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The Old Orange Flute |
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In the county Tyrone, near the town of Dungannon |
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Where many's the ruction meself had a hand in |
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Bob Williamson lived there, a weaver by trade |
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And all of us thought him a stout Orange blade. |
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On the twelfth of July as it yearly did come |
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Bob played on the flute to the sound of the drum |
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You can talk of your fiddles, your harp or your lute |
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But there's nothing could sound like the Old Orange Flute. |
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But the treacherous scoundrel, he took us all in |
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For he married a Papist named Bridget McGinn |
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Turned Papish himself and forsook the Old Cause |
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That gave us our freedom, religion and laws. |
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And the boys in the county made such a stir on it |
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They forced Bob to flee to the province of Connaught; |
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Took with him his wife and his fixins, to boot, |
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And along with the rest went the Old Orange Flute. |
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Each Sunday at mass, to atone for past deeds, |
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Bob said Paters and Aves and counted his beads |
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Till one Sunday morn, at the priest's own require |
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Bob went for to play with the flutes in the choir. |
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He went for to play with the flutes in the mass |
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But the instrument quivered and cried."O Alas!" |
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And blow as he would, though he made a great noise, |
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The flute would play only "The Protestant Boys". |
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Bob jumped up and huffed, and was all in a flutter. |
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He pitched the old flute in the blest holy water; |
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He thought that this charm would bring some other sound, |
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When he tried it again, it played "Croppies Lie Down!" |
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And for all he would finger and twiddle and blow |
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For to play Papish music, the flute would not go; |
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"Kick the Pope" to "Boyne Water" was all it would sound |
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Not one Papish bleat in it could e'er be found. |
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At a council of priests that was held the next day |
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They decided to banish the Old Flute away; |
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They couldn't knock heresy out of its head |
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So they bought Bob another to play in its stead. |
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And the Old Flute was doomed, and its fate was pathetic |
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'Twas fastened and burnt at the stake as heretic. |
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As the flames rose around it, you could hear a strange noise |
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'Twas the Old Flute still a-whistlin' "The Protestant Boys". |
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Note: the tune Protestant Boys is also known as Lilliburlero RG |
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Recorded by Patric Galvin, Clancys |
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filename[ OLDFLUTE |
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play.exe OLDFLUTE |
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RG |
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===DOCUMENT BOUNDARY=== |
