Johnny I Hardly Knew Ye

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Source

Capt. F. O'Neill

Jim Coon to CoMandoList TOW

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March One title Only 1 transcription Has some stepwise movement minor E 6/8 Has source text Has chords explore more...

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X:209
T:Johnny I Hardly Knew Ye
S:Jim Coon to CoMandoList TOW
R:march
S:Capt. F. O'Neill
M:6/8
L:1/8
Q:3/8=80
K:Em % transposed from Am
E/2D/2|"Em"B,2E E2F|G2F G2E|"D"D3 -D2B,|D3 -D2E|!
"Em"B,2E E2F|G2F G2A|B3 -B2G|B3 -B2G/2A/2|!
"Em"B2B BAG|"D"A2A AGF|"Em"G2G GFE|"Bm"F2F DFA|!
"Em"B2B "D"A2A|"Em"G2G "Bm"FED|"Em"B,EE E2D|E3 -E2F|!
"Em"G2B, B,DB,|D2B, B,DB,|EDE G2A|B3 -B2G/2A/2|!
"Bm"BdB A2F|GFE F2D|"Em"B,EE E2D|E3 -E2||!
% Classed as a street ballad in "Halliday Sparling's Irish Minstrelsy
% London 1887" the editor adds, in a note on page 366,
%     "Johnny I Hardly Knew Ye ! This favorite old song
%       is here for the first time given complete. It dates from
%       the beginning of the present century (19th), when
%       Irish regiments were so extensively raised for the
%       East India service."
% This spirited air almost forgotten in Ireland blossomed into new
% popularity during the American Civil War, and, after its arrangement
% by a master hand - Patrick Sarsfield Gilmore - it became a great
% favorite with military and volunteer bands. Parodies on the original
% song such as "When Johnny comes marching home again",
% "Johnny fill up the bowl" etc., were sung to it by the Union soldiers.
% After the manner of the "Loobeens" and occupational songs of
% olden days in Ireland, additional verses were improvised, some
% possibly crude, yet always mirth-provoking, and well-calculated to
% keep up their spirits on the march, or relieve the monotony of
%camp life. The circumstance of its arrangement as above stated
% no doubt led Adair FitzGerald to refer to it in his "Stories of
% Famous Songs" in qualified words:
%       "When Johnny comes marching home again, said to
%         have been composed by the celebrated Patrick S.
%         Gilmore.
% The latter, a native of Dublin quite probably had memorized the
% tune in his youth. The original, it may be observed, included a
% refrain of four lines not found in the parodies.

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