Here’s the latest video from Brian’s Youtube channel which offers free video tutorials on how to play famous Irish ballads. This song is one of Brian’s own compositions: the Irish Pub Song.

Click here for the chords and lyrics.

                  AM                      F

Well you’re walking through a city street

    C                G

it could be in Peru

                AM                   F

When you hear a distant calling

               C                         G

and you know it’s meant for you

           AM                          F

so you stop whatever you’re doing

             C                     DM

and you join the merry mob

           AM                        F             G

and before you know just where you are

           AM     DM    AM

you’re in an Irish Pub

CH:

                   C

They’ve got one in Honolulu

they’ve got one in Moscow too

                 AM                 F

they’ve got 4 of them in Sydney

                      C                   G  EM

and there’s a couple in Katmandu

        AM                       F

so whether you sing or pull a pint

           C                  DM

you’ll always have a job

           AM                 F                 G

for wherever you go around the world

          AM        DM  AM

you’ll find an Irish Pub

Now the design is fairly simple

and it’s usually much the same

you’ll have Razor Houghton scoring

in the Ireland England game

and you’ll always know an Irish Pub

the minute you’re in the door

for a couple of boys with bodhrans

will be murderin’ Christy Moore

CH

Now the owner is Norweigan

and the manager comes from Cork

and the lad that’s holdin’ up the bar

says “only eejits work !”

he was born and bred in Bolton

but his mammy is from Kildare

and he’s going to make his fortune soon

and move to County Clare

CH

But now it’s time for me to go

i have to catch my train

so i’ll leave you sittin’ at the bar

and face the wind and rain

but i’ll have that pint you owe me

if I’m not gone on  the dry

when we meet nex

In Dublin’s fair city, where the girls are so pretty

I first set my eyes on sweet Molly Malone

as she wheeled a wheelbarrow, through streets broad and narrow

crying cockles and mussels, alive alive O

CHORUS:  Alive alive O, alive alive O

               Crying cockles and mussels

               Alive alive O

She was a fishmonger, and sure ’twas no wonder

for so was her father and mother before

they both wheeled their barrow through streets broad and narrow

crying cockles and mussels alive alive O

(CHOURUS)

She died of a fever, and no one could save her

and that was the end of sweet Molly Malone

now her ghost wheels a barrow, through streets broad and narrow

crying cockles and mussels, alive alive O

(CHOURS TWICE TO END)

                                     WHISKEY IN THE JAR

As I was going over the Cork and Kerry mountains

I met captain Farrell and his money he was counting

I first produced my pistol, and then produced my rapier

Saying “stand and deliver for you are a bold reciever”

CHORUS:

With your ring dum a do dum a da

Whack fol de daddio

Whack fol de daddio

There’s whiskey in the jar

I took all of his money and it made a pretty penny

I put it in my pockets and I took it home to Jenny

She sighed and she swore that she never would decieve me

But the devil take the women for they never can be easy

CHORUS

I went into my chamber, all for to take a slumber

to dream of gold and jewels and for sure it was no wonder

But Jenny drew my charges and she filled them up with water

And sent for captain Farrell to be ready for the slaughter

CHORUS

T’was early in the morning as I roses up for travel

I found the guards around me and likewise Captain Farrell

I grabbed both of my pistols for she stole away my rapier

But I couldn’t shoot the water so a prisoner I was taken

CHORUS

If anyone can help me it’s my brother in the army

If I can find his station either cork or in Killarney

And if he comes and saves me we’ll go walking in Kilkenny

And I swear he’ll treat me better than my own decieving Jenny

CHORUS

There’s some take delight in the hurling and the bowling

And others take delight in the carriage wheels a rolling

But I take delight in the juice of the barley

And courting pretty fair maids in the morning bright and early

CHOURS TWICE TO END

THE WILD ROVER

I’ve been a wild rover for manys’s the year

 and I’ve spent all my money on whskey and beer

and now I’m returning with gold in great store

and I never will be a wild rover no more

CHORUS:  AND IT’S NO NAY NEVER

                  NO NAY NEVER NO MORE

                  WILL I PLAY THE WILD ROVER

                  NO NEVER NO MORE

I went into an alehouse I used to frequent

and I told the landlady my money was spent

I asked her for credit, she answered me “nay”

“such a custom as yours I can have any day”

REPEAT CHOURS

Then I took from my pocket twelver new soverigns bright

and the landlady’s eyes opened wide in delight

she said “I have whiskey and wines of the best”

“and the words that were spoken were only in jest”

REPEAT CHORUS

I’ll go home to my parents, confess what I’ve done

and I’ll ask them to pardon their prodigal son

and when they’ve caressed me as oft times before

I never will play the wild rover no more

REPEAT CHORUS TWICE TO END

As I’ve said, this song was a hit last year for The High Kings. Anyone who’s travelled knows that it’s almost impossible to find someplace without an Irish pub in the vicinity. I was inspired to write this after discovering an Irish Pub in the Italian Alps at the 2006 Winter Olympics.

This version of the song is from my CD Lover’s Ghost, which will shortly be available to buy on this site. In the spirit of St Patrick’s Day – this one’s on me. Click here to download it.

Great to see The High Kings on tour at the moment. They’ve got a new album out too, and a charity single with the Wolfe Tones in aid of Haiti relief. Best of luck lads!