Jolly Tinker, The

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  • Teideal (Title): Jolly Tinker, The.
  • Uimhir Chatalóige Ollscoil Washington (University of Washington Catalogue Number): 781516.
  • Uimhir Chnuasach Bhéaloideas Éireann (National Folklore of Ireland Number): none.
  • Uimhir Roud (Roud Number): 863.
  • Uimhir Laws (Laws Number): none.
  • Uimhir Child (Child Number): none.
  • Cnuasach (Collection): Joe Heaney Collection, University of Washington, Seattle.
  • Teanga na Croímhíre (Core-Item Language): English.
  • Catagóir (Category): song.
  • Ainm an té a thug (Name of Informant): Joe Heaney.
  • Ainm an té a thóg (Name of Collector): Cynthia Thiessen.
  • Dáta an taifeadta (Recording Date): 07/03/1978.
  • Suíomh an taifeadta (Recording Location): University of Washington, United States of America.
  • Ocáid an taifeadta (Recording Occasion): day class.
  • Daoine eile a bhí i láthair (Others present): Fredric Lieberman.
  • Stádas chóipcheart an taifeadta (Recording copyright status): unavailable.

Now you see, with these songs, you never sing songs like this when children are around. So I don’t think… There’s a clan goes around the roads in Ireland called the tinkers. And, it comes from the word ‘tin-smith’. Now, if you put them into a house, they won’t stay there, they want the open air all the time. And they’re great for fixing pots with holes in them or anything like that, especially if the holes are rusty. And this is the story of one of them tinkers, as he was making his way around. And this is the way he told it himself:

While walking down the shady lane on a door I chanced to knock
‘Have you any rusty pots and pans with dirty holes to block?’
Oh, indeed I have, don’t you know I have
To me rye-ful dooral daddy, oh indeed I have.

The missus she came to the door and she asked me to come in
‘You’re welcome, jolly tinker, and I hope you brought your tins’
Oh, indeed I did, don’t you know I did
To me rye-ful dooral daddy, oh indeed I did.

She took me up the wooden stairs to show me what to do
She fell on the feathery bed and I fell on it too
Oh, indeed I did, don’t you know I did,
To me rye-ful dooral daddy, oh indeed I did.

She put her hand into her pocket and she pulled up a gold watch
‘Take this me jolly tinker, for bejabers you’re no botch!’
Oh, indeed you’re not, don’t you know you’re not.
To me rye-ful dooral daddy, oh indeed you’re not.

She lifted up the frying pan and she began to knock
To let the servants know, me lads, that I was on the job
Oh, indeed she did, don’t you know she did
To me rye-ful dooral daddy, oh indeed she did.

She put her hand into her pocket and she pulled up twenty pounds
‘Take this my jolly tinker, and we’ll have another round!’
Oh, indeed we will, don’t you know we will
To me rye-ful dooral daddy, oh indeed we will.

Now, I’ve been a jolly tinker for forty years or more,
But such a rusty hole as that I never did it before
Oh indeed I didn’t, don’t you know I didn’t,
To me rye-ful dooral daddy, oh indeed I didn’t.

Now, unless your mind is working overtime, you’ll think that’s a purely clean song, wouldn’t you?

Notes

This was recorded while Joe was Artist in Residence at University of Washington.