Piper's Tunes, The

DESCRIPTION: The singer goes to town "to view the pretty lasses" and sees a famous Captain and Joe Blake. Blake the piper plays the favorite tunes and variations, all named. "Get up and shake your heels, 'tis better sport than any"
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: before 1855 (broadside, Johnson Ballads 602)
KEYWORDS: dancing music
FOUND IN: Ireland
REFERENCES (1 citation):
OLochlainn-IrishStreetBallads 11, "The Piper's Tunes" (1 text, 1 tune)
Roud #3030
BROADSIDES:
Bodleian, Johnson Ballads 602, "Sporting Irish Piper," E.M.A. Hodges (London), 1846-1854; also 2806 b.11(249), Johnson Ballads 603, "Sporting Irish Piper"; 2806 c.15(147), 2806 b.9(225), "The Rakes of Kildare"
CROSS-REFERENCES:
cf. "Bob and Joan" (tune, per OLochlainn)
ALTERNATE TITLES:
John Murphy
NOTES [79 words]: The final line of the Bodleian "The Rakes of Kildare" broadsides is "Oh, tune up the old banjo, for that's better than any." OLochlainn-IrishStreetBallads's town is Cove and his famous captain Burke of Grove; the broadsides town is Kildare and the famous captain Cornock of Cromwell's Fort. The Bodleian "Sporting Irish Piper" broadsides have no similar final line or famous captain, the town is Liverpool and the piper is John Murphy." The same tunes are played throughout. - BS
File: OLoc011

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