Rebel Politics: The Bleeding Heart of Irish Folk
Everyone loves an underdog, and this often seems to be the case in music, too. I have always loved folk music, and particularly, Irish folk songs. I’m drawn to Irish folk tunes primarily because of their beautiful and simple melodies, but also by their lyrics, many of which carry an air of energy and rebellion.
One of the most famous Irish drinking songs is also one that tells of a story of a rebellion of sorts. The song, “Whiskey in the Jar,” is one you might know from The Dubliners or Thin Lizzy, and tells the story of a highwaymen that fights against a British military man. Of course, he is defeated, like in many Irish songs, but the beauty comes despite the struggle. In one of the final verses of the song, the defeated Irishman declares half lamentingly and half defiantly from his prison:
“some take delight in the carriages a-rollin’,
others take delight in the hurly and the bowling;
I take delight in the juice of the barley;
and courting pretty fair maids in the morning bright and early.”
All the while, the melody has a similar mixture of romanticism with a dark, earthly twist. In many of my favorite American folk songs and renditions, such as from Bob Dylan, it’s similarly this mix of romantic with worldly, in melody and in lyrics, that hits a certain sweet spot for me.
Much of relatively modern Irish rebel folk focuses on the Irish Republican Army, following in tradition of anti-British sentiments. One song that is a paragon of the darker subject matter combined with apparently jolly music is “Johnson’s Motor Car.” The very first line about talking to a fellow IRA rebel prior to a conflict with the British is in line with the centuries-old rebel dynamic mentioned. The rest of the song focuses on the very blatant irony between going for a final “bloody good drive” in Johnson’s Motor Car before riding it into conflict with “guns and bayonets shining.”
The recycling of traditional melodies is common in folk songs, but what is mentioned less is the recycling of old themes to apply to new situations as we see in “The Patriot Game.” “One Morning in May” is a traditional Irish tune, telling a story about a soldier and his partner. In the late 1950s, Dominic Behan reworked the melody and the theme to focus on the nuances of the IRA for “The Patriot Game.” At once, Behan states that “the love of one’s country is a terrible thing” but there is some debate about whether this constitutes some sort of rejection of nationalism, despite the rest of the song seeming to support the IRA. Or perhaps it’s a wider message about how even doing the right thing by supporting your country’s independence still dooms you to a life of suffering, and one spent on violence and conflict.
Once again, Bob Dylan borrows the same melody as well as the theme, and even copies the first two verses very closely in his “With God On Our Side.” The theme is slightly reworked, not to focus on the Irish Troubles of course, but a universal critique on justifications for war. Specifically, Dylan aims at the American false romanticism around just wars that God is alleged to support because the United States is the sole chosen and righteous country. All the while, the rebellious instinct and beautiful melody drives the tune and brings out the best of the thoughtful lyrics.