Whiskey in the Jar
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"Whiskey in the Jar" is a famous Irish traditional song, usually set in the Cork and Kerry mountains, about a highwayman who is betrayed by his wife or lover. One of the most widely performed traditional Irish songs, it has been recorded by professional artists since the 1950s, but was first given wide exposure by the Irish folk band The Dubliners who performed it internationally as a signature song, and recorded it on three albums in the 1960s. Building on the success of the Dubliners, the Irish rock band Thin Lizzy hit the Irish and British pop charts with the song in the early 1970s, and the American heavy metal band Metallica brought it to a wider rock audience in 1998. It is sung with many variants on locations and names; a typical songbook version begins:
As I was a-walkin round Kilgary Mountain
I met Colonel Pepper and his money he was countin',
I rattled me pistols and I drew forth me saber,
Sayin' "Stand and deliver, for I am the bold deceiver!"
Musha rig um du rum da, / Whack fol the daddy O,
Whack fol the daddy O, / There's whiskey in the jar.[1]
The Dubliners version is often sung in Irish traditional music sessions around the world and begins:
As I was goin' over the Cork and Kerry mountains
I saw Captain Farrell, his money he was countin'
I first produced me pistol and I then produced me rapier
Saying "Stand and deliver, for the devil he may take ye'!"
(Same Chorus)[2]
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[edit] History
The song's exact origins are unknown. A number of its lines and the general plot resemble those of a contemporary broadside ballad "Patrick Fleming" (also called "Patrick Flemmen he was a Valiant Souldier") about an Irish highwayman executed in 1650.[3][4]
In the book The Folk Songs of North America, folk music historian Alan Lomax suggests that the song originated in the 17th century, and (based on plot similarities) that John Gay's 1728 The Beggar's Opera was inspired by Gay hearing an Irish ballad-monger singing "Whiskey in the Jar". In regard to the history of the song, Lomax states, "The folk of seventeenth century Britain liked and admired their local highwaymen; and in Ireland (or Scotland) where the gentlemen of the roads robbed English landlords, they were regarded as national patriots. Such feelings inspired this rollicking ballad."[5]
At some point, the song came to the United States and was a favorite in Colonial America because of its irreverent attitude towards British officials. The American versions are sometimes set in America and deal with American characters. One such version, from Massachusetts, is about Alan McCollister, an Irish-American soldier who is sentenced to death by hanging for robbing British officials.[5]
The song appeared in a form close to its modern version in a precursor called "The Sporting Hero, or, Whiskey in the Bar" in a mid-1850s broadsheet.[6]
[edit] Story
"Whiskey in the Jar" is the tale of a highwayman who, after robbing a military or government official ("for I am a bold deceiver"), is betrayed by a woman; whether she is his wife or sweetheart is not made clear. Various versions of the song take place in Kerry, Kilmagenny, Cork, Gilgarra Mountain, Sligo Town, and other locales throughout Ireland. It is also sometimes placed in the American South, in various places among the Ozarks or Appalachians, possibly due to Irish settlement in these places. Names in the song change, the official can become a Captain or a Colonel and is variously called Farrell or Pepper among other things. The protagonist's wife or lover is sometimes called Molly, Jenny, Ginny among various other names.
