, and the legends say that one night near El Sueco
They'd fought Del Cielo seven times, and seven times he left brave roosters dead.
Hola, my Theresa, I am thinking of you now in San Antonio
I have twenty seven dollars and the good luck of your picture framed in gold
Tonight I’ll bet it all on the fighting spurs of Gallo Del Cielo
And then I'll return to buy the land that Villa stole from papa long ago.
Outside of San Diego, in the onion fields of Paco Monteverde
The Pride of San Diego lay sleeping on a fancy bed of silk
And they laughed when Zaragoza pulled the one-eyed Del Cielo from beneath his coat
But they cried when Zaragoza walked away with a thousand dollar bill.
Hola, my Theresa, I am thinking of you now in Santa Barbara
I have fifteen hundred dollars and the good luck of your picture framed in gold
Tonight I'll bet it all on the fighting spurs of Gallo Del Cielo
And then I'll return to buy the land that Villa stole from papa long ago.
Now the moon it is in hiding and the lantern lights cast shadows on the fighting sand
Where a wicked black named Zorro faces del Cielo in the night
And Carlos Zaragoza feels the tiny crack that runs along his rooster's beak
And he fears that he has lost the fifty thousand dollars riding on the fight.
Hola, my Theresa, I am thinking of you now in Santa Clara
All the money's on the table, I am holding to your good luck framed in gold
And everything we've dreamed of is riding on the spurs of Del Cielo
I pray that I'll return to buy the land that Villa stole from papa long ago.
Then the signal it was given, and the roosters rose together high above the sand
And Gallo del Cielo sunk a gash into Zorro's shiny breast
They were separated quickly and they rose and fought together thirty seven times
And the legends say that everyone agreed that del Cielo fought the best.
Then the screams of Zaragoza filled the night outside the town of Santa Clara
As the beak of del Cielo lay broken like a shell within his hand
And they say that Zaragoza screamed a curse upon the bones of Pancho Villa
When Zorro rose up one last time and drove del Cielo to the sand.
Hola, my Theresa, I am thinking of you now in San Francisco
There’s no money in my pocket, I no longer have your good luck framed in gold
I buried it last evening with the bones of my beloved Del Cielo
And I'll not return to buy the land that Villa stole from papa long ago.
Does the river still run muddy outside of my beloved Casas Grandes?
Does the scar upon my brother's face turn red when he hears mention of my name?
Do the people of El Sueco still curse the theft of Gallo del Cielo?
You can tell my family not to worry, I will not return to cause them shame.
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8. |
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I Ain’t Gonna Work Tomorrow
I ain’t gonna work tomorrow
I ain’t gonna work today
I ain’t gonna work tomorrow
For it may be a rainy day
I lost my money gambling
I lost my name you see
Now I’m nobody’s darling
And nobody cares for me
I’m gonna to leave this country
I’m going around the world
I’m going to leave this country
For the sake of a cruel cruel girl
Can you hear my banjo a’ringing
Can you hear that lonesome sound
Can you hear those pretty girls laughing
Standing on the cold cold ground
I’ll hang my head in sorrow
I’ll hang my head and cry
I’ll hang my head in sorrow
As my darling passes me by
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9. |
This Is A Rebel Song
02:49
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This is a rebel song
I love you my hard Englishman
Your rage is like a fist in my womb
Can't you forgive what you think I've done
And love me - I'm your woman
And I desire you my hard Englishman
And there is no more natural thing
So why should I not get loving
Don't be cold Englishman
How come you've never said you love me
In all the time you've known me
How come you never say you're sorry
And I do
And please talk to me Englishman
What good will shutting me out get done
Meanwhile crazies are killing our sons
Oh listen - Englishman
I've honoured you - hard Englishman
Now I am calling your heart to my own
Oh let glorious love be done
Be truthful – Englishman
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10. |
Stitch in Time
02:51
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Stitch in time
Oh there was a woman who lived on her own
She slaved on her own and she skivvied on her own
She had two little girls and two little boys
And she lived all alone with her husband
Her husband he was a hunk of a man
A chunk of a man and a drunk of a man
He was a hunk and a drunk and a skunk of a man
Such a boozing abusing husband
For he would come home drunk each night
He thrashed her blue and he thrashed her white
He thrashed her to it in an inch of her life
Then he slept like a log did her husband
One night she gathered her tears and her shame
She cried with the bruising and she cried with the pain
Oh you'll not do that ever again
I won't live with a drunken husband
And as she lay awake in the bed
A funny old thought came into her head
She went for the needle and she went for the thread
Then went straight to her sleeping husband
And she started to stitch with a girlish thrill
With a woman's heart and a seemstress' skill
She bibbed and tucked with an iron will
All around her sleeping husband
The top sheet and the bottom sheet too
The blanket stitched to the mattress through
she stitched and stitched the whole night through
Then she waited for the dawn and her husband
Well her husband woke with a pain in his head
And He found that he could not move in the bed
Sweet Christ I've lost the use of me legs
But this wife just smiled at her husband
For in her hand she held a frying pan
With a flutter in her heart she's a givin' him a lamb
He could not move but he cried goddamn
Don't you swear she cried to her husband
Then she thrashed him white and she thrashed him blue
With the frying pan and the collander too
With a rolling pin just a stroke or two
Such a bruised and battered husband
She says if ever you come home drunk anymore
I'll stitch you in and I'll thrash you more
I'll pack my bags and I'll be out the door
I'll not live with a drunken husband
So isn't it true what small can do?
