The Devil Is Dead march

also known as a song
Was song i.e. by the Wolfetones

Chorus:
Some say the devil is dead, the devil is dead, the devil is dead,
Some say the devil is dead, and buried in Killarney.
More say he rose again, more say he rose again,
More say he rose again, and joined the British Army.

Feed the pigs and milk the cow, and milk the cow, and milk the cow,
Feed the pigs and milk the cow, and early in the morning.
Cock your leg, oh Paddy dear, Paddy dear I’m over here,
Cock your leg, oh Paddy dear, It’s time to stop your yawning.

Chorus

Katie she is tall and thin, she’s tall and thin, and tall and thin,
Katie she is tall and thin, and likes her drops of brandy.
Drinks it in the bed each night, drinks it in the bed each night,
Drinks it in the bed each night, it makes her nice and randy.

Chorus

The wife she has the hairy thing, a hairy thing, a hairy thing,
The wife she has the hairy thing, she showed it to me on Sunday.
She bought it in the furrier’s shop, bought it in the furrier’s shop.
She bought it in the furrier’s shop, it’s going back on Monday.

I’m not sure, but is there a crossed line in these comments?
Trevor

Please ignore my last post; I hadn’t realised there was an alternative name for this tune.
Trevor

I learned this years ago from Kevin Burke’s playing on the Portland album. I like the differences between the G and A settings–different places to fit rolls and triplets in, different notes to emphasize. In the 7th bar of the B part, Burke uses a long downhill slide on that f2–a trademark of his in certain tunes (reminds me of the downhill slide he usually does on the B2 in the B part of Silver Spear).

T:Some Say the Devil’s Dead
M:4/4
L:1/8
K:A
|: E2 EF ABcB | A~F3 dFAF | ~E3F ABcf |1 efec (3BcB AF :|2 efec (3BcB A2 ||
| e2 ed cd e2 | ef{a}fe fgaf | efed cdec | ABcA B2 Ac |
| e2 ed cd e2 | ef{a}fe fgaf | e~a3 f2 ec | ABcA (3BcB AF ||

sounds like
love will you marry me
on de danann

This is a version of a Scots Strathspey, The Braes of Mar, a 4-part version of which is popular among Cape Breton Fiddlers.

A 2-part setting much like that posted here is found as a Highland in the Donegal repertoire.

I learned this tune from Groianna Hambly, a great harpist. Its a lively dance tune danced in pairs sort of like Shew the Donkey. The name its most commonly known under is Johnny Will You Marry Me. What ever you call it, its a great tune! It can also be heard on The Chieftains album Another Country.

I learned this tune from John Skelton just over a month ago… a nice Fling, or Strathspey, to get technical 🙂~ If it’s played fast enough it is a really nice tune for many of the Highland dances.

Damned there seems to be a lot of these scattered about under either ‘hornpipes’ or ‘reels’ and little idea of their origin or motivation… This would be closer to the bone categorized under ‘barndance’, but they deserve a category of their own…

There is an apology if you click on my name. My ignorance is accepted in falling into the use of capitals in the heading above, and sounding so damned self-righteous. I like Highlands and other of the minority tune forms used in Irish traditions, including the accompanying dances. They have tended to survive as single reels, and they make damned nice ones too. I’d rather this than a decent melody went into oblivion.

The use of CAPITALS wasn’t as I’ve been told, to SHOUT, but was an attempt with three such tunes to find some way to search on site and have ‘HIGHLAND FLINGS’ show under that collective heading. A number of tunes have ‘highland’ or ‘fling’ in the title, but there are a slew that do not and that have been gathered under their alternate uses or interpretations, as ‘single reels’ for example. This particular tune is one of the most popular of the old highland flings. But hey, a good tune is sometimes dual voltage, or multi, and can work in more forms than it originates in. Best it be enjoyed than lost or fought over…

M: 4/4
L: 1/8
R: highland fling
K: Gmaj
|: GE |
(3DDD D>E G>AB>A | G>E (3EEE c>EG>E | (3DDD D>E G>AB>c | d>ed>B A2 :|
|: G2 |
d2 d>c B>c d2 |1 (e2 e>d c>d e2 | (3ddd d>c B>cd>B | G>A (3BAG (3AAA :|
2 (3eee e>d e>f g2 | d2 g>d (3efg d>B | GA (3BAG A2 :|

Alternate takes on the lead in to the B-part:
|: G>B |
|: (3GAB |
& the A-part, of course, since we’re doing this:
|: (3GFE |

Check out this near relative, or mutant, and also the comments for the tune:

“Gorman’s” ~ reel / highland fling
Key signature: D Major
Submitted on March 22nd 2003 by Dow.
https://thesession.org/tunes/1540

