He gave no ground and he asked for none to be given.
Banks Of The Roses
Luke Kelly & The Dubliners Lyrics
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On the Banks of the Roses me love and I sat down
And I took out me fiddle for to play me love a tune
And in the middle of the tune-o she smiled and she said
Ere Johnny, lovely Johnny won't ya leave me
When I was a young one I heard me father say
That he'd rather see me dead and buried in the clay
By the lovely sweet banks of the roses
And then I am no runaway and soon I'll let them know
That I can take a bottle or can leave it alone
And if her daddy doesn't like it he can keep his daughter at home
And young Johnny will go rovin' with some other
And when I get married t'will be in the month of May
When the leaves they are green and the meadows they are gay
And me and me true love we'll sit and sport and play
By the lovely sweet banks of the roses
The song "Banks of the Roses" is a traditional Irish folk song that tells a story of a young couple in love. The song is about the couple sitting beside each other on the banks of the River Shannon, where the singer took out his fiddle to play a tune for his love. In the middle of the tune, she smiles and asks Johnny to leave her, which confuses him. The confusion in the singer's mind is palpable as he tries to figure out whether his true love is worried about her father's anger or if she is simply beckoning him back to her side. This may be one of the surprising reasons why the song still resonates with music lovers today as their interpretation of the story depends on their own understanding of love.
Further on, the song reveals the singer's troubled past where he heard his father say that he would rather see him buried alive in the clay than married to a runaway. The song also highlights Johnny's resilience as he asserts his independence, pointing out that he can take or leave a bottle and that her father's opinion won't stop him from being together with his love. The final verse ends on a happier note stating that they will get married in the month of May, surrounded by the happy greenery of the meadows, just by the banks of the river where they shared their first kiss.
Line by Line Meaning
On the Banks of the Roses me love and I sat down
My love and I sat down by the banks of the Roses
And I took out me fiddle for to play me love a tune
I took out my fiddle and played a tune for my love
And in the middle of the tune-o she smiled and she said
While I was playing, my love smiled and said
Ere Johnny, lovely Johnny won't ya leave me
Johnny, my dear, won't you stay with me?
When I was a young one I heard me father say
When I was young, my father said to me
That he'd rather see me dead and buried in the clay
He would rather I be dead and buried than married to a runaway
Sooner than be married to any runaway
He would rather I die than marry someone who ran away
By the lovely sweet banks of the roses
Near the beautiful banks of the Roses
And then I am no runaway and soon I'll let them know
But I am not a runaway, and I will make that clear
That I can take a bottle or can leave it alone
I can choose to drink or not
And if her daddy doesn't like it he can keep his daughter at home
And if her father doesn't approve, he can keep her at home
And young Johnny will go rovin' with some other
And I, Johnny, will roam with someone else
And when I get married t'will be in the month of May
When I do get married, it will be in May
When the leaves they are green and the meadows they are gay
When the leaves and meadows are green and lively
And me and me true love we'll sit and sport and play
I and my true love will sit and enjoy ourselves
By the lovely sweet banks of the roses
Near the beautiful banks of the Roses
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: BARNEY MCKENNA, CIARAN PADRAIG MAIRE BOURKE, LUKE KELLY, RONALD JOSEPH DREW
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@JB-cq8is
#On the Banks of the Roses me love and I sat down
And I took out me fiddle for to play me love a tune
And in the middle of the tune-o she smiled and she said
Ere Johnny, lovely Johnny won't ya leave me #
When I was a young one I heard me father say
That he'd rather see me dead and buried in the clay
Sooner than be married to any runaway
By the lovely sweet banks of the roses
##
And then I am no runaway and soon I'll let them know
That I can take a bottle or can leave it alone
And if her daddy doesn't like it he can keep his daughter at home
And young Johnny will go rovin' with some other
##
And when I get married t'will be in the month of May
When the leaves they are green and the meadows they are gay
And me and me true love we'll sit and sport and play
By the lovely sweet banks of the roses
##
@eoinbarrett3579
Banks of the Roses me love and I sat down
And I took out me fiddle for to play me love a tune
And in the middle of the tune-o she smiled and she said
Ere Johnny, lovely Johnny won't ya leave me
When I was a young one I heard me father say
That he'd rather see me dead and buried in the clay
Sooner than be married to any runaway
By the lovely sweet banks of the roses
And then I am no runaway and soon I'll let them know
That I can take a bottle or can leave it alone
And if her daddy doesn't like it he can keep his daughter at home
And young Johnny will go rovin' with some other
And when I get married t'will be in the month of May
When the leaves they are green and the meadows they are gay
And me and me true love we'll sit and sport and play
By the lovely sweet banks
@traviswilliams9204
On the Banks of the Roses me love and I sat down
And I took out me fiddle for to play me love a tune
And in the middle of the tune-o she smiled and she said
Ere Johnny, lovely Johnny won't ya leave me
When I was a young one I heard me father say
That he'd rather see me dead and buried in the clay
Sooner than be married to any runaway
By the lovely sweet banks of the roses
And then I am no runaway and soon I'll let them know
That I can take a bottle or can leave it alone
And if her daddy doesn't like it he can keep his daughter at home
And young Johnny will go rovin' with some other
And when I get married t'will be in the month of May
When the leaves they are green and the meadows they are gay
And me and me true love we'll sit and sport and play
By the lovely sweet banks of the roses
@georgiasmith9672
Love this by Luke he cannot make mistake every one of his songs are great that voice
@NiSiochainGanSaoirse
one of the finest songs ever written, along with a song for Ireland, whistling gypsy rover, aww sweet jaysus all Irish music is first on the Lord's own playlist, but luke Kelly is definitely the first volume.
@AB0VETHALAW
Its Jesus show respect
@BrianWallChess
My Dad raised me on Irish songs - Thanx for posting these
@opaldove
IMO We should respect the wonderful Luke Kelly's memory as the great singer he was...and respect Sean as the great singer he still is. Luke is my favourite singer of all time but I can still enjoy others too.
@opaldove
Lovely to see that picture of the Dubs when they were younger. Excellent singing there by Luke as usual :o))
@daisypeters3216
Oh, Luke I miss you very much. Your voice and you singing. You are allways insuperable and unforgetttable singer and person.😍😗😚💖🇮🇪
@MrBillgreaves
Ilive in DONEGAL but I well remember Sean as a non drinking folk singer from my younger days in Manchester ,where he was a great crowd puller on the folk circuit -and what a nice unassuming guy he was ! Cheers !
@mariafarrugia-harrison4491
the very best. LUKE KELLY the irish minstrel. r.i.p. legend
@cheerydavie
I had the original album now worn but its still one of my favourites