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St. Patrick! Lyrics only is OK too. His day will be here soon.

Parameters:
Deadline - St. Patrick's Day
Any genre, although Celtic would be nice.
At least 3 verses if it has no chorus. At least two verses if it has a chorus.
Any info directly related to St. Patrick must be historically correct.

Here is a website that is a good resource if you need one:

http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/11554a.htm

Any takers?

Something like this Jean?
I'll probably have music for it tonight, and sung tomorrow.
Wondered what trick i was going to pull this year to get free grtog Saint Pat's Day.
Graham

Ode To Saint Patrick
Copyright © Graham Henderson APRA 2007

Saint Patrick was of Roman.
And of Scottish birth.
But stolen by the Irish.
He was sold for slave’s worth.
To a chieftain of Antrim.
One of the Druid Priests.
And made to be a shepherd.
And tend his master’s beasts.

In the valley of the Braid.
And on nearby Slemish slope.
Near today’s town of Ballymena.
He prayed to keep his hope.
And six years passed before he could.
Escape his tyrant lord.
And run to Westport.
Find a boat and ship aboard.

He sailed back hame again.
And entered a monastery.
To study and prepare himself.
For his destiny.
And that showed it self.
To him most clearly.
When an angel’s voice told him to.
Go set Erin free.

And so to ship he went.
Across the Irish Sea.
And landed at the river.
Known as the Vantry.
And though the Druids fought him.
The sweet words Patrick spoke.
Won the heart of Ireland.
And broke the serfdom yoke.

So all you thieving Irishmen.
Have a debt to pay.
For Saint Patrick forgave you.
That’s why you’re free today.
So while you’re buying drinks.
Don’t put your purse away.
Before you buy this Scot one too.
On Saint Patrick’s Day.

And now the noise.
Da Dah.
http://www.songramp.com/mod/mps/viewtrack.php?trackid=54622
And the top o' the mornin' to ya me darlin's.
Graham

Hi, Graham. Thanks for accepting the challenge. Yes. You stuck to historical fact and still managed to squeeze in some humor. Thanks. I will be listening to the noise a little later, Cobber.

Hi Jean,
Well, this may not fit your parameters the best. It's more about the Irish in general and only "mentions" St Patrick. It's got plenty of verses--6. I just wrote it and only tweaked the verses into some kind of "proximity" .
Wy

Ode To The Irish

V 1
They left the old homeland
When the great famine came
Only death waited
If everyone stayed

V 2
Though the Irish are scattered
Far over the foam
They honor St Pat
Where 'ere they may roam

V 3
They march with the greenery
On that sacred day
With many a toast
In the pub on the way

V 4
The Irish saved history
When the dark ages came
Monks copied the books
And hid them away

V 4
When the continent plunged
Back into the past
The Irish held steady
Till light came at last

V 5
Just a small speck of green
In that fair Irish sea
But from it came warriors
Scholars and kings

V 6
The Lord gave them whiskey
I tell you boys and girls
Just so the Irish
Wouldn't conquer the world

Like that Wy.
Graham

St. Patrick was an Irishman,
A nice guy, for a saint,
He drove a big long limozeen,
And hauled around green paint,

Each March around the seventeenth,
He'd get his best paintbrush,
And paint the lines on Chicago's roads,
From State street down to Rush,

One day as he was painting,
the zoo at Lincoln Park,
He saw old Moses near the gate,
A' workin' on an Ark,

"Hey Moe," said good old Paddy,
"Just why you need that boat?"
Moses said, "Pat, the floods a' comin'
So I need this thing to float,"

St. Pat he started painting,
that Ark an Irish green,
And when it dried it was the prettiest,
Ark you've ever seen,

Old Moses went into the zoo,
And threw open the bars,
So out streamed all the animals,
To walk free under the stars

The monkeys and the badgers,
And the rhinos and the bears,
All marched over to Moses' ark,
And climbed right up the stairs

Well pretty soon the ark was fuller,
Than a Midway Airport jet,
Moses cried to Patrick,
"We ain't done the snake house yet!"

Patrick said, don't worry Moe,
Sure as my blood is green,
I'll drive the snakes from Chicago,
In my green limozeen.

