There is an Alehouse- Andy Cash (Wex) 1973 REC
[ITMA Reference Number: 265-ITMA-MP3; Jim Carroll and Pat McKenzie Collection. Irish Traveller tape 8, Recording Date: 1973.
Listening: http://www.itma.ie/digitallibrary/sound/there-is-an-alehouse-cash
After Cash sings through it, he repeats most of it again. An additional verse was remembered later (ref. Carroll):
The road is long and the sea is deep,
And thinking of you, sure, I won't sleep,
Oh father dear, what a fool were I,
To hang myself for a butcher boy.
R. Matteson 2017]
THERE IS AN ALEHOUSE- as sung by Andy Cash, of Wexford County in 1973.
There are an alehouse all in this town,
It's where my love goes there, he do sit down
And he takes a strange girl all on his knee
And he'll tell her things what he won't tell me.
For I do know the reason why,
Is it because the girl have more gold than I?
But her gold my melt and her silver will fly
And she'll see the day she'll be as poor as I.
Then will he know I can wash and wring,
Oh then will he will know I can card and spin,
For I wish to God he took heed of me
And the day I ganged with my misery.
There are two birds on top of a tree,
Oh some say they are blind and they cannot see,
But I wish to God that old bird could see
And till apples grow on a lily tree.
Oh fye, oh fye, that girl she cried,
It's because she thinks has more gold than I,
But her gold will melt and her silver fly
And she'll see the day she'll be poor as I.
It's from Willie's company I'm forced to find,
And the want of money I will leave behind." [1]
* * * *
There are an alehouse all in this town,
It's where my love goes there, he do sit down
And he takes a strange girl all on his knee
And he'll tell her things what he won't tell me.
For I do know the reason why,
Is it because the girl have more gold than I?
But her gold my melt and her silver will fly
And the want of money I will leave behind.
There are two birds on top of a tree,
Oh some say they are blind and they cannot see,
But I wish to God that old bird could see
And till apples grow on a lily tree.
1. at this point Cash repeats most of the first stanzas.