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Farewell to Whisky (Slan Le N-Uisge Beata-Johnny My Man)
Slow Air, Country Dance, Polka, Reel, or March (2/4 time). Scottish (originally), Canadian, English, Irish, American; Strathspey (originally), Canada; Cape Breton, Prince Edward Island, Ontario. USA, New England.
ARTIST: Jean Redpath on Song of the Seals;
CATEGORY: Fiddle and Instrumental Tunes; DATE: 1901 (Ford)
RECORDING INFO: Jessie Murray, "Farewell to Whisky". Recorded on Folk Songs of Britain 3, Jack of all Trades; Claddagh CC5, Dennis Murphy & Julia Clifford (both from Sliabh Luachra, Co. Kerry) - "The Star Above the Garter." DMP6-27, Doug MacPhee - "Cape Breton Piano II" (1979). F&W Records 3, "The Canterbury Country Orchestra Meets the F&W String Band." Front Hall FHR-023, Michael, McCreesh & Campbell - "The Host of the Air" (1980). Greentrax CDTRAX 9009, Albert Stewart - "Scottish Tradition 9: The Fiddler and his Art" (1993). Kicking Mule 216, Strathspey- "New England Contra Dance Music" (1977). Shanachie 33004, James Morrison- "The Pure Genius of James Morrison." Smithsonian Folkways SFW CD 40126, Rodney Miller - "Choose Your Partners: Contra Dance & Square Dance Music of New Hampshire" (1999).
OTHER NAMES: O Johnnie, My Man; Johnnie, My Man; Farewell to Whiskey; "Neil/Niel Gow's Farewell to Whiskey." "Go rabh slan leis an ól," "Goodbye Whiskey" (Pa.), "The Ladies Triumph," "Murphy's Favor," "My Love is But a Lassie," "The Rose in the Garden," "Young America Hornpipe." See also related tune "Twin Sisters" (New England).
SOURCES: From Kuntz, Fiddler's Companion, http://www.ceolas.org/tunes/fc): Mary (Beaton) Macdonald (Cape Breton) [Dunlay & Greenberg, Dunlay & Reich]; Strathspey (New England) [Brody]; accordion player Johnny O'Leary (Sliabh Luachra region of the Cork-Kerry border), recorded in concert at Na Piobairi Uilleann, February, 1981 [Moylan]; Cosmas Sigsworth (b. 1917, Corrville, Central Kings County, Prince Edward Island; now resident of Cardigan) [Perlman]; fiddler Dawson Girdwood (Perth, Ottawa Valley, Ontario) [Begin]. Alburger (Scottish Fiddlers and Their Music), 1983; Ex. 72, pgs. 109-110. Begin (Fiddle Music from the Ottawa Valley), 1985; No. 73, pg. 83. Brody (Fiddler's Fakebook), 1983; pg. 102. Carlin (The Gow Collection), 1986; No. 57. Cranitch (Irish Fiddle Book), 1996; No. 48, pg. 143. Dunlay & Greenberg (Traditional Celtic Violin Music of Cape Breton), 1996; pg. 141. Dunlay & Reich (Traditional Celtic Fiddle Music of Cape Breton), 1986; pg. 68. Hunter (Fiddle Music of Scotland), 1988; No. 47. MacDonald (The Skye Collection), 1887; pg. 136. Mallinson (101 Polkas), 1997; No. 11, pg. 5. Martin (Ceol na Fidhle), Vol. 1, 1991; pg. 15 (appears as "Neil Gow's Farewell to Whisky"). Miller & Perron (101 Polkas), 1978; No. 46. Miller & Perron (New England Fiddler's Repertoire), 1983; No. 134. Moylan (Johnny O'Leary), 1994; No. 55, pg. 32. Neil (The Scots Fiddle), 1991; No. 99, pg. 134. O'Neill (1915 ed.), 1987; No. 103, pg. 57 (march version). O'Neill (1850), 1979; No. 1825, pg. 343 (march version). Perlman (The Fiddle Music of Prince Edward Island), 1996; pg. 97. Raven (English Country Dance Tunes), 1984; pg 149 (appears under the title "The Ladies Triumph"). Roche Collection, 1982, Vol. 2; No. 350, pg. 62 (march version). Sannella, Balance and Swing (CDSS). Stewart-Robertson (The Athole Collection), 1884; pg. 153. Sweet (Fifer's Delgiht), 1964/1981; pg. 60. Tubridy (Irish Traditional Music, Vol. 1), 1999; pg. 11. Williamson (English, Welsh, Scottish and Irish Fiddle Tunes), 1976; pg. 67.
