Mick Riley

DESCRIPTION: "'Twas in the summer season in the year of seventy-six" the singer fished one summer on Ocean Lark, whose owner is a cobbler in winter. The song claims this cobbler is a cheat and robber and will be so until "he'll find himself in Hell's eternal flames"
AUTHOR: Larry Gorman (1846-1917)
EARLIEST DATE: 1958 (Ives-DriveDullCareAway-PrinceEdwardIsland)
KEYWORDS: greed thief fishing ship humorous
FOUND IN: Canada(Mar)
REFERENCES (2 citations):
Ives-DriveDullCareAway-PrinceEdwardIsland, p. 87, "Mick Riley" (1 text)
Ives-LarryGorman, pp. 36-37, 196-197, "Mick Riley" (1 text)
Roud #14003
CROSS-REFERENCES:
cf. "The Gull Decoy" (characters)
NOTES [92 words]: Ives-DriveDullCareAway-PrinceEdwardIsland: "This song was about the Gull Decoy's son Mick, who, during the off-season, worked as a cobbler." See the notes to "The Gull Decoy" for another example of Gorman's reputed vindictiveness. - BS
Gorman in fact had another song about Michael Riley, called "Michael Riley" and beginning "My name is Michael Riley, I'm a cobbler by trade; Many a pair of brogans I've cut and never made." Ives-LarryGorman gives a text and tune on pp. 35-36, and it's Roud #25171, but I see no real evidence that it's traditional. - RBW
Last updated in version 6.1
File: IvDC087

Go to the Ballad Search form
Go to the Ballad Index Song List

Go to the Ballad Index Instructions
Go to the Ballad Index Bibliography or Discography