[edit] Recordings
- A partial discography:
- Seamus Ennis (Alan Lomax field recording in Ireland) World Library of Folk and Primitive Music, Vol. 2: Ireland 1951
- Burl Ives - Songs Of Ireland 1958 "Kilgary Mountain"
- The Brothers Four- In Person 1962 "Kilgary Mountain"
- The Highwaymen (folk band) - B side to their single "I'm On My Way" 1962 "Kilgary Mountain"
- The Limeliters - Sing Out! 1962 "Kilgary Mountain"
- The Seekers - The Seekers 1964
- Peter, Paul & Mary - A Song Will Rise 1965 "Gilgarra Mountain"
- The Dubliners –
- More of the Hard Stuff 1967
- A Drop of The Dubliners 1969
- Live at the Albert Hall 1969
- The Dubliners Live 1974
- Live In Carré 1983
- 30 Years A'Greying (with the Pogues) 1992
- Irish Drinking Songs 1993
- Alive-Alive-O 1997
- Live At Vicar Street 2006
- Thin Lizzy - Vagabonds of the Western World 1973
- Darby O'Gill - Waitin' for a Ride 1996
- Metallica - Garage Inc. 1998
- Tommy Makem - The Song Tradition 1998 "Captain Farrell"
- Pulp - Different Class [Deluxe Edition] 2006
- Belle & Sebastian - The Blues Are Still Blue EP 2006
- Simple Minds - Searching for the Lost Boys 2009
- The song has also been recorded by singers and folk groups such as Robert DeCormier Singers, The Pogues, Roger Whittaker, The Irish Rovers, the Poxy Boggards, Seven Nations, King Creosote, Brobdingnagian Bards, and Christy Moore.
- Contrary to what is commonly believed and repeated, The Clancy Brothers never recorded the song. The confusion stems from the album Irish Drinking Songs which is composed of separate tracks by The Dubliners and The Clancy Brothers, with the former performing "Whiskey in the Jar." Liam Clancy did record it with his son and nephew on Clancy, O'Connell & Clancy in 1997, and Tommy Makem recorded it on The Song Tradition in 1998.
- It was given a rock veneer by Thin Lizzy. The 1972 Irish release stayed at the top of the Irish charts for 17 weeks, and the British release stayed in the top 30 for 12 weeks, peaking at No. 6, in 1973.[7]
- Thin Lizzy's version has since been covered by U2, Pulp (1995), Smokie, Metallica (1998, their version won a Grammy), Belle & Sebastian, Gary Moore (2006), Simple Minds (2009), and Israeli musician Izhar Ashdot.
- Jerry Garcia and David Grisman recorded a bluegrass version of the song for the album Shady Grove, in addition to the song appearing on the Grateful Dead live compilation album So Many Roads disc five.
- Lillebjørn Nilsen adapted it to Norwegian, as "Svikefulle Mari", on his 1971 album Tilbake.[8] Finnish band Eläkeläiset recorded a humppa version as the title track of their 1997 album Humppamaratooni. In 2007 the Lars Lilholt Band made a Danish version, "Gi' mig whiskey in the jar", appearing in the album Smukkere med tiden.[9]
- Charlie Zahm recorded it in his album Festival Favorites.
- Roger Whittaker recorded it as Kilgary Mountain and was always the encore song for his US Concert Tours.
[edit] References
- ^ Folk Songs of England, Scotland, Ireland and Wales, ed. William Cole, arr. Norman Monath, Cornerstone Library, New York, 1961.
- ^ The Singing Island: A Collection Of English And Scots Folksongs, Compiled By Ewan MacColl and Peggy Seeger, Mills Music, London, 1960.
- ^ Patrick Flemming, Folklore Home Page, California State University, Fresno (retrieved 10 July 2008)
- ^ Patrick Fleming, The Complete Newgate Calendar Vol. I, Law in Popular Culture collection, Tarlton Law Library, University of Texas at Austin (retrieved 10 July 2008)
- ^ a b The Folk Songs of North America: In the English Language, Alan Lomax, Peggy Seeger, Mátyás Seiber, Don Banks, Doubleday, 1960 Google Books (retrieved 11 July 2008
- ^ The sporting hero, Firth c.17(314), Bodleian Library Catalogue of Ballads (retrieved 10 July 2008)
- ^ Phil Lynott: The Rocker, Mark Putterford, Omnibus Press, 2002, ISBN 0711991049 Google Books (retrieved 11 July 2008)
- ^ Tilbake, musikkonline.no
- ^ Track listing, Lars Lilholt Band official site (retrieved 11 July 2008)
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