In 1997, Gaelic Storm appeared in the film Titanic as the steerage band. This catapulted them into touring, where they were met with extreme success and popularity. They have toured throughout the United States and Canada, in the United Kingdom, France, and Japan.
To this date, Gaelic Storm tours aggressively, and plays over 125 dates a year. It has also put out six albums since its inception, including the compilation album Special Reserve. The band is notable for its energetic rendering of traditional Irish music and Scottish traditional music, and for its albums which repeatedly top the Billboard world music charts.[citation needed]
Gaelic Storm's album Bring Yer Wellies was released on July 25, 2006 and debuted at #2 on the Billboard World Chart, #16 on the Internet Sales Chart and #31 on the Independent Album Chart. Their fifth album, How Are We Getting Home?, was released in August 2004 and debuted at #3 on the Billboard World Music Charts, #10 on the Billboard Heatseekers Chart and re-entered the September 2005 World Albums Chart at #3. "Gaelic Storm". Retrieved on 2007-11-13.
Over its history, the band has replaced its fiddle player a few times, its drummer once, and added Highland, Uilleann, and Deger (electronic) bagpipes to its instrumentation.
In January 2006 the band released its first DVD titled "Gaelic Storm: Live In Chicago". The show was filmed live at the House of Blues in Chicago.
A Simlish version of the song, Scalliwag, from the band's latest album, Bring Yer Wellies, was recorded and featured on the World music channel in the expansion pack, The Sims 2: Bon Voyage, for the popular PC Game, The Sims 2.
Now the next album of Gaelic Storm was released in July 8, 2008, titled "What's the Rumpus?" released by their own label, Lost Again Records. Taken from the Amazon.com Editorial Review of the album, "Inspired by the music that drives their loyal fan base, Whats the Rumpus is a wild party of an album, full of colorful characters and outrageous stories, flavored with Gaelic Storm's signature acoustic sound that gets you dancing and never lets you go. I think this is some of the best writing we have ever done, everything seemed to come together perfectly for this CD, says Steve Twigger, This is the culmination of a great deal of hard work and a barrel of good times. From the upbeat opening title track to the final cut, The Night I Punched Russell Crowe; (a true story involving singer Patrick Murphy), the music captures the contagious energy of the bands carefree attitude and infectious live performances. With instruments ranging from African drums, Irish bagpipes and Celtic fiddle to trombones and Cajun-style accordions, WTR is a three-ring circus of acrobatic songs, swirling tunes and galloping rhythms. Steve Twigger produced the project with co-production by drummer Ryan Lacey and Pat Manske, and additional production by Patrick Murphy. Returning to The Zone studio in Austin TX where the band recorded their previous release Bring Yer Wellies, Gaelic Storm also enlisted the help of a few select Austin locals including Lloyd Maines and 1960's psychedelic performer, Arthur Brown, to round out their eclectic Celtic sound. To quote Patrick Murphy, We have so much fun together as a band, we managed to capture some of the good times we have together on this recording.
Gaelic Storm also includes: Ryan Lacey on drums and world percussion (graduated twice from the Los Angeles Music Academy, once for hands and once for sticks), Pete Purvis of Merrickville, Ontario on uilleann pipes, tin whistle, deger pipes and highland pipes (a Grade 1 piper who toured with award winning pipe bands including the Braemar Pipe Band and played at 2000 Sydney Olympics) and the newest member of the band Jessie Burns on fiddle (originally from Suffolk, England, now living in Colorado)." and Celtic rock genres.
Beggarman
Gaelic Storm Lyrics
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I'm a little beggar-beggarman, I am a beggar man X
Well I'm a little beggarman and begging I have been
For three score or more on this little isle of green
And I'm known from the Liffey from the basement to the zoo
And I'm known by the name of old Johnny Dhu
For when a man is tired he can sit down and rest
He can beg for his dinner, he's nothing else to do
When he comes around the corner with his old rig-a-doo
And I met a little flaxy-haired girl one day
'Well good morning' little flaxy-haired girl,' did I say
'Well good mornin' little beggarman, how do you do,
With your rags and your bags and your old rig-a-doo'
I'll buy a pair of leggings and a collar and a tie
And a nice young lady I will fetch by and by
I'll buy a pair of goggles and I'll color them blue
And an old fashioned lady I will make of her too
I've got the sky
I've got the road
I've got the sky...
The world is my home
I'm a little beggarman, I am a beggar man
And I slept way down, in a barn at Caurabawn
A wet night came on and I slept 'till the dawn
With holes in the roof and the rain coming through
And the rats and the cats, they were playing peek-a-boo
When who should awaken but the woman of the house
With her white spotty apron and her calico blouse
She began to frighten and I said "Boo!
Ah, don't be afraid ma'am it's only Johnny Dhu"
Die di die di diddle diddle dumb
Di die di die di diddle diddle dum
Diddle dumb di diddle diddle dum
I've got the sky
I've got the road
I've got the sky...