With a thought and a thread and a stitch or two
He's cleaned his slate and his boozing's through
It's goodbye to a drunken husband
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11. |
Johnnie Cope
02:40
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Johnnie Cope
Hey! Johnnie Cope are ye waukin' yet?
Or are your drums a-beating yet?
If ye were waukin' I would wait,
To gang to the coals in the morning.
Cope sent a challenge frae Dunbar,
Sayin "Charlie meet me an' ya dare;
An' I'll learn you the art of war,
If you'll meet with me in the morning."
When Charlie looked the letter upon,
He drew his sword and scabbard from,
Come, join with me, my merry men,
And we'll meet Johnnie Cope in the morning.
Now Johnnie, be as good as your word,
Come, let us try both fire and sword,
And do not flee like a frighted bird,
That's chased from its nest in the morning.
When Johnnie Cope he heard of this,
He thought it wouldn't be amiss,
To have a horse in readiness,
To flee awa in the morning.
Fye now, Johnnie, get up an' run,
These Heeghland bagpipes make a din,
It's best for to sleep in the hale skin,
For 't will be a bloody morning.
When Johnnie Cope too Dunbar came,
They speired at him, "Where's all your men?"
"The devil confound me gin I ken,
For I left them all in the morning."
Now Johnnie, troth you were not blate,
For to come with the news of your own defeat,
To leave your men in such a strait,
So early in the morning.
In faith, quoth Johnnie, I got such flegs
From their Claymores and the Philabegs,
If I met them again, they would break my legs,
So I bid you all good morning.
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12. |
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13. |
The Beaver Brig
02:17
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The Beaver Brig
The Beaver Brig stood neat and trig all in the month of May
She hoisted her sail with a pleasant gale all on the raging sea
Her crew she being well manned her anchor she did sway
As down the Foyle away did toil bound for Americay
The wind it blew from east south east the weather it was clear
At night when I should slumber I think all on my dear
These words I say unto myself as I do walk alone
I wish my darling was safe home with me in Inishowen
Had I Peru or Mexico or India’s gold in store
I’d freely share it with the girl the one that I adore
But the want of a pen to move my hand for learning you do need skill
Her rural habitation is the centre of Moville
Moville it is a pretty place where tall ships they do lie
And likewise sweet Magilligan the tall ships they pass by
My love she is Diana bright, she’s the girl that I adore
She left me here lamenting all alone on Erin’s shore
I’ll pluck the finest flower that grows in the month of May
I’ll take three letters from the herb they hoist on Patrick’s day
I’ll place these letters carefully they’ll stand at number four
And they’ll spell the name of that fine dame once sailed from Erin’s shore
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14. |
The Bay of Biscay
02:36
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The Bay of Biscay
My Willy sails on board a tender
And where he is I do not know
For seven long years
I’ve been waiting for him
Since he crossed the Bay of Biscay-O
One night as Mary lay a sleeping
A knock came to her bedroom door
Arise arise all from your slumber
For to gain one glance of your Willy-O
Oh Mary rose put on her clothing
And to the bedroom door did go
And there she saw her Willy standing
His two pale cheeks as white as snow
Oh Willy dear where are the blushes
Those blushes I knew long years ago
Oh Mary dear the cold clay ashed them
I am only the ghost of your Willy-O
Oh Mary dear the cock is crowing
Don’t you think it’s time for me to go
I’m leaving you sad and broken hearted
For to cross the Bay of Biscay-O
Had I the gold and all the silver
And all the money in Mexico
I would give it all to the King of Erin
For to gain one glimpse of my Willy-o
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15. |
Lough Erne’s Shore
03:43
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Lough Erne’s Shore
One morning as I went out fowling
Bright Phoebus adorning the air
It was down by the Banks of Lough Erne
That I met with a charming young dame
Her voice was so sweet and so tender
The beautiful songs she did sing
The innocent fowl of the forest
Their loving to her they did bring
It being the first time I saw her
My heart it did leap with surprise
For I thought that she could be no mortal
But an angel that fell from the sky
Her hair they hung down in gold tresses
Her cheeks were as white as the snow
Her lips were as red as the roses
That flourish around Lough Erne Shore
When I hear that my love was eloping
These words onto her I did say
Oh take me to your habitation
For Cupid has led me astray