X:1
T:Braes of Marr
M:4/4
L:1/8
K:D
A/G/| F>A A>B d>e f>d|B/B/B B>A d<c B>A|F>A A>B d>e f>d|g>e f<d e2 d :||
g| f<a a>f d>f a<f| g/g/g g>f g>a (3bag| f<a a>f d>f a>f| g>b f/a/f e2 d>g|
f<a a>f d>f a<f| g/g/g g>f g>a (3bag| f<a a>f d>f a>f| g>b f/a/f e2 d<B||
e/e/e e>f g>e f>d| B/B/B B>A d<c B>A|F>A A>B d>e f>d| g>e f<d e2 d<B|
e/e/e e>f g>e (3fed| B/B/B B>A d<c B>A|F>A A>B d>e f<d| g>b f/a/f e2 d||
G| F>A A>F D>B A>F| E/E/E E>F G>B (3BAG|F>A A>F A<B A>F| G<B A<F E2 D>G|
| F>A A>F D>B A>F| E/E/E E>F G>B (3BAG|F<A A>B d>f a<f| g>b f/a/f e2 d||

Learned this version of from the Ottawa Cape Breton Session set list (http://web.ripnet.com/%7Ebmacgi/tunes.htm, set # 18) Also included in this particular set is a rather catchy tune called My Great Friend John Morris Rankin written by Brenda Stubbert. I would post the abc’s on this site, but it’s probably under copyright……

love, will you marry me, see:
https://thesession.org/discussions/15096

and run away with the band? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tbGEYLOacV4 (3’50“ - 5’56“)

play video

Paul O’Shaughnessy plays this highland in D major like this on “Within a Mile of Dublin”:

K: Dmaj
|:A<FA>B d>gf>e|d2B>G d>GB>G|A2F>A d>ef>a|1 g2f>g e2d>B:|2 g2f>g e2d2||
|:f<aa>f d>fa>f|g2b>g d>gb>g|a2a>f d>ef>a|1 (3gab f>g e2d2:|2 (3gab f>g e2d>B||

The tune is given a wrong title “Green Grow the Rushes” on the recording. A very similar version in D appears on Gerry O’Connor, Gabriel McArdle and Martin Quinn’s recent album “Jig away the Donkey: Music and Song of South Ulster.”

Sorry, I can’t edit the setting as I wish.

I keep trying to add the body of this as a setting, but it keeps messing up and won’t let me fix what I did. Works right initially, but doesn’t save right. :( I was trying to more a similar to the version that Alasdair Fraser and Laura Risk play.

Problem fixed. Thank you, Jeremy.

Although I input the setting X:6 under “Jenny Will You Marry Me” as a reel, I know it as Braes O’ Mar, a Strathspey.

This tune first really popped out at me on this youtube video of a Scottish step dance, paired up with Jenny Dang the Weaver…

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p8rgJxkn2L8

play video

It sounded very familiar but I couldn’t place it right away. Nigel Gatherer informed me of the name and I realized I had several versions of it in my mp3 collection. My favorite versions are the ones played by Alasdair Fraser and Laura Risk. Their versions are pretty much identical and I wouldn’t be surprised if one of them learned it from the other. This particular setting is my attempt at a setting of how they play it. I couldn’t find any others like it on session.org.

I have a two part version of this tune in my “The Fiddle Music of Scotland”(James Hunter) book and it is credited to a John Coutts of Deeside. There are also versions in “The Harp and Claymore”(Skinner) and the Skye Collection. It is most certainly Scottish.

Nigel Gatherer has a version of this tune on his site that I used heavily as a reference, but his version is slightly different than how Alasdair Fraser and Laura Risk play it. Different enough that I felt it warranted posting. Here is Nigel’s version…
http://www.nigelgatherer.com/tunes/tab/tab13/brmar.html

I employ the “driven bow” or “arrow stroke” bowing technique on this tune as layed out in the beginning of “The Fiddle Music of Scotland” (Hunter). The first four notes are played down, up, up, up with a loop slur separating the 2nd and third notes. You’ll notice that this bowing pattern can be used at the the beginning of several phrases that begin with a scotch snap (16th note followed by a dotted eighth). To those not familiar with this technique, it’s a little challenging starting out, but it’s a lot of fun once you get use to it and you’ll start to notice the pattern in a lot of strathspeys.

…a.k.a
Bímse fhéin ag iascaireacht
(‘I myself go fishing’)
This nice lilting ditty from the Aran islands was recorded by Lasairfhíona Ní Chonala & her brother on her 2002 album. The lyrics can be found at;
https://songsinirish.com/bimse-fein-ag-iascaireacht-lyrics/

Related to the Maggie Picken;
https://thesession.org/tunes/3041

This is the version I learned off of the De Danann album Mist Covered Mountain. They play the whole thing half a step up in Eflat but I transposed it down to D. A lot of similarities to X:3 but staying in the lower octave in the B part and some minor phrase differences.