When The Irish Are On Parade 1901

by James Pitt-Payne, London UK - 12 May 2008
2008

Dan McManus, after due deliberation,
Decided he could easily afford
to accept the Democratic nomination,
for Alderman down in the Seventh Ward.
His op'ning speech was great! says he:
Each night at eight at Casey's Bar
I want ye ev'ry man!
We'll smoke and drink till nine,
an' then we'll form in line,
march ev'rywhere,
then back where we began.
Now the district went insane,
when he started his campaign,
wid fireworks, parades an' banners gay
Ev'rybody, when they'd hear
Irish music drawin' near,
would line up on the curb an' loudly say:

O listen to the band
they play the proper tunes,
Gems from old Ireland
Not ragtime, like the coons,
Songs sweet an' pure in tone,
strains that are never played
except by German bands alone
When the Irish are on parade.

O listen to the band
they play the proper tunes,
Gems from old Ireland
Not ragtime, like the coons,
Songs sweet an' pure in tone,
strains that are never played
except by German bands alone
When the Irish are on parade.

Now a German gentleman,
who owned a brew'ry,
was chosen by Republicans to run,
an' he used to drive poor Mack into a fury
by sayin' that he'd beat him ten to one.
He says: 'It's sure,
because my friends are ten times yours.'
McManus answered:
'Even so I'll win!
For of me friends I'm proud,
They're such a willin' crowd,
They'd vote ten times a piece to land me in.'
Even now the Germans say
that was how Mack won the day,
They went to Mack's that night to start a row.
Now, says Mack,
the atmosphere isn't safe for Germans here,
Look out, here comes the march of triumph now.

O listen to the band
they play the proper tunes,
Gems from old Ireland
Not ragtime, like the coons,
Songs sweet an' pure in tone,
strains that are never played
except by German bands alone
When the Irish are on parade.

O listen to the band
they play the proper tunes,
Gems from old Ireland
Not ragtime, like the coons,
Songs sweet an' pure in tone,
strains that are never played
except by German bands alone
When the Irish are on parade.

Soft karaoke
Words
piano 1
piano 2
piano 3
piano 4
lyric
pizz str bass
*
When The Irish Are On Parade 1901
Music by J.Fred Helf
Lyrics by Will A.Heelan
© MCMI by Jos.W.Stern & Co.
*
sequence & karaoke by James Pitt-Payne, London UK
on Monday 12 May 2008 at 08.58
in association with Veda Meyer-Castens
*