Irish Washerwoman on the Hammered Dulcimer by Bryce Morrison

Wash faster! Faster! As with the Maid Behind the Bar, I figured now would be a good time to play the tune, in celebration of anyone who is absent and missed during the at-home-orders.

I speed this up a bit in just the two times through that I demonstrate, but we often would play this tune three or even more times, making a slight speed-up each time. Another musician (username Mary-Anne) suggested that the washerwoman is hurrying to get the laundry on the line so she can get back to dancing the jig.

Here is the sheet music: http://spokanesessions.com/tune.php?t...

Drowsy Maggie is another tune I should record which can be started slowly and then sped-up (as long as nobody is dancing to it at the time).

Musician-talk: You can add a lot of style when starting out very slow, and you might end up skipping triplets eventually if you get too fast. It’s pretty normal to play the B part an octave higher than the A part. It’s old… really old… older than 1846 (even mentioned in 1609 by a different title), so it’s copyright-free for sure.

Lyrics: An alternate version of the first half of this tune doesn’t involve an Irish washerwoman at all, but just two dead Irishmen:
"Oh, McTavish is dead and his brother don’t know it,
And his brother is dead, and McTavish don’t know it,
And both of ‘em are dead, and neither one knows it,
‘Cause both of ‘em thinks that the other is dead."

Here is an alternate song going with the melody, from a 1791 stage piece “The Surrender of Calais,” which makes use of the B-part as well:

When I was at home, I was merry and frisky.
My dad kept a pig, but my mother sold whiskey.
My uncle was rich, but ne’er could be aisey (=easy)
Till I was enlisted by Corporal Casey.
Och, rub-a-dub, row-de-dow, Corporal Casey,
My dear little Shelah I thought would run crazy
When I trudged away with tough Corporal Casey.
Och, rub-a-dub row-de-row, Shelah my love.

I marched from Kilkenny, but as I was thinking
On Shelah, my heart in my bosom was sinking.
But soon I was forced to look fresh as a daisy
For fear of a drubbin’ from Corporal Casey.
Och, rub-a-dub, row-de-dow, Corporal Casey,
The devil go with him. I ne’er could be lazy
He struck my shirts so, old Corporal Casey.
Och, rub-a-dub row-de-row, Shelah my dear.

We went into battle. I took the blows fairly
That fell on my pate but they bothered me rarely.
And who should the first be that dropped? Why, and please you,
It was my good friend, honest Corporal Casey.
Och, rub-a-dub, row-de-dow, Corporal Casey,
Thinks I, “You are quiet and I shall be aisey.”
So eight years I fought without Corporal Casey.
Och, rub-a-dub row-de-row, Shelah my gal.


But wait! There’s more! There’s also a way to SQUARE dance to it (as long as the pace is steady and not sped-up)! From TheSession.org user “Fidicen” in Bristol, here is a call by the famous square-dance caller Les Gotcher (1905-1996) of Texas, which has 2 measures of the tune per line, and the jig is played three times through.

Now all four ladies jump into the middle,
Kickin’ your feet, keep time to the fiddle.
You’re washin’ the clothes, and washin’ ‘em
clean.
It’s a rub-a-dub-dub all around the ring.
Just half way ‘round is as far as you go,
Now swing that gent and don’t be slow.
Go ‘round and around with a high de ho,
Now break that up with a do-paso.
It’s a right to your corner and back to the one,
That you were a swingin’ but you’re not done.
Go back to the center a washin’ again,
It’s a rub-a-dub-dub all around the ring.
Now back to your own and swing him around,
You swing him up and you swing him down.
You hang right on and take no chance,
And swing him again for the good of the dance.

Now all four ladies to the right of the ring,
And meet that gent with a two hand swing,
You swing him right and you swing him wrong,
Then leave him there and go on along.
You meet the next with the same old thing,
Remember girls it’s a two hand swing.
Now swing that gent, he’s a brand new pard,
Swing him around but not too hard.
Now on to the next and don’t be slow,
Hang right on and away you go.
You swing him once and then swing him again,
And then go on to the right of the ring.
Swing that gent, say that’s your own pard,
Swing him around in your own back yard,
Swing that pretty boy ‘round and around,
Right up to the ceiling and don’ come down.

Now all four gents jump into the middle,
Kickin’ your feet, keep time to the fiddle.
You’re out on the farm and pitchin’ the hay,
Around the ring but go only half way.
Now grab onto that girl and don’t be slow,
Hang right on and away you go,
Go ‘round and around with a high de ho,
Then break it up with a do-paso.
It’s a right to your corner and back to the girl,
Swing her again all around the world.
Now after you’ve swung her ‘round and around,
Go back to the center you’re goin’ to town.
Now go back and swing your own pard,
Swing her around but not too hard,
Now you hang right on and take no chance,
And swing her again for the good of the dance.