The world is my home
And it's over the fields with my pack on my back
And over the fields with my great heavy sack
With the holes in my shoes and my toes peeping through
Singing skinny-me-rink a doodle o for old Johnny Dhu
I must be going to bed for it's getting late at night
When the fire's all raked and out goes the light
Now you've heard the story of me old rig-a-doo
It's goodnight and God be with you from old Johnny Dhu
The song “Beggarman” by Gaelic Storm tells the story of a little beggarman who has been begging on the streets of Dublin for over three score years. He is known by the name of old Johnny Dhu from Liffey all the way to the zoo. He sings of how begging is the best trade of all for he can rest when he’s tired and beg for his dinner. He travels the countryside with his old rig-a-doo, a bundle of assorted items on his back. One day, he meets a flaxy-haired girl and tells her of his dreams to buy a pair of leggings and a collar and tie, and fetch a nice young lady. He also plans to color a pair of goggles blue and make an old fashioned lady out of her too.
The little beggarman describes the terrible conditions he endured while sleeping in a barn at Caurabawn, with holes in the roof and rain coming down through it. Rats and cats played peek-a-boo all night long. When he woke up, the woman who owned the barn was afraid of him, but he reassured her that he was only Johnny Dhu. The song ends with him heading out over the fields with his pack on his back, singing skinny-me-rink a doodle o for old Johnny Dhu. This song celebrates the freedom of the beggarman's existence and how his simple life provides a vast sky and open road as his home.
Line by Line Meaning
Well I'm a little beggarman, I am a beggarman,
I am a beggar who has resorted to begging for bread and has been doing this for a while
I'm a little beggar-beggarman, I am a beggar man X
I'm just a little beggar man who goes by the name Johnny Dhu. Begging is my trade
Well I'm a little beggarman and begging I have been
For three score or more on this little isle of green
And I'm known from the Liffey from the basement to the zoo
And I'm known by the name of old Johnny Dhu
I've been begging for so many years and I'm well-known in this place called Ireland from wherever you go. People know me as Johnny Dhu
Of all the trades that's goin' the beggin' is the best
For when a man is tired he can sit down and rest
He can beg for his dinner, he's nothing else to do
When he comes around the corner with his old rig-a-doo
Begging is the best trade because beggars can take a rest whenever they feel tired. They beg for food because they have nothing else to do with their lives. And when they go around begging with what they have, it's referred to as an old rig-a-doo
And I met a little flaxy-haired girl one day
'Well good morning' little flaxy-haired girl,' did I say
'Well good mornin' little beggarman, how do you do,
With your rags and your bags and your old rig-a-doo'
One day I met this little girl with flaxy hair and I greeted her, and she responded the same way by calling me a beggar man with rags, bags, and my old rig-a-doo
I'll buy a pair of leggings and a collar and a tie
And a nice young lady I will fetch by and by
I'll buy a pair of goggles and I'll color them blue
And an old fashioned lady I will make of her too
I will buy new clothes and make myself respectable. Then I’ll find a lady and transform her into a classic old-fashioned woman
I've got the sky
I've got the road
I've got the sky...
The world is my home
The world is my home and I am happy to travel and take in all the sights it has to offer
And I slept way down, in a barn at Caurabawn
A wet night came on and I slept 'till the dawn
With holes in the roof and the rain coming through
And the rats and the cats, they were playing peek-a-boo
I slept in a barn during a rainy night and had holes in the roof that let water pour into it. I also witnessed rats and cats hiding and playing peek-a-boo
When who should awaken but the woman of the house
With her white spotty apron and her calico blouse
She began to frighten and I said "Boo!
Ah, don't be afraid ma'am it's only Johnny Dhu"
The woman of the house who owned the barn awoke and was startled by my presence. I said don't worry, it's Johnny Dhu
Di di die di diddle diddle dumb
Di die di die di diddle diddle dum
Diddle dumb di diddle diddle dum
These lyrics are just nonsense words and have no specific meaning behind them
And it's over the fields with my pack on my back
And over the fields with my great heavy sack
With the holes in my shoes and my toes peeping through
Singing skinny-me-rink a doodle o for old Johnny Dhu
I carry my possessions which are few in my backpack as I travel through the fields. My shoes have holes and my toes are exposed but I still sing and enjoy life
I must be going to bed for it's getting late at night
When the fire's all raked and out goes the light
Now you've heard the story of me old rig-a-doo
It's goodnight and God be with you from old Johnny Dhu
It’s getting late in the day, so I have to go to bed now. After cleaning the fire, I am going to sleep, and it’s goodnight from Johnny Dhu
Lyrics © BMG RIGHTS MANAGEMENT US, LLC
Written by: KATHLEEN KEANE, PATRICK MURPHY, SHEP LONSDALE, STEPHEN TWIGGER, STEPHEN WEHMEYER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind