Tag: celtic folk music

The Jolly Beggar – At William’s Place

Posted on by Rutger

The Jolly Beggar – At William’s Place

The Jolly Beggar is the very first song on our very first CD, Celts in Kilts, later merged into our Rakkish Paddies CD. Even William was not there yet for the very first recording of the Jolly Beggar. For this video at William’s Place luckily both David and William are there and we sound much better and with more harmony.

On the original cover of Celts in Kilts William was photoshopped into the picture, with his head replacing a chicken =) You can see the story in the picture below.

Celts in Kilts album

Background Info

The Jolly Beggar, also known as The Gaberlunzieman, is Child ballad 279. The song’s chorus inspired lines in Lord Byron’s poem “So, we’ll go no more a roving”. The Child Ballads are 305 traditional ballads from England and Scotland, and their American variants, anthologized by Francis James Child during the second half of the 19th century. Their lyrics and Child’s studies of them were published as The English and Scottish Popular Ballads. The tunes of most of the ballads were collected and published by Bertrand Harris Bronson in and around the 1960s.

The Jolly Beggar Lyrics

It’s of a jolly beggarman came tripping o’er the plain
He came unto a farmer’s door a lodging for to gain
The farmer’s daughter she came down and viewed him cheek and chin
She says, He is a handsome man. I pray you take him in
chorus
We’ll go no more a roving, a roving in the night
We’ll go no more a roving, let the moon shine so bright
We’ll go no more a roving
He would not lie within the barn nor yet within the byre
But he would in the corner lie down by the kitchen fire
O then the beggar’s bed was made of good clean sheets and hay
And down beside the kitchen fire the jolly beggar lay
chorus
We’ll go no more a roving, a roving in the night
We’ll go no more a roving, let the moon shine so bright
We’ll go no more a roving
The farmer’s daughter she got up to bolt the kitchen door
And there she saw the beggar standing naked on the floor
He took the daughter in his arms and to the bed he ran
Kind sir, she says, be easy now, you’ll waken our goodman
chorus
We’ll go no more a roving, a roving in the night
We’ll go no more a roving, let the moon shine so bright
We’ll go no more a roving
Now you are no beggar, you are some gentleman
For you have stolen my maidenhead and I am quite undone
I am no lord, I am no squire, of beggars I be one
And beggars they be robbers all, so you re quite undone
chorus
We’ll go no more a roving, a roving in the night
We’ll go no more a roving, let the moon shine so bright
We’ll go no more a roving
She tok the bed in both her hands and threw it at the wall
Says go you with beggar man my maidenhead and all
chorus
We’ll go no more a roving, a roving in the night
We’ll go no more a roving, let the moon shine so bright
We’ll go no more a roving
The Jolly Beggar - Rakkish Paddies
Rakkish Paddies album cover

 

Rakkish Paddies  is available on CD

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We livestream every tuesday at 20:00 CET, check our agenda for other shows and streams

De Stad Amsterdam – Christmas Stream Live

Posted on by Rutger

De Stad Amsterdam – Christmas Stream Live

De stad Amsterdam, this is the absolute number 1 of Dieb, his favorite song. In our version it starts slowly and goes faster and faster. The song is about sailors, but it could be musicians…

Anecdote: We have played it once or twice “only live” as de Stad Rotterdam, for fans from Rotterdam. And of course in the north of the Netherlands we spoke about Stad Appingedam in our own “Gronings” “de stad Ap’ge’ Dam ”and we are not talking about onions but“ Siepels ”and hanging kitchens, but normally we play the original version of De Stad Amsterdam.

Hangende keukens van Appingedam
Hangende keukens van Appingedam

Background info

Amsterdam, also known as Dans le port d’Amsterdam is a song by the Belgian singer Jacques Brel, the song takes the form of a crescendo and describes the experiences of sailors during their leave in the red light district in Amsterdam. The melody is taken from the English anthem Greensleeves. Brel never released this song on a studio record. Despite this, Amsterdam became one of Brel’s most popular songs.

De Stad Amsterdam Lyrics

1.

In de stad Amsterdam, waar de zeelieden lallen
Tot hun nachtmerries schallen over oud Amsterdam
In de stad Amsterdam, waar de zeelieden, dronken
Als een wimpel zo lam, in de dokken gaan ronken
In de stad Amsterdam, waar de zeeman verzuipt
Vol van bier en van gram, als de morgen ontluikt
In de stad Amsterdam, waar de zeeman ontwaakt
Als de warmte weer blaakt over Damrak en Dam

2.

In de stad Amsterdam, waar de zeelieden bikken
Zilv’ren haringen slikken, bij de staart uit de hand
Van de hand in de tand, smijten zij met hun knaken
En ze zullen hem raken als een kat in het want
En ze stinken naar aal, in hun grof blauwe truien
En ze stinken naar uien, daarmee doen zij hun maal
Na hun maal staan zij op om hun broek dicht te knopen
En dan gaan ze weer lopen en het boert in hun krop

3.

