Have you news of my son Ted? ; trad. ), Folk Songs of Old England Vol. When you left your own two legs behind? It dates from the Napoleonic wars when thousands of The Cruel Wars. on their 2009 album And by heavens I'll make them rue the time, Stumps of a tree wouldn’t do at all KEYWORDS: war, injury, separation, soldier Bruce Springsteen in a BBC recording made by Cyril Tawney on the anthology That they shot away the legs of a child of mine.”, My son John was tall and slim Watch the video for Mrs. McGrath from Bruce Springsteen's We Shall Overcome: The Seeger Sessions for free, and see the artwork, lyrics and similar artists. Live on blood and a mother’s pain It is best known as Mrs McGrath. Cruel Britannia call for war, she calls for war : The Group Singing Songbook (Peter Blood and Annie Patterson) A Sing Out! Mrs McGrath dates from the early 19th century and the time of the Peninsular War when Britain, Spain, Portugal and Napoleon’s France fought over the Iberian Peninsula, covering the territories of modern day Spain and Portugal. ], An', o, Mahone, you were a silly youth The World Library of Folk and Primitive Music: Ireland. Blew my two fine legs from the knees away. Of Labour and Love. The chords are presented here in the key of G Major. the chief export of Ireland was its young men, who had to starve at home or “Would you like to make a soldier out of your son Ted? pressed into the army. For I’d rather have me Ted as he used to be, When I left my two fine legs behind, In the original song, Mrs. McGrath would rather have her "son as he used to be than the King of France and his whole navy." When ye left yer two fine legs behind? Now were ye drunk or were ye blind Mrs McGrath’s anger turns to thoughts of revenge with the words, “I’ll make them rue the time, They took two legs from a child of mine.” The anger and frustration is only to be expected, but part of the poignancy of the song is that Mrs McGrath’s threat is essentially meaningless. Once a Week's Enough. “I was not deaf, I was not blind Bruce Springsteen did a brilliant haunting version of the song. Me toorye oorye oorye-ay In Springsteen's version, this is changed to "King of America.". When you left your two fine legs behind? She kissed him a dozen times or two, Bruce Springsteen Nevertheless, hundreds of thousands of young men signed up because there was no other work available. Yard by yard the Info and videos of new Irish performers, Ireland continues to produce world class folk musicians. (The Age of Revolution in the Irish Song Tradition 1776 to 1815, Edited by Terry Moylan). No I wasn't deaf, I was not blind, Too-ri, [D7]oo-ri, [G]oo-ri-aa. Videos Ted is away at war for seven years and when he eventually returns, his mother’s delight turns to horror when she sees that his legs are missing, blown away by a cannonball. A Folk Song a Day. McGrath” was originally an Irish folksong written around 1807-1814 during Great Britain’s fight against France, specifically in the Napoleonic Wars. Get instant explanation for any lyrics that hits you anywhere on the web! The song Mrs McGrath may be 200 years old but its theme and its appeal are timeless. So cluster bombs [liked you to call? [G]Now, Mrs Mc[Em]Grath, the [G]sergeant [D7]said, Lyrics.com. 'Cause he ran a race with a cannonball, a cannonball, It is believed to have been popular with soldiers during the American Civil War (1861-1865). Around the time of World War I, it was the most popular marching song of the Irish Volunteers. Now [G]Mrs Mc[D7]Grath, wouldn’t [G]you like that? Oh captain, dear, where have you been, CATEGORY: Traditional, Public Domain BONUS YOUTUBE VIDEO: Bruce Springsteen, “Oh, Mrs. McGrath,” the sergeant said Bruce Springsteen recorded the song with The Seeger Sessions Band during the second of the three Seeger Sessions (see the "We Shall Overcome: The Seeger Sessions" section below for more details) and released it on his 2006 album We Shall Overcome: The Seeger Sessions. Wi your [Em]too-ri-aa, [G]folly diddle-aa Nor was it sailing on the sea Master McGrath is the name of an Irish greyhound that travelled to … It was a popular marching song with the Irish Volunteers in the period leading up to the Easter Rising in 1916. Sayin, “Holy Moses! AUTHOR: unknown on his 2018 album Between Don John and the King of Spain, The Jones Boys sang My Son John When all those chicken-ox stood at the door. 2. Well, up comes Ted, without any legs, in 1969 for their second duo album I was tall, I was slim, Naturally, the recruiting sergeants were at their busiest during times of war. John C. Reilly sang My Son John Gordon Jackson noted on their website: My Son John is a variant of the longer and better known Videos You better stay away from the harvest home. Martin Carthy > Mrs McGrath When the thoughts of his mother came into his head, But a thundering landmine jumped in the way, (The Age of Revolution in the Irish Song Tradition 1776 to 1815, Edited by Terry Moylan) Mrs McGrath is an anti-war song in which a mother laments how her son lost both his legs in battle