Waterford Boys, The

DESCRIPTION: The singer pays 5 shillings for a room and dry bread and cheese; he fight rats all night. Tavern-keeper would refund 5s for a cure for rats. "Just invite them to supper" and "charge them five shillings and never the rat will again cross your floor."
AUTHOR: Harry Clifton
EARLIEST DATE: before 1879 (broadside, LOCSinging as203820)
KEYWORDS: bargaining emigration Ireland humorous
FOUND IN: Canada(Newf)
REFERENCES (2 citations):
Greenleaf/Mansfield-BalladsAndSeaSongsOfNewfoundland 72, "The Waterford Boys" (1 text)
O'Conor-OldTimeSongsAndBalladOfIreland, pp. 115-116, "The Waterford Boys" (1 text)
Roud #3107
RECORDINGS:
Frank Knox, "The Waterford Boys" (on MUNFLA/Leach)
Paddy Tunney, "The Waterford Boys" (on IRPTunney03)
BROADSIDES:
LOCSinging, as203820, "Waterford Boys," H. De Marsan (New York), 1864-1878
SAME TUNE:
The Flaming O'Flannigans (per broadside LOCSinging as203820)
ALTERNATE TITLES:
Wrestling With Rats
NOTES [118 words]: According to GEST Songs of Newfoundland and Labrador site the tune is "The Humours of Whiskey" and the dates for the author are 1832-1872. [Other sources say 1824-1872 - RBW.]
The "Waterford Boys" title is sensible considering the first lines
Well boys, for diversion, we're all met together:
I'll tell you how from Waterford hither I came
and the last line of the chorus: "Who can compare with the Waterford boys." - BS
For background on author Harry Clifton, see the notes to "The Good Ship Kangaroo." - RBW
Broadside LOCSinging as203820: H. De Marsan dating per Studying Nineteenth-Century Popular Song by Paul Charosh in American Music, Winter 1997, Vol 15.4, Table 1, available at FindArticles site. - BS
Last updated in version 4.4
File: GrMa072

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