PARTS: Soprano Alto Tenor Bass All
KEY: bold = first beat of bar ^ = rest Underline = triplet backing vocal = [text]
197 - MacNamara’s Band
Verse 1
Oh, me name is MacNamara, I'm the leader of the band
Although we're few in numbers, we're the finest in the land
We play at wakes and weddings and at every fancy ball
And when we play the funerals, we play the March from Saul
Chorus
Oh, the drums go bang and the cymbals clang and the horns they blaze away
McCarthy pumps the old bassoon while I the pipes do play
And Henessee Tennessee tootles the flute and the music is something grand
A credit to old I-re-land is MacNamara's band
Tra-la-la, la-la la-laaa laaaa
Tra-la la-la la-la la-la la-laaa
Tra-la-la, la-la la-laaa laaaa
Tra-la la-la la-la la-la la-laaa
Verse 2
Right now we are rehearsing for a very swell affair
The ann-u-al celebration, all the gentry will be there
When Gen-e-ral Grant to Ireland came he took me by the hand
Says he, “I never saw the likes of MacNamara's Band”.
Chorus
Oh, the drums go bang and the cymbals clang and the horns they blaze away
McCarthy pumps the old bassoon while I the pipes do play
And Henessee Tennessee tootles the flute and the music is something grand
A credit to old I-re-land is MacNamara's band
Tra-la-la, la-la la-laaa laaaa
Tra-la la-la la-la la-la la-laaa
Tra-la-la, la-la la-laaa laaaa
Tra-la la-la la-la la-la la-laaa
Verse 3
Oh, my name is Uncle Julius and from Sweden I did come
To play with MacNamara's Band and beat the big bass drum
And when I march along the street the ladies think I'm grand
They shout “There's Uncle Julius playing with an Irish band!”
Verse 4
Oh, I wear a bunch of shamrocks and a uniform of green
And I'm the funniest lookin' Swede that you have ever seen
There’s O'Brians, O'Ryans, O'Sheehans and Meehans, they come from I-re-land
But, by yimminy, I'm the only Swede in MacNamara's Band
Tra-la-la, la-la la-laaa laaaa
Tra-la la-la la-la la-la la-laaa
Tra-la-la, la-la la-laaa laaaa
Tra-la la-la la-la la-la la-laaa
Tag
That's MacNamara
Lyrics: John J.Stamford. Music: Shamus O’Connor