My Mind Will Never Be Easy

slip jig

Key signature: Aminor

Submitted on July 13th 2001 by Miss Lonelyhearts.

This tune has been added to 93 tunebooks.

Also known as Happy To Meet And Sorry To Part, My Mind Will Ne'er Be Easy, My Mind Will Never Be Aisy, My Mind Would Never Be Easy, Never An Easy Mind, Port Na Deorai, Posaid Beathag An Ceárd, The Whistling Thief, Woo'd An' Merrit An A.

Recordings of a tune by this name:

• An Aill Bain The White Rock by Sean Ac Donnca
• Angelina Carberry And Martin Quinn by Angelina Carberry And Martin Quinn
• Aris by Le Cheile
• Barefoot On The Altar by Chulrua
• Born On St Patrick's Day by Kathleen O'Sullivan
• Crossing by Any Old Time
• Crossing Point by Daimh
• Happy To Meet And Sorry To Part by Joe Burke, Michael Cooney And Terry Coleman
• Hell For Leather by Swallow's Tail Céilí Band
• Hidden Ground by Paddy Glackin, Jolyon Jackson
• High Up - Low Down by Gerry O'Connor
• In The Morning Early by Tulca Mor
• Ireland's Harvest : A Tribute To The Golden Years Of Music In Irish America by Joe Derrane, Frankie Gavin And Brian McGrath
• Live At Johnny Fox's by Dervish
• Morning Rory by Michael McGoldrick
• Mountain Air by Brendyn Montgomery And Mike Considine
• Music At The House by Brendan Bulger, Marty Fahey And Kathleen Gavin
• Playing With Fire by Dervish
• Set Dances Of Ireland, Volume I by Various Artists
• Teada by Teada
• The Piper Calls The Tune by Joe Finn
• The Sligo Champion (CD 1) by Michael Gorman
• The Sligo Champion (CD 2) by Michael Gorman
• The Thorn Tree by Grainne Hambly
• The Trip Over The Mountain by Michael Queally And Cyril O'Donoghue
• The Wandering Minstrel by Seamus Ennis

X: 1
T: My Mind Will Never Be Easy
M: 9/8
L: 1/8
R: slip jig
K: Amin
c2 B|:AGE EDE C2 D|E2 G GAE GcB|AGE EDE C2 D|1 E2 A ABG AcB:|2 E2 A ABG A3||
|:GAB cdB c3|E2 G GAE G3|ABc dcB AGF|1 E2 A ABG A3:|2 EAA ABG AcB||

My Mind Will Never Be Easy

I first heard this tune on a public radio broadcast of Martin Hayes playing at the Washington Irish Festival (some years ago at Wolftrap, I believe). I don't know if any recordings of this tune exist, but it is in the Krassen edition of O'Neill's, in Eminor, and missing the nuances Hayes gave it in his performance. It goes well at slow march or even air pace, almost haltingly, as befits the title. The crux of the tune for me is the fnatural in the downhill run in measure 3 of Part B--as haunting as all of Samuel Barber's famous adagio in Gm.

# Posted on July 13th 2001 by Miss Lonelyhearts

My Mind Will Never Be Easy/Aisy

I learned this one from Brenda Stubbert (of Cape Breton) as a single jig. She picked it up from her father's playing and that of Angus Chisholm. Their title is "My mind will never be Aisy" but she had no idea of what it might mean. Obviously "Easy" makes a lot more sense.

She plays it Cape Breton style as a single jig on her CD "Some Tasty Tunes". The tune is slightly different. SHe plays it with the "Northside Kitchen jig (quite popular up there and composed by Johnny Wilmot) and another tune composed by Brenda.

I could find the dots (and abc) if anyone is interested.

# Posted on July 15th 2001 by JohninMaine

A Whistle-Friendly Version

gf|e2B BAB G2A|B2d deB dgf|e2B BAB G2A|B2e efd egf|
e2B BAB G2A|B2d deB d2B|def gdB G2A|B2e efd e2e|
|:def gaf g2d|B2d deB d2B|deg age dBA|1 B2e efd e2e :|2 B2e efd e|

This is what I have been playing for months, a mixture of Dervish and Michael McGoldrick's version (the former is available at Sessioneer, the latter at JC's).

# Posted on December 4th 2002 by slainte

Angelina Carberry and Martin Quinn recently recorded this tune as "Happy to Meet and Sorry to Part," and their setting in G major is very close to mine posted above.

There is double jig version as well: http://thesession.org/tunes/display.php/1154

# Posted on March 8th 2004 by slainte

My Mind Will Never Be Easy

I've been thinking this tune should not have been posted in Amin. This tune actually appears in many recordings under different titles and is almost always played in G. Just once I heard it played in a weird key, that is, Amaj. The Scots fiddler told me the melody was originally taken from an old Scots song and he transposed it into that key. It was many months ago, so you can't trust my memory though. Teada recorded it as "Port na Deoraí," having taken it from Sean O Riada's recording.

P.S. "Maude Miller" might be a reel version of this tune. Try playing this slip jig as an introduction to the reel, and you'll see what I mean.

# Posted on December 10th 2004 by slainte

This slip jig/ reel arrangement was recorded by the London band "Le Cheile" way back in the 70s. As far as I recall, the reel version was called "Doorin's Blacksmith" which I know I play under some other name, but forget which. It was not the tune "Maude Miller" as I know it.

# Posted on December 10th 2004 by LongNote

My Mind...

It seems I still can't persuade Will to play this tune in G, but I won't stick to the original key any more. Try playing it in Bm: it's also a nice key for the tune.

I happen to come across the transcription of Brenda Stubbert's version of the tune: http://www.cranfordpub.com/tunes/Scottish/MyMindNever_Aisy.htm You can also listen to her playing it.

I usually play these common slip jigs after it:
Na Ceannabhain Bhana: http://thesession.org/tunes/display.php/612
A Fig for a Kiss: http://thesession.org/tunes/display.php/750

# Posted on January 4th 2005 by slainte

Teada Port na Deorai

This should not be linked here as it's a very different setting! Sweeney's Men recorded the same version as 'The Exile's Jig' on their first album. This is somewhere else on the site.

Get it sorted!!

# Posted on April 25th 2005 by continuo

http://thesession.org/tunes/display.php/1327 It's a slightly different version of one and the same tune, I believe.

# Posted on April 25th 2005 by slainte

My Mind Will Never Be Easy

K: Amaj
ag|fec cBc A2B|c2e efc eag|fec cBc A2B|1 c2f fge f:|2 c2f fge f2f||
efg a2a gfe|c2e efc e2c|efa baf ecB|1 c2f fge f2f:|2 c2f fge f||

I believe this is very close to the tasty version of the tune I heard in Sandy Bells in Edinburgh around one year ago. Some of you might love the tune in A major while I myself can't play it in the key on my keyless flute.

# Posted on July 28th 2005 by slainte

slainte, that's a tune commonly known in Scotland as "Woo'd an' Merrit An A'".

# Posted on December 14th 2005 by nigelg

Nigel, do you know the lyrics for the melody?

# Posted on December 14th 2005 by slainte

Easy to find through Google, my old friend!

http://cityofoaks.home.netcom.com/tunes/WoodAndMarriedAndA.html

# Posted on December 19th 2005 by nigelg