Tell Me Ma
trad
Also known as The Skipping Song, I learned this from The Clancy Brothers songbook. Along with Marie’s Wedding, it’s a great little dance tune.
I'll tell me ma, when I get home
The boys won't leave the girls alone
They pulled me hair, stole me comb
But that's alright, till I go home
She is handsome, she is pretty
She is the belle of Belfast city
She is a-courting one, two, three
Pray, can you tell me who is she?
Albert Mooney says he loves her
All the boys are fightin' for her
They knock on the door, they ring on the bell
Saying, O, my true love are you well?
Out she comes white as snow
Rings on her fingers, bells on her toes
Ol' Jimmy Murray says she'll die
If she doesn't get the fellow with the roving eye
Let the wind and the rain and the hail blow high
And the snow come tumblin' from the sky
She's as sweet as apple pie
She'll get her own lad by and by
When she gets a lad of her own
She won't tell her ma when she gets home
Let them all come as they will
It's Albert Mooney she loves still
I'll tell me ma, when I get home
The boys won't leave the girls alone
They pulled me hair, stole me comb
But that's alright till I get home
She is handsome, she is pretty
She is the belle of Dublin city
She is a-courting one, two, three
Pray, can you tell me who is she?
Road Trips
When Russell and I visited New York to meet our new grandson, I did a lot of holding the baby and singing, numerous iterations of Mockingbird, Marie’s Wedding and Tell Me Ma.
The five of us did a couple of road trips while we were there - a day trip to Nazareth, Pennsylvania for a tour of the Martin facory, and an overnighter to Boston.
When I was first planning this overseas trip, I had been looking forward to catching up with my cousin Lee, who had just retired from teaching. He was a tennis fan, and when he visited New York for the US Open, he also visited Bonny at Bibi. Bonny was quite fond of him.
Tragically, Lee died of a massive heart attack only a couple of months after he retired. He had complained of stomach pains, so his brother Brian took him to the hospital. He was with the medical team when the heart attack occurred, but they couldn’t save him.
I had made email contact with Lee’s daughter, Heather, who is a teacher in Salem. We arranged to have dinner with her, so I had booked us into a hotel in Salem. I like Salem, although it has become a little tacky with its witchery theme.
We had a lovely dinner with Heather. She’s a tiny thing, but full of energy and enthusiasm. Conversation was easy, and it was good to find out more about her. I hope she visits Australia sometime soon.
On the way back from Boston, we were about an hour away from Brooklyn and Buddy started making noises indicating he’d really like a feed. Nobody really wanted to stop, so I started singing softly to him, which settled him. When Bonny spoke, he became restless again, so she remained quiet after that. There was a lot of traffic, and getting home was taking longer than had been anticipated, but each time Buddy stirred, I leant over him and sang.
It was non-stop for the last half hour at least, but we made it back to the apartment before he became too forceful in his demands.
