# I've recorded a fake Irish folk ballad **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [March 17, 2015, 9:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-recorded-a-fake-irish-folk-ballad/715231 "2015-03-17T21:21:07Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2015, 11:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-recorded-a-fake-irish-folk-ballad/715231/21 "2015-03-19T23:26:43Z")
> [@thelurkinghorror](#): > > Don’t worry, I have AdBlock. > > The “falsetto” is offputting, but I like the rest. You’re obviously a dude. I wouldn’t mind a second version at all. > > My standby fake Irish song is Denis Leary’s “[Traditional Irish Folk Song](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wbeLu_3Wf_k)” (I think it’s called). Lyrical content is also accurate. Mine is Tom Lehrer’s “The Irish Ballad”: _About a maid I’ll sing a song, Sing rickety-tickety-tin, About a maid I’ll sing a song Who didn’t have her family long. Not only did she do them wrong, She did ev’ryone of them in, them in, She did ev’ryone of them in._ ---
**Author:** ![An\_Gadai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@An\_Gadai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/An_Gadai)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2015, 1:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-recorded-a-fake-irish-folk-ballad/715231/22 "2015-03-20T01:19:45Z")
Done by an Irish guy but fake, “[Flow River Flow](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0yyPiOTLLOY)” by Ding Dong O’Reilly is kinda funny. ---
**Author:** ![Trinopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/2bfe46/32.png) [@Trinopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trinopus)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2015, 2:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-recorded-a-fake-irish-folk-ballad/715231/23 "2015-03-20T02:57:42Z")
> [@tracer](#): > > . . . “She are green! She are green! > Green like the neophyte, > Green like the traffic light, > Lord count the ways she are green!” Green like green kryptonite, she are green! 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Rick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/9f8e36/32.png) [@Rick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2015, 3:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-recorded-a-fake-irish-folk-ballad/715231/24 "2015-03-20T03:55:03Z")
> [@tracer](#): > > Since St. Patrick’s Day is upon us, I’d just like to share with y’all that I’ve recorded a fake “Irish” folk ballad That’s not an Irish ballad. [This](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=47bKTtIwrO4) is an Irish ballad. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![eschereal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eschereal/32/18939_2.png) [@eschereal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eschereal)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2015, 4:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-recorded-a-fake-irish-folk-ballad/715231/25 "2015-03-20T04:29:42Z")
Sorry to be kind of jerkish, but I am going to make a stupid suggestion: the chorus ought to be “Are she green. Are she green.” Because the Celtic language naturally puts the verb at the beginning of a sentence, and, well, “are she” sounds vaguely like “Irish”. ---
**Author:** ![An\_Gadai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@An\_Gadai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/An_Gadai)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2015, 4:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-recorded-a-fake-irish-folk-ballad/715231/26 "2015-03-20T04:42:42Z")
> [@eschereal](#): > > Sorry to be kind of jerkish, but I am going to make a stupid suggestion: the chorus ought to be “Are she green. Are she green.” Because the Celtic language naturally puts the verb at the beginning of a sentence, and, well, “are she” sounds vaguely like “Irish”. No, still sounds wrong. I would go with “She’s/she is green” or “Is she green?” or “Throatwarbler Mangrove”. ---
**Author:** ![Trinopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/2bfe46/32.png) [@Trinopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trinopus)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2015, 6:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-recorded-a-fake-irish-folk-ballad/715231/27 "2015-03-20T06:30:45Z")
[There’s also this offering from Dennis Leary:](http://www.metrolyrics.com/traditional-irish-folk-song-lyrics-dennis-leary.html) They come over here and they take all our land They chop of our heads and they boil them in oil Our children are leaving and we have no heads We drink and we sing and we drink and we die We have no heads, no we have no heads ---
**Author:** ![tracer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tracer/32/20578_2.png) [@tracer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tracer)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2015, 7:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-recorded-a-fake-irish-folk-ballad/715231/28 "2015-03-20T19:24:35Z")
Dennis Learey’s fake Irish song doesn’t sound too far off from the actual “Wearin’ of the Green”. ---
**Author:** ![thelurkinghorror](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2015, 8:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-recorded-a-fake-irish-folk-ballad/715231/29 "2015-03-20T20:45:18Z")
> [@Trinopus](#): > > [There’s also this offering from Dennis Leary:](http://www.metrolyrics.com/traditional-irish-folk-song-lyrics-dennis-leary.html) It was especially relevant two days ago;) ---
