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Johnny I Hardly Knew Ye
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This popular Irish anti-war song inspired "When Johnny Comes Marching Home" during the American civil war. This version is a live one featuring Genevieve Thibault on bodhran in her last performance with the Social Weevils in Hanoi.
irish music vietnam social weevils celtic music
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An itinerant bunch of traditional/contemporary Celtic musicians and singers with a loyal following in Hanoi, Vietnam and friends and former members around the w
The Social Weevils are a fluid bunch of musicians and singers who perform sets of traditional and contemporary Celtic tunes and songs from Ireland and Scotland. The band's first CD, "One for the Road," was recorded on January 3, 2000 at the Army Recording Studios in Hanoi, Vietnam, using instruments that were mostly cheap and/or broken. On that CD the Social Weevils were Peter Taylor (button accordion, guitar, mandolin, vocals), Kevin Higgins (tenor banjo, mandolin), Don McIntyre (fiddle), Huub Buise (guitar, vocals), Bob Baulch (guitar, vocals), and Mary O'Keeffe (vocals on one song). On Christmas Eve, 2000, the band recorded another CD, "Live at the R&R," at the R&R Tavern in Hanoi, Vietnam, thanks to owner Jay Ellis his wife and their son, and Ralph Raymond at the 4-track mixing board. The line-up that night was Peter Taylor on all his usual instruments and vocals, Don McIntyre on his fiddle, Ann Russell on recorders, Alec Soucy on tin whistle, Genvieve Thibault on bodhran and accapela vocals, Mary O'Keeffe providing Irish and English vocals, Joe Peters on guitar, mandolin and vocals, and assorted other friends (instruments, vocals, hand claps and foot stomps). The band's second studio CD, "Over the Ocean," was recorded in March 2004 at Kien Quyet Studio in Hanoi. The line-up for that album included Don McIntyre (fiddle, vocals), Anna Russell (recorders), Liz Druitt (bass clarinet), Darryl Rees (guitar, vocals), & Joe Peters (guitar).
Song Info
Genre
World • Traditional Celtic
Charts
Peak #119
Peak in subgenre #9
Author
Traditional/Unknown
Rights
Copyright-free
Uploaded
October 05, 2004
Track Files
MP3
MP3 3.8 MB • 128 kbps • 0:00
Story behind the song
JOHNNY I HARDLY KNEW YE- ORIGIN: O'Neill (Waifs and Strays of Gaelic Melody 1922, No. 69) notes: "Classed as a street ballad in Halliday Sparling's Irish Minstrelsy, London 1887, the editor adds, in a note on page 366: Johnny I Hardly Knew Ye !- This favorite old song is here for the first time given complete. It dates from the beginning of the present century (19th), when Irish regiments were so extensively raised for the East India service. In "Songs of Ireland," Herbert Hughes, writing in his "Irish Country Songs" (London 1934) says, " Johnny I Hardly Knew Ye is a classic case of a song surviving it's period and presenting a problem for the later folklorist.." His father, whose memories went back to the American Civil War, felt that it belonged to that period and came from the States - having probably been in the repertory of the Christy Minstrels. It had been published in London in1867, but internal evidence dates it back perhaps to as early as1802, when Irish regiments were extensively recruited for the East India service." Hughes carefully established the song's pre-Civil War Irish origin: “But further research dated it back, conjecturally, to the period immediately succeeding the Treaty of Amiens in 1802, when, as H. H. Sparling pointed out, Irish regiments were extensively recruited for the East India service. In his 'Irish Minstrelsy" (Walter Scott, 1887) Sparling described it as a street ballad in which "the island of Ceylon " is given as "the island of Sulloon"; and in the complete edition of that work he made the following note: Because in one late version, "Why did you run from me and the child?" is made "Why did you skedaddle," etc., and this word only came into use during the War of Secession, some have imagined this song to be of recent date, and have even attributed it to the Irish American music halls. My own memory carries it back to very near the war, when I heard an old fisherman sing it, to whom it was even then old. It was he who told me of its age and meaning, what I have said above, which is corroborated by the reference to Ceylon. It is hard to believe that any one can read this wonderful piece of grotesquerie, with its mingling of pathos and ribald mockery so closely allied to the spirit that produced "The night before Larry was stretched," and be unable to see either its value or its genuineness." This spirited air almost forgotten in Ireland blossomed into new popularity during the American Civil War, and, after its arrangement by a master hand - Patrick Sarsfield Gilmore - it became a great favorite with military and volunteer bands. Parodies on the original song such as 'When Johnny comes marching home again', 'Johnny fill up the bowl' etc., were sung to it by the Union soldiers. After the manner of the "Loobeens" and occupational songs of olden days in Ireland, additional verses were improvised, some possibly crude, yet always mirth-provoking, and well-calculated to keep up their spirits on the march, or relieve the monotony of camp life. The circumstance of its arrangement as above stated no doubt led Adair FitzGerald to refer to it in his Stories of Famous Songs in qualified words: When Johnny comes marching home again, said to have been composed by the celebrated Patrick S. Gilmore. The latter, a native of Dublin quite probably had memorized the tune in his youth. The original, it may be observed, included a refrain of four lines not found in the parodies." From Ballad Index: Patrick S. Gilmore was the real name for Louis Lambert, given as author of 'When Johnny Comes Marching Home'. Scholars continue to argue whether "When Johnny Comes Marching Home" or the doleful "Johnny, I Hardly Knew Ye" is the original. "When Johnny Comes Marching Home" can be firmly dated to the beginning of the Civil War, while "Johnny, I Hardly Knew Ye" does not appear until slightly later (1869) -- but as a traditional song. The earliest known printing is, in fact, that of "Johnny Fill Up the Bow
Lyrics
Johnny I Hardly Knew Ye While goin' the road to sweet Athy, hurroo, hurroo While goin' the road to sweet Athy, hurroo, hurroo While goin' the road to sweet Athy A stick in me hand and a drop in me eye A doleful damsel I heard cry, Johnny I hardly knew ye. With your drums and guns and drums and guns, hurroo, hurroo With your drums and guns and drums and guns, hurroo, hurroo With your drums and guns and drums and guns The enemy nearly slew ye Oh my darling dear, Ye look so queer Johnny I hardly knew ye. Where are your eyes that were so mild, hurroo, hurroo Where are your eyes that were so mild, hurroo, hurroo Where are your eyes that were so mild When my heart you so beguiled Why did ye run from me and the child Oh Johnny, I hardly knew ye. Where are your legs that used to run, hurroo, hurroo Where are your legs that used to run, hurroo, hurroo Where are your legs that used to run When you went for to carry a gun Indeed your dancing days are done Oh Johnny, I hardly knew ye. I'm happy for to see ye home, hurroo, hurroo I'm happy for to see ye home, hurroo, hurroo I'm happy for to see ye home All from the island of Sulloon So low in flesh, so high in bone Oh Johnny I hardly knew ye. Ye haven't an arm, ye haven't a leg, hurroo, hurroo Ye haven't an arm, ye haven't a leg, hurroo, hurroo Ye haven't an arm, ye haven't a leg Ye're an armless, boneless, chickenless egg Ye'll have to put with a bowl out to beg Oh Johnny I hardly knew ye.
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