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Down the Green Fields

[ Roud 11627 ; Ballad Index OCC055 ; trad.]

Iontach sang Down the Green Fields as the title track of their 2007 album Jiggin’ It. They noted:

In a roundabout way, we can thank Dundalk fiddle player Gerry O’Connor for this opening song! Gerry once gave us a gift of a book titled The Songs of Elizabeth Cronin, published by her grandson Dáibhi Ó Cróinin in 2000. It is Elizabeth’s singing of Down the Green Fields that first instigated this track. We used the original music and lyrics as a chorus and Jens [Kommnick] came up with the melody for the verses. We’ve married it with a jig that Jens got from Dublin piper Mick O’Brien. For that reason we called it Mick O’Brien’s—while Mick called it De Danann’s because that’s where he got it! We have since found out that its name is Winnie Hayes’ and it’s on John Williams’ CD John Williams (1995).

Lyrics

Iontach sing Down the Green Fields

Chorus (twice after each verse):
Down the green fields we’ll jig it, we’ll jig it
And down the green fields we’ll jig it along

When you go mowing you’ll get her, you’ll get her
And when you go mowing you’ll get a young lass
When you go mowing you’ll get her, you’ll get her
And when you go mowing you’ll get a young lass

Under the stairs you’ll get her, you’ll get her
And under the stairs you’ll get a young lass
Under the stairs you’ll get her, you’ll get her
And under the stairs you’ll get a young lass

Out in the kitchen you’ll find her, you’ll find her
And out in the kitchen you’ll find a young lass
Out in the kitchen you’ll find her, you’ll find her
And out in the kitchen you’ll find a young lass

Come from the cooking we’ll step it, we’ll step it
Come.from the cooking we’ll step it along
And come from the cooking we’ll step it, we’ll step it
And come from the cooking we’ll step it along