Lyr Req: McAlpine's Fusiliers

Subject: Need Lyrics: McAlpine's Fusiliers
From: Chris Augustine
Date: 08 Apr 97 - 03:28 PM

I am looking for lyrics for McAlpine's Fusiliers and Dublin Fusiliers. I couldn't find them in the data base, if anyone has the lyrics or knows of different titles they might be listed under it would be much appreciated.

Subject: RE: Need Lyrics: McAlpine's Fusiliers
From: Ralph Butts
Date: 08 Apr 97 - 06:44 PM

Chris......I've heard the Dubliners do these, you might try searching for their stuff on the web....Tiger

Subject: RE: Need Lyrics: McAlpine's Fusiliers
From: Bobby O'Brien
Date: 09 Apr 97 - 07:45 AM

A great rousing rendition of this song is found on the Paddy Reilly album "Paddy Reilly Now" (Harmac Records).

Subject: Lyr Add: McALPINE'S FUSILIERS
From: jamas
Date: 17 Apr 97 - 03:45 AM

McALPINE'S FUSILIERS

As down the Glen came McAlpine's men
With their shovels slung behind them.
It was in the pub that they drank their sub
Or down in the spike you will find them.
We sweated blood and we washed down mud
With quarts and pints of beer.
But now we're on the road again
With McAlpine's Fusiliers.

I stripped to the skin with Darky Finn
Down upon the Isle of Grain.
With Horseface Toole, I learned the rule:
No money if you stop for rain,
For McAlpine's god is a well filled hod
With your shoulders cut to bits and seared
And woe to he who looks for tea
With McAlpine's Fusiliers.

I remember the day that the Bear O'Shea
Fell into a concrete stair.
What Horseface said, when he saw him dead,
Well, it wasn't what the rich call prayers.
"I'm a navvy short," was his one retort
That reached unto my ears.
When the going is rough, well, you must be tough
With McAlpine's Fusiliers.

I've worked till the sweat near had me beat
With Russian, Czech and Pole,
At shuttering jams up in the hydro dams,
Or underneath the Thames in a hole.
I grafted hard and I got me cards
And many a ganger's fist across me ears.
If you pride your life, don't join, by Christ,
With McAlpine's Fusiliers.

----------------------------------

Picked this up just the other day from this very site - I think it was from Ezio in Italy.

Tony

HTML line breaks added. --JoeClone, 21-Oct-02.

Subject: Lyr Add: DUBLIN FUSILIERS and McALPINE'S FUSILIERS
From: Frank Phillips
Date: 11 Apr 97 - 08:48 PM

From the Dubliner's songbook. ISBN 0.7119.0476.6 Arrangements and adaptations are copyright Heathside Music Ltd. (I don't have a North American address.)

DUBLIN FUSILIERS

Well you've heard about the Indians with their tomahawks and spears,
And of the UN warriors, the heroes of recent years;
Also, I might mention, the British Grenadiers.
Well none of them were in it but the Dublin Fusiliers.
You've heard about the Light Brigade and of the deeds they've done,
And of the other regiments that many vic'tries won,
But the pride of all the armies, Dragoons and Carabiniers
Was that noble band of warriors, the Dublin Fusiliers.

CHORUS:
With your left foot and right about face, this is the way we go,
Charging with fixed bayonets the terror of every foe.
A glory to old Ireland as proud as buccaneers,
And a terror to creation are the Dublin Fusiliers.

Well, you've heard about the wars between the Russians and the Brits.
The sar' one day was reading an old copy of "Titbits"
And when the General came to him and threw himself down in tears
"We'd better run back like blazes, here's the Dublin Fusiliers."
The sar' commenced to tremble and he bit his underlip.
"Begorra, boys," says he, "I think we better take the tip.
The devil's come from Dublin and, to judge from what I hears,
They're demons of militiamen, the Dublin Fusiliers."

Well the sergeant cried, "Get ready, lads. Lay down each sword and gun.
Take off you shoes and stockings, boys, and when I tell yous, run."
They didn't stop but started and amidst three ringing cheers,
Came a shower of bricks and bullets from the Dublin Fusiliers.
The time that Julius Caesar tried to land down at Ringsend,
The coast guards couldn't stop them, so for the Dublins they did send,
And, just as they were landing, lads, we heard three ringing cheers:
"Get back to Rome like blazes. Here's the Dublin Fusiliers."

McALPINE'S FUSILIERS

As down the Glen came McAlpine's men
With their shovels slung behind them.
It was in the pub that they drank their sub
Or down in the spike you will find them.
We sweated blood and we washed down mud
With quarts and pints of beer,
But now we're on the road again
With McAlpine's Fusiliers.

I stripped to the skin with Darky Finn
Down upon the Isle of Grain.
With Horseface Toole, I learned the rule:
No money if you stop for rain.
For McAlpine's god is a well filled hod
With your shoulders cut to bits and seared,
And woe to he who looks for tea
With McAlpine's Fusiliers.