In de stad Amsterdam, waar de zeelieden zwieren
En de meiden versieren, buik aan buik, lekker klam
En ze draaien hun wals als een wentelende zon
Op de klank, dun en vals, van een accordeon
En zo rood als een kreeft happen zij naar wat lucht
Tot opeens met een zucht de muziek het begeeft
Met een air van gewicht voeren zij met wat spijt
Dan hun Mokumse meid weer terug in het licht

4.

In de stad Amsterdam waar de zeelieden zuipen
En maar zuipen en maar zuipen en daarop nog eens zuipen
Zuipen op het geluk van een hoer van de Wallen
Op een Hamburgse hoer, nou ja, van een goed stuk
Van een slet die zichzelf in haar deugd heeft geschonken
Voor een gulden of elf en dan zijn ze goed dronken
Met hun wankelende lijven lozen zij dan hun drank
En ze pissen zoals ik jank om de ontrouw der wijven

In de stad Amsterdam
In de stad Amsterdam
In de stad Amsterdam
In de stad Amsterdam

De Stad Amsterdam - Rakkish Paddies
Rakkish Paddies album cover

 

Rakkish Paddies  is available on CD

Support us at https://rapalje.com/stream 

Join us on Patreon https://www.patreon.com/rapalje_celtic_folk_music

Help David support the cultural sector: https://rapalje.com/donation

Shop for beautiful Rapalje products: https://rapalje.com/shop/

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We livestream every tuesday at 20:00 CET, check our agenda for other shows and streams

Fairytale of New York – Merry Christmas from Rapalje

Posted on by Rutger

 

Fairytale of New York – Merry Christmas from Rapalje

Fairytale of New York with lyrics played at a special video we recorded for the hardworking employees at UMC Utrecht to support them after this difficult year, we hope to be able to perfom again soon for all our essential workers. Gurgling the tune with whiskey started out as a joke when we first learned this song, if you really can’t play an instrument you can always use the drink, we kept it ever since. We extended the chorus melody at the end because we love playing this part of the song.

Background Info

Fairytale of New York from The Pogues was, again, voted the most popular Christmas song of the UK in 2019. We play it all year round and it’s been one of our most requested songs since we started playing it! “Fairytale of New York” is a song written by Jem Finer and Shane MacGowan and recorded by their band the Pogues, featuring singer-songwriter Kirsty MacColl on vocals. The song is an Irish folk-style ballad and was written as a duet, with the Pogues’ singer MacGowan taking the role of the male character and MacColl the female character.

Although there is agreement among the band that “Fairytale of New York” was first written in 1985, the origins of the song are disputed. MacGowan insisted that it arose as a result of a wager made by the Pogues’ producer at the time, Elvis Costello, that the band would not be able to write a Christmas hit single, while the Pogues’ manager Frank Murray has stated that it was originally his idea that the band should try and write a Christmas song as he thought it would be “interesting”.

Banjo player Finer came up with the melody and the original concept for the song, which was set in County Clare on Ireland’s west coast, involving a sailor in New York looking out over the ocean and reminiscing about being back home in Ireland. Finer’s wife Marcia did not like the original seafaring story, and suggested new lyrics regarding a conversation between a couple at Christmas. Finer told NME, “I had written two songs complete with tunes, one had a good tune and crap lyrics, the other had the idea for ‘Fairytale’ but the tune was poxy, I gave them both to Shane and he gave it a Broadway melody, and there it was.

Fairytale of New York – Lyrics

It was Christmas Eve babe
In the drunk tank
An old man said to me, won’t see another one
And then he sang a song
The Rare Old Mountain Dew
I turned my face away
And dreamed about you
Got on a lucky one
Came in eighteen to one
I’ve got a feeling
This year’s for me and you
So happy Christmas
I love you baby
I can see a better time
When all our dreams come true
They’ve got cars big as bars
They’ve got rivers of gold
But the wind goes right through you
It’s no place for the old
When you first took my hand
On a cold Christmas Eve
You promised me
Broadway was waiting for me
You were handsome
You were pretty
Queen of New York City
When the band finished playing
They howled out for more
Sinatra was swinging
All the drunks they were singing
We kissed on a corner
Then danced through the night
The boys of the NYPD choir
Were singing Galway Bay
And the bells were ringing out
For Christmas day
You’re a bum you’re a punk
You’re an old slut on junk
Lying there almost dead on a drip in that bed
You scumbag, you maggot
You cheap lousy faggot
Happy Christmas your arse
I pray God it’s our last
The boys of the NYPD choir
Still singing Galway Bay
And the bells are ringing out
For Christmas day
I could have been someone
Well so could anyone
You took my dreams from me
When I first found youI kept them with me babe
I put them with my own
Can’t make it all alone
I’ve built my dreams around you
The boys of the NYPD choir
Still singing Galway Bay
And the bells are ringing out
For Christmas day