**Author:** ![tracer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tracer/32/20578_2.png) [@tracer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tracer)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2015, 9:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-recorded-a-fake-irish-folk-ballad/715231/30 "2015-03-20T21:09:55Z")
And let us not forget the most important St. Patrick’s Day tradition: [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/vOVKdvkVAqQ/hqdefault.jpg "Mc Donald's Shamrock Shake Commercial") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vOVKdvkVAqQ) ---
**Author:** ![Trinopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/2bfe46/32.png) [@Trinopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trinopus)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2015, 10:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-recorded-a-fake-irish-folk-ballad/715231/31 "2015-03-20T22:56:38Z")
> [@thelurkinghorror](#): > > It was especially relevant two days ago;) I apologize. I actually did search for it, but failed to spot it. We drink and we die and continue to drink. ---
**Author:** ![Idle\_Thoughts](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/838e76/32.png) [@Idle\_Thoughts](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Idle_Thoughts)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2015, 12:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-recorded-a-fake-irish-folk-ballad/715231/32 "2015-03-21T00:17:01Z")
> [@Trinopus](#): > > [There’s also this offering from Dennis Leary:](http://www.metrolyrics.com/traditional-irish-folk-song-lyrics-dennis-leary.html) > > They come over here and they take all our land > They chop of our heads and they boil them in oil > Our children are leaving and we have no heads > We drink and we sing and we drink and we die > We have no heads, no we have no heads I shaved some off, just a reminder not to post the full lyrics to anything on here. ---
**Author:** ![Trinopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/2bfe46/32.png) [@Trinopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trinopus)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2015, 12:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-recorded-a-fake-irish-folk-ballad/715231/33 "2015-03-21T00:25:28Z")
> [@Idle\_Thoughts](#): > > I shaved some off, just a reminder not to post the full lyrics to anything on here. Oops! Sorry. Thanks for the edit. (Sigh…ninjaed and noted! I gonna go eat worms!) (But…damn, it’s a wonderful fun song!) ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2015, 12:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-recorded-a-fake-irish-folk-ballad/715231/34 "2015-03-21T00:27:37Z")
> [@Trinopus](#): > > Green like green kryptonite, > she are green! > > 😉 Green grow the rushes, oh? ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2015, 12:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-recorded-a-fake-irish-folk-ballad/715231/35 "2015-03-21T00:35:56Z")
> [@tracer](#): > > It’s supposed to be sung by an old Irish woman. I didn’t have any old Irish women available . . . Would you like to buy some? ---
**Author:** ![eschereal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eschereal/32/18939_2.png) [@eschereal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eschereal)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2015, 12:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-recorded-a-fake-irish-folk-ballad/715231/36 "2015-03-21T00:46:36Z")
> [@BrainGlutton](#): > > Would you like to buy some? Maybe just short-term rental would suffice? ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2015, 12:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-recorded-a-fake-irish-folk-ballad/715231/37 "2015-03-21T00:54:06Z")
> [@Trinopus](#): > > (Sigh…ninjaed and noted! I gonna go eat worms!) Oh, Paddy dear, and did you hear the news that’s crawlin’ round? Our protein sweet by law’s forbid to dig from Irish ground! The humble Irish dinner bowl no more shall writhe and squirm For there’s a cruel law agin’ the eatin’ of the worm! The eatin’ of the worm! The eatin’ of the worm! For there’s a cruel law agin’ the eatin’ of the worm! ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2015, 2:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-recorded-a-fake-irish-folk-ballad/715231/38 "2015-03-21T02:04:44Z")
Is [“St. Brendan’s Fair Isle”](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EC1umOD9tWw) a traditional folk song or a modern composition? ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2015, 2:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-recorded-a-fake-irish-folk-ballad/715231/39 "2015-03-21T02:06:44Z")
Another question, if anyone knows: In view of their history . . . how did the Irish ever get a reputation for **luck,** of all things?! ---
**Author:** ![eschereal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eschereal/32/18939_2.png) [@eschereal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eschereal)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2015, 2:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-recorded-a-fake-irish-folk-ballad/715231/40 "2015-03-21T02:29:06Z")
Maybe **Teela Brown** would know. She should be the expert on luck. It is in her genes. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-recorded-a-fake-irish-folk-ballad/715231.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-recorded-a-fake-irish-folk-ballad/715231.md?page=3)