Now some say it was Ireland,
Not some Chicago park,
And some say it was Noah,
Was the one who built the ark,

But I say it was Patrick,
Who saved the snakes that day,
So snakes now fill up all the bars,
On each St. Patrick's Day

All the Best,
Mike

Heck Mike,
First guy ain't got a chance. I thought I did good to write 6 verses and you write (I think) eleven. I thought six was good after Graham covered St Pat so good. Jean may kick me out for not saying enough about St. Patrick. 'Course she may get you for being a bit historically fuzzy. But, regardless of the outcome, I really like that
Wy

Sing it slow Wy. Sing it slow.
Good one Mike.
Obviously you found a differant history of Saint Pat site than I did.
Graham

It's all true, every bit of it.

Okay, here's a quickie: (this is lyrics only ... but kinda sings itself, methinks!) I edited a few lines this morning in case someone saw this earlier. ... I guess since they don't really have green beer in Ireland, Guinness can be substituted in that line ... )

Toast to St. Patrick(c)2007
Mary Lou Sudkamp, BMI

O’Malley and O’Sullivan
McLafferty and Kelly
All meet each day at Mick O’Shea’s
To drink and fill their bellies
And they like to tell tall tales
Of lovely Irish lasses
And they toast to ol’ St. Patrick
With green beer* in their glasses

“Thank heavens for St. Patrick
He conquered Druidism
He brought the Faith to Ireland
And saved us with Baptism
He rose from slave to patron saint
No evil could withstand him
He drove the demons ‘to the sea
Now his light shines everlastin’!”

Now leprechauns and pots o’ gold
Are lucky if you find ‘em
But luck be with ya’ all the time
If you’re an Irishman in Ireland
And we honor good St. Patrick
by the wearin’ o’ the green
and we raise our voices and our cups
to toast him as we sing:

“Thank heavens for St. Patrick
He conquered Druidism
He brought the Faith to Ireland
And saved us with Baptism
He rose from slave to patron saint
No evil could withstand him
He drove the demons ‘to the sea
Now his light shines everlastin’”

Yes, he drove the demons 'to the sea ...
Now his light shines everlastin'!


*instead of "green beer" may substitute "Guinness"

Graham, Wy, Mike, Mary Lou, You guys crack me up. Poor St. Patrick. What must he think about all the green beer?

Hey what's that emerald sheen St Pat
and what's with that funny bowler hat
and why's the beer so green here on this day
I know about your snakeless charm
despite what I hear from Mike Dun Barre
and why'd you not believe in leprechauns

I know you brought them all the Words
and taught them how to praise the Lord
but St Pat you let them use their silver tongues
just listen to father o'connor
when he say's you are a goner
when you sin, well then you really want ter

Which is why the Irish drink
'cause it's such a menial sin
and smoothes the way to you on heaven's road
which is why I'll find a bar
on the seventeeth of march
to lubricate that road to where you are

The Devil made me do it...

THE SAINT PAT SNAKE-ELIMINATIN' BLUES
–J. Wrabek

Hey Saint Pat, I got a bone to pick wif you;
Hey, Saint Pat, I got a big bone to pick wif you;
When you drove them snakes out of Ireland,
How come they moved in wif me and not wif you?

Hey, Saint Pat, I got snakes inna daytime, and at night;
Hey, Saint Pat, I got snakes inna daytime, and at night;
Even got one in the bedroom
That keeps threatenin' to bite my wife.

Hey, Saint Pat, I'm at my wit's end, don't know what to do;
Hey, Saint Pat, I'm at my wit's end, don't know what to do;
Them snakes don't speak no English
And prolly won' listen t' anyone but you.

Hey, Saint Pat, how ‘bout you bring a mess of Irish beer;
Hey, Saint Pat, how ‘bout you bring a mess or Irish beer;
Get them snakes all drunk,
It be easier to haul them out of here.

Hey, Saint Pat, bring some corned beef and cabbage over here;
Hey, Saint Pat, bring some corned beef and cabbage over here;
We can have ourselves a picnic
While we watch the snakes pass out from drinkin' beer.

Hey, Saint Pat, pots o' gold been on mind;
Hey, Saint Pat, pots o' gold been on my mind;
I deserve some compensation
For takin' care of your snakes all this time.

Hey, Saint Pat, leave the snake in the bedroom when you go;
Hey, Saint Pat, leave the snake in the bedroom when you go;
My wife's been mighty quiet
And I've decided that I do enjoy it so.

