Annotation:Priest and the Rake

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PRIEST AND THE RAKE. AKA and see “Fair-Haired White-Skinned Calf (The),” "Slainte Righ Pilib." Irish, Air (9/8 time). D Minor. Standard tuning (fiddle). AB. "This song is a dialogue between a priest and a rake. In the end lthe rake is converted and promises reform. The priest's words are truly typical of the earnest affectionate Irish soggarth. I learned the whole song in my early days from hearing it sung at home. The refrain 'Before the first dawn of day,' was often given in Irish--'Air maidin le fainge an lae: pronounced ' Er moddhim le fawning an lay '. Pluto comes in correctly enough, as he was king of the nether world. The air is a good version of Slainte Righ Philip" (Joyce). The words begin:

Dear youth, be advised by your pastor, consider how gallant men came
Tp ruin and destruction by drinking and courting each charming dame.
If you terminate your existence without due repentance you'll pay
For your courting and merry carousing before the first dawn of the day.

Source for notated version:

Printed sources: Joyce (Old Irish Folk Music and Songs), 1909; No. 411, p. 222.

Recorded sources:

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