Fairytale of New York is available on our CD Hearts

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Help David support the cultural sector: https://rapalje.com/donation

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We livestream every tuesday at 20:00 CET, check our agenda for other shows and streams

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The Strayaway Child – O’ceallaigh Irish Pub

Posted on by Rutger

The Strayaway Child – O’ceallaigh Irish Pub

We play The Strayaway Child mostly during our theatre shows with our wonderful dancers Rosalie & Madelief, at Zomerfolk we play this song with the bodypaint performance on stage. This video is from when we first presented our new CD Scotland’s Story in O’ceallaigh Irish Pub. Dieb plays all our difficult songs perfectly and never gets confused, this song is the one exception, it has six violin parts and for some reason Dieb has a hard time keeping them apart, luckily we are always there to help him =)

Background info

This classic 6 part jig was first recorded by the late Michael Gorman (1895-1970), a county Sligo fiddler who spent much of his adult life in the London area. The tune was popularized in the late 1970s by Kevin Burke and The Bothy Band. The Chieftains (one of our favourite bands) have recorded this song on their album A Chieftains Celebration.

The Strayaway Child

This amazing tune has no lyrics but here we have the sheet music so you can try playing The Strayaway Child for yourself.

The Strayaway Child
The Strayaway Child – Sheet Music
The Strayaway Child - Scotland's Story
Scotland’s Story album cover

Scotland’s Story is available on CD and Vinyl

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Help David support the cultural sector: https://rapalje.com/donation

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We livestream every tuesday at 20:00 CET, check our agenda for other shows and streams

Molly Malone – Still into Folk

Posted on by Rutger

Molly Malone – Still into Folk

Molly Malone or Cockles and Mussels played in our theatre show Still into Folk, this is a fan favourite everytime we get to play this song the reaction in the crowd is wonderfull. Sadly our friend Andrea, founder of the German Fanclub passed away last year, this was her favourite song, we have some wonderful memories of playing this song for her and she would make us new socks after the show.

Background info

“Molly Malone” (also known as “Cockles and Mussels” or “In Dublin’s Fair City”) is a popular song set in Dublin, Ireland, which has become its unofficial anthem. A statue representing Molly Malone was unveiled on Grafton Street during the 1988 Dublin Millennium celebrations, when 13 June was declared to be Molly Malone Day. In July 2014, the statue was relocated to Suffolk Street.

Statue representing Molly Malone in Dublin

Molly Malone with Lyrics

In Dublin’s fair city
where the girls are so pretty
I first set my eyes on sweet Molly Malone
As she wheeled her wheel-barrow
Through streets broad and narrow
Crying, “Cockles and mussels, alive, alive, oh”

“Alive, alive, oh
Alive, alive, oh”
Crying “Cockles and mussels, alive, alive, oh”

She was a fishmonger
And sure ’twas no wonder
For so were her father and mother before
And they each wheeled their barrow
Through streets broad and narrow
Crying, “Cockles and mussels, alive, alive, oh”

“Alive, alive, oh
Alive, alive, oh”
Crying “Cockles and mussels, alive, alive, oh”

She died of a fever
And no one could save her
And that was the end of sweet Molly Malone
Now her ghost wheels her barrow
Through streets broad and narrow
Crying, “Cockles and mussels, alive, alive, oh”

“Alive, alive, oh
Alive, alive, oh”
Crying “Cockles and mussels, alive, alive, oh”

“Alive, alive, oh
Alive, alive, oh”
Crying “Cockles and mussels, alive, alive, oh”

Molly Malone is available on our CD Into Folk

Molly Malone - Into Folk
Into Folk album front cover

Support us at https://rapalje.com/stream

Help David support the cultural sector: https://rapalje.com/donation

Shop for beautiful Rapalje products: https://rapalje.com/shop/

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We livestream every tuesday at 20:00 CET, check our agenda for other shows and streams

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Livestream Saturday October 10

Posted on by Rutger

Unfortunately our performances in Berlicum and Bladel are not possible due to the Covid measures, so we are going to live stream again. On the border between the Netherlands and Germany, so we can wave to William, he lives in Germany and like this we can still play together, you could say a borderline case =)

We hope to see you all this Saturday, October 10 at 4:00 PM CET. See you then! Live on Facebook & YouTube

Support us at https://rapalje.com/stream

Help David support the cultural sector: https://rapalje.com/donation

Shop for beautiful Rapalje products: https://rapalje.com/shop/

Come and see us in person: https://rapalje.com/agenda/

Caledonia – RTV Drenthe

Posted on by Rutger

Caledonia

Rapalje plays Caledonia here between the Hunebedden in Drenthe, with RTV Drenthe they went out to Hunebed het Loon (D15) to record the song “Caledonia”. This is one of the most requested songs at Rapalje.

