Makem was born and raised in Keady, County Armagh (the "Hub of the Universe" as Makem always said), in Northern Ireland. His mother, Sarah Makem, was an important source of traditional Irish music, who was visited and recorded by, among others, Diane Guggenheim Hamilton, Jean Ritchie, Peter Kennedy and Sean O'Boyle. His father, Peter Makem, was a fiddler who also played the bass drum in a local pipe band named "Oliver Plunkett", after a martyr of the Cromwell age. His brother and sister were folk musicians also. Young Tommy Makem, from the age of 8, was member of the St. Patrick's church choir for 15 years where he sang Gregorian chant and motets. He didn't learn to read music but he made it in his "own way".
He started to work at 14 as a clerk in a garage and later he worked for a while as a barman at Mone's Bar, a local pub and as a local correspondent for The Armagh Observer.
He emigrated to the United States in 1955, carrying his few possessions and a set of bagpipes (from his time in a pipe band). Arriving in Dover, New Hampshire, he worked at Kidder Press, where in 1956 his hand was accidentally crushed by a press.[4] With his arm in a sling, he left Dover for New York to pursue an acting career.
The Clancys and Makem were signed to Columbia Records in 1961. The same year, at the Newport Folk Festival, Makem and Joan Baez were named the most promising newcomers on the American folk scene. During the 1960s, The Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem performed sellout concerts at such venues as Carnegie Hall, and made television appearances on shows like The Ed Sullivan Show and The Tonight Show. The group performed for President Kennedy. They also played in smaller venues such as the Gate of Horn in Chicago. They appeared jointly in the UK Albums Chart in April 1966, when Isn't It Grand Boys reached number 22.
Makem left the group in 1969 to pursue a solo career. In 1975, he and Liam Clancy were both booked to play a folk festival in Cleveland, Ohio, and were persuaded to do a set together. Thereafter they often performed as Makem and Clancy, recording several albums together. At a concert in 1977, Tommy noticed an audience member having a good time and exclaimed, "What have you been smoking? Good whatever you have, pass it around to the rest of them we'll all get goin'!" He once again went solo in 1988. Throughout the 70's and 80's Makem performed both solo and with Liam Clancy on The Irish Rovers various television shows, which were filming both in Canada and Ireland.
In the 1980-90s, Makem was a principal in a well-known Irish music venue in New York City, "Tommy Makem's Irish Pavilion." This East 57th Street club was a prominent and well-loved performance spot for a wide range of musicians. Among the performers and visitors were Paddy Reilly, Joe Burke, and Ronnie Gilbert. Makem was a regular performer, often solo and often as part of Makem & Clancy, particularly in the late fall and holiday season. The club was also used for warm-up performances in the weeks before the 1984 reunion concert of The Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem at Lincoln Center. In addition, the after-party for Bob Dylan's legendary 30th Anniversary Concert Celebration at Madison Square Garden in 1992 was held at the Irish Pavilion.
In 1997 he wrote a book, Tommy Makem's Secret Ireland, and in 1999 premiered his own one-man theatre show, Invasions and Legacies, in New York. His career includes various other acting, video, composition, and writing credits. He also established the Tommy Makem International Festival of Song in South Armagh in 2000.
Makem was married to Mary Shanahan, a native of Chicago, for 37 years, and had four children - daughter Katie Makem-Boucher, and sons Shane, Conor and Rory. They also had two grandchildren, Molly (Dickerman) Makem and Robert Boucher. Mary died in 2001.
Makem's three sons (who perform as "The Makem Brothers") and nephews Tom & Jimmy Sweeney continue the family folk music tradition.
Makem died in Dover, New Hampshire on August 1, 2007, following a lengthy battle with lung cancer. He continued to record and perform until very close to the end. Paying tribute to him after his death, Liam Clancy said, "He was my brother in every way" He is buried next to his wife at New Saint Mary Cemetery in Dover.
