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Now some men like the fishin' and some men like the fowlin'
And some men like ta hear a cannon ball a roarin'
Me I like sleepin' specially in my Molly's chamber
But here I am in prison, here I am with a ball and chain yeah
Musha ring dum a doo dum a da
Whack for my daddy-o
Whack for my daddy-o
There's whiskey in the jar-o
BRIEF HISTORY
"Whiskey in the Jar" is a famous Irish traditional drinking song
about a highwayman who is betrayed by his wife or lover.
It is one of the most widely performed traditional Irish songs, and
has been recorded by groups such as The Dubliners, The Pogues,
Peter, Paul and Mary, The Highwaymen, the LeperKhanz, Roger
Whittaker, the Clancy Brothers, and Tommy Makem, the Poxy
Boggards, The Limeliters, King Creosote, The Shatilla Shakers
and the Brobdingnagian Bards.
Thin Lizzy's version has since been covered by U2, Pulp (1995),
Smokie, Metallica (1998), Belle & Sebastian, and Gary Moore
(2006).
Jerry Garcia of the Grateful Dead and David Grisman recorded a
Bluegrass cover of this song together.
The song's exact origins are lost in the mists of history. Judging
from the mention of a rapier it is likely that the lyrics date back to
at least the late eighteenth century. In at least one version, the
rapier is replaced with a sabre; the reference to the rapier could
have originally referred to a rapaire ("half-pike" in Irish) and the
highwayman could have been a rapparee - Irish irregular soldiers
and bandits of the 17th and 18th centuries.
B-|----------------------------------8-|--8b--------------8p-5--------------|
G-|------------------------------------|------------------------7p-5--------|
D-|------------------------------------|------------------------------7--6--|
A-|------------------------------------|------------------------------------|
E-|------------------------------------|------------------------------------|
G Em
--------------------------------|-------------------------------------|
--------------------------------|--5h-8p-5----------------------------|
------------------------4h--7---|-----------7/--9~---------4/7--6--5--|
--5~----------7p5h--7-----------|-------------------------------------|
--------------------------------|-------------------------------------|
--------------------------------|-------------------------------------|
G F
-------------------------------------|
-------------------------------------|
-------------------------------------|
--9--7--6--5-------------------------|
--------------7--6--5----------------|
----------------------8-7-6\5~-------|
Interlude:
---------
Em
e-|---------------|-------------------------------|
B-|-----------5-7-|--8-------------------8~-------|
G-|---7--7--7-----|-----9--11\-9p7h-8/9-----------|
D-|---------------|-------------------------------|
A-|---------------|-------------------------------|
E-|---------------|-------------------------------|
G G F
|------------------|--------------------------------|
|--------------5-7-|--8-------------------8~--------|
|------7--7--7-----|-----9--11\-9p7h-8/9------------|
|------------------|--------------------------------|
|------------------|--------------------------------|
|------------------|--------------------------------|
Em
|------------------|-------------------------------|
|--------------5-7-|--8-------------------8~-------|
|------7--7--7-----|-----9--11\-9p7h-8/9-----------|
|------------------|-------------------------------|
|------------------|-------------------------------|
|------------------|-------------------------------|
|--------------------------|--------------------------|
|--------------------------|--3-----------------------|
|------------12\0-0--0h2h4-|-----0--2--0--2/4--0------|
|--------------------------|--------------------------|
|--------------------------|--------------------------|
|--------------------------|--------------------------|
Verse1:
------
G Em
As I was ....
C G
.....
G Em
......
C G
I Said ......
Chorus:
-------
D
musha ring dumma do damma da
C
whack for my daddy 'ol
C
whack for my daddy 'ol
G
there's whiskey in the jar
Interlude:
---------
G F Em
---|---------------|-------------------------------|
---|-----------5-7-|--8-------------------8~-------|
---|---7--7--7-----|-----9--11\-9p7h-8/9-----------|
---|---------------|-------------------------------|
---|---------------|-------------------------------|
---|---------------|-------------------------------|
G G F
|------------------|-------------------------------|
|--------------5-7-|--8-------------------8~-------|
|------7--7--7-----|-----9--11\-9p7h-8/9-----------|
|------------------|-------------------------------|
|------------------|-------------------------------|
|------------------|-------------------------------|
Em
|------------------------|------------------------------|
|------------------------|------------------------------|
|--------------------12--|--14b-16--14b-16--14--12~-----|
|------------12--14------|------------------------------|
|------------------------|------------------------------|
|------------------------|------------------------------|
|--------------------------|--------------------------|
|--------------------------|--3-----------------------|
|------------12\0-0--0h2h4-|-----0--2--0--2/4--0------|
|--------------------------|--------------------------|
|--------------------------|--------------------------|
|--------------------------|--------------------------|
Verse2:
[Repeat Chorus]