We have seen many tears of sorrow, emotion and joy with this song. It has often happened that a wedding proposal is made when we start playing Caledonia. It is also regularly performed at funerals. There are many people in our midst who have a special thought about Caledonia and it remains a very beautiful song.

Background Information Caledonia

Dougie MacLean’s love song to his homeland has become an anthem of Scottish pride but it was written in just 10 minutes on a beach in France when he was in his early 20s.  “I wrote it in my very early 20s on a beach and then finished it off in a youth hostel somewhere around Paimpol in Brittany. “I was genuinely homesick and it was just a little song I wrote.” Dougie MacLean says he had been busking around Europe with three Irish guys but the day after writing the song – with its lyric “Caledonia you’re calling me and now I’m going home” – he set off back to Scotland.

Lyrics Caledonia

I don’t know if you can see
The changes that have come over me
In these last few days I’ve been afraid
That I might drift away
I’ve been telling old stories, singing songs
That make me think about where I came from
And that’s the reason why I seem
So far away today
Let me tell you that I love you and that I think about you all the time
Caledonia you’re calling me and now I’m going home
If I should become a stranger you know that it would make me more than sad
Caledonia’s been everything I’ve ever had
I have moved and I’ve kept on moving
Proved the points that I needed proving
Lost the friends that I needed losing
Found new ones on the way
I have kissed the ladies and left them crying
Stolen dreams, yes there’s no denying
I have traveled hard with conscience flying
Somewhere with the wind
Let me tell you that I love you and that I think about you all the time
Caledonia you’re calling me and now I’m going home
If I should become a stranger you know that it would make me more than sad
Caledonia’s been everything I’ve ever had
Now I’m sitting here before the fire
The empty room the forest choir
The flames that couldn’t get any higher
They’ve withered now they’ve gone
But I’m steady thinking my way is clear
And I know what I will do tomorrow
When the hands are shaken and the kisses flow
Then I will disappear
Let me tell you that I love you and that I think about you all the time
Caledonia you’re calling me and now I’m going home
If I should become a stranger you know that it would make me more than sad
Caledonia’s been everything I’ve ever had

Buy this album now

Celtic Folk Night – Drachten

Posted on by Rutger

We are playing our Celtic Folk Night in Drachten (NL) on Saturday the 26th of september 2 times on 1 evening, will you join us? Tickets available here Continue reading “Celtic Folk Night – Drachten” →

Home is Where My Friends are – EM2 With Fan Applause

Posted on by David Myles

Home Is Where My Friends Are

William brought  this song to the Rapalje repertoire. He heard a song during a nice evening in his favorite Pub, part of the lyrics just stuck in his head and even his dreams, eventually Home is Where my Friends Are came out of this. We found the original song played in Williams pub, this was “Back to Donegal” by Rory McLoad, so this was the inspiration for Home is Where my Friends Are

The tune we play in this song is called Pride of Petravore, other songs have also been written for this.

Pride of Petravore

As far as we know, William Houston Collisson (1865-1920) is the writer of Pride of Petravore and is a traditional hornpipe tune. Percy French (1854-1920) wrote the lyrics to the song, which means it is now also called Eileen Og. The two were friends, stage partners, and college composers. In our CD “Into Folk” we have written the musical notes.


sheet music Pride of Petravore

Lyrics of “Home is where my friends are”

I’d like to introduce you to the band that’s playing
All the way where we came from, you don’t want to know
Going down to Tager, play for pints of lager
I’m just following the road, I go to Donegal

Home is where my friends are
You are all part of me
I leave you with this song
Are you comming, are you going, are you trying to stop me

Play six and reels and jigs at one time, I just think I’m going fine
I don’t care what’s going on and I could be alone
Coming through St. Prady’s and all the pretty ladies
But none of them is as beautiful as down in Donegal

I love ladies, I can’t get enough I dance with them ’till my legs fall of
Pretty ladies I see them and side by side we go
I’m drinking ’till I’m pissed of, going ’till I have to mud down
In the bars of Rotterdam I dream of Donegal

I love you true Alida but I think I’m gonna leave you
I don’t want to sit at your place watching years go by
Sitting with your fatty on your ugly satty
I’m dreaming away the plans I’ve got when I return in Donegal

The barman rings the bell, in announcement to everybody:
“Have you got no homes to go to”
And I sing: “I ain’t got no home in this world anymore
I’m just passing through”

(You don’t have to go home, but you can’t stay here)

Buy this album now