Zoological Gardens, The

DESCRIPTION: "Oh, thunder and lightning it's no lark When Dublin city is in the dark. If you've any money go up to the Park and view the Zoological gardens." The singer describes the odd behavior of the animals, often with a sexual subtext
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1973 (Behan-IrelandSings)
KEYWORDS: wordplay animal travel sex
FOUND IN:
REFERENCES (2 citations):
Behan-IrelandSings, #100, "The Zoological Gardens" (1 text, 1 tune, modified)
ADDITIONAL: Frank Harte _Songs of Dublin_, second edition, Ossian, 1993, pp. 66-67, "Zoological Gardens" (1 text, 1 tune)
NOTES [171 words]: According to Soodlum's Irish Ballad Book, the Dublin Zoological Gardens are in Phoenix Park, and the song dates back to the nineteenth century. I rather doubt this; the reference in the first verse to Dublin being in the dark, which occurs in the Behan-IrelandSings, Soodlum's Irish Ballad Book [1982], and Harte texts, sounds like it refers to a World War I blackout.
Robert Gogan, 130 Great Irish Ballads (third edition, Music Ireland, 2004), p. 84, has a version almost identical to Soodlum's but with a few minor variations. He explains the word "mot," which is frequent in his version, as being Dublin slang for "girlfriend." He also notes that the zoo dates back to 1830.
Is the song traditional? I know of no field collections -- but the Soodlum's and Harte texts differ significantly, and Harte says there are other variants he didn't record. This might just be Dominic Behan's tendency to fiddle, but it is possible the song does have some traditional life, though perhaps only on college campuses or such. - RBW
Last updated in version 3.2
File: Hart066

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