Monday, May 03, 2004
The Hidden Story behind "The Garryowen"
A reader clues me in to these lyrics, historically sung in Belfast to the tune of The Garryowen.
That's right, it's a song about the joys of bashing Papist heads, and historically often sang in the Orange lodges to the din of thumpering lambeg drums before a murderous riout.
I'd seen these lyrics before, but disassociated with the tune. I remember seeing them and noticing they would fit to The Garryowen, the same way everything Emily Dickenson ever wrote could be sung to The Yellow Rose of Texas.
Another verse, again not associated with the melody in the book, but I can speculate a good fit-- I came across while reading Leon Uris' Trinity last year:
"Poor croppies you know that your sentence has come
When you hear the dread sound of the Protestant drum
In memory of William we hoisted his flag
And soon the bright orange put down the green rag
Yep, there's stupidity all over the world.
Tilg a-mach,
Jason
That's right, it's a song about the joys of bashing Papist heads, and historically often sang in the Orange lodges to the din of thumpering lambeg drums before a murderous riout.
I'd seen these lyrics before, but disassociated with the tune. I remember seeing them and noticing they would fit to The Garryowen, the same way everything Emily Dickenson ever wrote could be sung to The Yellow Rose of Texas.
Another verse, again not associated with the melody in the book, but I can speculate a good fit-- I came across while reading Leon Uris' Trinity last year:
"Poor croppies you know that your sentence has come
When you hear the dread sound of the Protestant drum
In memory of William we hoisted his flag
And soon the bright orange put down the green rag
Yep, there's stupidity all over the world.
Tilg a-mach,
Jason
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