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From: Timotej Ecimovic 
Subject: Rocky Road to Dublin, The Dubliners
To: jamesb@nevada.edu
Date: Wed, 23 Feb 94 10:25:29 MET
Mailer: Elm [revision: 70.85]

Title: ROCKY ROAD TO DUBLIN
Performer: THE DUBLINERS


This is a song, a good friend of mine, a singer
in an Irish Polka Band, said of,
"Forget this one! Only The Dubliners can sing this!"
Then I spent few months, and now I'm doing it
fairly well. But I still suspect, that some
artifficial breathing device is needed to
sing it as it should be sung!

---------------------------------------------------------

Traditional, arranged by the Dubliners

ROCKY ROAD TO DUBLIN

# To be played over Dm and C chords, but I preffer
# fingerpicking pattern described at the bottom...

While in the merry month of May from my home I started,
left the girls of Tuam nearly broken hearted,
saluted father dear, kissed me darling mother,
drank a pint of beer me grief and fears to smother,
Then off to reap the corn,
and leave where I was born,
cut a stout blackthorn
to banish ghosts and goblin
in a brand new pair of brogues
I rattled o'er the bogs
and frightened all the dogs
on the Rocky road to Dubilin,
One, Two, Three, Four, Five!
Hunt the hare and turn her down the rocky road
and all the ways to Dubilin, whack fol-al-derol.

In Mullingar that night I rested limbs so weary
started by daylight next morning light and airy,
Took a drop o' the pure, to keep me heart from sinkin',
that's the Paddy's cure whenever he's on for drinkin'.
To see the lassies smile,
laughin' all the while,
At me curious style,
'twould set your heart a-bubblin',
They ax'd if I was hired,
the wages I required,
Till I was almost tired
of the rocky road to Dublin.
One, Two, Three, Four, Five!
Hunt the hare and turn her down the rocky road
and all the ways to Dubilin, whack fol-al-de-rol.

In Dublin next arrived I thought it such a pity
to be so soon deprived a view of that fine city,
then I took a stroll, all among the quality,
me bundle it was stole in a neat locality;
Something cross me mind,
then I looked behind,
no bundle could I find
upod me stick a-wobblin',
Enquirin' after the rogue,
they said me Connacht brogue
wasn't much in vogue,
on the rocky road to Dubilin.
One, Two, Three, Four, Five!
Hunt the hare and turn her down the rocky road
and all the ways to Dubilin, whack fol-al-de-rol.

>From there I got away, me spirits never failin',
landed on a quay just as the ship was sailin',
captain at me roared, said no room had he,
when I jumped aboard, a cabin found for Paddy
down among the pigs,
I skipped some funny rigs,
I played some hearty jigs,
the water round me bubblin',
when off Holyhead,
I wished meself was dead,
Or, better, far instead,
on the rocky road to Dublin.
One, Two, Three, Four, Five!
Hunt the hare and turn her down the rocky road
and all the ways to Dubilin, whack fol-al-de-rol.

The boys of Liverpool, when we safely landed,
call meself a fool, I could no longer stand it,
blood began to boil, temper I was loosin',
poor ould Erin's isle they began abusin',
"Hurrah me soul!", says I,
my shillelagh I let fly,
some Galway boys were by,
saw I was a hobblin',
then with loud hurray,
they joined in the affray,
we quickly cleared the way
for the rocky road to Dubilin.
One, Two, Three, Four, Five!
Hunt the hare and turn her down the rocky road
and all the ways to Dubilin, whack fol-al-de-rol.

########## I actually learned all this !?!

Finger picking pattern:
(one '-' between numbers, play fast,
 three '-' => pause a little bit)

INTRO
-------------------------------------------------------------------
-------------------------------------------------------------------
--2-5-2-0---------------------------0-2-5-2-0----------------------
------------3-0-3-0-----0-0---0-3---------------3-0---3-2----------
--------------------0---------------------------------------3-3----
-------------------------------------------------------------------

-------------------------------------------------------------------
-------------------------------------------------------------------
-------0-2-5-2-0---------------------------------------------------
-0-2---------------3-0---------------------------------------------
-------------------------------------------------------------------
-------------------------------------------------------------------

MAIN
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
(2-2)---2-2---2-0-------------------------0-2-5-2-0-----------------------
-1st----------------3-0-------0-0---0-3---------------3-0---3-2-----------
-verse--------------------0---------------------------------------3-3-----
--------------------------------------------------------------------------

-------------------------------------------------------------------
-------------------------------------------------------------------
-------0-2-5-2-0-------------------------0-2-5-2-0-----------------
-0-2---------------3-0-------0-0---0-3---------------3-0---3-2-----
-------------------------0-----------------------------------------
-------------------------------------------------------------------

-------------------------------------------------------------------
-----------------------3-1-0-1-----------3-1-0-1-----------3-1-0-1-
---------------0-2---2-----------2-2---2-----------2-2---2---------
---------0-2-------------------------------------------------------
---3-3-------------------------------------------------------------
-------------------------------------------------------------------

-------------------------------------------------------------------
-----------------------------3-1-0-1-----------3-1-0-1-------------
---2-0---------------0-2---2-----------2-2---2---------------------
---------2-----0-2-------------------------------------------------
-----------3-------------------------------------------------------
-------------------------------------------------------------------

-------------------------------------------------------------------
----------3-1-0-1--------------------------------------------------
--2-2---2-----------2-0---0-0---------------0-2---2-0--------------
--------------------------------2-----0-2---------------3-0--------
----------------------------------3--------------------------------
-------------------------------------------------------------------

-------------------------------------------------------------------
-------------------------------------------------------------------
-------------------0-2-5-2-0-------------------------0-2---2-0-----
-------0-0---0-3---------------3-0---3-2--------0-2-------------3-0
---0---------------------------------------3-3---------------------
-------------------------------------------------------------------
...or something like that!

Play INTRO first, than MAIN 5 times...
The best way, BMHO, would be, that you make yourself well familiar
with the repeating patterns of fingerpicking (it's all the same
over and over again actually, just three or so phrases), and
then work on with the text... Good luck! (You'll need it especially
for chanting along! Remember: it's never too fast and always too slow!
... and I don't take responsibility for unfortunate cases when the singer
doesn't take enough time to breathe!)

It is good to listen to the song few times to get the idea of the rhythm.

The truth about the song is (saddly admited!) that most of the people
usualy at the parties preffer some other Dubliners stuff, sung easier,
but there are always few fans, who like the effort put in it.
And it is really a satisfaction for the lonely hours...
(It's sounds better with banjo for my ears, but I don't have one...)

------------------------------------------------------------------------

Irish music fans of the world, unite!

CIC   (macic@samson.fiz.uni-lj.si)