Their 60s hits included: "I'll Never Find Another You", "A World of Our Own" , "The Carnival is Over" (which the Seekers sung at various closing ceremonies in Australia, including Expo '88 and the Paralympics), "Someday One Day", "Walk With Me", "Morningtown Ride", and "When Will The Good Apples Fall". Their tune "Georgy Girl" in particular served as the title song of the film of the same name. These songs have had significant airplay on 'oldies' radio stations over the years.
Bruce Woodley and The Rain, The Park and Other Things's "I Am Australian", which has been recorded by The Seekers, and by singer Judith Durham with Russell Hitchcock and Mandauway Yunupingu, has become an unofficial Australian anthem.
Whiskey in the Jar
The Seekers Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I spied Colonel Pepper, and his money he was countin';
I rattled out my pistols and I drew forth my saber,
Cryin', "Stand and deliver, for I am a bold deceiver."
(Chorus:)
Musha rig um do rum da,
Whack fol the daddy o,
Whack fol the daddy o,
The gold and silver coins, they looked so bright and shiny,
Oh, I took them home straightway, and I gave 'em to my Molly;
She vowed and she promised that she never would deceive me,
But the devil's in the women, oh, you never can believe 'em.
(Chorus)
But when I awoke between six and seven,
The guards were all around me in numbers odd and even;
I reached for my pistols, but alas, I was mistaken;
My pistols had been fired, and a prisoner I was taken.
(Chorus)
They put me in the jail without judge or writin',
For robbing Colonel Pepper, oh, on Kilgary Mountain,
But they didn't take my fists, so I knocked the sentry down,
And bade farewell to the jail in Sligo town.
(Chorus)
Some people take delight in fishin' and in bowlin';
Oh, others take delight in the carriages a-rollin';
But I take delight in the juice of the barley,
And courtin' pretty girls 'til the morning so early.
The Seekers' song Whisky In The Jar tells the story of a man who robs Colonel Pepper while he's counting his money on Kilgary Mountain. The singer has a pistol and saber and demands that Pepper hands over the loot. The chorus "Musha rig um do rum da, Whack fol the daddy o, Whack fol the daddy o, There's whisky in the jar" is a traditional Irish refrain that expresses excitement and revelry. After successfully stealing the coins, the singer brings them home to Molly, who promises not to deceive him. However, when he wakes up, he realizes that he's been surrounded and captured. Although he tries to resist by reaching for his pistols, the bullets have already been fired. He ultimately ends up in jail for robbery. In the end, he finds joy in drinking whisky and charming ladies.
Line by Line Meaning
As I went a-walkin' on Kilgary Mountain,
While I was taking a stroll on Kilgary Mountain
I spied Colonel Pepper, and his money he was countin';
I caught sight of Colonel Pepper, who was counting his money
I rattled out my pistols and I drew forth my saber, Cryin', "Stand and deliver, for I am a bold deceiver."
I brandished my weapons and shouted, "Stop and surrender, for I am a skilled liar."
(Chorus:) Musha rig um do rum da, Whack fol the daddy o, Whack fol the daddy o, There's whisky in the jar.
Chorus: A traditional Irish nonsense refrain meant to accompany dancing, essentially meaningless.
The gold and silver coins, they looked so bright and shiny, Oh, I took them home straightway, and I gave 'em to my Molly;
I was dazzled by the gleaming gold and silver coins, so I took them home and gave them to my girlfriend, Molly;
She vowed and she promised that she never would deceive me, But the devil's in the women, oh, you never can believe 'em.
Molly swore she wouldn't cheat on me, but women can't be trusted, the devil is in them
(Chorus)
Chorus
But when I awoke between six and seven, The guards were all around me in numbers odd and even;
But when I woke up at around six or seven, I found myself surrounded by guards, an even and odd number;
I reached for my pistols, but alas, I was mistaken; My pistols had been fired, and a prisoner I was taken.
I tried to grab my pistols, but they had already been fired, and as a result, the guards arrested me.
(Chorus)
Chorus
They put me in the jail without judge or writin', For robbing Colonel Pepper, oh, on Kilgary Mountain,
I was thrown into jail without any trial or proper procedure for stealing from Colonel Pepper on Kilgary Mountain;
But they didn't take my fists, so I knocked the sentry down, And bade farewell to the jail in Sligo town.
Fortunately, they didn't confiscate my fists, so I knocked out the guard and escaped from the jail in Sligo town.
(Chorus)
Chorus
Some people take delight in fishin' and in bowlin'; Oh, others take delight in the carriages a-rollin';
Some people enjoy fishing and bowling, while others prefer carriage rides;
But I take delight in the juice of the barley, And courtin' pretty girls 'til the morning so early.
But I find pleasure in drinking whiskey made from barley, and spending the night with beautiful women until the early hours of the morning.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: , TRADITIONAL, ATHOL GUY, BRUCE WOODLEY, JUDITH DURHAM, KEITH LEON POTGER, PD TRADITIONAL
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@johnbrooks9508
I truly believe they are the greatest musical group this country has ever produced. 🇦🇺
@MrSpeakerman
Dear Judith Durham in Heaven forever and ever RIP with angels
@G6JPG
Judith isn't really in this, other than audible in the choruses.
@petermarsh8559
The Seekers have always been vastly underrated.
@starfire746
I also agree. The Seekers were underrated.
@carloscarpinteyro332
Peter:aka Herman Munster; why do you look so sad, I thought that this song would put a smile on your face? As you once said, in one of your TV episodes "why can't the world be like Mary Poppins?" The Seekers are about as close as you can get to that!
@stewartfenton7660
The Seekers are practically a national monument in their own country, and are still loved by many, many older people around the world.
And thank God they do not resemble Mary Poppins, I wouldn't wish that on anyone.
I wish that would knock both those theories on the head, but I doubt it.
@ChukwudiOgugua-ff3rr
This is lovely 🥰❤️
@multitieredinvestor183
They knocked The Beatles out of first place with I’ll never find another you. That got The Beatles attention!
@marcob4630
A great classic perfectly performed