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The Night Before Larry Was Stretched
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Sir W. Raleigh
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PostPosted: Mon Jan 22, 2018 4:57 am    Post subject: The Night Before Larry Was Stretched Reply with quote

"The Night Before Larry Was Stretched" is, according to the Wikipedia article referenced below;

" ... in The Festival of Anacreon,[1] with tune direction "To the hundreds of Drury I write." It is also listed in Colm Ó Lochlainn's Irish Street Ballads and Frank Harte's Songs of Dublin.

Donagh MacDonagh gives the following sleeve note 'One of a group of Execution Songs written in Newgate Cant or Slang Style in the 1780s, (among which is also) ... Larry's Ghost in which, as promised in the seventh stanza of the present ballad, Larry comes "in a sheet to sweet Molly"!' The Newgate Cant or Slang Style is not unique to Dublin and all the cant and slang is to be found in Partridge's A Dictionary of Slang and Unconventional English (1937)."
" Writing in "Three Centuries of Canting Songs and Slang Rhymes (1536-1896)" (published 1896), John S Farmer asserted that neither the song's date nor its author were definitely known. He gave 1816 as an approximate date, and wrote "According to the best authorities, Will Maher, a shoemaker of Waterford, wrote the song."


Despite it's bein' reportedly created after the time-period when most piracy was goin' on, I figure on postin' the thing here, as I've always found it amusing, albeit darkly. It's also a fine example of how much difference can exist within one "mother tongue". With the permission of the audience, I give you "The Night Before Larry Was Stretched", with lyrics taken (literally) from the sleeve cover of a CD of traditional Irish ballads I have, which includes a recording of this song by Elvis Costello.

Oh the night before Larry was stretched
well the boys they all paid him a visit
A bit in their sacks too they fetched
for they sweated their duds till they riz it
For Larry was always a lad
when a boy was condemned to the squeezer
would fence all the duds that he had
For to help his poor friend to a sneezer
and warm his oul gob 'fore he died
Well the boys they came crowding in fast
and they threw all their stools 'round about him
Six glims 'round his trapcase was placed
for he couldn't be well-waked without them.
When one of them asked could he die
without having duly repented
sez Larry that's all in me eye
and first by the clergy invented
for to get a fat bit for themselves
...


Last edited by Sir W. Raleigh on Mon Jan 22, 2018 5:05 am; edited 1 time in total
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Sir W. Raleigh
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Posts: 151



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PostPosted: Mon Jan 22, 2018 5:05 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

So there's the first coupl'a stanzas lads, I encourage ye to look up the rest somewhere. (Wiki's got it wrong, by my account but I can't say for sure.)

Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Night_Before_Larry_Was_Stretched
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