Versions of the song were collected in the 1920s in Northern Ireland by song collector. . I went into my chamber for to take a slumber I dreamt of golden jewels and sure it was no wonder For Jenny took my charges and filled them up with water And sent for Captain Farrell to be ready for the slaughter With your whack fol the diddle day Whack fol the diddle oh whack fol the diddle Oh, there's whiskey in the jar. Such feelings inspired this rollicking ballad. If anyone can aid me it's my brother in the army I think that he is stationed in Cork or in Killarney And if he'd come and join me, we'd go rovin' in Kilkenny I swear he'd treat me fairer than my darling sporting Jenny With your whack fol the diddle day Whack fol the diddle oh whack fol the diddle Oh, there's whiskey in the jar.
It has also been performed by the Scarecrows bluegrass band and the Dutch band Blue Grass Boogiemen. The protagonist's wife or lover is sometimes called Molly, Jenny, Emzy, or Ginny among various other names. Finnish band recorded a version as the title track of their 1997 album Humppamaratooni. The American metal band in 1998 played a version very similar to that of Thin Lizzy's, though with a heavier sound, winning a for the song in 2000 for. The song is, as one might guess from the title, a favorite drinking and pub song among fans of all over the world.
One such version, from , is about , an Irish-American soldier who is sentenced to death by hanging for robbing British officials. The American versions are sometimes set in America and deal with American characters. It tells the story of a highwayman robber who robs a military officer and who is subsequently betrayed by his woman. On the scene, and recorded a version for the album. Names in the song change, and the official can be a Captain or a Colonel, called Farrell or Pepper among other names. Contrary to common belief, never recorded the song.
This article is about the song. For the Thin Lizzy album, see. The song is also on the live compilation disc five. The song, about a who is betrayed by his wife or lover, is one of the most widely performed traditional Irish songs and has been recorded by numerous artists since the 1950s. The details of the betrayal are also different, being either betraying him to the person he robbed and replacing his ammunition with sand or water, or not, resulting in his killing the person.
It is also sometimes placed in the American South, in various places among the or , possibly due to Irish settlement in these places. The Irish rock band hit the Irish and British pop charts with the song in 1973. In 2019, Canadian singer-songwriter performed a cover of the song on his album. Various versions of the song take place in , , , , and other locales throughout Ireland. I counted out my money and it made a pretty penny I put it in my pocket and I gave it to my Jenny She sighed and she swore that she never would deceive me But the devil take the women for they never can be easy With your whack fol the diddle day Whack fol the diddle oh whack fol the diddle Oh, there's whiskey in the jar.
When Ó Lochlainn included the song in Irish Street Ballads, he wrote down the lyrics from memory as he had learnt them from his mother. In 1990, The Dubliners re-recorded the song with with a faster rocky version charting at No. The song first gained wide exposure when the Irish folk band performed it internationally as a signature song, and recorded it on three albums in the 1960s. . .
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