after being recruited into the British Army. Itâs possible that John/Ted was a soldier in the Roodumdah. And in their stead he has two wooden pegs, The Weavers also performed the song in D on their Kisses Sweeter than Wine album. Or have been sailinâ on the Medi-te-reen? John Loesberg, Folksongs and Ballads Popular in Ireland, Volume 3, Ossian, Cork. Folk Songs of Old England Colm O'Lochlainn, Irish Street Ballads (1939), Robert Gogan 50 Great Irish Fighting songs, Music Ireland, Dublin 2005, Bruce Springsteen with The Sessions Band: Live in Dublin, "You Can't Win a Race with a Cannonball: Goya, Guernica & My Son John", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Mrs._McGrath&oldid=975529585, Articles with unsourced statements from May 2017, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, This page was last edited on 29 August 2020, at 01:46. TITLE: Mrs. McGrath Wore your two fine legs from the knees away?”, “All foreign wars I do proclaim, ], Garners Gay With my two fine legs right down to the knee. Peg and Bobby Clancy performed it on their LP, As We Roved Out, in 1964. Mrs McGrath—“Mrs McGrath,” the sergeant said, Wore these legs right down to the knee. LYRIC & CHORD PRO CHART: download Songs from the Seasons. A Folk Song a Week. Tim Hart & Maddy Prior > This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. of the Irish Volunteers. Andy Turner learned My Son John When they swiped the legs of a child of mine!”, O my son Tim was a bosun's mate Too-ri u-ri u-ri-ah It was a hell on Earth: The whole village became a holocaust of vomiting muskets, stabbing Last updated Combined with coverage of theology, history, and culture, this global viewpoint will ensure Christian History: An Introduction will be a valuable addition to the field and to any student’s bookshelf. Wore these legs right down to the knee, down to the knee, Now Mrs. McGrath would you like that?”, With me too-rye-ay Foddle-diddle-day 12 Nov. 2020. on the 1955 Columbia anthology With me toorye oorye oorye-ay Songs > When I left my two fine legs behind [/chordsandlyrics]. Like the Sun A-Glittering. “O Mrs. McGrath,” the sergeant said, Till a big transport come across the sky, The stumps of a tree won’t do at all, 'Cause he ran a race with a cannon ball, a cannon ball, He played the long-necked 5-string banjo, guitar, tin whistle, and bagpipes, and sang in a distinctive baritone. Songs > And after seven years or more HISTORICAL REFERENCES: “This song of the Peninsular War dates, according to one source, to 1815. The album's booklet noted: This ballad is a bitter comment on the wars against Napoleon. Between Don Juan and the King of Spain, MRS. MCGRATH is a traditional Irish song (see the "Traditional Version" section below for more details). Bruce Springsteen’s brilliant version is in FMinor. I’m also open to suggestions to improve the site. Do you see anything of my son John? Than the King of America and his whole Navy! Tim Hart and Maddy Prior recorded this song as My Son John in 1969 for their second duo album Folk Songs of Old England Vol. She kissed him a dozen times or two, Also a puzzle is how “he had a leg for every limb”. If anyone has more details about this song, or believes I’ve stated something in error, please let me know. 50+ videos Play all Mix - Mrs McGrath YouTube Mrs. McGrath (Live at the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, 2006) - Duration: 5:23. With your [Em]too-ri-aa, [G]foll di diddle-da, Wi your [Em]too-ri-aa, [G]folly diddle-aa, Too-ri, [D7]oo-ri, [G]oo-ri-aa It isn't you!”, “O then were you drunk or were you blind, Ireland was a rich source of … Or was it walking upon the sea Sean Doyle sang Mrs McGrath When I left my own two legs behind. The earliest account of it in Ireland seems to be 1876 when Sam Henry’s informant learned it … "Oh, Mrs. McGrath," the sergeant said "Would you like to make a soldier out of your son Ted With a scarlett coat and a big cocked hat Oh, Mrs. McGrath, wouldn't you like that?" Would you [G]like to make a soldier out of [D7]your son Ted? I first heard My Son John on the LP striking and memorable. Itâs a strange combination of jollity and social comment. He was sometimes known as "The Bard of Armagh" (taken from a traditional song of the same name) and "The Godfather of Irish Music". Why didn’t you run from the cannon ball? Pete Seeger also recorded it live for "Pete Seeger in Concert: I Can See a New Day" (CBS, 1964). as the 27 January 2011 entry of his project from Fred Hamer's book ], And in their place two wooden pegs Now Mrs McGrath lived on the seashore When up came a bloody great cannon-ball, Master McGrath is another traditional Irish song. As the lyrics to Mrs McGrath show, recruiting sergeants toured the country enlisting young Irishmen with the promise of money, adventure and fancy uniforms. Tore my two fine legs away, “My, Teddy boy,” the widow cried Up comes John and he's got no legs, (from Irish Music Daily), RECORDINGS: (mp3’s available through Amazon.com), YOUTUBE VIDEO:
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