Joe
www.soundclick.com/bands/7/joewrabek_music.htm
www.myspace.com/joewrabek
The Writer's Blog: http://nakedspacehamsters.blogspot.com

Y'know, after I posted the above, I did think of something that might turn into a Real Song. It'd have to be sung by a girl, though--a guy could *not* do this without creating a wrong impression. Same music, so the lyrics above would become dustbin material.

All I have at this point is a chorus:

Saint Paddy, why'ncha come over to my place?
Saint Paddy, why'ncha come over to my place?
We can drink some green beer, and then you can chase away my snakes.

Have a good day, now.

Joe
www.soundclick.com/bands/7/joewrabek_music.htm
www.myspace.com/joewrabek
The Writer's Blog: http://nakedspacehamsters.blogspot.com

Thanks for posting your song, Joe. Did you know that Ireland never had any snakes to begin with. Those Irish just like to tell tall tales, LOL.

Jean, it was probably a tourist thing--y'know. "Come Visit Ireland, Land of Snakes," that sort of thing. When you're off the beaten path, you have to do something to bring the visitors in. If I recall right, Ireland wasn't much for sunny beaches (or sunshine at all, for that matter). And potatoes don't work well for a marketing gimmick--they tried that in Idaho.

Joe

I think the snakes may be a cryptic bend on the Druids actually.
Graham

Yes, the myth may have grown out of the pagan symbolism and eventually the people may have forgotten that the story wasn't meant to be literal.

going to be fun this year as, it being on a saturday, I will get to do this with an irish band during the day. To the tune of The Wild Colonial Boy, and my own take at karaoke on the same day.
If I last the day out mind.
Graham

Gosh, I guess everybody is waiting until the last day to post a song!

OK. Here is mine. The song was written for our upcoming St. Patrick's Day Mass at school. No vocals just the melody.

Here is the link to songramp.

http://www.songramp.com/mod/mps/viewtrack.php?trackid=54785

And here are the lyrics:

Saint Patrick's Song ©2005, 2007 J.M. Richardson (Bullock)

1. Saint Patrick, born in Scotland in the late 4th century,
was captured by Irish raiders and taken across the sea.
He was a lad, about sixteen and they made him earn his keep
As a slave in pagan Ireland; young Patrick tended sheep.

2. Saint Patrick's faith grew stronger and he never felt the pain
from prayin' upon the mountain, in the woods, and the snow and the rain.
Six years later he had a dream from God whom he loved the most,
and the dream told Patrick run away and head out to the coast.

3. A ship was there and Patrick sailed home to family.
When Patrick became a bishop, back to Ireland went he.
Saint Patrick labored many years to spread the Gospel there,
And the Irish were converted through God’s grace and Patrick’s prayer.

Your history book is closer to my copy than to the one Mike used for sure Jean.
I just listened to the backing of, I presume this, over on SongRamp and was waiting for the sing to come in.
Graham

I think Mike wrote his own history book Graham.
Have you and Jean by any chance got some Irish ancestry?
Mine is Welsh on the one side.
Wy
(I got some noise out of Jammer and got a guitar playing---progress)

yeah Probably Wy.
Writing green history with a purple pencil is bound to get a body confused I am sure.
To my knowledge, Irish is one of the few races i don'tr have in me Wy.
I am mainly Scot.
Good on ya on the Jammer Wy. Told ya.
Graham

Sorry Graham. No vocals yet, just the melody.

Wy. Yes. On my mither's side. A whole bunch of cousins in Ireland.

I don't think Mike used a real history book for his, Jean. I'm thinking he might have partaken of some green beer maybe???

But he told me it was all true Tricia.
Graham

Okay, here it is. I don't know if I'm brave enough to perform this in public, but I'll have one more week to decide--our Friday Night Group will be playing on the 16th, the day before St. Patrick's Day.

I have tried to be historically accurate without giving too mmuch detail. I wanted to capture the spirit of the occasion, as it were. This is not Celtic music (our saw player likes to play Celtic music, and this is definitely not it). I figured if you got the snakes, man, you got the blues.

No, I have not recorded it.

Joe

z[4/4, mod. fast & happy blues]

INVITATION TO ST. PATRICK
–J. Wrabek

CHORUS:
Saint Paddy, why'ncha come over to my place?
Saint Paddy, why'ncha come over to my place?
We can drink green beer, and you can chase away my snakes.

1.
I'm on an island in the middle of the sea;
I'm on an island in the middle of the sea;
Be a saint, dear Paddy, come over here and rescue me.

