Folk Song Query: "Arthur McBride"

Factual Questions
1

I first came across this charming Irish folk song several years ago on Bob Dylan’s 1992 album, Good As I Been to You. The lyrics may be found [url=“http://www.bobdylan.com/songs/mcbride.html”]here.

So the story is basically this: Two young Irish buckos are out for a seaside stroll when they encounter a pair of NCOs who attempt to bribe them into joining the Army, painting a rosy picture of the gay life they’ll lead in the service of the King (or Queen).

The narrator’s pal (or cousin) Arthur McBride returns with some choice criticisms of Army life, winding up with the observation that they’ll get their asses shot off in France if they join up.

Sergeant Napper (or Napier, or Harper) takes offense and threatens the young men with grievous bodily harm.

The young Irishmen take their shillelaghs to the soldiers before they can draw their arms, beat the living crap out of them (I’m particularly fond of the line “leathered them there like a pair o’ wet sacks”), kick the drummer’s drum into the ocean, and leave them with a choice curse.

“Arthur McBride” has popped up on a number of other albums I’ve acquired recently, with a number of variations in the lyrics (see parentheses above). Paul Brady has recorded it, and a number of Irish and Irish-American folksingers. Ewan MacColl said it was his favorite song ever.

In some versions Arthur tells the soldiers that the Devil may take them “for delayin’ our walk this fine mornin’!” Sometimes the offer of a “charmin’ young wife” and the other perks is deleted, and the Irishmen respond only to the monetary bribe.

…Okay. What’s the provenance of this song? I assume it was written during the First World War, given the reference to dying in France, and that the soldiers are British (possibly in Ireland to fight the 1916 Uprising). There’s an undertone of “fuck the British!” in the lyrics that is obvious beyond the general anti-military tone (which is what probably attracted Dylan to it).

…Interesting, also, that the narrator makes McBride the instigator, rather than telling it as a first-person story.

I’m not finding too much info in web-searches, so I thought I’d go right to the Teeming Millions, which must include at least dozens of folkies, right?

2

Grrrrrr.

http://www.bobdylan.com/songs/mcbride.html

3

OK, I did what I could for “The Cat Came Back” and “Minnie the Moocher,” but this one has me thrown. I think Ike made this up because he was having a slow day at work—has anyone else even HEARD of this song? Or of this “Bob Dylan” he speaks of?

Oh, sure, he provided a link—a clever clod like him could easily conjure up a fake site . . .

4

That needn’t be the case, really, as the dislike of recruiting sergeants provided the basis for many songs. N.B I’m not saying it isn’t, I’m just sort of thinking out loud. The blokes need not even be Irish, although I definitely associate it with Christy Moore, Planxty and other Irish singers. I’ve just found a version of the lyrics wherein our heroes are swearing “by our king” that they’d prefer not to be soldiers, thank you very much, which is a bit unlikely if they were talking about a foreign king.

BTW, I didn’t even know that Bod Dylan had done a version!

Well, you have set me wondering too. (I wanted a distraction from things I ought to be doing.):slight_smile:

5

Ike,

According to Paul Brady’s web page (www.paulbrady.com) in reference to his version of Arthur McBride.

"The one I now sang was one I arranged and adapted from a printed version I found in a book called’ A Heritage of Songs, The Songs of Carrie Grover’ , a Maine woman with Irish and Scottish ancestry. "
I assume that you’re looking for specific information about the song and not a historical treatise on Irish recruits in the British army, yes?

6

Been working on this one without much success, in between interviewing potential new hires.

Since I have to punt (no Irish currency pun intended), I’ll at least point you in the direction of the one genuine Irish folksinger of my acquaintance, in the hope he can shed some light (there’s nothing on his web site that helps, but his e-mail address is there). Ossian Gillebert served me many a Black and Tan in my professional drinking days, when he was waiting tables at Limerick Junction and singing there about once a week. (He still sings there, but waits tables elsewhere these days). He’s from Co. Galway (claims to be from the Aran Isles, actually) and at least used to do most of the standard Irish nationalist folk songs – the crowds tend to prefer things like “The Unicorn” and such.

Anyway, feel free to send him an e-mail to see if he knows. If you feel the need for an introduction of some sort, tell him that you heard about him from the fat guy named Scott that he used to bring blades of grass to a decade ago.

7

Oh, from the mention of guineas and rapiers, I’m guessing that the period of the song is not WWI but probably either during the Napoleanic Wars or shortly after. I seem to recall from the Sharpe books that 5 guineas was the sum paid to recruits (most of which, they found, went towards their kit).

8

Oh, feel free! This is all about fighting ignorance here, and I’ll cheerfully admit that the “rapiers and guineas” business was news to me. I think guineas were still circulating in the 1910s, but the history of sidearms with pointy ends leaves me baffled.

Thanks for the help, guys…incidentally, the Dylan version of the song is identical to Brady’s…Bobbo is a big Brady fan.

9

[hijack]

Perhaps “Bod Dylan” should be added to the “Pick Your Porno Name” thread! :smiley:

[/hijack]

hmm…too much hijacking? maybe i should come back when i have something constructive to add…

10

Make of this what you will.

John Thorne rules…

11

[QUOTE]
*Originally posted by gigi *
**[hijack]

Perhaps “Bod Dylan” should be added to the “Pick Your Porno Name” thread! :D[/hijack]**
Oh, eek, yes, oh, embarassed-running-away-shamefaced-grin. It is indeed the fault of the my keyboard, surely the keyboard is the work of the devil and I know this because qwertyuiop in the language of the Gwddyfferfyn people means…look, OK, I’m not creative enough about good fibs, so, all right, you win.

And, for those of you who are not gigi, consult a Gaelic dictionary, if you really feel you must.

And samclem all that I can make of it is that folk songs are always of much complications and mix-match, and hard to pin down, and that any details one finds along the way are always interesting. For goodness’s sake, you can’t be a folkie without at least something to worry about. It just wouldn’t be right.:slight_smile:

Maybe tomorrow, the esteemed Mr. U.Ike will set us all off on a search for ALL the verses of “Sir Patrick Spens” or ALL Irish songs involving the notion of “'Twas on a ----morning—etc”

AND now I want to know all about the song “Geronimo’s Cadillac” and I shall make a thread about it, No, I won’t really, but why not have a mini-forum for folk song questions?