Makem was a prolific composer/songwriter. His performances were always full of his compositions, many of which became standards in the repertoire. Some, notably "Four Green Fields", became so well known that they were sometimes described as anonymous folk songs. During the fall of the Iron Curtain, Makem often proudly told the story that his song "The Winds Are Singing Freedom" had become a sort of folk anthem among Eastern Europeans seeing a new future opening before them.
Makem's best-known songs include "Four Green Fields", "Gentle Annie", "The Rambles of Spring", "The Winds Are Singing Freedom", "The Town of Ballybay", "Winds of the Morning", "Mary Mack", and "Farewell to Carlingford". Even though many people mistakenly believe that Makem wrote "Red is the Rose", it is a traditional Irish folk song.
Makem had a gripping stage presence – the result of years of public performance, a charismatic personality, and a bard's voice. An army of friends and fans attended his frequent concerts, many recognizing each other at far-flung venues. Performances frequently included the following familiar elements:
Original Makem compositions; the first set often began with "The Rambles of Spring"
The standard repertoire of folk and Irish music, both well-known and little-known (but never "Danny Boy", "When Irish Eyes are Smiling", "Toorah Loorah Looral", or other forbidden requests)
Oddball songs, such as "Bridie Murphy and the Kamikaze Pilot" (Colm Gallagher) or "William Bloat" (Raymond Calvert)
Poetic recitations, often as introductions to songs; a frequent source was William Butler Yeats. (Thus "Gentle Annie" usually began with "When You Are Old and Grey", and Four Green Fields usually began with Seamus Heaney's "Requiem for the Croppies".)
Jokes, often silly, made funnier through repetition:
"If your nose is running and your feet smell, you're upside down."
Rarely: monologues, such as Marriott Edgar's "The Lion and Albert"
Exhortations, nearly always successful, for the audience to join in the singing
He received many awards and honours, including three honorary doctorates: one from the University of New Hampshire in 1998, one from the University of Limerick in 2001, and one from the University of Ulster in 2007; as well as the World Folk Music Association's Lifetime Achievement Award in 1999. With the Clancy Brothers he was listed among the top 100 Irish-Americans of the 20th century in 1999.[10]
A bridge over the Cocheco River on Washington Street in Makem's long-time home of Dover, New Hampshire, was named the Tommy and Mary Makem Memorial Bridge in 2010.
Mountain Dew
Tommy Makem Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Beside a hill there is a still,
Where the smoke runs up to the sky;
You ean always tell by the whiff and the smell
That the liquor boys are nigh.
Refrain:
That the liquor boys are nigh,
That the liquor boys are nigh,
That the liquor boys are nigh.
This mountain dew is made from grain,
And mixed with water pure,
And the alcohol that it eontains
Will all your troubles cure.
Refrain:
Will all your troubles cure,
Will all your troubles cure,
And the alcohol that it contains
Will all your troubles eure.
AII learned men who use the pen
Have writ its praises high;
It fills the air with perfume rare
Distilled with wheat and rye.
Refrain:
Distilled with wheat and rye,
Distilled with wheat and rye,
It fills the air with perfume rare
Distilled with wheat and rye.
Away with pills,'twill cure the ills
Of Pagan, Christian and Jew,
Off with your coat and wet your throat
With the real old mountain dew.
Refrain:
With the real old mountain dew,
With the real old mountain dew,
Off with your coat and wet your throat
With the real old mountain dew.
So before we roll won't you have another bowl
Of the good old mountain dew?
Of the good old mountain dew?
Of the good old mountain dew?
Refrain:
Of the good old mountain dew?
Of the good old mountain dew?
So before we roll won't you have another bowl
Of the good old mountain dew?
WE DO
The lyrics of Tommy Makem's "Mountain Dew" describe the process of making a type of illegal alcoholic drink, known as moonshine, in the backwoods of the Appalachian Mountains. The song speaks of a still hidden next to a hill, where the whiskey makers, nicknamed "liquor boys," gather to make the drink. The lyrics also praise the effectiveness of the drink, stating that it can cure all of one's troubles. The song invites the listener to indulge in this "real old mountain dew" and enjoy a bowl of it before they "roll."