CHORUS:
Saint Paddy, why'ncha come over to my place?
Saint Paddy, why'ncha come over to my place?
We can drink green beer, and you can chase away my snakes.

2.
I got sankes, Saint Paddy, as far as the eye can see;
I got snakes, Saint Paddy, as far as the eye can see;
I need a man with some herpetology.

CHORUS:
Saint Paddy, why'ncha come over to my place?
Saint Paddy, why'ncha come over to my place?
We can drink green beer, and you can chase away my snakes.

3.
I'm ready for religion–bring your Bible, please;
I'm ready for religion–bring your Bible, please;
We can talk about it after you are done convertin' me.

CHORUS:
Saint Paddy, why'ncha come over to my place?
Saint Paddy, why'ncha come over to my place?
We can drink green beer, and you can chase away my snakes.

4.
We can have a parade–I'll show you off to all my friends;
We can have a parade–I'll show you off to all my friends;
And Say "Be nice to Saint Paddy, or them snakes is comin' back again."

CHORUS:
Saint Paddy, why'ncha come over to my place?
Saint Paddy, why'ncha come over to my place?
We can drink green beer, and you can chase away my snakes.

[ENDS WITH LEAD BREAK, WITH VOICE-OVER, SAYING THINGS LIKE:
Hey, Paddy, have you seen my... GARTER snakes?
How ‘bout my WATER MOCCASINS?
What you think of this BOA?
Hey, Paddy?

(C) 2007 J. Wrabek dba Outside Services Ltd. All the usual rights reserved just in case. No snakes were harmed in the writing of this song.

Gosh Joe I think you may have scored a first. (At least for me)
I don'think I ever saw ---herpetology----in a song before
Aw, perform it (Do they have one a' those screens like they have, or used to hav, for the band in the really rough places ? <G>)
Wy

Wy, no screen--just a *fairly* sedate audience. (They like "Naked Space Hamsters in Love," after all, and some of 'em know the words and can sing along.) Putting "herpetology" in was a trick I picked up from TampaStan. Using multi-syllabic words or foreign-language phrases casually in a country-music song denotes a certain respect for the listener's intelligence that is lacking in most genres (including the "honkytonk-badonkadonk" variety of country).

Joe

St. Patrick's Day is on Saturday. Any more songs?

"Ode to Saint Patty" (A Female Version of Saint Patty)
(c)2007 Lynn Orloff


My brother Jeb had no girlfriend,
He only loved TV,
He watched the football channel,
From the time that he was three.

Our family would say he'll never wed,
No lass would a football widow want to be,
How could a girl compete for his love,
When his soulmate was clearly T.V.

Then one day a female football fanatic,
Looked his way and said hey sugar daddy,
I love watching football it's my passion in life,
What's your name, well my name is Patty!

Well their love of the game lead to friendship,
Their friendship had blossomed to marriage,
They shared the remote, they shared all their hope,
They shared pushing Baby Jeb's carriage.

Bridge:
Oh Saint Trish, Oh Saint Trish,
You dun answered our wish,
Jeb might even take down that ole' satellite dish

Well Patty got Jeb to balance his life,
He even will landscape and paint,
He now talks about things outside of football,
So the family calls Patty a Saint.

Thanks for posting the song, Lynn.

Really love the Celtic music for this, Jean! Good job on keeping it historically accurate!

Thanks, Mary Lou! I wonder of we will have any more posters?

Getting down to the wire! This was fun, Jean!

Well, it's here. Happy St. Patrick's Day everyone! Thanks for posting your songs to share with us. It was fun to read them all.

Thank *you*, Jean. It was really fun to do. (And now I've got something of my own I can play (again) the next time everybody dresses up in green and wants to hear Irish songs for St. Patrick's Day...)

Joe

Thanks Jean, it was fun! (sound of sleeves rolling down). What's next??? (sound of sleeves rolling up)

Easter? Could cover everything from the Guy on the Cross to cute little bunnies. And eggs.

The Artist Formerly Known as Moonless Joe

You are welcome. OK, if you folks want another one, give me a day to come up with the topic and the parameters. I enjoyed this too.

Jean, there were, in fact plenty of snakes in Ireland. They were called Englishmen.

Actually, Jack, the Englishmen came over to Ireland after Saint Patrick. England didn't exist at that time. ;-)

I know your right, no one has been able to drive them out!