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Lyr Req: Arrah, Patsy Mind The Baby
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Lyr Req: Arrah, Patsy Mind The Baby |
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Subject: Lyr Req: Arrah, Patsy Mind The Baby From: Rapparee Date: 02 Mar 07 - 09:32 PM I've checked both the DT and the Forum -- nothing. I'm re-reading Kipling's "Stalky & Co." and the song figures throughout the work. Anyone know it? |
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Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Arrah, Patsy Mind The Baby From: Peace Date: 02 Mar 07 - 09:45 PM "Stalky, The Slave of the Lamp, in black tights and doublet, a black silk half-mask on his forehead, whistled lazily where he lay on the top of the piano. It was a catchy music-hall tune. Dick Four cocked his head critically, and squinted down a large red nose. `Once more, and I can pick it up,' he said, strumming. `Sing the words.' `Arrah, Patsy, mind the baby! Arrah, Patsy, mind the child! Wrap him up in an overcoat, he's surely goin' wild! Arrah, Patsy, mind the baby; just ye mind the child awhile! He'll kick an' bite an' cry all night! Arrah, Patsy, mind the child!'" Huh. |
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Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Arrah, Patsy Mind The Baby From: Rapparee Date: 03 Mar 07 - 11:48 AM Is...is there more? |
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Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Arrah, Patsy Mind The Baby From: Peace Date: 03 Mar 07 - 05:09 PM That is all I could locate, Rap. I will keep looking, but there may not BE more on the www. |
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Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Arrah, Patsy Mind The Baby From: Rapparee Date: 03 Mar 07 - 06:37 PM And Kipling could have written only that much, just for the novel. But! If you arrange it so and add just a couple of words: "`Arrah, Patsy, mind the baby! Arrah, Patsy, mind the child! Wrap him up in an overcoat, For he's surely goin' wild! Arrah, Patsy, mind the baby; Just ye mind the child awhile! He'll kick an' bite an' cry all night! Arrah, Patsy, mind the child!'" you can sing it to the tune of "Ode to Joy" (the chorale finale to Beethoven's Ninth). But you know, I really don't think Kipling had that in mind and if it were a real music-hall song it was sung to that tune. |
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Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Arrah, Patsy Mind The Baby From: Malcolm Douglas Date: 03 Mar 07 - 07:11 PM The song is actually called 'Patrick, Mind the Baby'. Kilgarriff lists it in the repertoire of G W 'Pony' Moore (Moore and Burgess Minstrels, UK) from around 1878; but it was evidently written by the American actor, playwright and songwriter Edward Harrigan (1844-1911). For words and music (1876), see Music for the Nation: American Sheet Music, 1870-1885: Patrick mind the baby |
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Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Arrah, Patsy Mind The Baby From: Peace Date: 03 Mar 07 - 07:18 PM Brilliant, Malcolm. |
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Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Arrah, Patsy Mind The Baby From: Rapparee Date: 03 Mar 07 - 10:25 PM You've out-Librarianed this old Reference Librarian! Thank you! (And it doesn't seem to be sung to the Beethoven....) |
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Subject: Lyr Add: PATRICK MIND THE BABY (Ed Harrigan) From: Jim Dixon Date: 06 Mar 07 - 07:25 AM From The Library of Congress American Memory Collection. Thanks to Malcolm Douglas for providing the link. (But how come, when you follow his link, it has a pink background, but when you follow mine, it's green?) PATRICK MIND THE BABY Written, composed and sung by Ed. Harrigan. 1876 1. The father of a bouncing girl I was, when twelve months wed. A credit to the neighborhood, she'd cheeks like cherries red; And when from labor I came home, towards the close of day, Me wife put Nelly in me arms, and this to me did say: CHORUS: Arrah, Patrick, mind the baby. Arrah, Patrick, mind the child. Tie it up in an overcoat. She's surely going wild! Arrah, Patrick, mind the baby. Just ye mind the child awhile. She'll kick and bite and cry all night. Arrah, Patrick, mind the child. 2. Soothing syrup and castor oil and paregoric too, We gave the child when she had fits but could not bring her to. She'd mustard plasters on her feet and would drink big bowls o' tay, And then they'd lay her in my arms and this to me would say: CHORUS. 3. But when our Nelly a lady grew, I'd no control at all. She'd say, "I am no baby now!" and waltz off to a ball. Bad luck to joy, there came a boy on last St. Patrick's day. Me wife put Patsey in me arms and this to me did say: CHORUS. |
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Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Arrah, Patsy Mind The Baby From: Rapparee Date: 06 Mar 07 - 09:04 PM Why do you suppose that Kipling used an American music-hall song in his novel? I mean, this particular song. |
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Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Arrah, Patsy Mind The Baby From: Malcolm Douglas Date: 06 Mar 07 - 11:07 PM It was popular in England when he was a lad, that's why. In 1878, when the song was first a 'hit' here, he was 13, and at school in Devon; Stalkey and Co, as you know, was based on his own schooldays. He was always keen on such aspects of popular culture, and much influenced by them. As to why that particular song, I suppose that it must have been a special favourite at the United Services College. |
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Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Arrah, Patsy Mind The Baby From: Mudlark Date: 07 Mar 07 - 12:00 AM Y'all are great. I'm not even particularly interested in this song, but I'm blown away by your expertise! |
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Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Arrah, Patsy Mind The Baby From: Rapparee Date: 07 Mar 07 - 08:54 AM Okay, that makes sense. I thought that it might have had some deeper significance, but that's my background in literature studies coming out. It does work well in the book, especially at the end when it's used as an identification. |
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Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Arrah, Patsy Mind The Baby From: GUEST,Pavlag Date: 05 Apr 13 - 04:15 AM I've been re-reading Stalky and Co too and wondered where the song came from, so thanks! |
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Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Arrah, Patsy Mind The Baby From: GUEST,Cath B Date: 18 Aug 13 - 03:31 AM I just came across it in Stalky too! |
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Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Arrah, Patsy Mind The Baby From: GUEST,Ellen Vannin Date: 18 Aug 13 - 09:42 AM A long time ago there was a TV adaptation of Stalky and Co - I can't remember whether I watched all of it or just one episode, in fact all I remember is a shot of the boys dancing and singing this. I always meant to try and find the song, but never got round to it. Thanks! |
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Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Arrah, Patsy Mind The Baby From: GUEST,johnny Date: 21 Jul 15 - 07:51 AM I looked the music for this song up. I think Kipling chose it working back from an incident in the final story in Stalky and Co, for which he wanted a tune that Stalky's messenger could play half of on a bugle and get Dickson Quartus to play the rest. There aren't that many tunes you could play most or all of on a bugle because of its restricted range of notes (no valves, so natural harmonics only), but "Mind the Baby" is indeed one of them. |
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Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Arrah, Patsy Mind The Baby From: MartinRyan Date: 21 Jul 15 - 11:35 AM My father drove a Guinness delivery truck all his working life in Dublin and throughout the country. Making a delivery in the city, the driver and his mate (or "stillionman" as he was called - parse that!) would roll the barrels off the deck onto a heavy hessian-bound "cushion" or shock absorber. Their standard cry to warn passersby was always "Mind the Holy Water!"! Regards |
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Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Arrah, Patsy Mind The Baby From: Rapparee Date: 21 Jul 15 - 10:53 PM On a recent trip to Ireland a coach driver called McDonald's "the American embassy." |
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