NOTES: "Farewell to Whiskey” by Niel Gow, Gow's Strathspey Reels, bk. 5 (1809). It appears the tune had been pretty well known for some time before the Gows published it, and Niel's reputation as a tipler was well known, too.(Kuntz, Fiddler's Companion, http://www.ceolas.org/tunes/fc).
"B Flat Major (Alburger, Carlin, Dunlay & Greenberg, Dunlay & Reich, Gow, Hunter, MacDonald, Neil): A Major (Begin); slow air, country dance, polka, reel or march version often played in G Major (Athole, Brody, Cranitch, Mallinson, Martin, Miller & Perron, Moylan, O'Neill, Raven, Roche & Williamson, Sweet, Tubridy). Standard. AAB (Dunlay & Greenberg, Neil): AABB (most versions). The original was composed by the famous Scottish fiddler Niel Gow (1727-1807) who identified it as a lament on the occasion of the British government's prohibition of using barley to make whiskey in 1799 due to the failure of the crop in Scotland in that year (see the companion tune "Welcome Whiskey Back Again"); it appears in his First Collection, 2nd edition (1801), and reappears in his Fifth Collection (1809). Gow was known to frequently and heartily imbibe, and his reputation for drinking seemed almost as well known as his skill on the fiddle. Verses were written to Gow's tune (appearing in 1804) illustrating his distress at the event (in fact Niel himself noted in the original composition that it gave voice to "the Highlander's sorrow at being deprived of his favourite beverage.") Neil (1991) relates a well-known anecdote about Gow and his quick wit, and which also possibly refers to his consumption of whiskey:
Gow's slow air quickly became popular, and soon was transformed into dance versions at faster tempos. Cape Breton variations are thought to be by Donald John "the Tailor" Beaton, according to Doug MacPhee (Dunlay & Greenberg); the tune is played as a slow air on Cape Breton, as it was originally written. Paul Cranford reports that some Cape Breton musicians play the tune and variations transposed down a half-step to the key of 'A' Major and tune the fiddle to AEAE. Co. Kerry accordion player Johnny O'Leary played the tune as a polka, pairing it with "The Dark Girl Dressed in Blue." New England fiddlers often play the tune in G Major as a reel for contra dancing; the tune has been a standard there for many years." (Kuntz, Fiddler's Companion, http://www.ceolas.org/tunes/fc).
LYRICS:
Oh, Johnny my man, do you no think o' risin'
The day is weel spent and the nicht's coming on
Your siller's a' done and the gill stoup is empty
Oh rise up, my Johnny, and come awa' hame
The bairnies at hame are roarin' and greetin'
Nae meal in the barrel tae fill their wee wames
You sit here drinkin' and leave me lamentin'
Oh rise up, my Johnny, and come awa' hame
Wha's that at the door that's speakin' sae kindly
It's the voice o' my ain wifie, Maggie by name
Come in, my dear lassie, and sit doon aside me
Na, rise up, my Johnny, and come awa' hame
Oh Johnny, my man, dae ye mind o' the courtin'
Nae ale-house or tavern ere ran in your mind
We spent the lang days mid the sweet smellin' roses
And ne'er gie'd a thocht towards gaun awa' hame
Oh weel dae I mind the times that ye speak o'
But they days have passed and will ne'er come again
Just think on the present, we'll try for tae mend it
So gie's your hand Maggie, and I'll awa' hame
When Johnny rase up, he banged the door open
Sayin', cursed be the ale-hoose that e'er let me in
And wae tae the whiskey that mak's me aye thirsty
So fare thee well, whiskey, and I'll awa' hame
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