Johnny I Hardly Knew Ye

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
  (Redirected from Johnny, I Hardly Knew Ya)
Jump to: navigation, search

"Johnny I Hardly Knew Ye" (also known as Johnny We Hardly Knew Ye or Johnny I Hardly Knew Ya) is a popular traditional Irish anti-war and anti-recruiting song. It is generally dated to the early 19th century, when Irish troops served the British East India Company. The original refers to the soldiers from Athy, County Kildare that fought in "Sulloon" (Ceylon – present day Sri Lanka) for the East India Company (in what history knows as the Kandyan Wars though the term was not familiar to the Irish). It has become a definitive anti-war song. The song was recorded and popularized by The Clancy Brothers & Tommy Makem in their eponymous album in 1961.[1] [2]

Contents

[edit] Lyrics

While goin' the road to sweet Athy, hurroo, hurroo
While goin' the road to sweet Athy, hurroo, hurroo
While goin' the road to sweet Athy
A stick in me hand and a tear in me eye
A doleful damsel I heard cry,
Johnny I hardly knew ye.

With your guns and drums and drums and guns, hurroo, hurroo
With your guns and drums and drums and guns, hurroo, hurroo
With your guns and drums and drums and guns
The enemy nearly slew ye
Oh my darling dear, Ye look so queer
Johnny I hardly knew ye.

Where are the eyes that looked so mild, hurroo, hurroo
Where are the eyes that looked so mild, hurroo, hurroo
Where are the eyes that looked so mild
When my poor heart you first beguiled
Why did ye scadaddle from me and the child
Oh Johnny, I hardly knew ye.

Where are your legs that used to run, hurroo, hurroo
Where are your legs that used to run, hurroo, hurroo
Where are your legs that used to run
When you went to carry a gun
Indeed your dancing days are done
Oh Johnny, I hardly knew ye.

I'm happy for to see ye home, hurroo, hurroo
I'm happy for to see ye home, hurroo, hurroo
I'm happy for to see ye home
All from the island of Sulloon
So low in the flesh, so high in the bone
Oh Johnny I hardly knew ye.

Ye haven't an arm, ye haven't a leg, hurroo, hurroo
Ye haven't an arm, ye haven't a leg, hurroo, hurroo
Ye haven't an arm, ye haven't a leg
Ye're an armless, boneless, chickenless egg
Ye'll have to be put with a bowl out to beg
Oh Johnny I hardly knew ye.

They're rolling out the guns again, hurroo, hurroo
They're rolling out the guns again, hurroo, hurroo
They're rolling out the guns again
But they'll never will take my sons again
No they'll never will take my sons again
Johnny I'm swearing to ye.

[edit] Variations

  • The repeating chorus line "With your drums and guns and drums and guns" is sometimes sung as "With your drums and guns and guns and drums," or "We had guns and drums and drums and guns," as in the Dropkick Murphys version.
  • "Why did ye run from me and the child?" sometimes replaces "Why did ye skedaddle from me and the child?"
  • "Where are the legs with which you run?" sometimes replaces "Where are the legs that used to run?", often also accompanied by a change from "When you went to carry a gun" to "When forced into carrying a gun", such as in the version performed by The Clancy Brothers.
  • Steeleye Span recorded an adaptation of the song, called "Fighting for strangers" on their album Rocket Cottage. Their version is substantially different, but bears the refrain "Johnny, what've they done to you" or "Johnny what'll happen to you". The other similarity is in the last verse

You haven't an arm, you haven't a leg
The enemy nearly slew you
You'll have to go out on the streets to beg
Oh, poor Johnny, what've they done to you?

  • The song English Civil War from The Clash's album Give 'Em Enough Rope incorporates melody and lyrics from the original.
  • The Anthem of the Comandos Colombian Army uses the same melody
  • The Rugby song I Met a Whore in the Park goes to the tune of the song.
  • The Dutch song Vannacht by Pater Moeskroen also goes by the tune of this song.
  • P J Harvey's song Let England Shake modifies and incorporates the line "Indeed your dancing days are done"
  • The villains in the film The Luck of the Irish sang the song during a victory feast.
  • The song Hip Hurray on the Fiddler's Green (band) 1995 album King Shepherd retains some of the lyrics while using a different melody and additional lyrics to create a reflection on the original song.

[edit] Reusage of the title

[edit] Select recordings

You can help by expanding this section

Here the song is called "Johnny jambe de bois" and is sung in French as the twelfth song on thirteen. [3]
Folk singer Joan Baez often included the song in her concert sets during the early to mid 1970s as a statement against the Vietnam War and all wars in general.
The Tossers recorded a version of this song in the 90s, and it was later included on the compilation Communication & Conviction: Last Seven Years, which includes everything they have done before 2000. They recorded another live version on March 17, 2008. It was included on their live album Gloatin' and Showboatin': Live on St. Patrick's Day.
The Dropkick Murphys included a version of this song on their 2007 release, The Meanest of Times and was later selected as a downloadable song for Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock on March 13, 2008. The song was also featured in an episode of the Sons of Anarchy TV series.
A 2009 performance appeared on their Live on Lansdowne, Boston MA live album
  • A cover of the song is performed by Faye Ringel on her album "Hot Chestnuts".
  • Foreign Feathers perform a version
  • The Cranberries, in "Zombie", sing "With their tanks and their bombs, and their bombs, and their guns" – a reference to the chorus of this song.

[edit] See also

[edit] References

  1. ^ Johnny I hardly knew ya
  2. ^ JOHNNY, I HARDLY KNEW YE – Irish American Song Lyrics, MP3s, Chords, Sheet Music
  3. ^ Frida Boccara – Un Jour, Un Enfant
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Johnny_I_Hardly_Knew_Ye&oldid=476087071"
Personal tools
Namespaces

Variants
Actions
Navigation
Interaction
Toolbox
Print/export
Languages