Key signature: Gmajor
Submitted on May 25th 2001 by Jeremy.
This tune has been added to 232 tunebooks.
Also known as Galway Piper, High Could Cap, La Pitoune, Piping Tim Of Galway, Rakes Of Mallow, Tim's Reel.
Recordings of a tune by this name:
X: 1
T: Rakes Of Mallow, The
M: 2/4
L: 1/8
R: polka
K: Gmaj
|:GB GB|GB c/B/A/G/|FA FA|FA B/A/G/F/|
GB GB| GB d2|c/B/A/G/ F/G/A/c/| BG G2:|
|:gf ed| Bc d2| gf ed| Bc A2|
gf ed| Bc d2|c/B/A/G/ F/G/A/c/|BG G2:|
This tune is most often heard as part of a set dance, not just in ireland, but in New England also.
I like to play this tune as if I were playing it for dancers. This means that ornamentation takes a back seat to keeping a steady rhythm.
I find it's nice to play the first part in a choppy manner.
It's nice to have percussive accompaniment to this tune, even if it's just your own foot beating time.
# Posted on June 2nd 2001 by Jeremy
Lyrics for the Rakes....
Below are the lyrics for the Rakes of Mallow, supposed a traditional, Irish drinking song:
Beauing, belleing, dancing, drinking,
Breaking windows, cursing, sinking
Ever raking, never thinking,
Live the Rakes of Mallow;
Spending faster than it comes,
Beating waiters bailiffs, duns,
Bacchus' true begotten sons,
Live the Rakes of Mallow.
One time naught but claret drinking,
Then like politicians, thinking
To raise the "sinking funds"when sinking.
Live the Rakes of Mallow.
When at home, with da-da dying,
Still for mellow water crying;
But, where there's good claret plying
Live the Rakes of Mallow.
Racking tenants, stewards teasing,
Swiftly spending, slowly raising,
Wishing to spend all their days in
Raking as at Mallow.
Then to end this raking life,
They get sober, take a wife,
Ever after live in strife,
And wish again for Mallow.
# Posted on August 5th 2002 by Doc Lawlor
Rakes of Mallow lyrics
I heard that sung by some "Mariners" (A fife corp) at a Fife & Drum Muster. It had some other verses which are far, far too dirty to even imagine posting in this forum. Unfortunatly I don't remember them because I was laughing too hard. Gives the tune something of a lift & a giggle to boot.
# Posted on August 5th 2002 by Mad Baloney
I play this at 18th Century Rendezvous along with Road to Boston.
Does anyone have a timeline on either? It was background music for a PBS TV series called Sharp's Rifles a few years ago, where it was used as a march.
# Posted on January 23rd 2004 by windybaer
I've grown up around traditional morris dance music, I knew this song sounded so familiar, so it makes sense about the new england thing
# Posted on February 27th 2005 by banana512
I have also heard this played in a 'march' way. There were specific dances that were danced to this tune, solo, couple and group... The earliest time base I can take it back to, from living memory, is the late 1800s in Eire/Ireland... I'll see if I can find any notations for dance...and possibly older printed sources.
# Posted on May 16th 2005 by ceolachan
Road to Boston
Road to Boston is a fife tune which I have been told was played by General Greene's troops as they marched north from Rhode Island to help our colonial brethren up in Boston during the Revolutionary War.
# Posted on February 8th 2006 by AlBrown
A La Bolduc song
the second part of this polka is used as the verse-tune for La Bolduc(the great , eternal, French singing, Canadian MusicHall artist of the 'entre-deux-guerre' period)'s '(Hourrah) pour la Pitchoune' or "Elle joue du Banjo"
# Posted on October 4th 2006 by birlibirdie
La Pitoune
The tune for the verses of this song is based on the 2d part of this polka.
Its chorus and lyrics where penned by Mary Travers (aka La Bolduc) c.1930 it seems.
Have a peep at its double-entendres at: http://www.frmusique.ru/texts/b/bolduc/pitoune.htm
# Posted on November 14th 2006 by birlibirdie
Gael Force
I just heard a Gael Force rendition of this on bagpipes with awesome guitar and heavy percussion. Very cool.
# Posted on November 26th 2006 by Ben314