After Makem amicably left The Clancy Brothers And Tommy Makem in 1969, Bobby Clancy joined as the fourth lead vocalist. Two of the Furey Brothers, Finbar Furey and Eddie Furey, also joined at this time as instrumentalists and back-up singers. Paddy asked Finbar Furey if he would play the whistle and five-string banjo with the group. Finbar also added Uillean pipes to his performances, creating a new sound for the group on stage, recordings, and TV. The six-piece band recorded two new albums in the summer of 1969: "Clancy Brothers Christmas", released later that year, and "Flowers in the Valley", released in 1970. The latter was their final album for Columbia Records.
Finbar and Eddie Furey left in 1970, and, for a short time, just the four brothers, Paddy, Tom, Bobby and Liam, performed together. This line-up recorded only one album together, Welcome to Our House, in 1970 for their new label, Audio Fidelity Records. Later that same year, Liam and Bobby got into an argument that resulted in Bobby quitting the group. Bobby later said about his younger brother: "With Liam it was very hard to be equal. I try to make it as equal as possible and everybody's happy that way. It makes it a better sound."
In 1971, the remaining Clancys recruited English folk singer, Louis Killen, to play the banjo, concertina, and spoons with the group. Together they made two studio albums for Audio Fidelity, Save the Land and Show Me the Way, on which they experimented with modernising their sound, musical style, and material, even including pop songs like Elton John's "Country Comfort". They recorded their final album for Audio Fidelity, the more traditional Live on St. Patrick's Day, at the Bushnell Auditorium in Hartford, Connecticut in 1972. It was released the following year.
By the early 1970s, the Clancys reduced their touring schedule to five months a year. The brothers were moving in different directions In spite of the brothers' growing distance, but, in spite of this, the group made one more album with Killen for Vanguard Records, The Clancy Brothers' Greatest Hits, as well as several television appearances on the Irish Rovers Show in Canada and a TV special for Brockton television in 1974 (in which Bobby Clancy made a surprise guest appearance).
In early 1976, a scheduling conflict between a tour of Australia and a television role for Tom Clancy provoked Liam to leave the group. Beginning in 1977, the Clancy Brothers and Robbie O'Connell (who took on the role Liam had vacated) toured three months a year in March, August, and November.
In the summer of 1983, the group travelled to their hometown in Ireland to film a 20-minute special on sea songs, sung on location on the fishing ships in the area. It was called Songs of the Sea. Directed by Irish filmmaker David Donaghy, it was broadcast on the BBC Northern Ireland.
In 1984, Makem and Clancy's manager Maurice Cassidy brought the original foursome The Clancy Brothers And Tommy Makem together again for a documentary, followed by a concert and the album The Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem Reunion.
In 1988, the Clancy Brothers (Paddy, Tom, and Bobby) with Robbie O'Connell recorded a poorly mixed live album at St. Anselm College in Goffstown, New Hampshire, titled "Tunes 'n' Tales of Ireland".
With the death of Tom Clancy in 1990, Liam again stepped in full-time with his brothers. This line-up experienced a more active schedule than the group had during the previous decade, with appearances on Regis and Kathie Lee in 1991, 1993 and 1995, a performance at the 30th Anniversary Bob Dylan concert at Madison Square Garden in 1992, seen by 20,000 live and 200 million people worldwide on television, and the formation of Irish Festival Cruises in 1991, an annual cruise of the Caribbean with live folk music. They also brought their own tour groups to Ireland, which Robbie O'Connell continues.
The Bob Dylan concert in 1992 inspired the recording of the first studio album by The Clancy Brothers in over twenty years (since 1973's Greatest Hits). Released in late 1995, "Older But No Wiser" introduced all newly recorded songs with the exception of "When the Ship Comes In", which the group performed at the Dylan concert. It was the only recording to feature the line-up of Paddy, Bobby, Liam Clancy, and Robbie O'Connell. Older But No Wiser was The Clancy Brothers' final album.
Before splitting up, The Clancy brothers and Robbie O'Connell gave a Farewell Tour of Ireland and America in February and March 1996. One performance in Clonmel, as part of their Irish tour, was televised and later released on video and DVD as The Clancy Brothers and Robbie O'Connell: Farewell to Ireland.
After the break-up, Paddy and Bobby continued touring as The Clancy Brothers, with Bobby's son Finbarr Clancy becoming an official member of the group. The trio added longtime friend of Bobby's daughter Aoife, Eddie Dillon, to the group for a thirteen city engagement in early 1997. The quartet was known as the Clancy Brothers and Eddie Dillon. Eddie Dillon, a Boston-based musician, is the only American ever to perform with the Clancy Brothers.
Liam Clancy and Robbie O'Connell toured for a while as a duo, but very soon added Liam's son Dónal Clancy to the mix, forming the group, Clancy, O'Connell & Clancy. They released two albums together, an eponymous debut album in 1997 and an album of sea songs in 1998, The Wild and Wasteful Ocean.
With three brothers having died (Tom in 1990, Pat in 1998, Bobby in 2002), the last surviving Clancy brother, Liam Clancy, continued to tour solo into the twenty-first century. He died in 2009.
