The Session >> Tunes >> The Primrose Lasses (reel)

Details ABC Sheetmusic Comments

The Primrose Lasses

reel

Key signature: Gmajor

Submitted on June 20th 2002 by no longer exists.

This tune has been added to 292 tunebooks.

Also known as 4 Nights Drunk, Byrne's, Four Nights Drunk, Patrick's Night, Patricks's Night, Primrose Lass, The Primrose Lass, Primrose Lasses, The Primrose Lassies Highland Fling, The Primrose Lassies, St. Patrick's Night, Windwood.

Recordings of a tune by this name:

Details ABC Sheetmusic Comments

X: 1
T: Primrose Lasses, The
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
R: reel
K: Gmaj
B3A G3E|DEGA BAA2|dBAB GAGE|DFGA BGG2|
B3A G3E|DEGA BAA2|dcBA GFED|DFGA BGG2:|
Bdgd edgd|Bdgd eAA2|Bdgd edgd|BdAc BGG2|
Bdgd edgd|Bdgd eAA2|Bdef gage|dBAc BGG2:|

Details ABC Sheetmusic Comments
The Primrose Lasses sheetmusic
Details ABC Sheetmusic Comments

A traditional reel... Apparently there's notation on the highland pipes for this, called "The Drunken Piper", also the name of the set that this is usually played in, but I can't find it....

# Posted on June 20th 2002 by no longer exists

The Drunken Piper I know - well, I've met many - but the one that usually goes by that name is a very different tune - a Bagpipe reel in Amixolydian, played as a march in Donegal.

# Posted on June 21st 2002 by CreadurMawnOrganig

My own 2 cents: I know this as the Primrose Lass and more commonly played at sessions in A major.

# Posted on June 26th 2002 by Will Harmon

It's in O'Neill's as the Primrose Lass pretty much as the setting here. Good tune.

Geoff Pollitt

# Posted on June 28th 2002 by Geoff Pollitt

Dervish list this as "Byrne's" on "Harmony Hill", and the parts are switched round.

# Posted on February 10th 2003 by Dr. Dow

Number three in Garry Shannon's set Windwood

# Posted on April 28th 2003 by tufbo

A Cape Breton Setting

K: G
g | edBA G2 GE | DEGA BAAg | edBA G2 GE | DEGA BGG2 |
BdAB G2 GE | DEGA BAAg | edBA G2 GE | DEGA BGG ||
z | d2 gd edgd | Bdgd BAA2 | d2 gd efge |dBAc BGG2 |
d2 gd edgd | Bdgd BAA2 | dBde g2 ge | dBAc BGG||

This is almost identical to what Wendy MacIsaac played on the compilation album "The Hear of Cape Breton." Nice one on the flute and whistle.

# Posted on July 3rd 2003 by slainte

Sister Tunes

The Camber Lasses (in G): http://www.thesession.org/tunes/display/1947
The Camber Lasses (in A): http://www.thesession.org/tunes/display.php/4275
The Primrose Road: http://www.thesession.org/tunes/display/5073

# Posted on February 28th 2006 by slainte

The Primrose Lassies (Highland Setting)

R: highland
K: D
f2f>e d2d>B|A>Bd>e f<BB>e|f2f>e d2d>B|1 A>da>g f<dd>e:|2 A>da>g f<dd>B||
A>df>d a>df>d|A>df>d e<BB2|A>df>d a>df>d|f/g/a e>g f<dd>B|
A>df>d a>df>d|A>df>d e<BB>e|f2f>e d2d>B|A>da>g f<dd>e|]

As played by Harry Bradley. You could play this as a reel, transposing it in G.

# Posted on February 28th 2006 by slainte

"The Primrose Lasses" ~ ask and you shall recieve ~ in G

K: G Major
|: G>A |
B2- B>A G2 G>E | D>EG>A B>AA>c | B>cB>A G>AG>E | D>EG>A B>G :|
| G>c |
(3Bcd g>d e>dg>d | B>dg>B c>AA>c | (3Bcd g>d e>d g2 | B>c (3ABc B>GG>c |
(3Bcd g>d e>dg>d | e>dg>B c>A (3AAA | B2 (3cBA G2- G>E | D>EG>A B<G ||

Hallelujah! An improvement, the 'less than' sign now works here in yeller land. Thanks for telling me 'slainte', I had to give it a try, besides, I like highlands a bit lower down and the key of G suits this one nicely. You could throw in a few more 'snaps' if you were so inclined, and if you wanted it as a reel, well, just play it 'flat out'...
;-)

# Posted on March 7th 2006 by ceolachan

It also goes nicely in the key of 'A'...

