Mrs. McGrath

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"Mrs. McGrath"
Folk song

"Mrs. McGrath" (also known as "Mrs. McGraw", "My Son Ted", "My Son John", and "The Sergeant and Mrs. McGrath") is an

1916 Rising[2]
and has been recorded by many singers and folk groups.

History

Although the song probably dates from the time of the Peninsular Wars between 1807 and 1814, the earliest written account of it in Ireland was in 1876.[3] It is believed to have been popular with soldiers during the American Civil War (1861-1865).[citation needed]

An archival recording was made in 1951 at the home of

Belafonte Folk Singers (RCA LPM-1760) under the name of "The Sergeant and Mrs. McGrath". It was also recorded by Tommy Makem on his 1961 album, Songs of Tommy Makem. Peg and Bobby Clancy performed it on their LP, As We Roved Out, in 1964. The Clancy Brothers recorded the song on the 1966 album Isn't It Grand Boys under the title "My Son Ted". The Dubliners also recorded it on the 1965 EP In Person featuring Ronnie Drew, and later sang it to new lyrics, though keeping the tune of the original folk song, on the 1968 album Drinkin' and Courtin'. This latter version tells the story of a country boy who goes to college in Dublin
but fails due to spending all his money and time on "women and drink". Pete Seeger also recorded it live for "Pete Seeger in Concert: I Can See a New Day" (CBS, 1964).

Sessions Band Tour, this incarnation was included on the 2007 Bruce Springsteen with The Sessions Band: Live in Dublin
audio and video release. Springsteen changed the traditional lyrics slightly. In the original song, Mrs. McGrath would rather have her "son as he used to be than the King of France and his whole navy." In Springsteen's version, this is changed to "King of America."

Fiddler's Green recorded the song with slightly different lyrics for their 2009 album Sports Day at Killaloe. The Stanfields also recorded the song with modified lyrics for their 2012 album Death & Taxes.

German Folk Metal Band Suidakra recorded the song as a Bonus Track for their 2013 album "Eternal Defiance". The version was sung by female singer Tina Stabel.

Another version of the song tells the same story about a boy called John. The text of this version is much shorter.

From the Ladle to the Grave as a skillful modernization that also stayed true to the song's politics and "underlying rage and terror."[5]

Being a well-documented song publicised by Mudcat,[6] and Mainly Norfolk,[7] the song was recorded by Jon Boden and Oli Steadman for inclusion in their respective lists of daily folk songs "A Folk Song A Day"[8] and "365 Days Of Folk".[9]

See also

References

  1. ISBN 978-0-946005-02-4
    .
  2. ^ O'Lochlainn, Colm (1939). Irish Street Ballads. Three Candles Press.
  3. ISBN 978-0953206872
    .
  4. Ennis, Seamus (1951-01-14). Mrs. McGrath (My Son Ted) (MP3). Dublin: Association for Cultural Equity
    . Retrieved 2021-03-17.
  5. ^ a b Jones, Steven L. (20 June 2015). "You Can't Win a Race with a Cannonball: Goya, Guernica & My Son John". Sing Out!. Archived from the original on 2018-09-09.
  6. ^ "My Son John on Mudcat.org". Retrieved 7 February 2024.
  7. ^ "My Son John". Retrieved 7 February 2024.
  8. ^ "A Folk Song A Day: Song List". Retrieved 24 January 2024.
  9. ^ "365 Days Of Folk: Song List". Retrieved 24 January 2024.
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