SKIBBEREEN
Dm Am Dm Am
O,
Father dear, I oft-times heard you talk of
F Em C Am
Her
valleys green, her lofty scene, her mountains rude and wild;
F Em C Am
They
say it is a pleasant place wherein a prince might dwell,
Dm Am Dm Am
Then
why did you abandon it, the reasons to me tell?
My
son, I loved our native land with energy and pride
Until
a blight fell on the land and sheep and cattle died,
The
rents and taxes were to pay, I could not them redeem,
And
that's the cruel reason why I left Old Skibbereen.
Its
well I do remember on a bleak November's day,
The
landlord and his agent came to drive us all away;
He
set my house on fire with his demon yellow spleen
And
that's another reason why I left Old Skibbereen.
Your
mother too, God rest her soul, lay on the snowy ground,
She
fainted in her anguish of the desolation round.
She
never rose, but went her way from life to death's long dream,
And
found a quiet grave, my boy, in lovely Skibbereen.
And you were only two years old
and feeble was your frame.
I could not leave you with your friends you bore your father's name.
I wrapped you in my cottamore at the dark of night unseen,
I heaved a sigh and bid goodbye to dear old Skibbereen.
It's
well I do remember the year of forty-eight,
When
we arose with
I
was hunted through the mountains as a traitor to the Queen,
And
that's another reason that I left Old Skibbereen.
Oh
father dear, the day will come when vengeance loud will call
I'll
be the man to lead the van, beneath our flag of green,
And
loud and high we'll raise the cry," Revenge for Skibbereen!"
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| abc notation: |
| X: 1 T:Skibbereen Q:1/4 M:3/4 Q: play about 20 Z: F:scribed by Dave Hynds for Crumbles: www.crumbles.info Jan07 K:Am E |"Dm"D2CD2E|"Am"A2GE2C|"Dm"D2CA,2G,|"Am"A,3A,2E|"F"A2Bc2B|"Em"A2EG2A|"C"E2DC2D|"Am"E3E2G| "F"A2Bc2B|"Em"A2EG2A|"C"E2DC2D|"Am"E3E2E|"Dm"D2CD2E|"Am"A2GE2C/E/|"Dm"D2CA,2G,|"Am"A,3A,2| |
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A song about the state of Ireland in the 1840's. In Herbert Hughes "Irish Country Songs" Vol. 2, 1909, he has all
the verses as well as one more that comes after the verse in
which the mother dies.
cottamore: A type of coat. It is spelled in different ways. Also have seen it printed cóta
mór, and probably other versions of spelling exist.. Cotta is latin for a
surplice, with or without sleeves.
"cota mor" is, literally, "greatcoat". cóta = coat mór
= big (meaning in this case an over-coat)