# Posted on March 7th 2006 by ceolachan

'i' before 'e' except after 'c' - haha - geddit? :-)

# Posted on March 7th 2006 by Dr. Dow

"The Three Stooges"

Larry, Moe & Curly Joe... Now that was threesome that had an interesting upbringing. Anyone remember a theme tune?

# Posted on March 8th 2006 by ceolachan

Hmmm, actually, three is a wildly conservative estimate. Stop slapping my head guys I'm not a drum. Anyway, as I was saying, OK, that hurts, alright already, I'm getting to it. I was wrong, so what's new eh? I was way off the mark, there are more than 3 of us...

# Posted on March 9th 2006 by ceolachan

Go here for a tune that might be a variant of this http://www.thesession.org/tunes/display/6577.

X: 1
T: The Primrose Lass
R: reel
D: Dervish - Harmony Hill
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
K: Gmaj
~b3a ~g3e|dB~B2 dega|~b3a ~g3e|dBGA BA~A2:|
|:Bd~d2 edgd|edgd edgd|Bd~d2 edge|1 dBGB A2GA:|2 dBGB A2G2||

# Posted on February 12th 2007 by Dr. Dow

Stop me if im crazy

isnt this the tune that steeleye span sings "5 drunken nights" to?

and also i think its on the planxty live album but listed as the pullet.

# Posted on March 27th 2007 by Kevo32A

3-Part Version?

Major Moran's: http://www.thesession.org/tunes/display/6762

# Posted on June 5th 2007 by slainte

this is very interesting. it is known that "4 nights drunk" is an English folksong (the English variant of "7 drunken nights") and that a melody so simmilar (if not identical), is that of an Irish tune.

# Posted on August 22nd 2007 by Osher

Recorded by Leo Rowsome in 1944:
http://www.archive.org/details/LeoRowsomePrimroseLassTheIvyLeaf

# Posted on August 27th 2008 by Ramiro

Thanks

for the link to Leo's piping, Ramiro. Great Shtuff.

# Posted on October 8th 2009 by Seosamh Ui Sinan

Polka version of above highland

slainte, your H/highland version called to mind none but this little ditty;
The Rattlin' Bog !http://www.thesession.org/tunes/display.php/583

# Posted on June 16th 2010 by birlibirdie

Dow, the version you posted has also been recorded by Matt Molloy, who typically gives it the ‘second octave’ treatment:
X: 1
T: The Primrose Lass
R: reel
S: Matt Molloy
M: 2/2
L: 1/8
K: Gmaj
b3a ggge|dBBB dega|1 b2ba ggge|degb adga:|2 b2 ag gede|gedB A2GA:|
Bddg edgd|edgd edg2|1 B/c/ddg edge|dBGB AAGA:|2 B/B/Bd edge|dbgd adga||

# Posted on June 16th 2010 by birlibirdie

does anyone actually play any F#s in bar 7, either 'dcBA GFED' (transcription here) or 'dcBA GFEF' (in O'Neill's)? I've never been convinced by that Ionian/major, more like 'dcBA G~E3' or 'dcBA ~G3E' (for the setting here). Maybe that's just me?

# Posted on August 11th 2010 by Loughcurra

Joe Heaney used to sing "Seven Drunken Nights" to this tune

Irish national treasure, sean nos singer and storyteller Joe Heaney, who passed on while a faculty member in ethnomusicology at the University of Washington (1984), used to sing a version of "Seven Drunken Nights" to this tune:
"As I came home, drunk as drunk could be-o, there I saw a horse where a horse shouldn't be/ I says to me wife, tell it unto me-o, whose-a horse where a horse shouldn't be? / Oh you fool you silly fool, can't ye plainly see, now, it's nothing but a milch cow me mother sent to me?/ Miles I have traveled, six hundred miles or more/ saddle on a milch cow I've never seen before..."

He also has a wonderful version of Cunnla that's probably still up on YouTube or somewhere. Playful man, took it seriously enough but didn't let that stop him from having fun.

# Posted on May 6th 2011 by BarbaryAnne

"Irish national treasure, sean nos singer and storyteller Joe Heaney, who passed on while a faculty member in ethnomusicology at the University of Washington (1984), used to sing a version of "Seven Drunken Nights" to this tune"

Martin Carthy also sings the song to this tune.

# Posted on May 6th 2011 by Weejie

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