Spanish lady
the Dubliners (live) Lyrics
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At the hour of twelve at night
Who should I spy but a Spanish lady
Washing her feet by the candlelight
First she washed them, then she dried them
Over a fire of amber coals
In all me life I ne'er did see
Whack for the Too Rye, ooh, Ray lady
Whack for the Too Rye, ooh, Rye aye
As I came back through Dublin City
At the hour of half past eight
Who should I spy but the Spanish lady
Brushing her hair in the broad daylight
First she brushed it, then she tossed it
On her lap was a silver comb
In all me life I ne'er did see
A maid so fair since I did roam
Whack for the Too Rye, ooh, Ray lady
Whack for the Too Rye, ooh, Rye aye
As I returned to Dublin City
As the sun began to set
Who should I spy but a Spanish lady
Catching a moth, in a golden net
First she saw me, then she fled me
Lifted her petticoats o'er her knee
In all me life I ne'er did see
A maid so fair as the Spanish lady
Whack for the Too Rye, ooh, Ray lady
Whack for the Too Rye, ooh, Rye aye
I've wandered north and I have wonder south
Through Stoney Barter and Patrick's close
Up and around, by the Gloucester Diamond
And back by Napper Tandys' house
Auld age has laid her hands on me
Cold as a fire of ashy coals
But there is the love of me Spanish lady
A maid so sweet about the soul
Whack for the Too Rye, ooh, Ray lady
Whack for the Too Rye, ooh, Rye aye
Whack for the Too Rye, ooh, Ray lady
Whack for the Too Rye, ooh, Rye aye
"Spanish Lady" is a traditional Irish folk song which tells the story of a young man who comes across a Spanish lady washing her feet by candlelight in Dublin city at midnight. The young man is immediately taken with her and is struck by her beauty and grace. As the song progresses, he encounters the Spanish lady again on two more occasions, in the daylight and at sunset, and despite her attempts to flee him, he remains enchanted by her.
The lyrics of "Spanish Lady" are notable for their use of traditional Irish folklore and imagery. The references to the "fire of amber coals" and the "silver comb" evoke a sense of nostalgia for a simpler time, while the repeated refrain of "Whack for the Too Rye, ooh, Ray Lady" adds a lively, almost jocular element to the song. At the same time, the song's central theme - the fascination and longing for a beautiful and unattainable object of desire - is a universal one that resonates across cultures and generations.
Line by Line Meaning
As I came down through Dublin City
I started walking through Dublin City
At the hour of twelve at night
At midnight
Who should I spy but a Spanish lady
I saw a lady from Spain
Washing her feet by the candlelight
She was washing her feet by the light of a candle
First she washed them, then she dried them
She washed and dried her feet
Over a fire of amber coals
She dried her feet near an amber fire
In all me life I ne'er did see
In all my life I have never seen
A maid so sweet about the soul
Such a sweet lady at heart
Whack for the Too Rye, ooh, Ray lady
Cheering for the lady with the music
Whack for the Too Rye, ooh, Rye aye
More cheering for the lady
As I came back through Dublin City
As I came back through Dublin City
At the hour of half past eight
At half past eight
Who should I spy but the Spanish lady
I saw the Spanish lady again
Brushing her hair in the broad daylight
She was brushing her hair in daylight
First she brushed it, then she tossed it
She brushed and tossed her hair
On her lap was a silver comb
She had a silver comb on her lap
In all me life I ne'er did see
In all my life I have never seen
A maid so fair since I did roam
Such a beautiful lady since I started wandering
As I returned to Dublin City
As I returned to Dublin City
As the sun began to set
As the sun was setting
Who should I spy but a Spanish lady
I saw the same Spanish lady again
Catching a moth, in a golden net
She was catching a moth in a golden net
First she saw me, then she fled me
She saw me and ran away
Lifted her petticoats o'er her knee
She lifted her dress over her knee
Auld age has laid her hands on me
Old age has caught up to me
Cold as a fire of ashy coals
As cold as ashes
But there is the love of me Spanish lady
But I still have love for the Spanish lady
A maid so sweet about the soul
Such a sweet lady at heart
Whack for the Too Rye, ooh, Ray lady
Cheering for the lady with the music
Whack for the Too Rye, ooh, Rye aye
More cheering for the lady
Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: CHAUNCY OLCOTT, ERNEST BALL, GEORGE GRAFF
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@allisonedwards415
As I went out through Dublin City, at the hour of twelve in the night,
Who should I see but the Spanish Lady washing her feet by candlelight
First she washed them,then she dried them over a fire of amber coals
In all me life I ne'er did see a maid so neat about the soul
Chorus:
Whack fol de tur eh lura ladie
Whack fol de tur eh lura ley
Whack fol de tur eh lura ladie
Whack fol de tur eh lura ley
As I came back through Dublin City at the time of half past eight,
Who should I see but the Spanish Lady,brushing her hair so trim and neat
First she teased it, then she brushed it on her lap was a silver comb
In all me life I ne'er did see, so fair a maid since I did roam.
