42. Quare Bungle Rye

Traditional, adapted and arranged with new music, ©Robbie O’Connell 2008 Slievenamon Music (BMI)

There are several songs in the folk tradition that tell of sailors being swindled by ladies of the night. Along with Quare Bungle Rye, the obvious ones that spring to mind are New York Girls, Patrick Street, and Do Me Ama. They all bear the hallmarks of Broadside Ballads, which were popular in the 1800s, in particular.

Printed on a single sheet of paper, hence the term, Broadsides, they were mostly sold at market fairs and social gatherings, usually for a penny or a halfpenny each. Often adorned with woodcut illustrations of the theme of the song, they appealed to the barely literate in addition to the well read. They were in great demand by singers trying to expand their repertoires. In many ways, they were the precursors of the pop music records that dominated the popular musical culture of the twentieth century.

Quare Bungle Rye has always intrigued me for several reasons. It had an Irish sounding tune but the story seemed more English than Irish. Given the dominance of the British navy in the 1800s, most of the nautical songs sung in Ireland came from England. There were plenty of Irish sailors in the British merchant fleets as well as the Royal Navy so the song might have originated there.

However, the mention of rye whiskey made me think there might be an American connection. Rye whiskey is associated with German and Swiss emigrants who settled in Pennsylvania from the 1700s to the 1900s and are known as the Pennsylvania Dutch. Sailors travel the world and pick up bits and pieces of songs from all over, so sea shanties and sailors’ songs are a mishmash of diverse musical influences, including Irish.

An English song, The Oyster Girl, song #875 in the Roud Collection, is sometimes thought to be a precursor to Quare Bungle Rye but the theme of the sailor ashore being easily duped is a common one, so I’m not sure there’s a tangible connection. Whatever its provenance, the story keeps being retold and is probably found in many different cultures.

I believe my uncle, Bobby Clancy, collected it from a singer in County Kilkenny and both he and his brother, Paddy, used to sing it. In the 1950s, Bobby collected songs from old timers around Carrick-on-Suir and further afield. He liked nothing better than heading out to remote country pubs and starting a session. He was always made welcome because, once he appeared, they knew they were in for a great night. Many of the songs he collected found their way onto the early Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem LPs so although Bobby was not part of the original lineup, he made an important contribution to their repertoire.

I didn’t alter the lyrics for this version but I did rework the melody and change the structure to give it a chorus instead of a refrain. I know that some people consider such alterations as a form of skullduggery, but, like it or not, it’s what is known as “The Folk Process.” Nearly everything needs a little freshening up once in a while. I was tired of the old melody but loved the story so the solution for me was fairly obvious. I hope you like the result.

Lyrics:

QUARE BUNGLE RYE

Traditional, adapted and arranged with new music, ©Robbie O’Connell 2008 Slievenamon Music (BMI)¹

Now Jack was a sailor who roamed on the town
And she was a damsel who skipped up and down
Said the damsel to Jack as she passed him by,
"Would you care for to purchase some quare bungle rye?"
Quare bungle rye, laddie, quare bungle rye
Fol the diddle lie raddie rye, raddie rye
 
Says Jack to himself, "Now what can this be?
But the finest old whiskey from far Germany
Smuggled up in a basket and sold on the sly
And the name that it goes by is quare bungle rye"
Quare bungle rye, laddie, quare bungle rye
Fol the diddle lie raddie rye, raddie rye
 
Jack gave her a pound and he thought nothing strange
Said she, "Hold the basket till I run for your change"
Jack peeked in the basket and a child he did spy
"Oh, be damned then," says Jack, " this is quare bungle rye."
Quare bungle rye, laddie, quare bungle rye
Fol the diddle lie raddie rye, raddie rye
 
Now to get the child christened was Jack's next intent
And to get the child christened, to the parson he went
Says the parson to Jack, "What will he go by?"
"Oh, Be damned then," says Jack," Call him quare bungle rye 
Quare bungle rye, laddie, quare bungle rye
Fol the diddle lie raddie rye, raddie rye
 
Said the parson to Jack, "That's a very quare name"
"Oh, Be damned then," says Jack, "in a quare way he came
Smuggled up in a basket and sold on the sly
And the name that he'll go by is quare bungle rye"
Quare bungle rye, laddie, quare bungle rye
Fol the diddle lie raddie rye, raddie rye
 
Now all you young sailors who roam on the town
Beware of those damsels who skip up and down
Take a peek in their basket as they pass you by
Or else they may pawn on you quare bungle rye 
Quare bungle rye, laddie, quare bungle rye
Fol the diddle lie raddie rye, raddie rye

1. PRODUCTION INFORMATION
Robbie O’Connell: Vocal, guitar
Aoife Clancy: Harmony Vocal
Dónal Clancy: Bouzouki
Eric Wendelkin: Bass
Derek Pisano: Keyboards
Produced by Robbie O’Connell
Recorded at Mockingbird Studio, Mansfield, MA
Derek Pisano, Recording Engineer
Digitally mastered at Northeastern Digital, Southboro, MA by Toby Mountain