Maggie In The Woods polka

This is from John Walsh’s “Session Tunes” document. I was surprised it’s not already in the collection. It’s a nice polka, easy to play.

Walsh comments: “There are some slightly rowdy lyrics on one of the early Chieftains albums.”

🙂
I looked for the lyrics but couldn’t find them.

These are the lyrics sung on the Chieftains album:

“If I had Maggie in the woods
I’d do her all the good I coud
If I had Maggie in the woods
I’d keep here there til morning”

We have a male and female voice in our group
so we wrote an answer verse:

“You won’t have me, not in the woods
For I fear that you mean me no good
So go on back to yer dear old mum
And I’ll see you in the morning”

This tune bears a strong resemblance to the Scartaglen Polka, which I can incidentally not find in The Session’s Archives. The Scartaglen only differs slightly from Maggie in the Wood, and in fact adds onto it with a third part. I’m not sure if Maggie was derived from the Scartaglen or if it was the other way around, but you can find a recording of the latter on The Chieftains 2, played along with Sweeney’s and Dennis Murphy’s. Oh, and as I understand it, Paddy Moloney wrote the original lyrics to Maggie in the Woods, or at least that’s what I seem to recall having read in the liner notes to The Chieftains 8.

I think, although Im not sure, that The Chieftains lyrics were written in honour of Princess Margaret who called the irish “Pigs” and so The Chieftains honoured her in song, ha!

Johnathan

I play this tune as a jig.
I think i prefer it to a polka.

Submitted on July 8th 2006 by ceolachan.
https://thesession.org/tunes/5945

I’m sure we had another name or two for this, and I am surprised I didn’t find it on site, but it may still be here elsewhere. Anyway, see if this is what you’re thinking of. If you’ve another take on it, please add it in the comments. I’d be very interested to see as would others. It is also played in A…

M: 2/4
L: 1/8
R: polka
K: G Major
B/A/ |
GD GA | Be e/f/g/e/ | dB B/A/G/A/ | BA A/c/B/A/ |
GD GA | Be e/f/g/e/ | dB AB/A/ | G2 G :|
d |
g>f ed | ef g>e | dB B/A/G/A/ | BA A>d |
g>f ed | ef g>e | dB AB | G2 G :|

they report that <<Moloney wrote these lyrics in mischievous response to a comment reportedly made by Princess Margaret (Queen Elizabeth’s sister), characterizing the Irish as pigs>>!

The following tune on Will Atkinson’s album “Mouthorgan”, where it is simply called Untitled, has a first part that is essentially the same as that of the polka Maggie In The Wood:

X: 1
T: Untitled
L: 1/8
R: 2/4
K: G

|:GD G>A|Be e g/e/|d B/d/ c/b/a/g/|BA A B/A/|GD G>A|Be e g/e/|d B/d/ c/B/A/B/|1 G2 G B/A/:|2 G2 G B/d/|

|:Ge e/d/e/f/|gB B g/e/|d B/d/ c/B/A/G/|BA A B/d/|ge e/d/e/f/|gB B g/e/|d B/d/ c/B/A/B/|1 G2 G B/d/:|2 G2 G2|

Maybe 4/4 would be a better time for this tune - I really don’t know. As played by Will Atkinson, the late Northumbrian musician, its feel and tempo are more like those of a Lowland Scottish reel than anything else.

Lowland Scottish reel?! Lowland Scottish reels do not sound like this tune.

I know the tune for this title from a Chieftains album, but is there a complete song/lyrics for this title?

Thanks, Art

I think this is it.

If I had Maggie in the wood,
I’d do her all the good I could,
If I had Maggie in the wood,
I’d keep her there till morning.

Or, similar. Have not heard any others.

‘Round these parts, we sing our man Dave’s version he so kindly posted on here some years back:

https://thesession.org/tunes/291#comment4438

More info with some alleged claims:

http://www.stmoroky.com/reviews/music/chief-8.htm

“[Paddy] Moloney wrote these lyrics in mischievous response to a comment reportedly made by Princess Margaret (Queen Elizabeth’s sister), characterizing the Irish as pigs.”

Well, my link to Dave’s verse isn’t working, so here goes his post from the Comments tab on the tune link:

These are the lyrics sung on the Chieftains album:

“If I had Maggie in the woods
I’d do her all the good I could
If I had Maggie in the woods
I’d keep here there til morning”

We have a male and female voice in our group
so we wrote an answer verse:

“You won’t have me, not in the woods
For I fear that you mean me no good
So go on back to yer dear old mum
And I’ll see you in the morning”

One wonders what lyrics are flying round the Cymric heartlands about Tony Blair and Anne Robinson, following their aspersions on the Welsh.

