The song collector Colm Ó Lochlainn, in his book Irish Street Ballads, described how his mother learnt "Whiskey in the Jar" in Limerick in 1870 from a man called Buckley who came from Cork. The song appeared in a form close to its modern version in a precursor called "The Sporting Hero, or, Whiskey in the Bar" in a mid-1850s broadsheet. One such version, from Massachusetts, is about Alan McCollister, an Irish-American soldier who is sentenced to death by hanging for robbing British officials. The American versions are sometimes set in America and deal with American characters. Such feelings inspired this rollicking ballad." Īt some point, the song came to the United States and was a favourite in Colonial America because of its irreverent attitude toward British officials. In regard to the history of the song, Lomax states, "The folk of seventeenth century Britain liked and admired their local highwaymen and in Ireland (or Scotland) where the gentlemen of the roads robbed English landlords, they were regarded as national patriots. In the book The Folk Songs of North America, folk music historian Alan Lomax suggests that the song originated in the 17th century, and (based on plot similarities) that John Gay's 1728 The Beggar's Opera was inspired by Gay hearing an Irish ballad-monger singing "Whiskey in the Jar".
A number of its lines and the general plot resemble those of a contemporary broadside ballad "Patrick Fleming" (also called "Patrick Flemmen he was a Valiant Soldier") about Irish highwayman Patrick Fleming, who was executed in 1650. The details of the betrayal are also different, being either betraying him to the person he robbed and replacing his ammunition with sand or water, or not, resulting in his killing the person. The protagonist's wife or lover is sometimes called Molly, Jenny, Emzy, or Ginny among various other names. Names in the song change, and the official can be a Captain or a Colonel, called Farrell or Pepper among other names.
It is also sometimes placed in the American South, in various places among the Ozarks or Appalachians, possibly due to Irish settlement in these places. Various versions of the song take place in Kerry, Kilmoganny, Cork, Sligo Town, and other locations throughout Ireland. "Whiskey in the Jar" is the tale of a highwayman or footpad who, after robbing a military or government official, is betrayed by a woman whether she is his wife or sweetheart is not made clear. In 2019, Canadian singer-songwriter Bryan Adams performed a cover of the song on his album Shine a Light. American metal band Metallica in 1998 played a version very similar to that of Thin Lizzy's, though with a heavier sound, winning a Grammy for the song in 2000 for Best Hard Rock Performance. In 1990, The Dubliners re-recorded the song with The Pogues with a faster rocky version charting at No. Irish rock band Thin Lizzy hit the Irish and British pop charts with the song in 1973. In the U.S., the song was popularised by The Highwaymen, who recorded it on their 1962 album Encore. The song first gained wide exposure when Irish folk band The Dubliners performed it internationally as a signature song, and recorded it on three albums in the 1960s.
The song, about a rapparee ( highwayman) who is betrayed by his wife or lover, is one of the most widely performed traditional Irish songs and has been recorded by numerous artists since the 1950s.
" Whiskey in the Jar" ( Roud 533) is an Irish traditional song set in the southern mountains of Ireland, often with specific mention of counties Cork and Kerry. For the Thin Lizzy album, see Whiskey in the Jar (album).
0 kommentar(er)