The lyrics of "Mountain Dew" have been interpreted in different ways. Some see it as a celebration of American ingenuity and self-reliance, while others see it as a lament for a lost Appalachian culture. The song has become a classic of the folk music genre and has been covered by many artists over the years.
The origins of "Mountain Dew" are somewhat uncertain, but it is believed to have originated in the early 20th century in the Appalachian region of the United States. The song has been recorded by many artists over the years, but it is often associated with the Irish folk group, The Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem, who popularized it in the 1960s.
Line by Line Meaning
Beside a hill there is a still,
Near a hill lies a hidden distillery,
Where the smoke runs up to the sky;
Smoke coming out of the still ascends up high to the sky,
You ean always tell by the whiff and the smell
One can detect the distillers' proximity by the aroma and scent in the air,
That the liquor boys are nigh.
When you smell it, this is the unmistakable sign of their presence.
That the liquor boys are nigh,
The pungent smell of alcohol is a signal for their arrival,
That the liquor boys are nigh,
Whenever there's a smell of liquor, they are always close by.
You ean always tell by the whiff and the smell,
It is possible to determine the presence of distillers by the scent and odor that the liquor emits.
This mountain dew is made from grain,
This mountain dew alcoholic beverage is distilled from grain,
And mixed with water pure,
The distilled beverage is blended with fresh natural water,
And the alcohol that it eontains
The distilled alcoholic beverage is infused with its signature component,
Will all your troubles cure.
Its potent mixture is known to alleviate one of all maladies and distresses.
Will all your troubles cure,
This alcoholic beverage elixir can heal all woes of body and soul,
Will all your troubles eure.
Drinking this medicine-like cure-all will soothe any affliction one might be experiencing.
AII learned men who use the pen
Writers and scholars of all kinds,
Have writ its praises high;
Have only showered it with compliments and accolades;
It fills the air with perfume rare
The rarefied scent it gives off permeates the surrounding air,
Distilled with wheat and rye.
It is distilled with the finest quality wheat and rye.
Distilled with wheat and rye,
It is distilled by the knowledgeable distiller who knows how to execute the process to achieve its distinct flavor and aroma.
Distilled with wheat and rye,
Its unique texture and bouquet comes from its distillation made from handpicked wheat and rye.
It fills the air with perfume rare
This alcoholic beverage produces a unique scent that is hard to find anywhere else.
Distilled with wheat and rye.
This sweet-smelling alcoholic drink is distilled from specific wheat and rye grain mixture.
Away with pills,'twill cure the ills
This drink can cure whatever maladies a person might have, better than any pill one can take,
Of Pagan, Christian and Jew,
This drink is not biased in curing anyone, it can cure all religions equally,
Off with your coat and wet your throat
Weariness is only in the mind, and partaking of this drink will invigorate you physically,
With the real old mountain dew.
This drink called ‘Mountain Dew’ is the original and genuine moonshine distilled from the mountains.
With the real old mountain dew,
This mountain beverage is the only true one, distilled in the traditional way,
With the real old mountain dew,
The only authentic one is the original Mountain Dew formula.
So before we roll won't you have another bowl
Before we move on with the day, won’t you celebrate with one last drink
Of the good old mountain dew?
Of the traditional and genuine moonshine distilled from the flourishing fields,
Of the good old mountain dew?
The hearty and stalwart drink that all can say they have had,
So before we roll won't you have another bowl
An invitation to partake of this classic drink one more time,
Of the good old mountain dew?
Of the distinguished craft distilled through generations of mountain makers.
WE DO
The final affirmation and cheer of mountaineers and distiller who love and cherish the original Moonshine.