I think we should be told.

Raidió na Gaeltachta in Baile na nGall used to play a recording of it (in English) by an old woman, which seemed a bit naughty to my young ears. From recollection, it went something like:

If I had Maggie in the woods
I’d surely give her something good.
If I had Maggie in the woods
I’d keep her there til morning.

My mother used to sing the following to me when I learned that tune many years ago:

“ If I met Maggie in the wood,
I would kiss her if I could
for that’s the thing that would do her good,
and a cup of tay in the morning.“

A mighty tune, one of my personal favorites!
And a favorite of one of my more experienced session-mates.
He always smiles when I launch into it.
(although I know that opinion is not shared by all)

I first came across this tune in my school days in the early 1940s. We sang it with great gusto in Irish, but as with many of my contemporaries, my love of the Irish language had been beaten out of my me by adults with big sticks. Consequently I had no idea what we were singing about. Speaking phonetically the first line went like this ’ On walka to ma hay machine, ma hay machine, ma hay machine. On walka to ma hay machine……………..? The first few words translated into English as ’Have you seen my (something) etc etc, and we were not singing about a mowing machine
Maybe somebody can throw more light on this ?

“my love of the Irish language had been beaten out of my me by adults with big sticks”

That is what killed gaelic, or at least mortally wounded it, here in the Hebrides too. In the 40’s and 50’s the punishment for speaking gaelic in the playground was the belt, even though many children couldn’t speak English. As a consequence my parents generation were the last generation when gaelic was the main language. My kids are both fluent but don’t use it with their friends etc. Hoepfully they’ll appreciate it in later life.

The boot will surely be on the other foot by now or soon enough.
Any English speakers who cannot also speak Gaelige north of whatever chosen latitude should be given a jolly good floggin’. I know it probably sounds naive, but why in God’s name would they want to flog Gaelic out of living memory. Just as well they can’t play cricket anymore - give others a chance to hand out a few good old English floggings.

“Maggie in the Woods” is also the name used for the 4th figure of the Connemara Reel set, and the dancers insists on this polka. Always great fun, and a grand tune!

https://thesession.org/recordings/1375

Tracks 7 - 10, three reel sets and the polka: “The Connemara Set”

Unfortunately some daft person decided to add sean nós stepping to the music intended for figure 1, basically ruining the set, however well stepped it may be, and, it is nice, but not here. One can use another track from the album or ignore the battering and use that track for figure one anyway. Johnny Connolly’s tempos are grand, not the murdering usually done in the name of set dancing. And, the final 4th figure shouldn’t be manic, as it often is. Johnny’s way with it, and tempo, is perfect ~

10: “Maggie in the Woods”

If for nothing else, learn to play for The Connemara Set live from someone who was born to that task, Johnny Connolly, using this man’s music, ways and tempos as your inspiration and guide…

Even here things change. The ‘auld’ way of it was one tune for one figure, but nowadays playing a pair is more the norm, tunes in sets…

All three of Johnny Connolly Seniors recordings are highly recommended by me ~ and by the local community of dancers here abouts too…

I ran into this tune via a CD of trad tunes with contemporary arrangements by Na Casaidigh, “Songs of our Childhood” I was not big on all of the arrangements, the logic I guess was to not sound like really hardcore trad music, to bring these songs to a wider audience. Nevertheless it’s a great little album just for the cultural value of the songs.

The words make me a little sad because of the 9-10 words in Irish that I can understand, I know it’s about a little boy going off to school with no shoes. (I didn’t write the translation below)

The sheet music on this page differs from the melody they used, I’ll try to post it if I can figure out ABC notation.

When my Irish dad sang the lyrics, my Newfoundlander mom said about the tune “that’s Muscles in the Corner”.

