I'll Tell Me Ma lyrics
Belle Of Belfast CityTell me ma when I go home,
The boys won’t leave the girls alone,
They pull my hair they stole my comb,
But that’s all right till I go home.
She is handsome, she is pretty
She is the Belle of Belfast city,
She is a courting, one two three
Pray won’t you tell me who is she? ... x2
Albert Mooney says he loves her,
All the boys are fightin' for her,
Knock on the door and they ring that bell
Oh my true love, are you well?
Out she comes, as white as snow,
With rings on her fingers and bells on her toes,
Old Johnny Murray says she will die
If she doesn’t get the fella with the rovin' eye.
Tell me ma when I go home,
The boys won’t leave the girls alone,
They pull my hair they stole my comb,
But that’s all right till I go home.
She is handsome, she is pretty
She is the Belle of Belfast city,
She is a courting, one two three
Pray won’t you tell me who is she?
Let the wind and the rain and the hail go high
And the snow come a tumbling from the sky
She’s as nice as apple pie
And she’ll get her own lad by and by
When she gets a lad of her own,
She won’t tell her ma till she comes home,
Let them all come as they will,
For it’s Albert Mooney she loves still.
Tell me ma when I go home,
The boys won’t leave the girls alone,
They pull my hair they stole my comb,
But that’s all right till I go home.
She is handsome, she is pretty
She is the Belle of Belfast city,
She is a courting, one two three
Pray won’t you tell me who is she?
Instrumental
Let the wind and the rain and the hail go high
And the snow come a tumbling from the sky
She’s as nice as apple pie
And she’ll get her own lad by and by
When she gets a lad of her own,
She won’t tell her ma till she comes home,
Let them all come as they will,
For it’s Albert Mooney she loves still.
Tell me ma when I go home,
The boys won’t leave the girls alone,
They pull my hair they stole my comb,
But that’s all right till I go home.
She is handsome, she is pretty
She is the Belle of Belfast city,
She is a courting, one two three
Pray won’t you tell me who is she? ... x 3
Tell me... Tell me... Tell me who is she
Tell me... Tell me... Tell me who is she
Tell me... Tell me... Tell me who is she
Song Details
Writer: Traditional
Brief: A well-known children's song, this tune was widely collected across England during the 19th century and featured in various song collections around the early 20th century. The Irish later adopted the song, adding a local twist by referencing Belfast City in the chorus. As a result, it is sometimes called "The Belle of Belfast City" or "The Wind and the Rain."
The song tells the tale of a young man vying for the attention of a young woman. He is determined to win her affection and seeks to impress her by various means. The song generally accompanies a children's game:
A ring is formed by the children joining hands, one player standing in the centre. When asked, "Please tell me who they be," the girl in the middle gives the name or initials of a boy in the ring (or vice versa). The ring then sings the rest of the words, and the boy who was named goes into the centre... read more at Wikipedia
Genre: Folk Song
Covers: Sham Rock (featured), The Clancy Brothers & Tommy Makem, The Corries (Scotland), The Dubliners, Lick the Tins (London), The Rankin Family (Nova Scotia), Four to the Bar (New York City), Orthodox Celts (Serbia), The Wiggles (Australia), Gaelic Storm (California), Belfast Food (Croatia), The Tossers (Chicago), Sinéad O'Connor, Poxy Boggards (California), The Young Dubliners (US), Beatnik Turtle (Chicago), Christy Moore, The Irish Tenors, Orla Fallon, The Clan.
Single by Sham Rock: I'll Tell Me Ma (March 12, 2007).