All my life I have kept the commandments
For they say that it is the best plan
Young maidens who yield to men’s pleasures
The scriptures they say they are wrong
Oh Mary don’t accuse me of treason
All treachery I do disown
I will make you a lady of honour
If this night with me you’ll come home
Oh had I the lamp of Alladin
His riches and treasures and more
I would part with them all for to wed you
And to live around Lough Erne’s shore
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16. |
The Mariner’s Song
01:31
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The mariner’s song
Ye mariners all as ye pass by
Come in and drink when you are dry
Come spend me lads your money brisk
And pop your nose in a jug of this
Ye tipplers all if ye’ve half a crown
You’re welcome all for to sit down
Come in sit down think not amiss
To pop your nose in a jug of this
And now I’m old and can scarcely crawl
I’ve a long grey beard and a head that’s bald
Crown my desire fulfill my bliss
Someone to love and a jug of this
Oh when I’m in my grave and dead
And all my sorrows are past and fled
Transform me then into a fish
And let me swim in a jug of this
Ye tipplers all as ye pass by
Come in and drink when you are dry
Come in sit down think not amiss
To pop your nose in a jug of this
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17. |
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Here’s a health to the company
Here’s a health to the company and one to my lass
We’ll drink and be merry all out of one glass
We’ll drink and be merry all grief to refrain
For we may or might never all meet here again
Kind friends and companions, together combine
Come raise up your voices in chorus with mine
We’ll drink and be merry, all grief to refrain
For we may or might never all meet here again
Here's a health to the wee lass that I love so well
For style and for beauty, there’s none can excel
She smiles on my countenance as she sits on my knee
Sure there's none in this wide world as happy as me
Our ship lies at anchor, she is ready to dock
I wish her safe landing without shake or shock
And as we are sailing to the land of the free
I will always remember your kindness to me
I have read that old proverb I have read it so true
My love she’s as fair as the may morning dew
I have read that old proverb I suppose you have too
So good friends and companions I’ll bid you adieu
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18. |
Lazy John
03:06
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Lazy John
Work all week in the midday sun
Fifteen cents when Saturday comes
Goin to the dance to have some fun
Why don’t you get away lazy John
Lazy John, lazy John
When you gonna get your day’s work all done
You’re in the shade and I’m in the sun
Why don’t you get away Lazy John
My gal lives at the end of the road
Her eyes are crooked and her legs are bowed
But we sure have a lot of fun
Why don’t you get away lazy John
I get up at the break of day
Down to the fields to earn my pay
When the work's all done that's when you come along
Why don’t you get away lazy John
I'm goin to the dance on a Saturday night
I ain’t coming home 'till the bald daylight
Then I’m gonna take my gal back home
Why don’t you get away lazy John
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19. |
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All things are quite silent
All things are quite silent each mortal at rest
When me and my true love lay snug in one nest
When a set of bold ruffians broke into our cave
And they forced my dear jewel to plough the salt wave
I begged hard for my darling as I would for my life
But they’d not listen to me although a fond wife
Saying « The King must have sailors to the war he must go »
And they left me lamenting in sorrow and woe
Through the woods and green meadows we oft times have walked
And of fond recollections together have talked
Where the lark and the blackbird so sweetly did sing
And the song thrushes voice made the valley to ring
Although I’m forsaken I won’t be cast down
Who knows but my jewel someday may return
And will make me amends for my trouble and strife
Then me and my true love will be happy for life
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20. |
Henry My Son (live)
02:47
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McDonnell Music Rennes, France
La légende des McDonnell commence avec Michael, le père, dans le pub familial du comté de Kilkenny. Élevé à la musique traditionnelle irlandaise, il vogue vers la France et y nourrit deux fils, Simon et Kevin, d’un mélange de ballades folk et de bluegrass. Au son du banjo, de la mandoline, de la guitare, de l’accordéon et du bodhran, cette trinité musicale révèle un véritable gospel irlandais... ... more
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