An bhfaca tú mo Shéamuisín
Mo stóirín óg, mo bhuachailín?
An bhfaca tú mo Shéamuisín
Is é ’gabháil síos an bóthar?
Níl bróg ar bith ar a dhá choisín
Ar a dhá choisín, ar a dhá choisín
Níl bróg ar bith ar a dhá choisín
Níl caipí air ná clóca

Ag dul ar scoil tá Shéamuisín
Mo stóirín óg, mo bhuachailín?
Ag dul ar scoil tá Shéamuisín
’S a leabharín buí ’na phóca
Ar a dhriom tá máilín beag
Tá máilín beag, tá máilín beag
Ar a dhriom tá máilín beag
’S a lóinsín ann is dócha

Do rugadh é i Móin a Lín
Ag bun an chnoic i nead éinín
Do rugadh é i Móin a Lín
In aice le Bun Dóite
Ó grá mo chroí mo Shéamuisín
Mo stóirín óg, mo bhuachailín
Ó grá mo chroí mo Shéamuisín
Ar maidin is tráthnóna

An bhfaca tú mo Shéamuisín
Mo stóirín óg, mo bhuachailín?
An bhfaca tú mo Shéamuisín
Is é ’gabháil síos an bóthar?
Níl bróg ar bith ar a dhá choisín
Ar a dhá choisín, ar a dhá choisín
Níl bróg ar bith ar a dhá choisín
Níl caipí air ná clóca

Have you seen my Seamusín
My dearest, darling, little boy
Have you seen my Seamusín
Going down the road?
He has no shoes on his little feet
His little feet, his little feet
He has no shoes on his little feet
He wears no cap or cloak

Seamusín is going to school
My dearest, darling, little boy
Seamusín is going to school
With a yellow book in his pocket
On his back is a little bag
A little bag, a little bag
On his back is a little bag
In which he has his lunch

He was born in Monalee
Below the hill in a small bird nest
He was born in Monalee
Not far from Bun Doite
Seamusín is my pride and joy
My dearest, darling, little boy
Seamusín is my pride and joy
In the morning and the evening

Have you seen my Seamusín
My dearest, darling, little boy
Have you seen my Seamusín
Going down the road
He has no shoes on his little feet
His little feet, his little feet
He has no shoes on his little feet
He wears no cap or cloak

well spotted noinin, these words can be heard at:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YqsH0beonxo in a

play video

‘Country and Childern’ version and by Na Casadaigh at:
http://unitedireland.tripod.com/id1013.html

NB: See interestzing notes on the same song performed by Joe Heaney / Sheosaimh Uí / Joe Éinniú at:
http://www.joeheaney.org/default.asp?contentID=682
You can hear him perform this ‘school song’ in his one and only ‘old style’!

Pádraigín Ní Uallacháin sings the same words on a different tune, listed as Joe Bane’s (1st part only) at: https://thesession.org/tunes/3227 It can be heard on her album A Stór is A Stóirín.

A Stór Is A Stóirín: https://thesession.org/recordings/3689

The Chieftains 8
http://www.stmoroky.com/reviews/music/chief-8.htm

# Posted on September 30th 2006 by birlibirdie ~ see above

X: 2
T: Maggie In The Woods
M: 2/4
L: 1/8
R: polka
K: GMaj
|: GD G>A | Be e2 | dB B/A/G/A/ | BA AB/A/ |
GD GG/A/ | Be eg/e/ | dB AB/A/ | G2 G2 :|
|: gf ed | Be eg/e/ | dB B/A/G/A/ | BA A(3B/c/d/ |
g>f ed | Be- eg/e/ | dB AB/A/ | G2 G2 :|

Transcribed from the uilleann piping of Tommy Reck, this transcription transposed from C to D, Tommy was playing a flat set… I count myself lucky to have been around when Tommy started playing again, and I caught his first performances, a sweet man, a true ‘gentle’ man…

This is the first tune I learned to play on the concertina. However I can’t find the ABC notation on the session. I learned the tune from irish academy of music. I would like to find the music as there is a couple of things I need to check. The irish website does not solve my query. It’s a great little polka 🙂

Setting as played at the Golden Guinea pub session, Bristol, UK.

Apparently also known as Knocknaborough Polka.
Related to Scartaglen Polka (the tunes sound similar, but are not nearly identical).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pb5FsY3Vslk

play video

Ballyglass, Co Sligo flute player Eddie Cahill recorded this tune under the title “A bfhaca tu mo Sheamuisin” (“Did You See My Seamus?”) on his 1979 album Ah! Surely. The title relates to the words which noinin posted above.

Mec Lir version played as a slide

Maggie slid out of the woods to become an Echo - https://thesession.org/tunes/5945

This version appears in the Feis Ceoil Collection of Irish Airs (1914), titled ‘Nancy wants her own share’ and was collected in South Wexford in the late 19th century.