Wild Rover
The Clancy Brothers Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And I spent all me money on whiskey and beer
But now I'm returning with gold in great store
And I never will play the wild rover no more
And it's no, nay, never
No nay never no more
Will I play the wild rover
No never no more
And I told the landlady me money was spent
I asked her for credit, she answered me "nay
Such a custom as yours I could have any day."
And it's no, nay, never
No nay never no more
Will I play the wild rover
No never no more
And out of me pocket I took sovereigns bright
And the landlady's eyes opened wide with delight
She said "I have whiskey and wines of the best
And the words that I said sure were only in jest."
And it's no, nay, never
No nay never no more
Will I play the wild rover
No never no more
I'll go home to my parents, confess what I've done
And I'll ask them to pardon their prodigal son
And if they caress (forgive) me as ofttimes before
Then I never will play the wild rover no more
And it's no, nay, never
No nay never no more
Will I play the wild rover
No never no more
The Clancy Brothers's song Wild Rover is a classic Irish folk song that tells the story of a man who has spent his life as a wild rover, squandering all his money on whiskey and beer. But now he's returning home with a bag of gold and a newfound sobriety, declaring that he will never play the wild rover no more. The singer goes into an ale-house that he used to frequent and asks the landlady for credit, but she refuses, saying that she could have customers like him any day. But when he pulls out a bag of gold, she changes her tune and offers him the best whiskey and wine, admitting that her earlier refusal was only a joke. The song concludes with the singer vowing to go home to his parents and confess his sins, hoping for their forgiveness so that he may never again be tempted to play the wild rover.
Line by Line Meaning
I've been a wild rover for many a year
I have been a restless wanderer for many years
And I spent all me money on whiskey and beer
I have wasted all my money on alcohol
But now I'm returning with gold in great store
But now I am coming back with a lot of wealth
And I never will play the wild rover no more
And I swear I will never waste my money on alcohol again
And it's no, nay, never
And I absolutely mean it
No nay never no more
I will never go back to my old ways
Will I play the wild rover
Will I waste my money on alcohol
No never no more
Never again
I went into an ale-house I used to frequent
I went to a familiar tavern
And I told the landlady me money was spent
And I told the owner that I had run out of money
I asked her for credit, she answered me "nay
I asked her for a loan, but she refused
Such a custom as yours I could have any day."
She said she could easily get customers like me
And out of me pocket I took sovereigns bright
But then I surprised her by taking out a lot of money
And the landlady's eyes opened wide with delight
And the owner got very excited
She said "I have whiskey and wines of the best
She offered me the best drinks she had
And the words that I said sure were only in jest."
And she realized that my earlier request for a loan was a joke
I'll go home to my parents, confess what I've done
I will go back to my parents and admit my mistakes
And I'll ask them to pardon their prodigal son
And I will ask for their forgiveness
And if they caress (forgive) me as ofttimes before
And if they forgive me like they have always done before
Then I never will play the wild rover no more
Then I will never waste my money on alcohol again
Contributed by Sophie G. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
veavin
I've been a wild rover for many's the year
and I've spent all my money on whiskey and beer.
But now I'm returning with gold in great store
and I never will play the wild rover no more
[[Chorus:]]
And it's no, nay, never,
no, nay, never, no more
will I play the wild rover
no, never, no more
I went into an ale-house I used to frequent
and I told the landlady my money was spent.
I asked her for credit, she answered me nay,
Such "a custom like yours I can have any day
[[Chorus]]
I took from my pocket ten sovereigns bright
and the landlady's eyes opened wide with delight.
She said I'd have whiskey and wines of the best
and the words that she told me were only in jest.
[[Chorus]]
I'll go home to my parents, confess what I've done,
and I'll ask them to pardon their prodigal son.
And when they've caressed me as oft' times before
then I never will play the wild rover no more
[[Chorus]]
Yverian
A stirling example of audience participation! Long live the Clancy's!
Moses Kendrick
@Jackson Draven You are welcome =)
Jackson Draven
@Moses Kendrick it worked and I actually got access to my account again. I am so happy:D
Thank you so much you really help me out !
Moses Kendrick
@Jackson Draven Instablaster =)
Jackson Draven
I know im randomly asking but does anyone know of a method to log back into an instagram account..?
I was stupid lost my account password. I would love any assistance you can give me.
Moira Jones
My Son's were brought up with these guys and learnt their songs when they were very young! My 3 year old insisted on singing it to his older brother's class when we took our new baby to see the Teacher and class!
Mike Brennan
Sang the Clancy brothers when I was in third grade to my class on saint paddys day. Used a cassette to record it to play and sang over it.
William Shea
I LISTEN TO THESE SONG WITH MY DAD EVERY WEEKEND WE HAD SUCH FUN SINGING ALONG
Sabbathmaiden fan
The men behind the sweaters! God bless Ireland
Peter Rudgard
The usual hymn at the end of a Folk Song Club evening in Southampton or elsewhere, 50+ years ago!And since, no doubt.May their shadows never grow less!