We are happy to offer some special notes on all of the songs on the LIVE CD. Some of the text will be identical to that found on the CD, while there are special comments and further information added--and, of course, lyrics so that you can sing along!. We hope you will enjoy this companion to your CD purchase.
liner notes
With a pub full of patrons, sitting, standing, with pints and whiskies all in hand, there's always the possibility of fire, and The Old Dun Cow is the hands-down favorite fire drill in every Pub we play. It's been a wonderful night with a magical audience that comes full-throat on this great tune from the 1890's.
This tune has been the most requested song over the
past years, and this audience sings Harry
Windcott's 1893 masterpiece as well as any.
The Old Dun Cow
Some friends and I in a public house
Were playing dominoes one night
When into the room a fireman came,
His face all chalky white
"What's up?" says Brown, "Have you seen a ghost?"
"Have you seen your Aunt Moriah?"
"Oh my Aunt Moriah be buggered," says he,
"The bleeding pub's on fire!"
"On fire?," says Brown, "What a bit of luck
Everybody follow me;
It's down to the cellar if the fire's not there,
Then we'll have a grand old spree"
So we went down with good old Brown,
And the booze we could not miss
And we hadn't been there ten minutes or more
Till we were fairly ...
Chorus:
Oh, there was Brown, WHERE?
UP SIDE DOWN!
Lappin' up the whiskey off the floor
YUM YUM (ladies say)
Oh, booze--BOOZE! (men say)
The firemen cried,
As they come a knockin' at the door!
KNOCK TWICE
"Well don't let em in till it's all mopped up
Somebody shouted, "MacIntyre!"
MACINTYRE!!!
And we all got blue blind paralytic drunk,
When The Old Dun Cow caught fire.
Then Smith ran over to the port wine tub,
And gave it just a few hard knocks--
KNOCK KNOCK
He started taking off his pantaloons
Likewise his shoes and socks
"Oh no," says Brown, "That t'ain't allowed
You can't do that there,
Don't be washing your trotters in the port wine tub
When we’ve got some local beer"
Chorus
Just then there came a mighty crash,
And half the bloody room gave way;
And we were drownded by the fireman's hose,
All pisskey, wet and gay
So we got some tacks and some wet old sacks
And we pinned ourselves inside
And we sat there getting blind bleery-eyed drunk
While The Old Dun Cow got fried.
Chorus