I remember the day that the Bear O'Shea
Fell into a concrete stair.
What Horseface said, when he saw him dead,
Well it wasn't what the rich call prayers.
"I'm a navvy short," was his one retort
That reached unto my ears.
When the going is rough, well you must be tough,
With McAlpine's Fusiliers.

I've worked till the sweat near had me beat
With Russian, Czech and Pole,
At shuttering jams up in the hydro dams,
Or underneath the Thames in a hole.
I grafted hard and I got me cards
And many a ganger's fist across me ears.
If you pride your life, don't join, by Christ,
With McAlpine's Fusiliers.

--------------------------------------------------------
Regards

Frank - the old folkie. (My kids never get the last consonant of that expression right.)

HTML line breaks added. --JoeClone, 21-Oct-02.

Subject: RE: Need Lyrics: McAlpine's Fusiliers
From: Frank Phillips (again)
Date: 11 Apr 97 - 08:53 PM

Seems like I need to review how to get carriage returns on my stuff. Any problems figuring out where the lines end?

Regards

Frank

Subject: RE: Need Lyrics: McAlpine's Fusiliers
From: Frank Phillips (yet again)
Date: 13 Apr 97 - 12:28 AM

Correction: MacAlpine's Fusiliers is by Dominic Behan copyright Essex Music International. The Dublin Fusiliers has no credits listed.

Subject: RE: Need Lyrics: McAlpine's Fusiliers
From:
Date: 15 Apr 97 - 01:17 AM

Thanks Frank, no problems interpreting the carriage returns. I tried to figure out the lyrics on my own from a Dubliners CD by I cant't make out half the words. Any suggestion to where I might find a good Dubliners song book?

Chris Kingston, ON Canada

Subject: RE: Need Lyrics: McAlpine's Fusiliers
From:
Date: 15 Apr 97 - 10:42 PM

My copy came from McCabe's Guitar Store in Santa Monica but the address given in the book is -- Music Sales Ltd. -- 8/9 Frith Street -- London W1V 5TZ -- England. On closer examination of the book I see that despite the 1974 copyright it seems to have been printed in Sept. 1990 but that's no guarantee that it's still in print. I have seen Music Sales mentioned in another thread so maybe someone knows of a North American Address. Given this info and the ISBN maybe a local music store could order it. (I see by your address you are in a pretty good area for music -- my classical guitar teacher got her undergrad degree from Queen's.)

The book is 18 cm by 25 cm. (10 by 7 in USA) so its not the most convenient size for sight reading.

Do you want a list of titles so you can see if this is worth a purchase?

Frank - Calgary, AB

Subject: RE: Need Lyrics: McAlpine's Fusiliers
From: GUEST,Chaucer
Date: 18 Oct 02 - 08:19 AM

Frank,
Thanks indeed - what you have given is more than adequate. Sadly, I don't read music anyway, so am limited to that for which I have heard tunes!
I'm also an old Folkie called Frank, by the way.

Cheers

Subject: RE: Need Lyrics: McAlpine's Fusiliers
From: GUEST,Nick
Date: 18 Oct 02 - 08:38 AM

Perhaps someone has more info on this... My friend and folk singer, Tom Dahill, gave me a completely different set of words of McAlpine's to the same tune, written by John Henry of Sligo. Tom knows his Irish music, but I've never heard (sung) or seen this version anywhere else. Anyone? Seamus Kennedy?

Nick

Subject: RE: Need Lyrics: McAlpine's Fusiliers
From: Irish sergeant
Date: 18 Oct 02 - 03:22 PM

The Clancy Brothers did a good version also. Neil

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: McAlpine's Fusiliers
From: Big Tim
Date: 19 Oct 02 - 07:00 AM

The Isle of Grain - a power station in Kent?

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: McAlpine's Fusiliers
From: Jimmy C
Date: 19 Oct 02 - 12:19 PM

Chris,

There is another verse to the song that most people do not sing. We used it as the second last verse.

And it came to pass we should go to mass
On the Immaculate Conception.
The foreman met us at the gate
And gave us a terrible reception:
"Get down them sewers, ye Kerry whores,
And never mind your prayers,
For the only God is a well filled hod
With McAlpine's Fusiliers."

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: McAlpine's Fusiliers
From: Seamus Kennedy
Date: 23 Apr 09 - 02:38 AM

Does anyone know the author of the Dublin Fusiliers?
There is no attribution in any of my sources, but the line about the "U.N. warriors, the heroes of recent years" leads me to think it's of 1960's vintage, with Dominic Behan as an 'updater' of an older song.

'Catters?

Seamus

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: McAlpine's Fusiliers
From: MartinRyan
Date: 23 Apr 09 - 03:26 AM

Oddly enough, I don't think I've ever heard The Dublin Fusiliers. At first glance, it appears to be based on Slattery's Mounted Foot . Is that the tune used?

Regards