Liliburlero

X:1
T:Liliburlero
M:6/8
L:1/8
N:as played for MOTley Morris
K:G Major
G>AG B2 B | A>BA c2 c | BGF G3 :| g2 f g2 d | d>e=f e2 d |\
d>e^f g>fe | d>cB A2 d | e>dc B>cd | e>dc B2 d | BGF G3 |]

MOTley Morris uses this tune for the dance Liliburlero (which the Not For Joes call Mr. Dolly).

The following is quoted from Percy's Reliques.

"The following rhymes, slight and insignificant as they may now seem, had once a more powerful effect than either the Philippics of Demosthenes, or Cicero; and contributed not a little towards the great revolution in 1688. Let us hear a contemporary writer.

" 'A foolish ballad was made at that time, treating the Papists, and chiefly the Irish, in a very ridiculous manner, which had a burden said to be Irish words, Lero, lero, liliburlero, that made a great impression on the (king's) army, that cannot be imagined by those that saw it not. The whole army, and at last the people, both in city and country, were singing it perpetually. And perhaps never had so slight a thing so great an effect.' - Burnet.

"It was written, or at least republished, on the earl of Tyrconnel's going a second time to Ireland in October, 1688. Perhaps it is unneccessary to mention, that General Richard Talbot, newly created earl of Tyrconnel, had been nominated by K. James II. to the lieutenancy of Ireland in 1686, on account of his being a furious papist, who had recommended himself to his bigotted master by his arbitrary treatment of the protestants in the preceding year, when only lieutenant general, and whose subsequent conduct fully justified his expectations and their fears. The violences of his administration may be seen in any of the histories of those times: particularly in bishop King's State of the Protestants in Ireland, 1691, 4to.

"This song is attributed to Lord Wharton in a small pamphlet, intitled, A true relation of the several facts and circumstances of the intended riot and tumult on Q. Elizabeth's birth-day, &c. 3d. ed. Lond. 1712, pr. 2d. - See p. 5, viz. - 'A late Viceroy (of Ireland,) who has so often boasted himself upon his talent for mischief, invention, lying, and for making a certain Lilliburlero Song; with which, if you will believe himself, he sung a deluded Prince out of Three Kingdoms.'

"Lilliburlero and Bullen-a-lah are said to have been the words of distinction used among the Irish Papists in their massacre of the Protestants in 1641.

"(To no song could be better attributed Fletcher of Saltoun's dictum than to this poor specimen of verse, which caught the fancy of the poeple and drove James from his throne. Macaulay wrote of it as follows - 'From one end of England to the other all classes were constantly singing this idle rhyme. It was especially the delight of the English army. More than seventy years after the Revolution, Sterne delineated with exquisite skill a veteran who had fought at the Boyne and at Namur. One of the characteristics of the good old soldier is his trick of whistling Lilliburlero.' The air is attributed to Purcell, but it is supposed that he only arranged an earlier tune. Hume thought that the popularity of the song was rather due to the composer of the air than to the author of the words.

"Mr. Markland, in a note to Boswell's Life of Johnson, says, that 'according to Lord Dartmouth there was a particular expression in it, which the king remembered that he had made use of to the Earl of Dorset, from whence it was concluded that he was the author.' Upon this Mr. Chappell remarks, 1. that 'the Earl of Dorset laid no claim to it, and it is scarcely to be believed that the author of To all you ladies now on land could have penned such thorough doggrel.' 2. That 'the ballad contains no expression that the King would have used, which might not equally have been employed by any other person.' There can now be little doubt that the author was Thomas Marquis of Wharton, father of the mad Duke Philip of Wharton. He discerned the indications of the political horizon and espoused the winning side. He was well rewarded for his wisdom. Mr. S. Redmond (Notes and Queries, third series, viii. 13) writes that he has often heard the girls in the south and southeast of Ireland, while engaged in binding the corn into sheaves after the reapers, sing the following chorus, which always had reference to one of the gang who was not so quick at her work as the others, and who consequently was left behind:

'Lully by lero,
Lully by lero,
Lully by lero,
Help her along.')"

The lyrics to the song are:

Ho! broder Teague, dost hear de decree?
Lilli burlero, bullen a-la.
Dat we shall have a new deputie,
Lilli burlero, bullen a-la.

Chorus: Lero, lero, lilli burlero, lero, lero, bullen a-la,
Lero, lero, lilli burlero, lero, lero, bullen a-la.

Ho! by shaint Tyburn, is de Talbote:
Lilli burlero, bullen a-la.
And he will cut de Englishmen's troate.
Lilli burlero, bullen a-la.

[chorus]

Dough by my shoul de English do praat,
Lilli burlero, bullen a-la.
De law's on dare side, and Creish know's what.
Lilli burlero, bullen a-la.

[chorus]

But if dispence do come from de pope,
Lilli burlero, bullen a-la.
We'll hang Magna Charta, and dem in a rope.
Lilli burlero, bullen a-la.

[chorus]

For de good Talbot is made a lord,
Lilli burlero, bullen a-la.
And with brave lads is coming aboard:
Lilli burlero, bullen a-la.

[chorus]

Who all in France have taken a sware,
Lilli burlero, bullen a-la.
Dat dey will have no protestant heir.
Lilli burlero, bullen a-la.

[chorus]

Ara! but why does he stay behind?
Lilli burlero, bullen a-la.
Ho! by my shoul, 'tis a protestant wind,
Lilli burlero, bullen a-la.

[chorus]

But see de Tyrconnel is now come ashore,
Lilli burlero, bullen a-la.
And we shall have commissions gillore [sic].
Lilli burlero, bullen a-la.

[chorus]

And he dat will not go to de mass,
Lilli burlero, bullen a-la.
Shall be turn out, and look like an ass.
Lilli burlero, bullen a-la.

[chorus]

Now, now de hereticks all go down,
Lilli burlero, bullen a-la.
By Chrish and shaint Patrick, de nation's our own.
Lilli burlero, bullen a-la.

[chorus]

Dare was an old prophesy found in a bog,
Lilli burlero, bullen a-la.
'Ireland shall be rul'd by an ass, and a dog.'
Lilli burlero, bullen a-la.

[chorus]

And now dis prophesy is come to pass,
Lilli burlero, bullen a-la.
For Talbot's de dog, and JA**S [sic] is de ass.
Lilli burlero, bullen a-la.

Last modified: Wed Aug 20 00:48:32 2003 by Jeff Bigler