PADDY AND THE WHALE
(As sung by John Thomas Edison of Fleur de Lys (NL), 1929.
Collected by Elizabeth B. Greenleaf and (musicologist) Grace Y. Mansfield in 1929,
and published by Harvard University in "Ballads and sea songs of Newfoundland," 1933, page 138)
Under Construction - Everything needs checking
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Time signature: 6/8 ( Normally fast, with marked rhythm)
Primary/Secondary Beats per bar = 2 Primary/Secondary Beat symbol = Dot ( ; ) or equivalent Tertiary Beat symbol = Double quote ( " ) or equivalent, if played more slowly |
Traditional (Irish?)
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ACCORDION (BUTTON) NOTATION
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Either row = Buttons 4* to 9*
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Verse 1 (of 5)
"5* "7* "7* "7* "6 "7* | "5* "5 "5 .5
Pad-dy O ' Bri-en left Ire-land in glee;
"5* | "4* "5* "6 "6 "5* "5 | "5* "6* "6 .7*
He had a strong no-tion old Eng-land to see;
"7* | "7* "8 "8 "8 "8* "8 | "9* "8 "8* .7*
He shipped in the Nel-lie for Eng-land was bound,
'7 '7 | "8* "7 "8* "5* "5 "5 | "6 "7* "6 "5* "5
And the whis-key he drank made his head go a - round.
Refrain: '5 '5 | '"7* '7 "7* "7* "6 "5* | "5* "5 "4* ;5 |
Lad-dy WHACK, fol de DOL, fol de ROL i de DEE.
"5* "7* "7* "7* "6 "7* | "5* "5 "5 .5
Pad-dy O ' Bri-en left Ire-land in glee;
"5* | "4* "5* "6 "6 "5* "5 | "5* "6* "6 .7*
He had a strong no-tion old Eng-land to see;
"7* | "7* "8 "8 "8 "8* "8 | "9* "8 "8* .7*
He shipped in the Nel-lie for Eng-land was bound,
'7 '7 | "8* "7 "8* "5* "5 "5 | "6 "7* "6 "5* "5
And the whis-key he drank made his head go a - round.
Refrain: '5 '5 | '"7* '7 "7* "7* "6 "5* | "5* "5 "4* ;5 |
Lad-dy WHACK, fol de DOL, fol de ROL i de DEE.
Embedded youTube VIDEOS
Eight videos in musical keys of: Ab=1 F=1 Gb= 3 G=2 (??=1)
The following three videos follow (fairly closely) the lyrics given on this web page.
The following three videos follow (fairly closely) the lyrics given on this web page.
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Key: Ab
Singer: Burl Ives (Recorded around 1960) Posted by: Burl Ives - Topic Except for refrain and the first two lines of Verse 4,the Burl Ives rendition closely follows the version sung by John Thomas Edison of Fleur de Lys (NL) in 1929. |
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Key: Gb
Singer: Niall Hanna Posted by: desiodineen Kathryn Clements House Concert 2016 Same theme, with some slightly different lyrics |
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Key: Gb
Singer: Jeremy Jenkinson Posted by: Jeremy Jenkinson This rendition follows the general theme of the John Thomas Edison version, but with different wordings here and there. |
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The next two videos use lyrics referring to Greenland whaling.
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Key: G
Singer: Steve Benbow Posted by: steffenLarsen54 |
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Key: Gb
Singer: Ewan MacColl Posted by: Ewan MacColl - Topic |
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The next two videos have lyrics referring to Southern Ocean / Ross Sea whaling.
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Key: G
Singer: A. L. Lloyd Posted by: A. L. Lloyd - Topic |
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Key: F
CD: Wind Force Eight - On the Wild Canal Singers & Musicians: Bert Aalbers, Peer van der Burgh Posted by: Windkracht Acht - Topic Country: Netherlands Same tune as above, but somewhat different lyrics. |
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An American Instrumental (whistle) number.
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Key: ? ?
Artist: Ellen R. Cohn Posted by: Various Artists - Topic |
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Background Materials, Information & Links
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Lyrics:
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Paddy O'Brien left Ireland in glee;
He had a strong notion old England to see; He shipped in the Nellie for England was bound, And the whiskey he drank made his head go around. Refrain: Laddy whack, fol de dol, fol de roi i de dee. O, Paddy been never sailing before; It made his heart ache when he heard the loud roar, For the glance of his eye, a whale he did spy: "I'm going to be ate," says Paddy, "by-and-by." O, Paddy run forward and caught hold of the mast; He grasped his arms round and there he held fast; The boat gave a tip, and, losing his grip, Down in the whale's belly poor Paddy did slip. He was down in the whale six months and five days, Till luck one day to his throat he did pop. The whale give a snort and then give a blow, And out on the land poor Paddy did go. O, Paddy is landed and safe on the shore; He swears that he'll never go to sea any more. The next time he wishes old England to see, It will be when the railroad runs over the sea. |
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Background Links:
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Some sources suggest that this song dates to the 1890's. The earliest source I can find online is the version from John Thomas Edison of Fleur de Lys (NL), as collected by Elizabeth B. Greenleaf and Grace Y. Mansfield in 1929. Most likely, it originated in Ireland or England in the latter part of the 19th century. Recordings in the 1950's, and later, were probably influenced by the John Thomas Edison version, as published by Harvard University in 1933.
Click HERE for additional (wikipedia) info on Elizabeth Bristol Greenleaf Click HERE for a copy of "Ballads and sea songs of Newfoundland" from the Memorial University of Newfoundland - Digital Archives Initiative. Then, in the Content box at right of the site window, scroll to and select Page 138 (and later Page 139) for the folksong "Paddy and the whale". Among other features of the site, these pages can be individually viewed, downloaded and printed using buttons near the top-right of the song-page screen. Since the earliest record (1929) of this song is Newfoundland and Labrador (although it may be older, and probably Irish), it is listed under the drop-down menu CANADA, NL-older. |