Chords for A Christmas Celtic Sojourn 2010, The Wren Song

_ So Robbie what I'm talking about there is a tradition on st.
Stephen's Day the day after after Christmas
Which we were appalled didn't exist here
But there's a lot of traditions around that day in some places is even a more important day than Christmas Day in Ireland
Yeah, well when you got to a certain age, you know
_ St.
Stephen's Day actually became more exciting than Christmas in some ways.
There's a very old tradition goes back probably to pre-christian times
called going out with the wren or hunting the wren and
_ What would happen is a bunch of young men would go out and hunt a wren a few days before Christmas
Then they put the wren into a holly bush
They would decorate that and then they would dress up in in disguises as straw costumes or various things
It was a little bit like trick-or-treating
They'd go around then from house to house and they'd sing and play music outside now
There was always music involved
It was always musicians and singers and they'd be invited then into the houses in the neighborhood for food and drink
but the strange thing was they used to collect money to bury the wren _ and
It's really hard to know what the significance of that is because the wren in Irish mythology is called the king of all birds
So there's some something that goes way back there.
That's a little murky at this point
We don't really understand it, but the tradition continues all around rural Ireland not so much in the cities anymore
But Brian did it growing up.
I did it all the time growing up.
In fact, we used to have a wonderful time
We'd all end up having a big party then that night and the music would go on literally till dawn sometimes
It's true.
Yeah, so there are various versions of this song, but the one you're going to sing comes from your growing up
yes, this is the one that was in the Clancy [D] family and
Carrie and Shure and Carrie Tipperary, so I'll sing it for _ you
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
La [C] _ _ _ _ [D] _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ ran la ran the king of all birds since Stephen's [A] day was caught in the [D] fur
So though he was little his honour was great, he bought me lance and gave us a trade
I was going to kill and all I met a [A] ran upon the [D] wall
Up with me waddle and knocked him down and brought him into Carrick town.
Oh drooling drooling
Where is your nest?
It's in the [Em] bush that I love [D] best
It's in the tree the holly tree where all the boys will follow me
Up with the kettle and down with the pan and give us a penny to bury the ran _
_ _ [C] _ _ _ _ [D] _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ [C] _ _ _ _ [D] _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ Follow their hands three miles or more three miles or more [C#] three miles [D] or more
Follow their hands three miles or more at six o'clock in the morning
Have a little box under me arm under [A] me arm under [D] me arm
Have a little box under me arm a penny or two to do it.
No harm.
Oh, mrs
Clancy's a very good woman a very good [A] woman a very good [D] woman.
Oh, mrs.
Clancy's a very good woman.
She gave us a penny to bury the ran
La ran la ran the king of all birds since Stephen's [A] day was caught in the [D] fur
Although he was little his [G] honour was [D] great.
Jump off me lass and give us a break _
_ _ [C] _ _ _ _ [D] _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ [Gm] _ _ [N] _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _