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I'm a Halloween Zombie Singing Rosin the Bow
Can't see or hear it? Click here...
It is always fun singing and playing the old Celtic song Rosin the Bow. So, just for Halloween, I decided to make a cartoony video to convey the true meaning of the song. Of course, my version is a little different than the traditional lyrics, since I am a woman singing this old time drinking song. I hope you like my singing zombie lady performing with me singing Rosin the Bow with the dancing skeletons in the graveyard. Happy Halloween!
About the Folk Song "Rosin the Bow"
The melody has supported more different sets of lyrics than nearly any other folk tune, and it all started in Ireland. The melody commonly known as Old Rosin the Bow" has a long history. It was originally written in the 1700's by Irish poet and songwriter Riocard Bairead under the title "Eoghan Coir," which was the name of the character the song laments. Actually, the song is a mock lament that satirizes the character of Eoghan Coir, portraying him in a seemingly sympathetic light, while the underlying meaning is one of mockery and public resentment. It's a long ballad that is actually a celebration of the death of a man that his community despised, because he was an unfair rent collector and kind of a jerk.
The song and its melody became popular, and after the Irish Rebellion of 1798, William Rooney adapted the melody into the Irish rebel song "The Men of the West." Then, the melody was first published in Philadelphia in 1838 under the title "Old Rosin the Beau" by J.C. Beckell. This version is more familiar and is often a raucous drinking song.
The melody has been borrowed for many other uses, including: Several 19th century political campaigns, including Abraham Lincoln's "Lincoln and Liberty," the song "Denver" by the 1963 New Christy Minstrels, and the song "Old Settler's Song," also known as "Acres of Clams," which I first saw on a printed placemat on our table at Ivar's Restaurant in Seattle.
Singing "Rosin the Bow" at the Nevada State Fair
Tom and Mary Kay Aufrance sang their vocal duet "Rosin the Bow" with accordion and cowboy guitar at many festivals throughout Nevada and Northern California, including at the Nevada State Fair in Reno.
Thanks for listening!