As I went round old Dublin City, when the sun began to set
Who should I meet but the Spanish lady catching of moth in a golden net.
When she spied me, quick she fled me,lifting her petticoat o'er her knee
In all me life I ne'er did see, a maid so gay as the Spanish Lady
I stopped to look but the watchman passed says he "young fella now the night is late"
Along with you now or I will wrestle you straight way through the Bridewell gate
I threw a kiss to the Spanish lady hot as a fire of angry coal
In all me life I ne`er did see a maid so sweet about the soul
As I went out through Dublin city as the hour of dawn was o`er
Who should I see but the Spanish lady, I was lonely and footsore
First she coaxed me then she chid me, then she laughed at my sad plight
In all me time I ne`er did see a maid so sweet as on that night
I`ve wandered north, and I have wonder south through Stoneybatter and Patrick`s Close
Up and around, by the Gloucester Diamond and round by Napper Tandys' house
Old age has laid her hand on me, cold as a fire of ashey coal....
But, where is the lovely Spanish Lady, neat and sweet about the soul
@fatbap
As I went out through Dublin City, at the hour of twelve in the night, who should I see but the Spanish Lady washing her feet by candlelight,
first she washed them, then she dried them over a fire of amber coals, in all me life I ne'er did see a maid so neat about the soul.
Whack fol de tur eh lura ladie,
Whack fol de tur eh lura ley,
Whack fol de tur eh lura ladie,
Whack fol de tur eh lura ley.
As I came back through Dublin City, at the time of half past eight,
who should I see but the Spanish Lady, brushing her hair so trim and neat,
first she teased it, then she brushed it, on her lap was a silver comb,
in all me life I ne'er did see, so fair a maid since I did roam.
As I went round old Dublin City, when the sun began to set,
who should I meet but the Spanish lady catching, a moth in a golden net,
when she spied me, quick she fled me, lifting her petticoat o'er her knee,
in all me life I ne'er did see, a maid so gay as the Spanish Lady.
I stopped to look but the watchman passed says he "young fella now the night is late",
along with you now or I will wrestle you, straight way through the Bridewell gate,
I threw a kiss to the Spanish lady, hot as a fire of angry coal,
in all me life I ne`er did see, a maid so sweet about the soul.
As I went out through Dublin city, as the hour of dawn was o`er,
who should I see but the Spanish lady, I was lonely and footsore,
first she coaxed me then she chid me, then she laughed at my sad plight,
in all me time I ne`er did see, a maid so sweet as on that night.
I`ve wandered north, and I`ve wandered south, through Stoneybatter and Patrick`s Close,
up and around by the Gloucester Diamond and round by Napper Tandys' house,
old age has laid her hand on me, cold as a fire of ashey coal,
but where is the lovely Spanish Lady, neat and sweet about the soul.
@mariannehopkin6882
Beautiful song, i know it for nearly 25 years and i still enjoy listening to. With love from Romania!
@19Tharg76
how's Drac?
@oldtomfool
Romania my second home.
@EaSyG232
Good man yourself 🤟🙏
@gryffingone8155
hello, from bulgaria
@cliveturnerjw4465
Hello from Sherwood, Nottingham UK.
@ternak001
Rest In Peace, Luke Kelly, Ronnie Drew, Jim McCann, Ciarán Bourke, Barney McKenna. The super talented Dubliners, Lord cannot explain the spiritual impact they had on the happiness of souls. Rise from the Dead, Finnegan!
@ZoneLoner
How could you forget Jim McCann was the replacement for Luke Kelly right?
@ramsfanyt8227
@TheDoctorIsIn No he replaced Ciaran Bourke and he met Luke Kelly when he invited them on his show and due to Bourke's illness he took over and began singing when Ronnie Drew left. Sean Cannon took over Kelly but I think Ronnie Drew had come back since then and McCann left to allow Drew to become the centre-stage again and Drew and McCann only ever performed together in 2002 at the 40 years reunion show. Drew just came and went but in my opinion he had the best voice out of all of them all though Kelly was a close second.
@TheTraveldiaries1
Love these traditional Irish songs !!