Spanish Lady polka

Used for the dance Waves of Tory with tune Waves of Tory and Rattling Bog

This is also a very common song with many versions of the lyrics. The Contemplator ( http://www.contemplator.com ) has two versions, one as Spanish Lady and one as Galway City.
This was actually one of the very first Irish songs I ever learnt. I always play it as a song rather than tune, but sometimes play it in set with Maggie In the Woods, where the latter is an instrumental polka

Very similar to “Finnegan’s Wake” in O’Neill.
Trevor

Does anyone have the lyrics the Chieftains used for this song on their “Irish Evening” CD? It starts off pretty much the same as “the original,” but the young lady is washing her clothes by the pale moonlight (instead of her feet by charcoal heat). The final verse they sing has me completely stumped -- “Now blue it is a lovely color…”

Does anyone out there have the transcription?
Paul

There’s an old copy on broadsheet in the Bodleian Library about Chester city in England

Lyrics are on Wikipedia and quite a few versions sung on YouTube inc 3 Irish Tenors

Transcribed this off John McKenna …

X: 1
T: Thady Regan
S: John McKenna - “His Original Recordings” - Columbia 1928
M: 2/4
L: 1/8
R: Polka
K: Dmaj
N: First time through the tune
Z: George Grasso - 5 June 2010
FG AB/c/ | de de/f/ | {a}ge {g}fd | {c}BA A>G ||
FG AB/c/ | de de/f/ | {a}ge {g}fd | {c}BA A2 |]
[| fa {b}a (3f/g/f/ | (3e/f/e/ d/c/ de | fa {b}a (3f/g/f/ | (3e/f/e/ d e2 ||
fa {b}a (3f/g/f/ | (3e/f/e/ d/c/ de/f/ | {a}ge {g}fd | {c}BA A2 |]

~ /tunes/11853
Submitted on March 23rd 2012 by fiddlerman.
https://thesession.org/members/82037

X: 3
T: Spanish Ladies
T: Seige of Ennis #3, The
M: 2/4
L: 1/8
R: polka
K: Dmaj
|: FA AB/c/ | dd de/f/ | ge fd | BA A/B/A/G/ |
FA AB/c/ | dd de/f/ | ge fd | BA A2 :|
|: fa a/b/a/f/ | ed de | fa a/b/a/f/ | ae e>g |
fa a/b/a/f/ | ed de/f/ | ge fd | BA A2 :|

The ‘comments’ from the above rescued transcription can be found for “The Rattlin’ Bog”, the link given below.

“Allan’s Irish Fiddler: Containing 120 Reels & Jigs, Hornpipes & Set Dances selected from all sources, arranged by Hugh McDermott”
Mozart Allan, Glasgow
Page 30, Set Dances #118: “The Seige of Ennis”

That suggested set of polkas:

1. ) “The Rattlin‘ Bog” (with ’comments’)
https://thesession.org/tunes/583
2. ) “Farewell To Whisky”
https://thesession.org/tunes/1529
3. ) “Spanish Ladies”

Clare’s Dragoons (a March) https://thesession.org/tunes/777

I’m not much of a fan of playing a song as a polka, and I don’t really like the Spanish Lady song, so when I found Paddy Cronin’s take on this I figured I couldn’t help but learn it. It’s a little bit notey, but I like how it deviates from the old classic song. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hmm7u7Z7kPU)

play video

My guess is Paddy had a different name for the polka that possibly predated the lyrics, but at the fear that it might be called “Patrick O’Keeffe’s” I think it is best that I don’t have it to include here.

I’ve heard this played with the Rose Tree and Britches Full of Stitches. It might be nice alongside “I Looked East and I Looked West” in D.

Bit of a long shot but is there anyone out there who remembers this tune set to words for an ad on RTE for bread probably in the late sixties early seventies? I remember snatches of the lyrics along the lines of:
" first they bake it then they slice it, wrap it send it in the van,
So that when he comes home hungry it is fresh and tasty for your man"
It’s been bugging me a couple of years!