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: J BAIRD, PD TRADITIONAL
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@RastaBananaJah
Let grasses and waters flow in a free and easy way,
But give me enough of the fine old stuff that's made near Galway Bay,
And policemen all from Donegal, Sligo and Leitrim too,
We'll give them the slip and we take a sip
Of the rare old Mountain Dew
Chorus
At the foot of the hill there's a neat little still,
Where the smoke curls up to the sky,
By the smoke and the smell you can plainly tell
That there's poitin brewin' nearby.
It fills the air with a odor rare,
And betwixt both me and you,
When home you stroll, you can take a bowl,
Or a bucket of the Mountain Dew
Chorus
Now learned men who use the pen,
Have wrote your praises high
The sweet poitin from Ireland green,
Distilled from wheat and rye.
Throw away with your pills, it'll cure all ills,
Of Pagan or Christian or Jew,
Take off your coat and grease your throat
With the rare old Mountain Dew.
Chorus
@Fabzil
We NEED the lyrics in the comment section :)
Edit after 6 month :
Let grasses grow and waters flow
In a free and easy way,
But give me enough of the rare old stuff
That's made near Galway Bay,
Come gangers all from Donegal,
Sligo and Leitrim too,
Oh, we'll give the slip and we'll take a sip
Of the rare old Mountain Dew
Hi the dithery al the dal, dal the dal the dithery al, al the dal, dal dithery al dee x2
There's a neat little still at the foot of the hill,
Where the smoke curls up to the sky,
By a whiff of the smell you can plainly tell
That there's poitin, boys, close by.
For it fills the air with a perfume rare,
And betwixt both me and you,
As home we roll, we can drink a bowl,
Or a bucketful of Mountain Dew
Now learned men as use the pen,
Have writ the praises high
Of the rare poitin from Ireland green,
Distilled from wheat and rye.
Away with yer pills, it'll cure all ills,
Be ye Pagan, Christian or Jew,
So take off your coat and grease your throat
With a bucketful of Mountain Dew.
Y'all lazy bastards :D !
@sydthecool
The Real Old Mountain Dew
Beside a hill there is a still,
Where the smoke runs up to the sky;
You ean always tell by the whiff and the smell
That the liquor boys are nigh.
Refrain:
That the liquor boys are nigh,
That the liquor boys are nigh,
You ean always tell by the whiff and the smell,
That the liquor boys are nigh.
This mountain dew is made from grain,
And mixed with water pure,
And the alcohol that it eontains
Will all your troubles cure.
Refrain:
Will all your troubles cure,
Will all your troubles cure,
And the alcohol that it contains
Will all your troubles eure.
AII learned men who use the pen
Have writ its praises high;
It fills the air with perfume rare
Distilled with wheat and rye.
Refrain:
Distilled with wheat and rye,
Distilled with wheat and rye,
It fills the air with perfume rare
Distilled with wheat and rye.
Away with pills, 'twill cure the ills
Of Pagan, Christian and Jew,
Off with your coat and wet your throat
With the real old mountain dew.
Refrain:
With the real old mountain dew,
With the real old mountain dew,
Off with your coat and wet your throat
With the real old mountain dew.
So before we roll won't you have another bowl
Of the good old mountain dew?
Of the good old mountain dew?
Of the good old mountain dew?
Refrain:
Of the good old mountain dew?
Of the good old mountain dew?
So before we roll won't you have another bowl
Of the good old mountain dew?
WE DO
@CraziNarutoMan
What Irish gamers listen to.
@kylepfleider1899
CraziDude1 I know right
@synthwavecat96
Found the fun hater
@tyler20647brad
Idk why but I found this way too funny 😂
@oisin7695
As an irish gamer myself i can confirm that this information is correct
@cole1866
Indeed
@HarryBalzak
I memorized this album in college. People thought I was insane when I would get hammered and start singing it.
@jamesbrooks8733
Harry Balzak sameeeeeeeeeeee
@jamesbrooks8733
Some people just don’t understand how fun it is to get hammered and sing and this is one of the many I love singing
@shamfella13
That's the right way to do it lad