Irish Lilting

"Irish Lilting Song" lyrics and music Marc Gunn

Performed by Marc Gunn
From: St Patrick's Day Songs for Kids

Come all ye young travelers
Come along with me
We'll sing a song all day long
Ora-diddle-la-diddle-la-dee

A diddle-la-diddle-la-dee
OH! A diddle-la-diddle-la-dee
It's as fun as can be
A diddle-la-diddle-la-dee
Oh! A diddle-la-diddle-la-dee
It's Irish Lilting

Clap your hands young traveler
Clap along with me
We'll clap our hands one-two-three
Ora-diddle-la-diddle-la-dee

Stomp your feet young traveler
Stomp along with me
We'll stomp our feet all one-two-three
Ora-diddle-la-diddle-la-dee

Tap your head young traveler
Tap your head with me
We'll tap our heads now one-two-three
Ora-diddle-la-diddle-la-dee

Shrug your shoulders young travelers
Shrug your shoulders with me
We'll shrug our shoulders one-two-three
Ora-diddle-la-diddle-la-dee

Rub your belly young travelers
Rub your belly with me
We'll rub our bellies one-two-three
Ora-diddle-la-diddle-la-dee

Flap your arms young traveler
Fly away with me
We'll flap our arms one-two-three
Ora-diddle-la-diddle-la-dee

In Dublin's fair city
Where the girls are so pretty
I first set my eyes on sweet Molly Malone
As she wheeled her wheelbarrow
Through the streets broad and narrow
Crying "cockles and mussels, alive, alive, oh"

* Alive, alive, oh
Alive, alive, oh
Crying "cockles and mussels,
Alive, alive, oh"

She was a fishmonger
And sure, t'was no wonder
For so were her mother and father before
They each wheeled their barrow
Through the streets broad and narrow
Crying "cockles and mussels, alive, alive, oh"

She died of a fever
And no one could save her
That was the end of sweet Molly Malone
Now her ghost wheels her barrow
Through the streets broad and narrow
Crying "cockles and mussels, alive, alive, oh"

Chords: KEY C

[C]Come all ye young [F]trave-[C]lers
Come a-[G]long with [C]me
We'll sing a song [F]all day [C]long
Ora-[G]diddle-la-diddle-la-[C]dee

[F]A diddle-la-diddle-la-dee
OH! A [C]diddle-la-diddle-la-dee
It's as [G]fun as can [C]be
A [F]diddle-la-diddle-la-dee
Oh! A [C]diddle-la-diddle-la-dee
It's Irish [G]Lil-[C]ting

 

Background

Irish lilting is musical style where you sing a melody. Usually it's done with traditional Irish tunes. I don't play a melody instrument. So I sing Irish lilting when I want to learn to play along with a tune or if I'm writing my own tune.

I also wrote this song for my kids. I wanted a fun way to teach Irish lilting. I also wanted a good interaction song with silly movements mixed into the song. And I wanted a song we could do in the car. So I used popular motions to better interact. It works brilliantly.

After playing the song a few times live, I realized it was also a great song to sing while folks are drinking!

 

Irish Lilting Videos

from St Patrick's Day Songs for Kids CD