Thursday, October 16, 2008

Sweet Molly Malone

All good things must come to an end...While this is far from my last tale of Irish lore, thus closes out the first annual "Molly Tells Irish Tales for a Week" Week (ha).

I would be remiss if I didn't tell at least one more wee yarn about my pseudo-hometown of Dublin. A fair city that is known for being the home to the Guinness factory. St. Patrick's Cathedral, Bono, Grafton Street, Ha'penny Bridge, James Joyce, PUBS, Enya, the Liffey River, and countless other amazing things. However, there is one person who is all too frequently overlooked, and her name is Miss Molly Malone...

In Dublin's fair city,
where the girls are so pretty,
I first set my eyes on sweet Molly Malone,
As she wheeled her wheel-barrow,
Through streets broad and narrow,
Crying, "Cockles and mussels, alive, alive, oh!"
"Alive, alive, oh,
Alive, alive, oh",
Crying "Cockles and mussels, alive, alive, oh".
She was a fishmonger,
And sure 'twas no wonder,
For so were her father and mother before,
And they each wheeled their barrow,
Through streets broad and narrow,
Crying, "Cockles and mussels, alive, alive, oh!"
(chorus)
She died of a fever,
And no one could save her,
And that was the end of sweet Molly Malone.
Now her ghost wheels her barrow,
Through streets broad and narrow,
Crying, "Cockles and mussels, alive, alive, oh!"

Yes, I am told there is a good chance that she was a prostitute, but lady was just trying to make a living - she didn't deserve to die of a fever. Maybe she was selling those cockles and mussels so she could buy herself a nice treat like a kick butt pair of leather boots, those totes are a frivolous purchase, but she just kind of wants them, OKAY! So, you keep standing strong Miss Molly, with your low cut dress. Stand strong.

Sweet Molly Malone

2 comments:

Meriel said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Meriel said...

On our very first trip to ireland we stayed with the family of a galwegian with whom I was hooking up and his father affectionately called our Molly "Molly Malone".